THE HABIT OF FASTING

In this week’s blog post, we are considering the habit or discipline of fasting. In past posts, we have considered Bible intake, prayer, worship, evangelism, serving, and stewardship as it relates to both    time and finances.

If you have not seen these posts yet, go ahead and click on the links to catch yourself up.

And remember that the primary motivation for these spiritual habits or disciplines is taken from Paul’s instruction to Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:7, where he says, exercise or discipline yourself toward godliness. This applies to us just the same today and he makes it clear that, if we wish to be godly, it will take work, discipline, and exercise. Just as an athlete, musician, or artist must exercise disciplined practice to become more proficient at their chosen field, so a disciple must exercise disciplined practice in these activities as means’ of grace to become more proficient at being godly. That is to say, as we become more disciplined in the practice of these habits, more of God’s grace is available to us which will change us.

So what about fasting? Most of us who have some experience in the church know what fasting is, even if we don’t really understand what it is. Is fasting so important that it should be considered a discipline or a habit that leads to godliness? Should I fast? What happens if I do fast? How does fasting accomplish its purpose for me? We will look at these questions in this post.

What is fasting?

Christian fasting is a believer’s voluntary abstinence from food for spiritual purposes. Other types of fasting - despite the benefits they may produce for the mind and body - could not be classified as Christian fasting, and fasting by a non-Christian obtains no eternal value. It is for believers in Christ because the habit or discipline must be rooted in a relationship with Christ and practised with the desire to become more like Christ. Believers should fast according to biblical teaching and according to the biblical teaching and purposes that are God-centred. It is voluntary in that fasting should not be imposed or coerced. And fasting is more than just the ultimate crash diet for the body; it is abstinence from food for spiritual purposes.

Fasting is expected

For those who may be unfamiliar with fasting, the most surprising part of this post may be the discovery that Jesus expected that His followers would fast. Look at Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:16-18:

 “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

So, by giving us instructions on what to do and what not to do when we fast, Jesus assumes that we will fast.

This expectation is even more obvious when we compare these words with His statements in the same passage about prayer and giving.

Matthew 6:2-3 - “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.

Matthew 6: 5-7 - “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.  And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.

Few of us doubt that Christians are to pray and to give. In fact, Christians often use this passage to teach Jesus’ principles and expectations about praying and giving. And since there is nothing here or elsewhere in Scripture to indicate that we no longer need to fast, and since we know that Christians in the Book of Acts fasted (Acts 9:9, 13:2, 14:23), we may conclude that Jesus still expects His followers to fast today.

Fasting is to be done for a purpose

There must be more to a biblical fast than simply abstaining from food. Without a spiritual purpose for your fast, it’s just a weight-loss fast. Without a purpose, fasting can be a miserable, self-centred experience about will power and endurance.

Having a biblical purpose for your fast may be the single most important concept to take from this post. In real life, here’s how it works: As you are fasting and your head aches or your stomach growls and you think, I’m hungry! your next thought is likely to be something like, Oh, right - I’m hungry because I’m fasting today. Then your next thought should be, And I’m fasting for this purpose:           (insert biblical purpose here)               .

Without a clear biblical purpose, fasting becomes an end in itself. Every hunger pang only makes you figure out the time left before you can eat. This kind of thinking disconnects the experience in your mind and heart from the gospel and descends into the deception that perhaps your suffering will earn God’s favour.

The Bible shows us many purposes for fasting, but they can be pared down to 10 major categories. Notice that none of the purposes is to earn God’s favour. It is a fool’s errand to try to impress God and earn His acceptance. Fasting has no eternal benefit for us until we have come to God through repentance and faith (Ephesians2:1-10, Titus 3:5-7). Then, as a Christian, you should fast for at least one of these biblical purposes.

1. To strengthen prayer - there is something about fasting that sharpens the edge or our intercessions and deepens the passions of our prayers. So the people of God have frequently used fasting when they have felt a special urgency about the concerns they lift before God (Ezra 8:23, Nehemiah 1:4, Daniel 9:3, Joel 2:12, Acts 13:3).
   
   
2. To seek God’s guidance - a second purpose for fasting is to more clearly discern the will of God in a certain situation (Judges 20:26-28, Acts 14:23).
   
   
3. To express grief over a loss or over sin - three of the first four references in the Bible to fasting connect it with an expression of grief (Judges 20:26, 1 Samuel 31:13, 2 Samuel 1:11-12). Fasting, like weeping, is often a means of physically expressing to God the depth of our feelings, so it is just as appropriate for grief-stricken prayers to be accompanied by fasting as by tears.
   
   
4. To seek deliverance or protection - one of the most common fasts in the Bible was a fast to seek salvation from enemies or circumstances (2 Chronicles 20:3-4, Ezra 8:21-23, Esther 4:16). Perhaps fasting, rather than fleshly efforts, should be our first defence against persecution from family, schoolmates, neighbours, or coworkers because of our faith. Typically, we are tempted to strike back with anger, verbal attacks, counteraccusations, or even legal action. But instead of manipulating, gossiping and imitating the worldly tactics of our enemies, we should appeal to God with fasting for protection and deliverance.
   
   
5. To express repentance and return to God - fasting for this purpose is similar to fasting for the purpose of expressing grief for sin. But as repentance is a change of heart resulting in a change of action, fasting can represent more than just grief over sin. It can also signal a commitment to obedience and a new direction (1 Samuel 7:6, Joel 2:12, Jonah 3:5-8).
   
   
6. To humble oneself before God - when practised with the right motives, fasting is a physical expression of humility before God, just as kneeling or prostrating yourself in prayer can reflect humility before Him. And as there are times when you want to express humility by praying on your knees, so there are times when you may want to express a sense of humility before the Lord in every activity throughout the day by fasting (1Kings 21:27-29, Psalm 35:13).
   
   
7. To express concern for the work of God - this was the purpose of Nehemiah’s fast when he heard that despite the return of many Jewish exiles to Jerusalem, the city still had no wall to defend it (Nehemiah 1:3-4). Daniel also felt a heavy burden for the return of the Jews from exile and for the restoration of Jerusalem (Daniel 9:3).
   
   
8. To minister to the needs of others - Isaiah 58 is probably the most extensive passage in the Bible dealing exclusively with fasting and in it, God emphasizes fasting for the purpose of meeting the needs of others. Verses 6-7 tell us the fast that God chooses, one to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke. It is to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless and the poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide from your own flesh. In other words, the kind of fast that pleases God is one that results in concern for others and not just for ourselves.
   
   
9. To overcome temptation and dedicate oneself to God - this is the fast demonstrated to us by Jesus Himself in Matthew 4:1-11, where, in the strength of that prolonged fast He was prepared to overcome the direct onslaught of temptation from Satan himself. This fast was also the time when Jesus privately dedicated Himself to the Father for the public ministry He was about to begin. In times of exceptional temptation or exceptional uncertainty, exceptional measures are required. One such exceptional measure in your situation might be a Christ like fast for the purpose of overcoming temptation and of renewing your dedication to God.
   
   
10. To express love and worship to God - the Bible also says that fasting may be purely an expression of love and devotion to God (Luke 2:37).

What has been your past experience with fasting? Why do you think that there is so little said about fasting? What will you do to incorporate fasting into your habits of grace? We would love to talk with you about this.
Reply in the comments section or give us a call at 1-800-784-7077.
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Matthew 6:17-18 - “But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”