What is fasting? (part 1)

I recently read a book by Jentezen Franklin called Fasting, and I was amazed that there are so many aspects of fasting that I do not know from the bible. So today I would like to share a little bit about fasting.

We have come across the words "fasting" in the bible frequently. For example : Jesus fasted 40 days in the desert , Daniel fasted 21 days , Esther fasted for 3 days, etc.  Fasting is abstaining from food for a spiritual purpose. I know a lot of people fast in different ways  such as not facebooking for a period of time, not doing this and that, but the ultimate fasting that we know from the bible is the absence of food for a period of time.

There are 3 duties for every Christian: Praying, giving and fasting. When we pray, we release about 30 folds return, and when we prayer and giving are part of life, it releases 60 folds blessing, but when we do all these 3 duties, 100 folds blessing will be released.

Matthew 17: 14 -  22 tells us the story where Jesus healed a demon-possessed boy. The disciples asked Jesus why they cant drive the demon out of the boy, and Jesus' answer to them was because they do not have faith and they do not fast and pray like how Jesus cast out the demons when he was out in wilderness fasting and praying.

The question if fasting is not necessary for Jesus, why do you think He would fast? Obviously fasting releases something that Jesus needs for His ministry, that is why He needs to fast when He was on earth.
Matthew 6 : 16-18 says that when fasting and praying are practiced, He will reward us openly.

Fasting brings us good health, financial prosperity and blessings from God.

Why is fasting so hard?
Let's look at the history:
Genesis tells us the story of how Adam and Eve fell into sin. They fell into sin just because of their temptation to eat the fruit that is forbidden by God. Gen 3:6 says " Eve saw the tree was good for food.. She took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate". Since then, the whole human race has to suffer on earth.
Ezekiel 16:49-50 tells us about the sin of Sodom, they did not give to the poor and the needy, they do not pray (pride and idleness), homosexuality, guilty of gluttony ( fullness of food). They ate themselves out of the will of God for their lives. When God delivered israelites out of Egypt, across red sea, on the way to the promised land, He provided them the bread from heaveb daily. However, they were not satisfied, even worse, they remembered all the food they had in Egypt despite them being their slaves. They cried so badly and asked for meat. God sent them quail in such a great abundance and they ate. Thousands of them died. God has supernatural blessing pour lout dor them but they preferred their carnal appetites. Similarly, God has so much blessing to pour unto us if we can seek Him through prayer and fasting.


There is never a convinient time to fast, we will have thousands of reasons not to fast : friend's birthday dinner, office lunch, bla bla.. The best thing to do is just jump on it.

How much? How long? How healthy?

Moses fasted for 40 days and on his forty days he received 10 commandments ( exod 34:27-28 ). Hannah was distressed for not being able to bear a child, she wept and did not eat ( 1 samuel 1:7). God heard her and granted her wish.

Types of fasts
1. Absolute fast ( no food and drink )
Extreme and should be done only for short period of time
2. Normal fast ( go without food of any kind for a certain number of days ).
3. Partial fast ( giving up particular food and drink for an extended period of time). Eg. The book of Daniel. Daniel refused to eat the choice meats and sweets from king's table for 3 weeks during which time he focused in prayer.
There are no certain formula to fast. Dont start with 40 days fast if u have never even started a day before. When you are accustomed to fasting, God will let prompt you to a longer fast. If it means something to you. It means something to God. So dont go for a half day fast if you find that is easy to be done because it means nothing for God too. Without combined with prayer and the word, fasting is little more than dieting. Fasting itself is a continual prayer before God. When you first fast, the first day or two might give you headache but that is just your body getting rid of the toxins that build up over a period of time.

The healthy physical benefit of fasting
Fasting cleans our body. As we begin a fast, you will notice a sort of coating on your tongue for a few days. Fasting may help lower blood pressure and cholesterol. " fasting can heal and help rheumatism in the joints, and muscles, diseases of the heart, circulation, blood vessels, stress related exhaustion, skin diseases including pimples and complexion problems, irregular menstrual cycles and hot flashes, disease of respiratory organs, allergies such as hay fever and other eye diseases" ( i quote this from the book i read, if you wanna find out more abt the health benefit im pretty sure there are plenty of book out there. In fact me myself has experienced that fasting really help my skin problem ).

I believe all of us at some point of our life will questions like these that come across our mind : how do i listen to God's voice? How do i know His will for me? Whom should i marry? Where should i live? What job should i take? The answers can be found in Romans 12:1-2 " present your body a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service and do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind". Paul was fasting when God called him and shared the assignment for his life (acts 9:7-9). Peter was fasting on the rooftop when God gave him a new revelation and called him to take the gospel to the gentiles (acts 10).

Fasting is what prepares you for a new anointing. God cant put a new wine skin on top of old wine skin. if you want new wine, new miracles, new closeness, new intimacy with Him, then it's time to call a fast and shed that old skin for new.

Satan hates when you fast

Satan tempted Jesus at the end of His fast by provoking Him to turn stone into bread. Satan needed to turn Jesus' focus from God to His appetite so that He was not going to receive power from God to change the world. When Jesus returned from 40 days fast, He immediately began to do mighty miracles, " healing all who were oppressed by the devil" (acts 10:38). The enemy is here to steal, kill and destroy us (john 10:10). dont let the devil close the door of blessings by tempting you to give in to your appetite.

Can you forgo the Snickers bar or pizza or Roast pork on rice in the afternoon to be delivered from a recurring sin?

Often when we have been a Christian for a long time, we lose the feeling of being spirited up for God? our prayer may become dull, our life such as going to church, ministry at church, etc may become routines. we lost that feeling of "falling in love with God". The discipline of fasting will humble us, remind us of our dependency on God and bring us back to our first love. our relationship with Jesus will go deeper. When you take steps to break out of the ordinary and worship Him as He deserves, you will begin to see facets of His being you never knew existed. He will begin to share with you about His desires, His plans and Himself to you. David is a man after God's own heart. one of his characteristic is that he did not just fast, but he fasted often.

John 4:23 " true worshipper will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him".  verse 32 and 34 " I have food to eat of which you do not know... My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work".
Matthew 4:4 "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God".

When you are hunger for God, He will fill you. Jesus said, " Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled" (Matthew 5:6). There is a story of a greek woman in the bible where she has a demon-possessed daughter and hungry for Jesus to heal his daughter. She was so hungry and persistent that even when Jesus said that the "bread" are only for children of Israel, she was hungry enough to ask for even a crumb that would fall to the floor. Jesus saw her persistence and her daughter was healed (Mark 7:29-30).

When you fast
"take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. otherwise, you have no reward from your Father in heaven. When you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly I say to you, they have their reward. but when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly" ( Matt 6:1-3).