WHEN YOU FAST
To all believers who will join me in fasting and praying for revival in North America and the fulfillment of the Great Commission around the world—especially to the two million for whom God has impressed me to pray who will fast forty days.
The quote given above was included in the introductory pages of a book by Bill Bright, founder and president of Campus Crusade for Christ International. In December, 1994, Bright invited “several hundred of the most influential Christians in the country to gather in Orlando [Florida] as guests of Campus Crusade for a time of fasting and prayer.” More than six hundred Christian leaders came, exceeding his hope of at least three hundred. Bright stated that the prompting for this special gathering started on July 5, 1994, when God led him to begin a forty-day fast “for a great spiritual awakening in America and for the fulfillment of the Great Commission throughout the world.” On the twenty-ninth day of his fast, while studying 2 Chronicles, chapter 20 through 30, he was impressed to organize the special gathering for prayer and fasting.
The Convention sermon at the 1996 Southern Baptist Convention, delivered by Ronnie Floyd and titled, “The Midnight Crisis Before the Coming Millennium,” included an emphasis and call for Southern Baptists as a denomination to spend time in prayer and fasting. The sermon was subtitled, “Through Prayer and Fasting, We Can Reclaim Our Heritage.” In the introduction to the sermon Floyd stated:
I believe we are in a major spiritual crisis. A midnight crisis. The answer to this spiritual crisis in America will not be found in the ballot box, but in the prayer closet. The answer to the spiritual crisis in our churches will not be found in some new program, but in a fresh touch from God that will interrupt all we do. The answer to the spiritual crisis in our denomination will be found by putting on the sackcloth of prayer, fasting, and humiliation before God.
Bright and Floyd believe that fasting is the necessary prerequisite to help pray down a heaven sent spiritual awakening to the United States of America. Second Chronicles 7:14 has often been used as a theme verse for the revival that many hope will come to America. This verse says, “If my people, who are called by name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” Bright observed:
Fasting is the only discipline that meets all the conditions of 2 Chronicles 7:14. When one fasts, he humbles himself; he has more time to pray, more time to seek God’s face, and certainly he would turn from all known sin.
Floyd pointed out that “spiritual fasting is the means—the once-hidden, unexplored, misunderstood vehicle—by which we humble ourselves before God.” One cannot truly humble himself without fasting. Therefore, for the conditions of 2 Chronicles 7:14 to be completely met, prayer with fasting is required. Bright stated that “the power of fasting as it relates to prayer is the spiritual atomic bomb of our moment in history to bring down the strongholds of evil.”
To some, the spiritual discipline of fasting may be a practice they know little about. Over a decade and a half ago, an article appeared about fasting in a popular Christian magazine as a result of a renewed interest in this spiritual discipline. Douglas Batchelder wrote:
In a fast food world, fasting seems a bit silly, an antique of the Old Testament, something fitting for a prophet in Israel but hardly practical for a believer soon to enter the 21st century. Many regard fasting as a childish ploy designed to twist the arm of the Almighty, assuming it’s something a sophisticated Christian would undertake.
Others consider fasting a quick cure for spiritual ailments—a sure way to recapture the fire and fervor of the first-century church. They make it a means of gaining apostolic excitement. They use it to spice up an otherwise tasteless Christian experience—as if, by denying food to the body, they can make up for the malnourishment of their soul.
Then there are others who honestly admit, “I’m confused.” The thought of fasting fascinates them, but they neglect it. Like an old, valuable tool, it’s tucked away in storage because they have no idea how to use it.
Who is right? The answer requires tackling several basic questions.
The emphasis and call to fasting by Bright and Floyd may appear to be a new concept or method in the desire of many in this country to see a spiritual awakening sweep across the United States. Fasting, though, is not new for this century or one that was only practiced in the previous century or two. It is as old a concept, discipline, and practice as the Bible. It has received renewed emphasis in the past two decades among Christians. Batchelder, though, brought out some legitimate questions and concerns that have been raised about fasting that need to be addressed.
In the sixth chapter of Matthew, Jesus mentioned this discipline of the Christian life that is a neglected spiritual activity for many Christians. If Christians would learn to practice this discipline, not because it is commanded by the Lord, but because of the blessings of it, release could be attained from some of the strongholds people encounter in their lives. Throughout the pages of the Bible and history, prayer with fasting was a factor in remarkable turns of events or spiritual awakening and revival being experienced by a people or nation.
This booklet will answer some of the questions and concerns about fasting by examining this subject through the lives of ones who practiced it. Precedents
for fasting are provided in the Bible and from history. The basis for fasting will first be addressed. In addition to a biblical and historical basis for fasting, a third subsection on a technical basis for fasting will define it and provide direction for the why, when, and how of fasting. Two other major sections will cover the benefits and the blessings of fasting.
