Fasting is a word that is usually associated with those that are about to enter into a surgery or maybe even those that must lose a certain amount of weight quickly. A majority of time it is not associated to believers in Christ seeking Gods face with all that they have. Fasting is a discipline much like anything else that we do. For example, playing baseball, soccer, or being on time for events. Whatever the practice, there is a need for discipline. The things of God, specifically fasting, are no different.

We find the practice of fasting going all the way back to the Old Testament with Elijah. We see fasting in the New Testament during the life of Christ and even after Christ ascended into Heaven. This is a discipline that we are to take part in as believers. How do we know? Because we see fasting all throughout the Bible. Not just for a certain group limited to a certain time period. As a matter fact the only thing that is certain pertaining to those fasting in the Bible, is that they were God fearing people. It wasn’t about tribe or location but rather about people who loved and feared the Lord.

The purpose of fasting is to tune in our focus to the Master. By giving up something for the Lord you find that you focus on the Him more. You may be asking, “why would giving up something cause you to think about the Lord more than usual?” The answer is because the thing that you have given up is something that means a great deal to you. As your time of fasting progresses, you remember that you can not take part (in whatever you are fasting), which reminds you that you have given up this activity or object for the Lord. For instance, if you are fasting television and your favorite show comes on, the time you would normally spend watching that show is now dedicated to spending time with the Lord. As you go along in your time of fasting you will notice that you will begin to hone in on the Lord. Another purpose of fasting is show our dependence on God and His word. When we give up things for the Lord we find ourselves in a position of either trusting God or else we will give up and stop the fast.

Next question, what do we fast? As we look through the Bible we find many different things that are being fasted by many different people. Moses fasted for forty days and forty nights without eating or drinking.

Exodus 34:28, “And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.”

We find that Daniel did not eat meat or pleasant bread.

Daniel 10:3, I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.

We also see Paul telling the Corinthians that husbands and wives should give up sexual intimacy for a time in order to seek the face of God.

1st Corinthians 7:5 “Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.”

So as we look at these scriptures we can clearly see that the “what” is not so clearly spelled out. So from experience, if I may, please allow me to give to some suggestions. The “what” in fasting is what will make or break your quality of fasting. The item that you are giving up must be something that means a lot to you. For example lets say you want to fast meat but you rarely eat meat, then this would not be a good choice. Lets say you love to watch movies and television programs then this would be a great choice. The “what” is so important in fasting. You could choose to give up meat, the radio, television, a hobby, a sport, sexual intimacy (this has special guidelines, look above at 1st Corinthians 7:5 and make sure you follow them), sodas, chocolate, and sweets/desserts. The list is endless because the choice is up to you. I believe that we have that leniency from God because again, as we look through scripture we don’t see a mandate written in stone as to what we must fast. Just remember, pick something that you will definitely miss.

What about, how long we fast? This is another good question but again we do not see a mandate. We see in the Old Testament Daniel fasted for three weeks.

Daniel 10:2-3, “In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks. I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled”.

Jesus, in the New Testament fasted for forty days, see Matthew 4:1-11. Luke tells in Acts 9:9 when Paul is saved and fasts for three days:

“And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink”.

This is a very important part in fasting as well. You have to begin to pray and ask God how much time He would want for you to fast. Let God tell you because if you choose to short of a time you will rob yourself of the benefits of fasting and essentially wasted your time. On the other hand if you fast to long you find yourself being discouraged. Take your time and seek direction from God as to how long He would have you to fast.

So we know why, what and how long to fast, now what do we do? When you are fasting it is a time for you to put all other things to the side and begin to focus on the King of kings and the Lord of lords. You take time singing songs. Did you know that it is a good thing to sing songs unto the Lord? Look at Psalm 92:1:

“IT IS A GOOD THING TO GIVE THANKS UNTO THE LORD, AND TO SING PRAISES UNTO THY NAME, O MOST HIGH:”.

Not only do you sing but you can praise/worship God for who He is, check out Psalm 103:1-2:

“Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits”.

When you praise God begin to think about who He is and what He has done for you. Testify to God about how good He really is! If you need help as to who God truly is, refer to our Name Page on God or Jesus. So we sing, we praise/worship, and we pray. We spend time talking to the Master. You can talk to Him about anything on your mind and heart. Many times people say that they don’t have anyone to listen to them. Well, there is someone that wants to listen and talk to you, it’s Jesus.

My prayer is that this will be used to help you grow in the Lord. Remember, the more time you take to invest with God the more He will use you in His great and awesome work here on earth.