2. Fasting demonstrates the depth of your desire when praying for something. It shows you that you are serious enough about your prayer request to pay a personal price. God honors deep desire and praying in faith.”Declare a holy fast; call a sacred assembly. Summon the elders and all who live in the land to the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord.” Joel 1:14 (NIV)

   “Even now,” declares the Lord, “return to Me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” Joel 2:12 (NASB)

3. Fasting releases God’s supernatural power. It is a tool we can use when there is opposition to God’s will. Satan would like nothing better than to cause division, discouragement, defeat, depression, and doubt among us. United prayer and fasting has always been used by God to deal a decisive blow to the enemy!”So we fasted and prayed about these concerns. And he listened.” Ezra 8:23 (Msg)

   “God says, “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?” Isaiah 58:6 (NIV)

THE IMPORTANCE OF FASTING

Often in the Bible, God’s people fasted immediately before a major victory, miracle, or answer to prayer. It prepared them for a blessing!

• Moses fasted before he received the Ten Commandments.

“Moses was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant–the Ten Commandments.” Exodus 34:28 (NIV)

• The Israelites fasted before a miraculous victory.

“Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast army is coming against you from Edom, from the other side of the Sea. It is already in Hazazon Tamar” (that is, En Gedi). Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah.” 2 Chronicles 20:2-3 (NIV)

TWO CAUTIONS

1. Remember that fasting is not “earning” an answer to prayer. God cannot be blackmailed by human effort. God wants to answer our prayers and He answers out of grace. Fasting simply prepares us for God’s answer.
2. Fast only if your health allows it at this time. If you are able to do only a partial fast – do it in faith and God will honor your intentions.

    

   This study will explain why you should fast, how to fast safely, what type of fast is right for you, and much more.

   MAKING YOUR SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE THE BEST IT CAN BE:

   Receiving God’s best blessing from a fast requires solid commitment. Arranging special time each day with God is absolutely crucial in attaining intimate communion with the Father. You must devote yourself to seeking God’s face, even (and especially) during those times in which you feel weak, vulnerable, or irritable. Read His Word and pray during what were mealtimes. Meditate on Him when you awake in the night. Sing praises to Him whenever you please. Focus on your Heavenly Father and make every act one of praise and worship. God will enable you to experience His command to “pray without ceasing” as you seek His presence.

   As you enter this time of heightened spiritual devotion, be aware that Satan will do everything he can to pull you away from your prayer and Bible reading time. When you feel the enemy trying to discourage you, immediately go to God in prayer and ask Him to strengthen your resolve in the face of difficulties and temptations.

   The enemy makes you a target because he knows that fasting is the most powerful of all Christian disciplines and that God may have something very special to show you as you wait upon Him and seek His face. Satan does not want you to grow in your faith, and will do anything from making you hungry and grumpy to bringing up trouble in your family or at work to stop you. Make prayer your shield against such attacks.

   Do not become so caught up in praying for yourself and others that you forget about simply reverencing and praising God. True spiritual fasting focuses on God. Center

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   your total being on Him, your attitudes, actions, motives, desires, and words. This can only take place if God and His Holy Spirit are at the center of your attention. Confess your sins as the Holy Spirit brings them to your attention and continue to focus on God and God alone so that your prayers may be powerful and effective.

   A renewed closeness with God and a greater sensitivity to spiritual things are usually the results of a fast. Do not be disappointed if you do not have a “mountaintop experience,” as some do. Many people who have successfully completed extended fasts tell of feeling a nearness to God that they have never before known, but others who have honestly sought His face report no particular outward results at all. For others, their fast was physically, emotionally, and spiritually grueling, but they knew they had been called by God to fast, and they completed the fast unto Him as an act of worship. God honored that commitment.

   Your motive in fasting must be to glorify God, not to have an emotional experience, and not to attain personal happiness. When your motives are right, God will honor your seeking heart and bless your time with Him in a very special way.

