When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth; they have received their reward in full.
Matthew 6:16
There is a story about a guy who was engaged to be married, but for the summer he was far apart from his fiancée at a summer camp. He was so in love with her that every morning he would write to her and tell her how much he missed her. Every day at camp the mail call would come just before lunch, and this man would wait eagerly to hear his name called. When he heard his name and saw the lavender envelope he would immediately forget about his appetite and would find a quiet place to read his love letter. More accurately, his hunger for food was silenced by the hunger of his heart. It wasn’t a real meal, but its color, smell, and message were enough to satisfy him.
Christian fasting is the hunger of desiring God. The first part of fasting is that our physical appetite is taken away because of our desire for God. The other half of fasting is that our desire for God is threatened because our physical appetite is so strong. In the first part of fasting our appetite is lost, and in the second our appetite is resisted. Christian fasting is choosing God over our appetites because God is so much more fulfilling. Fasting is also using that desire for God to defend us from everything else in the world that is trying to take that satisfaction away. Christians should fast because when you fast you are telling God that you desire Him more than you do food and drink. Since food and drink are essential to life you are telling God that He is more valuable than life. Be careful when you fast because it is easy to think that you are more spiritual because of what you’re doing. God is longing for us to have a humble heart; one that is humble toward Him and to others.
Prayer Focus: Ask God how you can fast for the future of Northview. Ask Him what you can give up. It doesn’t necessarily have to be food. It could be something that you think you can’t live without, like T.V. or radio. Remember fasting is desiring God above your satisfaction. In your fasting, ask God to show you your role at Northview. Pray that God will take your fasting as a blessing to Northview. When you fast don’t talk about it in conversation, it is something that is between you and God. Pray that others around you will fast too.
Short Course on Fasting
In over fifty references to fasting in the Old and New Testaments, there is no specific command to fast, with the exception of the Day of Atonement for the Jews. In the New Testament it was assumed that fasting would be a part of the normal devotional life of the believer.
Matthew 6:16 “When you fast do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.”
Matthew 9:15 “Jesus answered, ‘How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.’”
If these verses indicate that fasting should be a normal discipline in the church (and the numerous examples of fasting support the idea), then what does it mean to fast? What is the purpose of fasting, and how does one go about fasting?
Fasting: Voluntarily going without food and sometimes water, generally for religious purposes.
Four types of fasting referred to in the Bible are:
- NORMAL FASTING – going without food for up to 40 days (Exodus.34:28; Ezra 8:21,23; Daniel 6:18; Luke 2:37; Mark 2:18; Matthew 4:2; Acts 13:2-3; 14-23 and others).
- PARTIAL FASTING – abstaining from certain foods (Daniel 10:3).
- ABSOLUTE FASTING – going without food or water no more than 3 days (Esther 4:16; this is very rare in the Bible).
- VOLUNTARY GROUP FASTING – called for a specific reason for a specific group of people (1 Samuel 7:6; 2 Chronicles 20:3; Jonah 3:5; and others).
Purpose of Fasting
- Fasting as a means of worship, which must be God-centered, God-intended, and God-ordained. Fasting as an expression of grief, distress, or repentance.
- Fasting as preparation for God’s guidance and renewal (Daniel 9; Exodus 24). Fasting to reveal the things that control us and hinder our intimacy with God.
- Fasting to remind us that we are sustained “by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”
- Fasting to help keep our balance in life.
Practice of fasting:
- OCCASIONAL FASTING – eat a light meal (fruit, vegetables, yogurt, etc.) Skip 2-3 meals, and drink a lot of water. Break the fast with fruit juices followed by a light meal. Avoid oils, dressings, and starch for a couple of meals.
- REGULAR DISCIPLINE OF FASTING – begin slowly with a partial 24-hour (2 meal) fast once a week for several weeks. During this fasting time, drink fruit juices. After succeeding with this for several weeks, move to a 36 hour (3 meal) fast. Break these fasts with a light meal of fruit and vegetables.
- OPTIONAL FASTING – if skipping meals is not possible, try fasting certain types of food (sweets, soft drinks, etc.) or leisure activities (TV, sports, etc.).
Points to Remember While Fasting
- Monitor your inner attitudes and maintain a worshipful attitude.
- Be careful not to call attention to what you are doing.
- Devote this fasting time to devotional activities.
- Seek the Lord regarding extended fasting.*
- Remember that the major work of scriptural fasting is in the realm of the spirit.
*Get additional information on extended fasting and clear the fast with your physician (people with certain physical conditions should not fast).
