Should I Fast?

We started a new topic this month at our church and we're talking about "Losing My Religion." There are a lot of things that I think people, both believers and non-believers alike, can misunderstand about some of the things in the Bible.  My hope over the next few weeks is to shed light on some of these issues. So to be warned, if you were at church Sunday then you've already heard what I'm talking about here but I wanted to share it anyway.  The first topic we are hitting is about Prayer & Fasting. I know a lot of churches, ours included, will be starting this year out with 21 days of Prayer & Fasting. To be honest this practice was something I saw demonstrated by my father growing up but not really something I heard talked about a whole lot. I studied it on my own in my 20's and started implementing it in my personal walk. It wasn't until I joined a church staff about 7 years ago that I ever participated in a "corporate" or church wide time of Prayer & Fasting.  It has had a profound impact on my life. This year I find myself in the position of Lead Pastor at a church and wanting desperately for our people to take part in this act of seeking God to begin their year. The more I thought about how to present it to people though, the more I realized the challenge of leading people to understand the difference between taking part in these 21 days as a "relational" act instead of a "religious" act. As you read the bible and study the act of fasting from the Old Testament to the New Testament you see how this act of humbleness before God preceded some of the greatest acts of God. It also outlines the detriment of participating in a "religious" fast versus a fast implemented from a desire for more of God.  I had so much content I decided to take it easy on my church and only focus on the side of "should I fast" this week and approach the right and wrong attitudes of fasting next week.  So here is a glimpse into how I answer the question..."Should I fast?"

What is fasting?
I think the best way to answer that is to explain first what it is not. Fasting is not simply going without food for a period of time. That's called dieting or perhaps starving yourself.  There are a number of people that "fast" for health reasons and there are actually health benefits that come with fasting. But if you are simply going without food and not coupling it with seeking God, then you are just dieting.  It's not giving up a habit. I've heard people say they are going to give up TV, Social Media and other things for their 21 day fast. While that's probably a good idea to rid yourself of those distractions, make no mistake that's not fasting. The purpose of a fast is to refrain from food or particular foods for a period of time for the purpose of seeking God at a deeper level. Fasting stirs a hunger in your spirit that goes deeper than the temporary hunger you experience in your flesh. And when you hunger for God, He will fill you.  Throughout the Bible the idea of our desire for God is compared to a desire for food or water. I think that's what Jesus meant when He made this statement in the Beatitudes:

Matthew 5:6 (NKJV) - ⁶  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled. 

Where is fasting in the Bible?
In order to ensure that this practice is still viable for our lives today and not just some religious act then we definitely need to see what the Bible says about fasting. This will also show us outcomes of fasting and hopefully show I'm not just some crazy religious nut job.  There are too many examples to speak about here but let me hit some highlights.  In Exodus 34 Moses spent 40 days on a mountaintop in the presence of God while fasting.  The results, among other things, were him returning with the 10 Commandments and his face shining so bright with the glory of God that the people were in awe.  In the book of Esther, a Jewish girl finds herself Queen. A man with the King's ear strikes out to have the Jews annihilated. Esther finds out and is in a position to do something about it but before she makes her move she calls the entire Jewish people to a 3 day fast to pray for God's favour. The result is God exposing the enemy and defending His people. 1 Samuel 1:7 talks about a broken Hannah desperately seeking God for a child. It says that she "wept and did not eat" while crying out to God and a short time later Samuel was born.  You'll find stories of fasting by Judah, Ezra, the city of Ninevah, Nehemiah, David and Anna.  The most significant example of fasting came from Jesus Himself.

Matthew 4:1-2 (NKJV) ¹  Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. ²  And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.

Read the context of this story.  Jesus came and was baptized and then immediately departed to spend 40 days in prayer and fasting to prepare Himself for the ministry that was about to take place. If Jesus felt the need to prepare Himself for these next 3 years or so of His life and ministry, why wouldn't we also need to take part in this act.

Do we still need to do it today? 

It sounds an awful lot like some religious rule.

Matthew chapter 6 is right in the heart of Jesus first public teaching. The Sermon on the Mount, given right after returning from the 40 days of Prayer and Fasting mentioned above.  In this chapter, Jesus lays out a 3-fold expectation to His followers.

• Verse 2 says "When you give..."
• Verse 5 says "When you pray..."
• Verse 16 says "And when you fast..."