   MAINTAINING NUTRITIONAL BALANCE:

   There are many types of fasts, and the option you choose depends upon your health, the desired length of your fast, and your preference:

   • A Water Fast – means to abstain from all food and juices
   • A Partial Fast – means to eliminate certain foods or specific meals
   • A “Juice” Fast – means to drink only fruit or vegetable juices during meal times

   I know the prospect of going without food for an extended period of time may be of concern to some. But there are ways to ensure that your body is getting the nutrients it needs, so you can remain safe and healthy during your fast.

   If you are beginning a juice fast, there are certain juices you may wish to avoid and certain ones that are especially beneficial. You may find the following daily schedule helpful during your fast.

   • 5:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m.

   Fruit juices, preferably freshly squeezed or blended, diluted in 50 percent distilled water if the fruit is acid. Orange, apple, pear, grapefruit, papaya, grape, peach or other fruits are good.

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   • 10:30 a.m. – noon

   Vegetable juice made from lettuce, celery, and carrots in three equal parts.

   • 2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

   Herb tea with a drop of honey. Make sure that it is not black tea or tea with a stimulant.

   • 6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

   Broth from boiled potatoes, celery, and carrots (no salt).

   I suggest that you do not drink milk because it is a pure food and therefore a violation of the fast. Any product containing protein or fat, such as milk or soy-based drinks, should be avoided. These products will restart the digestion cycle and you will again feel hunger pangs. Also, for health reasons, stay away from caffeinated beverages such as coffee, tea, or cola. Because caffeine is a stimulant, it has a more powerful effect on your nervous system when you abstain from food. This works both against the physical and spiritual aspects of the fast.

   Another key factor in maintaining optimum health during a fast is to limit your physical activity. Exercise only moderately, and rest as much as your schedule will permit (this especially applies to extended fasts). Short naps are helpful as well. Walking a mile or two each day at a moderate pace is acceptable for a person in good health, and on a juice fast. However, no one on a water fast should exercise without the supervision of a fasting specialist.

   HOW TO FINISH YOUR FAST IN A HEALTHY WAY:

   Most experts agree that breaking a fast with vegetables, either steamed or raw, is best. Your stomach is smaller at this point, so eat lightly. Stop before you feel full. Stay away from starches like pastas, potatoes, rice, or bread (except for “Melba toast”). Also avoid meats, dairy products, and any fats or oils. Introduce them slowly and in small amounts.

   Extended fasts are not the only fasts which need to be ended with caution. Even a 3- day fast requires reasonable precautions. It is wise to start with a little soup – something thin and nourishing such as vegetable broth made from onion, celery, potatoes, and carrots – and fresh fruits such as watermelon and cantaloupe.

   In terms of resuming any sort of exercise routine, the advice is the same. Start out slowly, allowing time for your body to re-adjust to its usual regime.

   THE SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE-OF FASTING

   AN OUTDATED ODDITY?

   When I was a kid growing up in church, I heard hundreds of sermons, sat through hundreds of small group lessons, and participated in dozens of programs at my church. Throughout all of those years saturated in “church,” I do not remember my pastor one time ever doing a message on fasting. I do not ever remember a small group lesson on fasting. I don’t ever remember our church being called to a time of prayer and fasting as we sought God on some important decision.

   By default, I grew up thinking that fasting was something they did in the Old Testament that was sort of like animal sacrifices. We just don’t do it anymore. And I was fine with that. The idea of going extended periods of time without eating didn’t sound like my idea of fun.

   AN ASSUMED PRACTICE!

   But, then we read a passage like Matthew 6:16-18 (NIV):

   “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

   This passage comes right in the middle of Jesus’ teaching on prayer and giving. In this sermon, Jesus uses phrases like: “When you give” (v. 2), “When you pray” (v. 5), and “When you fast” (v. 16). Jesus assumes that his audience will give, will pray, and will fast. Fasting is not an option. It is not an oddity. Fasting, according to Jesus, is a given. In fact, fasting is mentioned more times in the Bible than baptism!