THE BASIS FOR FASTING
Jesus indicated that fasting was not a discipline only for a certain era or a select group of Christians. In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said:
Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward [Matt. 6:16].
Jesus did not say, “if you fast.” He said, “when you fast.” Fasting is a spiritual discipline that every Christian should practice in his life. The Bible provides many examples of fasting, and the situations under which the fasting occurred reveal purposes behind fasting. In his study of the subject, Andy Anderson observed that “fasting is found seventy-five times in the Scriptures, forty-four times in the Old Testament and thirty-one times in the New Testament.” In the Bible, many individuals and groups practiced fasting for a variety of reasons. When they were called of God or led for spiritual reasons to fast, without fail God honored and blessed efforts of true sincerity.
The Biblical Basis for Fasting
The Bible reveals many individuals and groups of people who practiced the spiritual discipline of fasting. Fasting is first mentioned in the Bible when it says of Moses:
And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments [Ex. 34:28].
Although a more complete definition of fasting will be given later in this paper, it does involve going without food and water.
The nation of Israel, whom Moses led, also experienced the discipline of fasting. Leviticus 23:27 says,
Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
To “afflict your souls” meant to abstain from eating for the length of a day.
Hannah, the mother of Samuel, fasted when she was not able to bear a child (1 Sam. 1:1-20). She wanted a son, whom she would dedicate to the Lord, and God allowed her to give birth to a son.
Other groups of people fasted. Ezra led his fellow Jews to fast when they prayed that the Lord would provide safe travel for them to return from exile to Jerusalem (Ezra 8:21-23). Nehemiah, a contemporary of Ezra, was given permission to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem after he had fasted and prayed (Neh. 1:4).
Queen Esther led her fellow Jews to pray and intercede on her behalf so thatshe could be instrumental in helping to spare her people from destruction (Esther 4:16).
When Jonah prophesied that the city of Ninevah would be destroyed in forty days if they did not repent (Jonah 3:4), the king of Ninevah called for everyone to fast and repent, and God spared their city (Jonah 3:6-10).
In the New Testament, John the Baptist was one who regularly fasted (Matt. 9:14). Jesus fasted for forty days (Matt. 4:1-11). The Lord experienced this discipline in His life, after which the devil came to tempt Him without success.
The Bible says that after this experience of fasting and resisting temptation that “Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee” (Matt. 4:14).
At the time of the birth of Christ, a lady became known who had spent regular times of fasting for most of her life. She was married for seven years, then widowed at a young age (Luke 2:37-38). For the remainder of her life, she would go to the Temple early each day and serve God “with fastings and prayers night and day” (Luke 2:37). When one spends that amount of time fasting and praying, that person will develop spiritual discernment. When the parents of Jesus brought Him to the Temple to be dedicated, Anna knew that this baby was the Son of God (Luke 2:38).
Through fasting and praying, the Lord revealed to Cornelius, a Gentile believer, that he was to send for Peter (Acts 10:30). The result was that salvation came to the Gentiles.
Paul fasted on many occasions. He was given clear direction for the work of his life after he fasted and prayed with church leaders at Antioch (Acts 9:9; 13:2-3) to take the Gospel throughout the world.
The Historical Basis for Fasting
A historical basis for fasting is seen throughout the pages of the Bible. Arthur Wallis observed that “wherever in Scripture we read of a public emergency being met by a national call to fast, we find without exception that God responded in deliverance.” When a nation or people were led to fast for the purpose of repenting, because they had turned away from God, He would spare their country from an enemy or other source of national concern.
History has provided a basis for fasting, as God has blessed and worked in behalf of nations and individuals who have fasted in time of need.
The Pilgrims, who were instrumental in the founding of the United States, fasted and prayed prior to leaving for this land. In his studies of the Pilgrims, Derek Prince discovered that “one distinctive practice employed by the Pilgrims to achieve their spiritual goals was that of united, public prayer and fasting.”
Spiritual and theological leaders of previous eras practiced the discipline of fasting, and the practice crossed theological boundaries. Wallis remarked:
Some of the great saints of church history have practiced fasting and testified to its value, among them the great Reformers, such as Luther, Calvin, and Knox. The custom has not been confined to any theological school. Here we find Jonathan Edwards, the Calvinist, joining hands with John Wesley, the Arminian; and David Brainerd having fellowship with Charles Finney.
David Smith found that “there is much evidence that Jonathan Edwards was punctual, constant, and frequent in secret prayer, and often kept days of fasting and prayer in secret.” The research of R. D. Chatham discovered that Jonathan Edwards, a leader of the Great Awakening in New England, that occurred in the 1700s, “fasted three days prior to the revival in which he preached his powerful sermon, ‘Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God’.”
