As I pray for renewal and revival in my own life, I find that the Lord is revealing issues within me that he wants to address and work on. And that has led me to wonder, should I fast or not? And I wonder if any of you are experiencing the same thing.
There is a lot going on in our world right now. And perhaps there are some very personal or painful experiences that you are walking through. You might be wondering, “Should I fast and pray about any of these situations?”
Perhaps you have a situation you have prayed about. But you don’t see a change yet. And you wonder, “Maybe I need to take this up a notch and add fasting to my prayers?”
Fasting is not for all times and seasons.
In the past, I have entered into a fast too quickly and then regretted it later.
Sometimes I started the fast out of a sense that I SHOULD rather than out of the leading of Holy Spirit.
Or I started the fast expecting that God MUST answer because I had added fasting to my prayers.
In these kinds of situations, I have not found fasting helpful.
With that in mind, I want to offer up a check list of questions to ask yourself as you process whether to fast or not.
When not to fast:
Here are a series of questions that you can ask yourself that might lead you to say “no” to fasting right now.
1. Are you dealing with health issues that might grow worse if you fast?
If you answer “yes” to this one, then please don’t fast.
Or, if you strongly believe you should fast, then use the “Daniel Fast” that I will refer to later on.
2. Are the circumstances right for a proper fast?
If this is a high stress season in your life and there are a lot of demands on you…
If you need to be at peak energy and efficiency at this period of time…
If you will not be able to carve out time for extended prayer at this time…
…then I would recommend delaying your fast for a bit until you have a window that will work well. Fasting is less about “not eating” and more about seeking the Lord, so you want to make sure the timing is right.
3. Is the Lord clearly leading you into a time of fasting?
I’m going to make this point clear in a moment but fasting is not a “have to” in the Christian faith. Fasting is something that is appropriate for the right season, but not something that is required of us. If the Lord is not leading you into a time of fasting, then you will not get out of it what you are looking for! If the Spirit of God is not leading you into it then fasting is only of your “self” and it will not get you any spiritual results!
Fasting is a spiritual discipline that requires the power of the Spirit.
4. Are you experiencing the joy and presence of Jesus?
This is an interesting one. Jesus answered a question about fasting.
One day the disciples of John the Baptist came to Jesus and asked him, “Why don’t your disciples fast like we do and the Pharisees do?”
Jesus replied, “Do wedding guests mourn while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. But someday the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast. (Matthew 9:14–15, NLT)
Fasting was a regular occurrence in the lives of God-fearers in Jesus’ day. It was a religious discipline that serious God-fearers were expected to do regularly.
But Jesus take on fasting was a little different. He asked the question, “Would you fast at a wedding?” The common answer? No! Of course not! A wedding is a time of celebration! Then, why would you fast when I (God himself) am with you?
The interesting part is what Jesus says next. Jesus said, “Someday the groom will be taken way from them and then they will fast.”
Some people read this as Jesus saying, “While I am with you, you don’t need to fast. But once I am gone, go back to your regularly scheduled programming and include fasting in your regular life.”
Others say that there is never a time when Jesus is not with us. They read the verse above as Jesus talking about the period between the Cross and the Resurrection. And that the disciples fasted while Jesus was apart from them but not when he was with them. Once Jesus rose from the dead, he was with them again. And Jesus said, “I am with you always, even to the very end of the age.” And then, when Holy Spirit came on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2, the presence of Jesus was not only with them but IN them. So, in this sense, there is never a time when Jesus is not with us.
Some Christians, using this interpretation, don’t believe that we ever need to fast. After all, the presence of God is now ALWAYS with us! We are never apart from the groom. The wedding celebration continues! I like this interpretation and for this reason I counsel using fasting sparingly. The groom is with you! The wedding celebration continues! If you are experiencing the joy and the presence of Jesus right now, without fasting, then don’t fast. Revel in the presence of Jesus in your life.
However, the reality of life is that sometimes we lose our sense of the presence of Jesus.
And this is NOT because Jesus ever leaves us. But there are times when we lose that sense of his very real presence within us. Or perhaps the Lord might be withdrawing himself so that we will get on our knees and seek Him.
If this is one of those times, then you may want to consider fasting as a means to increasing your awareness of the Lord’s presence in your life.
When to fast:
Here are some questions that might lead you to confirm that you should fast right now.
