Today I want to talk about fasting. It’s not something that most people ever consider. You can say that it’s not clearly commanded in the Bible, but if you take a look you’ll see it comes up more often than you think. in Matthew Jesus says,
“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.” Matthew 6:16
Notice here, Jesus says WHEN, not IF. There are many other passages that mention it as well. We might not think it’s specifically addressed but if so, that’s only because it’s assumed we will.
So what exactly is fasting? It’s essentially giving up some, or all, kinds of food and drink. You might not think this is possible, but it is! Common fasts are 24 hours, 3 days, and 40 days. It’s actually better for your body than you think, after about 3 days your body stops trying to process food and it focuses it’s energy on repair and restoring itself! And your body can continue to function because it has stores of nutrients and all that. It’s funny how God often knows what’s good for us, even when we don’t agree.
Unrestrained by Brandon Peters
Why fast? There are many different reasons. I think that one of the major reasons is that we are denying ourselves so that we can fully seek and rely on God. It’s a great way to humble ourselves and humility is a huge theme in the Bible (read proverbs if you’re not sure about that ). Fasting is always accompanied by prayer in the Bible. It was also popular in Old Testament times to show mourning, you don’t have hunger when you are really upset anyways. It’s also a good way to overcome sin. Basically, we show God that we’re serious about Him and that we’ll deny ourselves to follow Him. It’s one of the ways we turn our talk into walk.
Anyways, I’m not a medical professional so if you’re thinking about doing this for a long period, please look into it more! If you’ve never done it before, begin with a short one day fast before you think about doing more .
“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13
4 thoughts on “Considering the Benefits of Biblical Fasting”
Me and the churchgroup I go to fasted this weekend. I can advice that this is something you just need to do (atleast once). You don’t even have to do it for a long time. It’s just the fact that you deny yourself the things you take every day and fully focus on God! Amazing things can happen. There are more ways to fasting. You can also deny yourself sweets or food that you only take because it tastes good. Merely eating soberly food. That is what Daniel did when he did not receive an answer from God for 3 weeks.
Everyone should try it. But do it with the right heart. Without, it has no use.
I echo your sentiments on fasting Chris – it’s important to remember also that when we fast, our main concern should be for others and not necessarily ourselves. Focusing on God for others result in miracles – it’s very important when we are doing target evangelism. People’s heart seem to be soften and they accept Christ.
Yes indeed, God’s presence got stronger as we prayed for each other. We fasted to come closer to God, and I know that praying for other people is needed and very good to do! But I also believe that good evangelism starts with myself and my own behaviour. As someone in my church once said;
“Go out and evangelize, use words if necessary”.
Oh yes, so true 🙂