Public fasts were called on several occasions in the early years of the United States, even prior to the writing of the Declaration of Independence. On May 24, 1774, the House of Burgesses of Virginia called for a fast on June 1 of that year in response to an embargo the British Parliament had imposed on the Port of Boston. Fasts were also called for during the presidencies of John Adams and James Madison. Probably the most beloved of all U.S. presidents, Abraham Lincoln, called for fasts on three separate occasions. Prince stated:
During the presidency of Abraham Lincoln three separate days of national humiliation, prayer, and fasting were proclaimed. The prime cause for each of these was the Civil War, and the central theme of petition was for the restoration of national peace and unity.
During World War II, the King of England called the British people to fast and pray when it looked like an invasion by Hitler and his German army was imminent. It never happened. God honored their fasting and praying. Among those who faithfully fasted and prayed for their homeland whenever it was threatened by the Germans were a group of students and teachers at a Bible college led by the noted prayer intercessor, Rees Howells. In a book about his phenomenal prayer life, several chapters were devoted to the intense times of prayer and fasting made on behalf of the British and their allies. Norman Grubb gave a summary of their faithful intercession:
Through all the years of the war, the whole college was in prayer every evening from seven o’clock to midnight, with only a brief interval for supper. They never missed a day. This was in addition to an hour’s prayer meeting every morning, and very often at midday. There were many special periods when every day was given wholly to prayer and fasting.
Two centuries earlier, the same nation was called to a “day of solemn fasting and prayer” in view of a threatened invasion by the French in 1756. John Wesley records that “humility was turned into national rejoicing for the threatened invasion by the French was averted.”
The Technical Basis for Fasting
Fasting is a discipline that is as old as the Bible, and a spiritual exercise that has been practiced through the ages. What exactly is fasting? In the spiritual realm, it is more than just going without food for a period of time. Although there are physical benefits that come from fasting, the intent of this paper is to show that the ultimate reason it ought to be exercised is for spiritual reasons. As a definition, directive, and the different kinds of fasting will be covered in this section, the emphasis will be upon the spiritual expectations and benefits of fasting.
Definition of Fasting
Most of those who have authored books on fasting offer a definition for fasting. The following sampling of definitions are a representatives selection from those found in the books read by this writer. Drawing from the Greek word, nesteia, and two Hebrew words that are used for fasting, James Beall defined fasting as “voluntary deprivation of the body, by subordinating the soul for spiritual purposes through voluntary abstinence from food.” Ronnie Floyd defined fasting as “the abstinence from food with a spiritual goal in mind and for a spiritual purpose.” Derek Prince has defined fasting in a similar manner as “voluntarily abstaining from food for spiritual purposes.”
To make a definition for fasting more specific, the simple definition of fasting used for this booklet will be abstaining from food, for spiritual reasons, for at least one meal. A dictionary might emphasize that fasting is done for religious reasons. One can do something for religious reasons and it may not do someone any good spiritually. In abstaining from food for one meal, it does not mean that a person has spiritually fasted who misses lunch at their normal time from noon until one o’clock to pray, then eats soon after one o’clock. True fasting is to abstain from food for one meal, in which time a person would try to devote himself to praying, then not eat again until the next usual time of a meal.
For many of those, whose names have been mentioned as ones who observed times of fasting, they would follow a standard, typical fast of going a twenty-four hour period of missing three meals. Because of the serious nature that Esther and her people faced, she asked them to “fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day” (Esther 5:16). When people are threatened with annihilation, going without food, even water, for three days is a price they are willing to pay to save their lives.
Different Kinds of Fasting
What are the distinctions or diversities of fasting? As with a definition for fasting, those who have written on the subject use differing but similar words to describe the kinds of fasts. Wallis used the terms, normal fast, absolute fast, and partial fast to describe what he said are the three kinds of fasts. Jerry Falwell described the kinds of fasts as typical, complete, and partial. Elmer Towns, a ministry peer of Falwell, categorized the kinds of fasting as normal, absolute, partial, and rotational. This booklet will used the terms, selective fast, simple fast, standard fast, and sustained fast to describe the different kinds of ways by which a person may fast. The ideas behind the terms the other writers used can be found in the four terms that will be used for fasting in this booklet.
Selective Fast
There is a partial or selective fast. An example of this kind of fast is seen in the life of Daniel. In the first chapter of Daniel, the king decreed for some young men to be trained, and among those were Daniel and his friends, Shadrach, Mesach, and Abednego. They were to be fed what was felt to be the finest of food and drink, but Daniel did not feel drinking wine and eating the foods offered was best for them. Daniel asked if he and his three friends could train by simply drinking water and eating bread and vegetables for ten days. That was a form of a partial fast, which is going without a certain food for a period of time. The result of this partial fast is that those young men had wisdom and knowledge far beyond all others and their physical appearance was superior to the others. For spiritual reasons, one may feel led to a selective fast, by abstaining from a particular food or beverage.