1. Do you feel the Lord leading you into a period of fasting?
If so, then you should fast. Jesus himself experienced this kind of leading from the Spirit.
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry. (Matthew 4:1–2, NLT)
2. Are you facing a difficult situation right now where you need greater spiritual strength?
In the scripture above, Jesus was preparing to face the devil in a confrontation over the very future of our redemption. Even though he is God, he was also very much human and fasting and prayer helped to strengthen his will. Fasting helped him to face the temptation that was about to come his way.
3. Are you facing a situation that can only be dealt with through prayer and fasting?
You might be facing a situation that contains strong elements of spiritual warfare. If this is the case, you may want to add fasting to your prayers.
The disciples faced a time when they could not cast out a demon from a little boy. They brought the boy to Jesus, and Jesus cast him out straight away! Later, they asked Jesus about it and Jesus said…
And He told them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer [and fasting].” (Mark 9:29, HCSB) (See also Matthew 17:21 in the HCSB)
If you are facing strong spiritual warfare and are not getting the victory, you may want to fast as well.
[Just a comment about bible translation here. In a few manuscripts of the New Testament, the verse only reads “prayer.” In a lot of manuscripts, the verse reads, “prayer and fasting.” There is a fairly big debate among scholars about what the right reading is here. I mentioned earlier that Jesus seemed to say there would be no reason to fast while he was with them. And, he is with us always. Therefore, some interpret that there is no need for Christians to fast. For that reason, the NLT, NIV and ESV do not add the “and fasting” portion to the verse. However, there are a bunch of manuscripts that include “and fasting” in this verse. I would prefer that translations do what the HCSB has done and put “and fasting” in brackets to help indicate it is there in some manuscripts.]
How to fast:
How should I fast? Here are a few quick tips.
1. Keep it quiet. Fasting is best kept between you and the Lord.
Jesus talked about fasting in ways that do not make it obvious to people around you.
“And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get.
In other words, there is no need to announce, “I am fasting right now! Look at me!”
2. Keep going about your daily business and routines.
Jesus says, go about your daily life while you are fasting.
But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. (Matthew 6:16–18, NLT)
Go about your daily life. And I recommend, when you would normally eat, use that extra time spent in prayer and seeking the Lord.
3. Drink lots of water!
4. If you have some health issues you may want to try a “Daniel Fast”.
The Daniel fast is basically a vegan type of diet without the fake meat burgers. (Couldn’t resist! Lol.)
I did some looking for a simple link to send you to.
Now, I recommend this link with some fear and trepidation. I just want to warn all grammar teachers and former grammar teachers and people who are triggered by grammar and spelling mistakes, that you will find one horrendous spelling mistake on the main page of this site.
For that reason I have linked to the actual “Daniel Fast” page. I want to spare you all the pain and suffering! (But if you dare to go to the home page, you will be triggered.)
Also, she looks like she is selling a book as well, but the list she uses here is standard and solid and she didn’t develop it because I have seen it in many places. Just click on this link but remember I do not endorse anything this lady is selling!
Here is a list of the kinds of foods included in the typical Daniel Fast. https://www.daniel-fast.com/daniel-fast-food-list/
5. Fast until you sense the Lord saying you are done.
At some point during your fast, you may have a sense that the Lord is saying “I have heard you” or a sense that he is releasing you from the fast. If so, then relax and re-engage with normal life knowing that the Lord has heard your prayer.
6. Set an endpoint for your fast.
Sometimes you may not have a sense of the Lord releasing you from your fast. However, I recommend that you set an endpoint before you start to fast.
Sometimes when I am fasting my body actually feels like “I could do this forever.” That is actually a dangerous place to be, because fasting is not the way we were meant to live all the time. In the middle of a fast your body and mind can play tricks on you. I recommend having an end point that you set out in advance.
I know there are forty-day fasts mentioned in the bible, but I don’t recommend any longer than a seven day fast at the most.
I would say for most situations a three day fast will be sufficient.
In closing, I just want to add that whatever is going on in your life, my prayer is that the Lord would lift you up and encourage you. If anything is burdening you right now, may that burden be lifted as you seek Jesus. If any situation feels like it is more than you can bear, I pray that the Lord will send you the encouragement you need to see you through it.
In His Grip,
Pastor Steve
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