PART II - Fasting
Matthew 9:15 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the
bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will
come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then SHALL they
fast.
This section is for those who are born-again. If you haven't surrendered
to Jesus Christ as BOTH Lord AND Savior then all the fasting in the world will
be of no value to you. You need to visit our link on how to receive eternal life. If you have health issues
that prevent you from fasting, you can use alternative means discussed
elsewhere. For instance, if you have to eat with your medicine, eat plain bread
instead of steak and lobster with extra butter. Instead of drinking a soda,
drink water. The point is to deny yourself and pray.
Fasting is very important in our spiritual walk and warfare. It helps one to
keep a spiritual edge--among many other things. Do not be alarmed if the idea
of fasting is something you want to resist. It directly subjugates your flesh
and gives the Spirit the preeminence. Remember that the flesh lusteth against
the Spirit. Most people do not "feel" that they want to fast--that is the flesh
talking. It's good to recognize who is doing the talking--Fasting will help you
and affect every area of your life, physically, emotionally, spiritually and
in terms of "results" all around. Amen and praise the Lord.
Galatians 5:17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the
Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that
ye cannot do the things that ye would.
Get some victory by subduing the flesh. Fasting and prayer is an excellent
way to do just that.
Here are a number of reasons for fasting --
- Jesus said His disciples would fast.
- To divest oneself of worldly
comforts so one can be filled with the Lord and His word.
- To keep under one's body and bring it into subjection. I tell the flesh what
to do, it does not tell one. This helps one to keep from sinning. When a
temptation arises, I am so accustomed to denying oneself that it is much easier
for one to say, "no" to sin. I say "no" to one's flesh all the time.
- To humble
one's soul--lest it be exalted. Psalms
35:13 But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I
humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into mine own bosom.
- To chasten my soul--Psalms 69:10 When I wept, and chastened my soul
with fasting, that was to my reproach.
- That Satan tempt you not--1 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.
- For specific requests that you want an answer to. It could be for the
interpretation of a scripture. The requests must be in accordance with the Lord
and not to be consumed on our own lusts.
- Certain spiritual victories are
only accomplished through fasting and prayer. For instance, certain devils can
only come out if you are prepared through fasting. There are many people who are
possessed, obsessed, oppressed and pressed down by powerful "principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against
spiritual wickedness in high places." (Eph 6:12)
Matthew 17:14 And when they were come to the multitude, there came
to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying, 17:15 Lord, have
mercy on my son: for he is lunatic, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth
into the fire, and oft into the water.
17:16 And I brought him to thy
disciples, and they could not cure him.
17:17 Then Jesus answered and said, O
faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall
I suffer you? bring him hither to me.
17:18 And Jesus rebuked the devil; and
he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.
17:19
Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?
17:20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say
unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this
mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall
be impossible unto you.
17:21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by
prayer and fasting.
How long is a fast? This varies. Sometimes sunrise to sunset.
Sometimes 24 hours. Sometimes two days. Sometimes 5 days.
Sometimes water only, sometimes water and natural home-made juices. Sometimes
vegetables only with no meat. There are different kinds of fasts.
It is a good practice to pray in the days before a fast and ask the Lord to
honor your fast and hear your petitions. When you first start fasting your mind
can play tricks on you if you do not pray beforehand and give it to the Lord.
Last week (week of 10-22-00), I was fasting for a couple of days. On the
evening of the first day, I was in traffick. I had gone to get some food for a
sick person. I started getting frustrated with the traffick and I started
wanting some food and I was getting ridiculous mad. Then in my brains went one
sentence, "Sit down somewhere and be quiet!" It was a command from the Spirit
to the flesh. I was like, "Yeah, sit down somewhere. You ain't got no power!
What you think you doing? SIT DOWN!" Like a little kid echoing a good idea. Do
you know that I felt fantastic after that? The next morning I still wasn't
hungry--and when I ended my fast I wasn't hungry. I am oftentimes not hungry
when I come off of a fast. Translate this situation to those times when you are
tempted to sin. The flesh says, "I want to do that!" And the Spirit says, "Sit
down somewhere and be quiet! You aren't getting anything!" Because you are so
accustomed to denying the flesh, it comes natural. Know who is doing the
talking.