Going without food or beverage is a form of self-control. Fasting helps to develop self-control, which may be defined as the inner discipline of mind, body, soul, and spirit, resulting in obedience to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. A partial, selective fast, in order to develop self-control as a spiritual discipline, is a form of biblical fasting. This is the kind of fasting that is practiced by Roman Catholics during the yearly forty-day observance of Lent.
Simple Fast
Other fasting involves going without food completely for a period of time of at least one meal. A simple fast is to abstain from food for one meal for spiritual reasons. This kind of a fast is enhanced if the one fasting prays during the time he would spend eating the meal that he is missing. For the simple fast to have its full effect, one should fast a meal that he would usually eat each day. God will honor the most simple fast when the purpose behind it is to see God work on behalf of someone else you are praying for, or because you want to become more alert spiritually or develop self-control. As a person begins to see the blessings that come from fasting, one may then desire to miss two meals in a row for spiritual reasons. Several Bible references to fasting confirm this kind of fast when the abstinence from food was during the daylight hours, which would involve missing two meals. Judges 20:26 and 2 Samuel 1:11-12 are representative examples of this kind of fasting.
Standard Fast
A standard or normal fast is the kind that most biblical examples followed. It is to fast from food from sundown one day until sundown the next day. It involves the skipping of the evening meal the day the fast begins, and the missing of breakfast and lunch the next day. Leviticus 23:32, a representative verse to describe the standard fast, says: “It shall be to you a sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict your souls; on the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you shall celebrate.” To “afflict your souls” is referring to fasting.
This writer has followed a pattern at times of going to bed, waking up the next morning and abstaining from food for the entire day, going to bed and not eating again until breakfast on the third day. Although this kind of fast takes place over three days, it covers a time frame of about forty hours, sixteen of which is spent sleeping. The author has found this kind of standard fast to his personal liking because of the spiritual blessings as well as the physical benefits he senses from giving his body a one day break from food and the energy needed to digest it.
Sustained Fast
A sustained fast is an extended fast covering a time frame where one fasts for at least two complete days in which he wakes up and goes to bed without partaking of food. Some of the more observed time periods of extended fasts are three days, ten days, and forty days. Forty day fasts were observed by three Bible personalities. Modern-day pastors such as Bill Bright, Ronnie Floyd, and J. Harold Smith have fasted for forty days, and each man has written a book about his experience. All three deal in their books with the physical benefits the fast brought them as well as the spiritual blessings. Some individuals have even fasted longer than forty days. During the Cork hunger strike in 1920, those who were part of the hunger strike “went without food for periods ranging from seventy to ninety-four days.”
Selective, simple, standard, and sustained fasts are the kinds of fasts that are found in the Bible. If a person has a job that requires much physical activity, it will be hard to attempt a sustained fast, although it is certainly possible. Even a standard fast can be difficult when one must go about the normal busy routine of a day. But a simple fast is one that nearly everyone could and should observe in order to fulfill the Bible directive to fast.
When God wants to say something special through a preacher, He sometimes calls them to prolonged periods of fasting. The pastor, whom God leads to a sustained fast, will usually try to rearrange his schedule so that he can spend prolonged periods in prayer, meditation, and Bible reading throughout the day, allowing for times of rest.
Directives for Fasting
In the few verses in Matthew 6, where Jesus addressed the subject of fasting, he gave some directives for fasting that keep it within its intended boundaries.
Not Hypocritically
The directive for fasting from Jesus is that it is not to be done hypocritically (Matt. 6:16). In a fast, one does not want to draw attention to himself. If he is following a normal routine, and the lack of food causes him to feel nauseated or weak while at work, it is difficult to lay down and rest or to keep others from knowing that you are fasting. It is meant, on most occasions, to be between the one fasting and God. If a person feels called of God to a sustained fast, even if he cannot alter his normal routine, wherever he is, no matter what he does, he must do it. God will give him the strength, though, to endure it, as He gave to Moses (Exo. 34:28), Elijah (1 Kings 19:8), and Jesus (Matt. 4:2), who experienced forty day fasts. Although the forty day fast of Moses included going without water, that was unique to that fast, in which he was supernaturally and miraculously empowered.
The Pharisees, whom Jesus was referring to as ones who fasted hypocritically, wanted people to know that they were fasting. They would make it look like they were suffering for the Lord while fasting. As one fasts regularly, though, his body adjusts to the times when he goes without food, and it would not have been too difficult to fast, even two days a week. They were hypocritical by making it appear to be a great sacrifice for the Lord, drawing attention to themselves, not for the purpose of drawing closer to the Lord. Wallis stated that “when the Pharisees fasted heaven looked the other way.” Fasting should always be solely concerned with conformity to the will of God, never seeking the accolades of mankind.
