Isaiah 58: 6-12; Matthew 17: 19-21; 2 Corinthians 11:27
“So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. 21 However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting”.
Fasting is a well known spiritual exercise in Christian history. It is that which is most uncomfortable to our physical body, but holds endless benefits and eternal gain. Fasting simply means abstinence from food. The Hebrew word for fasting is ‘sum’ which literally means to ‘cover the mouth’; or ‘nesteuo’ from the Greek word, meaning ‘to abstain’.
At certain points in our spiritual journey, it becomes necessary to go deeper, higher, or further with God. We are obligated (by the situations surrounding us) to stretch our boundaries, break barriers, change our status quo, challenge our limitations, and attain new heights with God. Fasting benefits our spirit man, just like physical exercises profits our mortal body.
God is a Spirit, and we can only connect with HIM through our spirit man. If we will have power with God, we must learn to fast. The Bible is full of great men/women of God who engaged regularly in this profitable exercise – Jesus, Moses, Daniel, Elijah, Esther, David, Nehemiah, Ezra, Paul, etc. were all people who at some point or the other, set their stomach aside to either receive power, answers, turn-around; or move mountains, and obtain great deliverance from God.
There are different kinds of fasting:
- Absolute Fast: This is the type of fast where you take no food, nor drink any liquid. For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything (Acts 9:9). This kind of fast is usually for a short period like 3 days.
- Regular Fast: In this type of fast you take no food, but drink liquid only to keep your body hydrated. This kind of fast could go on for up to 7 days.
- Partial Fast: This is the type of fast where you abstain from certain kinds of food. It is also called the Daniel fast. ‘I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips;and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over’ (Daniel 10:3) – This kind of fast is usually for longer periods like 21 days; or extended periods like 40 days.
At the very least, some people have missed meals – it could be breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a combination of any of these. There is no strict or hard rule for any particular kind of fast; be led by the holy spirit (and of course first check with your doctor if you have any medical condition).
The benefits of fasting cannot be over-emphasized – it disciplines your body, strengthens your spirit man, and draws you closer to God.
Make a decision today to make fasting a part of your spiritual exercise.