BIBLE FASTING WHY?
Biblical fasting is not easy. I have been fasting for about 10 years now. When I started it was the hardest thing I ever did. I heard about fasting through a conversation with my youth pastor. He told me to fast to grow in God. I laughed so hard, I couldn’t imagine skipping a meal leave alone going for days without food.
As a new believer, I came against mountains that wouldn’t move no matter how much I prayed or believed. I needed something bigger. I began to fast a meal, then I did a 1 day fast, then did a 3 day fast (felt like I had won a gold medal in the Olympics). with time, I could do 7 day fast, 21 days, and finally a 40 day fast.
There are so many things I have received because I fasted and pursued them in God. The first gift I received through fasting was the infilling of the Holy Spirit. I had been begging God for months, I decided to fast for 21 days, but I did it in small portions. In the middle of this fast, I received the gift of a prayer language. I was so happy I prayed in the spirit throughout the night.
The second thing I fasted for was a job. This was so unique because God gave me a dream to do a 21 day fast to get out of a season of joblessness. A few weeks after fasting for 21 days (6 Am- 6 Pm), I went for an interview and got the job. I could write all day of things that became possible because I fasted but I will save it for another post.
There are so many examples of fasting in the Bible. Here are a few reasons why you should do a fast.
1. Overcome the Flesh
Our flesh is the hardest thing to kill. Yet to serve and to be pleasing to God, we have to come to a place where we don’t walk by the flesh but are Spirit-led. There is no other way; you will die to your flesh to access heaven in your life.
Roman 8:7 says the mind of the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit itself to God’s law, indeed it cannot.
If we want to serve God and be spirit-led we have to fast. Fasting enables us to walk in the spirit and not in the flesh.
2. Repent and Seek the Lord
In the Bible when we see fasting. It was when people gathered with the intention of repenting and turning their hearts back to God. Fasting was a symbolic, outward sign of telling the lord they were returning and leaving their wicked ways behind. They were laying down their idols and choosing to serve God.
In 1 Samuel 7:3-6, the children of Israel fasted that day to repent. They laid down their idols and direct their hearts to the Lord and to serve Him only. They fasted as an outward sign of turning away from their disobedience.
You could be in a similar situation. You used to serve the Lord with passion but now your devotion and fire has waned and you are no longer serving the Lord. Take some time to pray and fast ask God what has separated you from Him. Repent and return to serving the Lord with your whole heart.
Fasting will enable you to gain momentum and give you the strength to lay down the things that you need to.
3. Receive Spiritual Direction
Fast for big life-altering decisions. Big decisions like a career change, starting a business, or getting married. Don’t make huge decisions with haste. It might be very hard to undo if you make a mistake. Some mistakes may take you years to recover from. When we fast we are seeking God’s direction and we’re making sure we know with clarity the path that we should take.
Acts 13:2-3 As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted the Holy Spirit said, Separate for me Barnabas and Saul for the work I have called them.
Through fasting, Saul and Barnabas were able to get direction from the Holy Spirit concerning their ministry.
4. Break Demonic Strongholds, Bondages, and Addictions.
We get free from anything that is in our life that’s not of God through fasting. We tear down bondages, addictions, demonic yokes through prayer and fasting.
Are you struggling to break free from an addiction? Have you been trying to walk away from an ungodly relationship to no avail? Are you trying to get free from a bondage in your life? Lust, sexual immorality, anger, and depression are powerful strongholds that we break through fasting.
2 Corinthians 10:4 says, for the weapons of our warfare are not physical but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds.
We destroy strongholds with mighty weapons. We demolish bondages and addictions with mighty weapons. Don’t try to walk away from a soul tie through willpower. Use prayer and fasting to destroy any ties between you and that person. Don’t try to pray away an addiction or bondage, fast through it until you get free.
Freedom is costly, we have to fight to get free from the things the devil is using to tie us to sin. God has provided tools for us like fasting to enforce the freedom that is ours in Christ. It’s not just you wanting to get free you have to do your part. Fasting and prayer is how we partner with heaven to enforce the victory that Jesus paid for us on the cross.
5. Build up your faith
There will be seasons where God will call us to things that are bigger than us. And to be able to do them it will require another level of faith. Fasting helps us build up our faith. Do you want to minister with another grace? Do you want to do your job with another grace? Fasting helps to increase the measure of our faith and step into great things in the Lord.
In mark 9:23-29, the disciples come to Jesus and ask why they couldn’t drive out a demon. Jesus replies, “This kind can only come out through prayer and fasting.”
They needed a greater measure of faith to minister to this boy. and through fasting and prayer Jesus says it will be possible to step into another level of faith.
6. Release Favor in a Situation
We release favor into a situation with fasting and prayer. We deal with injustice by fasting and prayer. We deal with conflicts and are able to bind the enemy from a situation when we fast and pray. We bind lies, false witnesses, and slander with fasting.
I love the story of Esther in the bible;
Esther 4:15 Through fasting and prayer, Esther binds injustice and releases justice over a situation. She is also able to release favor in a situation that was working against her. She is able to turn the law of the land to work in her favor.
Through these biblical fasting examples, we can see that fasting is a powerful tool in a believer’s life.
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