Privately
Another directive for fasting from Jesus was to do it privately (Matt. 6:18). Jesus states that a person is not to let other people know that he is fasting. Public fasts did occur in the Bible, but it was for special occasions, as mandated by God, or to seek the face of God when confronted with critical situations. Public fasts have been observed throughout history, as has been discussed previously in this paper. The goal of Bill Bright in calling Americans to fast was for two million believers to “humble themselves by seeking God in forty-day fasts.” Although a yearly two or three day gathering to pray and fast for revival has occurred among several hundred of those joining Bright in his crusade, most of the fasting is to be done privately.
Purposefully
Fasting is also to be done purposefully. From the examples throughout the Bible, there was always a spiritual purpose behind the reason for fasting. One who is led to fast ought to have a spiritual purpose for doing so if the fast is for spiritual reasons. The purpose is not to be selfish in its motivation because the person hopes to manipulate God through fasting to get something. Kingsley Fletcher said:
Fasting is not a tool to twist the arm of God so that He will give you exactly what you want. Fasting has a spiritual purpose, and that purpose is to get the flesh out of the way so that the Spirit of God can move in your life.
When fasting is for the right reason, Jesus stated that God would reward the person openly (Matt. 6:18).
Elmer Towns wrote a book on fasting that was uniquely different from any of the other books this writer read on fasting. He touched on the subject of fasting in a way that no one else dealt with it. The most complete account of fasting is given in the fifty-eighth chapter of Isaiah. In his study of Isaiah 58, in verses six through eight, Towns found nine major purposes for fasting in this passage. Towns made the following observations:
In Isaiah 58, God says He has chosen fasts that (1) loosen the bonds of wickedness, (2) undo heavy burdens (3) let the oppressed go free, (4) break every yoke, (5) give bread to the hungry and provide the poor with housing, (6) allow the people’s light to break forth like the morning, (7) cause their health to spring forth speedily, (8) cause their righteousness to go before them and (9) cause the glory of the Lord to be their reward (of “rear guard”).
He said that the passage prompted him to find in other places in Scripture “nine kinds of fasting I think Christians should rediscover today—not just for their own benefit, but for the benefit of others as well.” To correspond with the nine major purposes for fasting found in Isaiah 58:6-8, Towns was led to the following biblical examples:
The Disciple’s Fast (Matt. 17:21) – freeing ourselves and others from addictions to sin; The Ezra Fast (Ezra 8:23) – to solve problems, inviting the Holy Spirit’s aid in lifting loads and overcoming barriers that keep ourselves and our loved ones from walking joyfully with the Lord; The Samuel Fast (1 Sam. 7:6) – for revival and soul winning, to identify with people everywhere enslaved literally or by sin and to pray to be used of God to bring people out of the kingdom of darkness and into God’s marvelous light; The Elijah Fast (1 Kings 19:4,8) – conquering the mental and emotional problems that would control our lives, and returning the control to the Lord; The Widow’s Fast (1 Kings 17:16) – to meet the humanitarian needs of others; The Saint Paul Fast (Acts 9:9) – bringing clearer perspective and insight as we make crucial decisions; The Daniel Fast (Dan. 1:8) – to gain a healthier life and for healing; The John the Baptist Fast (Luke 1:15) – that our testimonies and influence for Jesus will be enhanced before others; The Esther Fast (Esther 4:16; 5:2) – that the Lord will protect us from the evil one.
A variety of reasons can be gleaned for fasting purposefully that build upon the biblical examples and modern-day human experiences. One purpose for fasting is to attain the mind of God on a matter. Another is to increase spiritual alertness so that the mind will be spiritually sharp and sensitive to think, act, react, and respond regarding the issues of life. It helps one to develop spiritual discernment. Another purpose for fasting is to develop the discipline of self-control in order to come under the power and authority of the Holy Spirit. Expressing sincerity to God is an appropriate reason for fasting. Fasting is a means of showing God absolute dependency upon Him in bringing regeneration, revival, and renewal upon the life of the one fasting and upon others for whom he is interceding. Another purpose for fasting is as a thanks-offering to God because of who He is, and as a way of thanking Him for the answers to prayers and blessings he has bestowed upon the family and loved ones of the one fasting.
The purposes for fasting, given in this section, through biblical examples and human experience, do not exhaust all the possibilities. They do give a representative idea of why the Lord exhorted believers to fast and what can be accomplished on their behalf through the practice of it.
Prayerfully
Another directive for fasting is that it must be done prayerfully. In the examples of fasting from the Bible, prayer and fasting go together. Jesus taught on fasting after he taught on prayer and gave the disciples a model for praying (Matt. 6:9-13). Praying with fasting for spiritual reasons is one of the most powerful weapons the Christian has available for his use today. Yet, it is one of the most neglected spiritual disciplines.
Lee Bueno learned the discipline of fasting because it was practiced on the mission field where she grew up as the child of missionaries. She discovered as she grew older and traveled to other parts of the world that fasting was not a common practice throughout Christendom. She stated:
Why has fasting held such a prominent place in many world religions? Even religions of some of the world’s most backward nations recognize the physical and non-physical benefits of a fast. Yet, so little is known about fasting for physical and spiritual benefits within the Christian community.