Fasting is not really about absence of food, it is about presenting to the
Lord in leanness of soul. You are looking for spiritual food alone, not
temporal. The results from fasts are positive. You will have more discipline. You sit
the flesh down and remember the Lord. You receive your petitions. Early in my walk,
I willingly broke a fast. Some time after this, I read these words of rebuke
which I will never forget--
Ecclesiastes 5:4 When thou vowest a vow
unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which
thou hast vowed.
I don't care what, I do not willingly break a
fast. So I don't care how long my fast is for--I don't break it. I ain't trying
to be a fool and I don't want to bring a curse upon oneself. God takes vows
seriously. When you stop having
a prayerful spirit, you can sin. Fasting or not, we should be continuously
praying. We are to pray without ceasing. You can even pray while you are
talking to someone. If you maintain constant contact with the Lord, you will
stay on track with your fast.
If you watch hellivision, do not watch it when you are fasting. Hellivision
just about neutralizes and wars against everything you are trying to accomplish.
1 Peter 2:11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and
pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which WAR against the
soul;
To walk in power and wisdom, you must crucify all Satanic ties.
Some excerpts from an older email response (10/99).
What effect does
fasting have upon prayer that simple prayer without fasting does not have?
...certain spiritual victories cannot be accomplished without fasting...There
is something cleansing about fasting. You've subdued your body. You've denied
yourself and it makes it easy to deny yourself in other areas. So if a
temptation comes and you are accustomed to denying yourself, it is no great
task to say, "No, I am not going to do that." Also when I fast I depend on the
Lord expecting to hear a word from Him. I am reminded that man shall not live by
bread alone but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
In
this country, we Christians have things easy. We have lots of comforts and as a
result we are oftentimes lazy and spoiled. When I get to feeling "full" I fast
in order to bring my body back into subjection. The flesh doesn't always need to
be comfortable. It wars against the Spirit so I deny it and focus on the
Spirit...I talk to Jesus for about a week before I endeavor to fast. I ask Him
to sustain one and remember the reasons I'm fasting. This solidifies it in my
mind and prepares one.
The only place I saw anything on this subject thus
far in the Scriptures is in regard to prayers of very weighty matters such as
Daniel's in Chap 9, and in Mt. 17:21 and Mk. 9:29 regarding casting out devils,
and in 1Co. 7:5 where it is recommended in order to have positive effects upon
marriages.
Yea, and it has positive affects on other areas of life.
...This is why I am so interested in getting as much input on the matter
from believers whom I know are knowledgeable in the Scriptures and really
believe and obey them...
I can tell you from personal experience that in
my own life, fasting has proved most profitable.
Here from the entire King James 1611 are the results
for those who may want to look them up in their context for every reference to
fasting --
Nehemiah
9:1 Now in the twenty and fourth day of this month the children of Israel were
assembled with fasting, and with sackclothes, and earth upon them.
Esther
4:3 And in every province, whithersoever the king's commandment and his decree
came, there was great mourning among the Jews, and fasting, and weeping, and
wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.
9:31 To confirm these days of
Purim in their times appointed, according as Mordecai the Jew and Esther the
queen had enjoined them, and as they had decreed for themselves and for their
seed, the matters of the fastings and their cry.
Psalms
35:13 But as for one, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled
my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into mine own bosom.
69:10
When I wept, and chastened my soul with fasting, that was to my reproach.
109:24 My knees are weak through fasting; and my flesh faileth of fatness.
Jeremiah
36:6 Therefore go thou, and read in the roll, which thou hast written from my
mouth, the words of the LORD in the ears of the people in the LORD's house upon
the fasting day: and also thou shalt read them in the ears of all Judah that
come out of their cities.
Daniel
6:18 Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting: neither
were instruments of musick brought before him: and his sleep went from him.
9:3 And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and
supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:
Joel
2:12 Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to one with all your
heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:
Matthew
15:32 Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on
the multitude, because they continue with one now three days, and have nothing to
eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way.
17:21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
Mark
8:3 And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the
way: for divers of them came from far.
9:29 And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by
prayer and fasting.
Luke
2:37 And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not
from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.
Acts
10:30 And Cornelius said, Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at
the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and, behold, a man stood before one in
bright clothing,
14:23 And when they had ordained them elders in every
church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom
they believed.
27:33 And while the day was coming on, Paul besought them
all to take meat, saying, This day is the fourteenth day that ye have tarried
and continued fasting, having taken nothing.
1 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.
2 Corinthians
6:5 In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in
fastings;
11:27 In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger
and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.
