FASTING

Understanding Fasting

Simply stated, biblical fasting is refraining from food for a spiritual purpose. From the beginning, fasting has been a normal part of a relationship with God. As expressed by the impassioned plea of David in Psalm 42, fasting brings one into a deeper, more intimate, and powerful relationship with the Lord. When you eliminate food from your diet for a number of days, your spirit becomes uncluttered by the things of this world and amazingly sensitive to the things of God.

—Fasting, by Jentezen Franklin

Fasting is not an end in itself; it is a means by which we can worship the Lord and submit ourselves in humility to Him. We don’t make God love us any more than He already does if we fast, or if we fast longer. [. . .] Even if we wanted to, we could not manipulate God. We fast and pray for results, but the results are in God’s hands. One of the greatest spiritual benefits of fasting is becoming more attentive to God–becoming aware of our own inadequacies and His adequacy, our own contingencies and His self-sufficiency–and listening to what He wants us to be and do. [. . .] Christian fasting focuses on God. The results are spiritual results that glorify God–both in the person who fasts and others for whom we fast and pray.

—Fasting for Spiritual Breakthrough by Elmer Towns

During the years that Jesus walked this earth, He devoted time to teaching His disciples the

principles of the Kingdom of God, principles that conflict with those of this world. In the Beatitudes, specifically in Matthew 6, Jesus provided the pattern by which each of us is to live as a child of God. That pattern specifically addressed three duties of a Christian: giving, praying, and fasting. Jesus said, “When you give . . “ and “when you pray . . . “ and “when you fast . . . .“ He went on to say, “The Son of God fasted because He knew there were supernatural things that could only be released that way. How much more should fasting be common practice in our lives? According to the words of Jesus, it is the duty of every disciple, every believer, to fast.”

—Fasting, by Jentezen Franklin