Fasting is not a common practice among Christians because society today is not a very disciplined people, especially when it comes to food. Kingsley Fletcher addressed the root problem behind the neglect of Christians to fast and pray, but he also gave a motivation why it is beneficial. He said:
Most of us who live comfortably in the prosperous nations have problems with prayer and fasting because everything around us is designed to appeal to our flesh and its carnal desires. But when we seek the face of God through prayer and fasting, we push the flesh aside, denying the appetites the control they seek over us, and allowing our spirit man, who desires God, to develop a strong relationship with the heavenly Father.
Jesus does not condemn eating, and neither does the Bible, but the Lord does indicate that there are times in life when it would be more beneficial to forget about eating. When someone learns the benefits and blessings from fasting, the words of Job make sense: “I have esteemed the words of His [God] mouth more than my necessary food” (Job 23:12).
Fasting is not something that has been pushed or promoted in society, and especially Christian circles, until recent years. For a person who desires to become a mature Christian, there will be times in life when fasting will assist in getting the mind of God on a matter. If a person really wants to show God his desire to know His mind, to mature in his Christian life, to become alert and spiritually sensitive, times of fasting will be observed. Prayer goes side by side with fasting.
THE BENEFITS OF FASTING
Fasting provides benefits that one may never receive without fasting. Those who benefit not only are those who fast but others for whom fasters intercede.
For the Benefit of Others
Fasting is beneficial to others beside the ones who fast. Paul exhorted Timothy “that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men” (1 Tim. 2:1). No one interceding on behalf of his people caused the Lord to wonder (Isa. 59:16). The Lord provided salvation through Jesus, but the intercessions of His people on behalf of others is part of the process of one personally coming to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
When a person intercedes on behalf of someone else, it pleases God, and he desires to honor it according to His will. When a Christian prays for a carnal, backslidden Christian to come back to the Lord, it is a prayer that God wants to grant. God will work upon the life of the backslider. He will get the attention of an estranged husband, wife, child, another family member, or friend for whom a Christian intercedes. The purpose of the prayer of intercession is not for God to get them but for God to save them or restore them. For the backslidden Christian for whom one fasts and intercedes, the benefit to them is that God may bring joy back into their life and restore the joy of their salvation.
Fasting is of benefit to others as the prayers of intercession compel God to provide direction, correction, and protection to the beneficiaries of intercessory prayer.
As the people of God pray about issues in the country today, God will honor the prayer and fasting of those who intercede on behalf of this nation. Prayer and fasting are weapons with which to fight the enemies of life, especially Satan and his demons, as they try to come upon Christians to discourage them and to keep others from coming to know the Lord. God seeks for a man or woman who will “stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it” (Ezek. 22:30). The United States is a land in need of repentance, therefore, it is a land in need of intercessors to stand in the gap on her behalf. Bill Bright and hundreds of other Christian leaders believe that America is at a spiritual crossroads. Bright observed:
In my fifty plus years of walking with the Lord, I have never witnessed a greater concern for the spiritual condition of this nation. Everywhere, concerned citizens, especially Christians, are deeply troubled over the wicked things that are happening in our country.
As a nation, we live in the most critical moment in our history. From a human standpoint, there is no way out of this moral morass. Not one of our institutions—government, education, judicial, science, business, media, military, the Church, or the home—offers a ray of hope.
As individual Christians and as a Church, we are prone to be so comfortable, so materialistic, so indifferent to spiritual discipline, so racked by scandals and loss of respect that secular society sees little difference between believers and the rest of the world.
Most believers have lost their sense of a holy God and the reality of God has little effect on their everyday life. Unless God does something to bring revival, American believers will go down with the national ship.
Bright further stated that “fasting is a primary means of restoration. By humbling our souls, fasting releases the Holy Spirit to do His special work of revival in us.”
For The Benefit Of The Faster
Fasting provides numerous physical, mental, and spiritual benefits to the one who practices it.
Physical Benefits
In a secular book written on fasting, Allan Cott commented that “the body tolerates a fast far better than it does a feast.” A side benefit for one who fasts for spiritual reasons are the physical benefits received. Weight loss and control will naturally occur when food and caloric intake are decreased. Losing weight is not the chief purpose for fasting, but it is a positive result from it when one fasts over a period of several days or practices one days fasts regularly.
Fasting is a safe discipline. C. S. Lovett pointed out that “the safety record of fasting is remarkable. No other method comes close to it.” People have starved themselves to death, but they have not fasted to death. Lovett clarifed that:
fasting and starvation are two separate things. Starvation feeds on tissue, while fasting feeds on fat. In rare instances people have died while fasting, but their deaths were not caused by fasting. Autopsies revealed the presence of organ disease as the cause of death. In terms of safety, fasting is without a doubt one of the finest healing and corrective methods available to man.
