Fasting is FAST

FASTING

“Wherefore have we fasted,” say they, “and You see not? Wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and You do not acknowledge it?” Behold, in the day of your fast you find pleasure, and exact all your labors. Behold, you fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: you shall not fast as you do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.

Is it such a fast that I have chosen? A day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD? Is not this the fast that I have chosen? To loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke? Is it not to deal your bread to the hungry, and that you bring the poor that are cast out to your house? When you see the naked, that you cover him; and that you hide not yourself from your own flesh? Then shall your light break forth as the morning, and your health shall spring forth speedily: and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then shall you call, and the LORD shall answer; you shall cry, and He shall say, Here I am. If you take away from the midst of you the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity; and if you draw out your soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall your light rise in obscurity, and your darkness be as the noon day: and the LORD shall guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and make fat your bones: and you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. And they that shall be of you shall build the old waste places: you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; and you shall be called, The Repairer of the Breach, the Restorer of Paths to dwell in. Is. 58:3-12

Moreover when you fast, be not as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Truly I say unto you, “they have their reward.” But you, when you fast, anoint your head, and wash you face; that you appear not unto men to fast, but unto your Father which is in secret: and your Father, which sees in secret, shall reward you openly. Matthew 6:16-18

What is Fasting?

First, lets learn what does it mean to fast? It means to go without food. The first meal of the day is breakfast. It is the meal we eat to break our fast. Afflicting your soul is a parallelism or another way of saying to fast. It might be better understood by saying afflicting your appetite.

The natural thing for the body is to eat. In fact, it is equivalent to putting fuel in the car. Our bodies are designed to take the nutrients from the foods we eat and convert it into energy. What it doesn't need right then, it converts into fat to be stored for a later time. This is why if we are not consistently burning fuel/energy, we grow fat. In the ancient times, this was a sign of wealth as the daily lives of our ancestors consisted of constantly moving. They walked everywhere. Making a meal was manual labor. In our modern society, this is a sign of a sedentary life.

Different Ways to Fast

There are many ways to fast and I believe that all of them are acceptable to God when we are fasting for the right reason. Some people fast without food or liquid of any kind. This is usually less than 24 hours. Some fast only drinking water, which is safer for a longer period. Others fast while only drinking juices and this can be sustained for much longer. I have experienced all three of those types of fasts. Only once did I go without water when I was a teenager. It had a very bad effect on me naturally as I was dehydrated and ended up being sick the whole day following. Most of my fasts have been with juice. Some people find it difficult to give up foods, so they give up other pleasures in life. I personally don't consider this true fasting, but if that's how the LORD leads you, then who am I to judge?

Personal Experience with Fasting

My very first experience with fasting was as a young teenager, our church fasted from sun-up until after sundown. Then some years later, our church undertook a three day fast for 7 weeks fasting from sundown on Monday evening to sundown on Thursday evening. Some in the church fasted for longer periods. It was a pivotal time in our church. Some years afterwards, the LORD laid a fast on my heart to fast breakfast for seven days, then to fast lunch for seven days and the final week to fast dinner for seven days. Finally, in January of 2012, the LORD took me on a seven day fast. This was also a very pivotal point in my life.

In August of 2013, I went on a fast, during which time I felt very unsatisfied with my relationship with God. I felt very distant from the LORD and wanted to draw close to Him. As I have mentioned before, I worked with Alzheimer patients on a memory care unit and many of them didn't know their own selves any more, much less their family or myself. There was a lady who would walk around the unit and read the signs aloud. She would even read her name on her door, but didn't know that that meant it was her room. She didn't seem to recognize her family anymore and most of her sentences would not make sense. But during this time (8/12/13 to be exact), I was sitting in my office and she came in, and said, “Fasting is good. The good Lord watches both you and them. It's all up here.” while patting me on the head. I about fell out of my chair. I knew that the Holy Spirit had just come on this woman and spoke through her.

Benefits of Fasting

While science tells us there are natural benefits to fasting, I have never used this as a reason to fast. Science and Faith are not related to one another. Science is believing the facts/the things that you see. Faith is believing in those things that you cannot see. I have personally seen many benefits in my own life from fasting, but I only focus on the spiritual benefits.

Isaiah listed a number of benefits (including natural health benefits!): Then shall your light break forth as the morning, and your health shall spring forth speedily: and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard [See Exodus 14:19: Then the angel of the Lord, Who had gone before the camp of Israel, withdrew and went behind them.{This word in Hebrew can also be used as “TO GATHER” such as a Harvest i.e. Harvest Glory}] . Then shall you call, and the LORD shall answer; you shall cry, and He shall say, Here I am. Then shall your light rise in obscurity, and your darkness be as the noon day: and the LORD shall guide you continually, and satisfy you soul in drought, and make fat your bones: and you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. And they that shall be of you shall build the old waste places: you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; and you shall be called, The Repairer of the Breach [A Bridge builder or peacemaker], the Restorer of Paths to dwell in. Is. 58:8-12

I once heard Sister Ruth Ward Heflin, a great woman of fasting, say, “Fasting is FAST.” When you need the answer to your prayers soon, fast. It's like overnighting your package via FedEx. Notice, I highlighted a few phrases in the previous verses to show the speediness of the answer.

How NOT to Fast

Notice that Isaiah and Jesus give us specifics on what NOT to do. Isaiah said not to fast for strife and debate or to make your voice to be heard on high, which is what Jesus said the hypocrites do. They want to be seen and heard. They want others to know that they fast – which is why they already have their reward. That's the only reward they'll ever get. But when we fast, we should not change our daily routine, nor make ourselves look sad or otherwise cause someone to take pity on us. I have made a point to never purposely let others know when I am fasting. (In fact, I feel that in sharing this with my readers, it is somewhat negating the purpose of my fasting, but I believe the Lord would have me share my experience, as it may encourage you in your own journey.) Often, when we are hungry, we complain about being hungry or we talk about the things we wished we could eat. This ought not so to be. I have noticed when I am fasting, my olfactory senses are in overdrive. I smell everything SOOOOO much more, especially food. But this is part of the “crucifying of the flesh”. We are tempted to say, “That smells so good.” or “Man, I sure wished I wasn't fasting.” But in all this, God is taking us to another level and we may not realize it until a long ways down the road. That's where faith comes in to play. You don't realize that all those times you spent fasting last week, last month, last year or even many years ago gave you a spiritual advantage that you would not have otherwise had.

Jesus lived a life of fasting and prayer. We know that he fasted for 40 days at the beginning of His ministry, but even throughout his life He certainly fasted. We find Him driving out a demonic spirit, and then telling the disciples, “this kind goes not out but by prayer and fasting” Matthew 17:21.

The early church practiced fasting and they had great power with God. I encourage you, if you do not already, begin to seek the Lord in fasting. It will open doors in the Spirit that would otherwise have remained closed to you.