It's crucial you look at the wording of these statements and understand that these were not commands, they were expectations.  He wasn't telling us we "had" to do these things in order to be saved. He was just "expecting" that we would do these things because we are His followers.  He set the example of this in His ministry and His assumption is that if we were going to call ourselves "Christians" which means "Christ-like" then we would model our lives after Him.  Fasting is not something we HAVE to do, it is something we should WANT to do because we hunger for more of God in our lives.

Why Now? Why January?

This one is pretty simple but here's three reasons I think fasting and prayer is significant in January. By the way, I have dedicated times to prayer and fasting throughout the year. So understand it's not that this is the only time it's effective. That would be a rule and religion is full of rules.

1. It sets the course for the rest of your year. God does not want our leftovers. He wants to be first in every area of our lives. First in our day (devotions), our week (attending church), our finances (tithing). It just makes sense that we put Him first in our year by spending this time in Prayer & Fasting seeking His course, plan and desire for our lives.  Also, to lay out what you want to see God do in your family, home, and life in general.

2. Blessings will come throughout the year because you set your course straight at the beginning. This time isn't just about the 21 days in January, but it's about your whole year. How many times have you started something and said, "I don't know why I didn't do this sooner." Don't wait until July to seek God's direction and guidance. Do it now and start the year right.

3. It releases the principle talked about here:

Matthew 6:33 (NKJV)But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Remember the beginning of this chapter said; "when you give...when you pray...and when you fast" ?

Now it ends with Jesus saying we should worry about things and how we will make it in life but instead seek God first and all these other "things" that consume us will be added to our lives as well. Don't set goals or seek random "things" in January, instead seek God first and everything else will come.

So here it is...Should I fast?

Again let me answer your question with a few questions of my own.

• Do you have a circumstance in your life that seems hopeless without God's intervention?
• Do you have a family member that seems too far from God to ever find their way?
• Do you have a need personally or in your family - physical, relational, financial, emotional?
• Do you feel lost and without direction in your life?
• Are you facing and impossibility?

Then yes...I encourage you to take part in a fast.

Fasting reveals dimensions of God that can never be seen by the casual worshipper. 

When you take steps to break away from the ordinary you will begin to see things about God you never knew existed. He will share secrets about Himself, His plans for you, His desires for you, things about yourself you never knew. 

To have what you've never had, you'll have to do what you've never done.

My mom is an amazing cook. Being the good Italian woman she is, one of her specialities was pasta. When she would make her homemade sauce, the good stuff made with love, it was reason to stop and savour ever morsel. I can literally remember the sound of the spoon going through the rigatoni and immediately the drool would start.  The whole house smelled like pasta nirvana.  But let's be honest, if she served the meal over and over and over and over and over and over again...day after day after day after day after day, there would come a point where I would think "ugh, pasta again."  I wonder if sometimes God looks at us attending church when it's convenient, singing when we like the songs, giving when it's affordable, praying when it's needed and thinks..."ugh, religion again."  What if God hungers for our attention but all we offer is the same old religious routines week in and week out. Sure, pasta would do the job of filling my stomach but it wouldn't be nearly as satisfying as something new and different. 

I remember starting to go to the gym a few years ago. I didn't know what to do so I just attacked the cardio machines. I started losing weight and feeling better. But it didn't take long until I plateaued and stopped losing weight and while I felt good still, I was getting bored and not really getting the results I was wanting. I talked to a friend of mine and he explained I needed to mix up my routine and do something different. I started lifting weights every other day and cardio other days. I immediately started seeing different results again. I got stronger and had a renewed desire to keep going. 

Fasting breaks us out of the religious routines and allows us to experience new things and see results that may not come otherwise.  Even Jesus explained to the disciples in Matthew 17:21 when answering why they could not cast out a particular demon, "this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting." It's a form of worship where you offer your body as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1). It humbles you and reminds you of your dependency on God.   Fasting replaces your hunger for food with a hunger for God. Hungry people are desperate people. When you hunger for God, He will do those things that seemed impossible. 

If you are in a rut or a routine and you feel like your normal worship just isn't cutting it anymore then I encourage you to take part in a fast. If your circumstance seems to big, take part in a fast. Whether it's for one day or several days. Whether it's a complete fast with no food or a partial fast where you give up certain foods. The details aren't important because that would be religion. I'm saying you are hungry for more of God so let that hunger drive you towards Him. Give Him something new and watch and see what happens this year.