If a person has major physical problems or is on medication, a doctor should be consulted before one fasts.
Anderson has summarized as well as any of the writers on fasting how fasting benefits the body physically. He stated:
When a person goes on a fast, the digestive system gets a rest. No longer is there an overstuffed feeling. The stomach and intestines empty. The body feels clean and lean. Much of the energy which has been used in digestion is then available for other things.
Mental Benefits
As Anderson noted, when one fasts energy that normally goes to digest food is available for other use in the body. More blood is able to go to the brain to help one think, not to digest food from eating or to strengthen muscles when exercising. Although a limited amount of exercise can be attempted, the purpose of a fast is for spiritual exercise. Anderson discovered that “without exception, every practicing faster I have interviewed has expressed a heightened state of consciousness following a three-day or more fast.”
One who is fasting will find that his day seems longer because it makes extra time available when one would normally be eating. When a person fasts three meals, he has from one and a half to three extra hours available that he would normally spend eating that he could devote to prayer, the study of the Bible, and other spiritual disciplines.
Spiritual Benefits
The pages of the Bible reveal the spiritual benefits received by individuals and nations who fasted as called by God or compelled by circumstances. God honors fasting for the right reasons.
Two renowned Christian leaders of the previous century wrote of the spiritual benefits fasting brought to their lives. Charles Finney testified that:
whenever I fasted, and let the Spirit take his own course with me, and gave myself up to let him lead and instruct me, I universally found it in the highest degree useful.
E. M. Bounds declared:
All our libraries and studies are mere emptiness compared with our closets. Our seasons of fasting and prayer at the Tabernacle have been high days indeed; never has heaven’s gate stood wider; never have our hearts been nearer the central Glory.
Fasting is still as spiritually beneficial today as it was a century ago. It is as spiritually beneficial as when the words of the Bible were first written and the admonitions about fasting were initially given. Lee Bueno commented that “fasting is the most sacred, most serious, most sacrificial way to present ourselves in total devotion to the Lord.” C. S. Lovett is further representative of the spiritual benefits attained by those who have practiced and written on fasting. He remarked that “fasting can bring you into a glorious intimacy with the Lord that cannot be attained any other way.” As one presents himself to the Lord in total devotion, the greatest spiritual benefits are available and receivable.
Fasting provides many benefits for the one fasting and those for whom fasters intercede. Jerry Falwell summarized the varied benefits of fasting:
I believe it will be a blessing to you spiritually, physically, mentally, and financially. Many people have found that heavy burdens were relieved through fasting (Isaiah 58); wisdom was obtained through fasting (Daniel 10); revival came after fasting (Isaiah 58:6); God’s protection from danger was secured through fasting (1 Kings 21:27-29); healing for a sick loved one came after fasting (Psalm 35:13); and inauguration of a great ministry followed fasting (Matthew 4:2).
Why fast? Because fasting secures God’s results with God’s blessing.
THE BLESSINGS FROM FASTING
In His exhortations on fasting, Jesus promised that the one who fasted would be blessed. Jesus said:
Thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; that thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly [Matt. 6:18].
As one fasts “unto thy Father,” he can be assured that God recognizes him individually. Fasting gets the attention of God. “Fasting is not the biblical equivalent of waving a magic wand to make all personal wishes come true.” It is a means of acknowledgment that God is sovereign and a confirmation that He fulfills what He has said He will do. The Bible is full of illustrations where God honored and blessed the efforts and concerns of those who fasted. “Fasting helps us to relinquish our will to God” and to “prepare ourselves to receive the fullness of God’s blessings in our lives.”
As “thy Father . . . seeth” the one who is fasting, God responds appropriately. The faster gets an answer from God regarding the motivation behind his fasting. Ultimately, the major purpose behind fasting is for the one fasting to get the mind of God on the issues of life, not to change the mind of God. Derek Prince revealed that “it is important to understand that fasting changes man, not God.” It is always a blessing for the child of God to be in accord with the will of God for “blessed are they that hear the Word of God, and keep it” (Luke 11:28). To fast for the right reason is to hear the Word of God, and keep it because Jesus indicated it is an activity of His followers.
Another wonderful blessing from fasting is that God rewards openly the one who fasts in a manner that does not draw attention to himself. Jesus said that “thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly” (Matt. 6:18). The rewards may come in the form of spiritual, physical, mental, or financial blessings, but God promises that he will bless those who fast. The Bible, history, and the testimonies of those who have practiced fasting and practice fasting today prove that God acknowledges those who fast by rewarding their efforts.
Prayer, fasting, and spiritual awakening have occurred in conjunction with one another in previous generations. Will God bless and reward openly the requests and efforts of men like Bill Bright, Ronnie Floyd, and the scores of others who are joining them in praying and fasting for a spiritual awakening to be manifested in America? Roy Fish has put it in the proper perspective. He stated:
God’s people pray, travail, perhaps fast, until heaven sends a gracious revival. But once it comes, in time there is a slacking off in intense prayer. Consequently, the blessing is short-lived, and that which could have blessed the church for an extended season lasts for a comparatively short time. There can be no question that a revival is ultimately the work of God. Revival is new life, and God alone is the giver of this life. But as a rule, God does not work independently of people. This is true both in securing and sustaining revival.
Revival is ultimately the work of God. He has given, though, principles and guidelines in His Word that enhance the possibility of His acting on behalf of His people. The proof has certainly been documented on the pages of the Bible and throughout history how God has responded to the pleas of His people through their prayer and fasting. If another great spiritual awakening is going to come to the United States before the return of Jesus, prayer with fasting is certainly part of the formula for revival that has always preceded such spiritual outpourings.
Notes
1. Bill Bright, The Coming Revival: America’s Call to Fast, Pray, and “Seek God’s Face” (Orlando: New Life Publications, 1995), 9.
2. Ibid., 19.
3. Ibid.
4. Ronnie Floyd, “The Midnight Crisis.” Evangelism Today, Vol. 3, 1996, 2.
5. Ibid.
6. Bright, The Coming Revival, 17.
7. Ronnie Floyd, The Power of Prayer and Fasting,
8. Bright, The Coming Revival, 16.
9. Douglas Batchelder, “Is Fasting for Today?” Moody Monthly, 35-6.
10. Andy Anderson, Fasting Changed My Life (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1977), 44.
11. Arthur Wallis, God’s Chosen Fast (Fort Washington, PA: Christian Literature Crusade, 1968), 36-7.
12. Derek Prince, Shaping History through Prayer and Fasting (Old Tappan, NJ: Fleming H. Revell, 1973), 132.
13. Wallis, God’s Chosen Fast, 12.
14. David R. Smith, Fasting: A Neglected Discipline (Fort Washington, PA: Christian Literature Crusade, 1954), 33.
15. R.D. Chatham, A Biblical-Historical Study (South Plainfield, NJ: Bridge Publishing, 1987), 91.
16. Prince, Shaping History, 138.
17. Ibid., 141.
18. Ibid., 144.
19. Wallis, God’s Chosen Fast, 36.
20. Norman Grubb, Rees Howells: Intercessor (Fort Washington, PA: Christian Literature Crusade, 1952), 249-50.
21. Wallis, God’s Chosen Fast, 36.
22. Ibid.
23. James Lee Beall, The Adventure of Fasting (Old Tappan, NJ: Fleming H. Revell, 1974), 22.
24. Floyd, The Power of Prayer and Fasting, 3.
25. Derek Prince, Fasting (Springdale, PA: Whitaker House, 1986), 5.
26. Wallis, God’s Chosen Fast, 17.
27. Jerry Falwell, Fasting: What the Bible Teaches (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1981), 25-6.
28. Elmer Towns, Fasting for Spiritual Breakthrough (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1996), 23-4.
29. J. Harold Smith, Fast Your Way to Health (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1979), 47.
30. Wallis, God’s Chosen Fast, 107.
31. Bright, The Coming Revival, 37.
32. Kingsley Fletcher, Prayer and Fasting (Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image Publishers, 1992), 61.
33. Towns, Fasting for Spiritual Breakthrough, 19.
34. Ibid.
35. Ibid., 20-3.
36. Lee Bueno, Fast Your Way to Health (Springdale, PA: Whitaker House, 1991), 44.
37. Fletcher, Prayer and Fasting, 62.
38. Bright, The Coming Revival, 153.
39. Ibid., 94.
40. Allan Cott, Fasting: The Ultimate Diet (New York: Bantam Books, 1975), 53.
41. C. S. Lovett, Help Lord . . . The Devil Wants Me Fat! (Baldwin Park, CA: Personal Christianity, 1995), 91.
42. Ibid.
43. Anderson, Fasting Changed My Life, 40.
44. Ibid.
45. Charles G. Finney, Charles G. Finney: An Autobiography (Westwood, NJ: Barbour and Company, 1990), 29.
46. E. M. Bounds, Power through Prayer (Chicago: Moody Press, 1979), 35.
47. Bueno, Fast Your Way to Health, 151.
48. Lovett, The Devil Wants Me Fat, 108.
49. Falwell, Fasting: What the Bible Teaches, 22-3.
50. Bueno, Fast Your Way to Health, 151.
51. Ibid.
52. Prince, Prayer and Fasting, 86.
53. Roy Fish, “How to Keep The Fire Burning” in Revival, edited by John Avant, Malcolm McDow, and Alvin Reid (Nashville: Broadman and Holman Publishers, 1996), 152.
