Fasting

Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. And I prayed to the LORD my God, and made confession, and said, “O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments. Daniel 9:3-5

What is fasting? No it is not starving yourself because the Bible says you should fast, or because someone you know keeps telling you should fast. It is not a lose weight quick diet. It is not abstaining from food and sleeping until the time you plan to turn in your fast and then wake up and eat. It is not abstaining from food and playing video games or watching TV while you do it. Jentzen Franklin defines fasting as: “abstaining from food for a spiritual purpose” in his book Fasting. You have to have a purpose for fasting. Jesus told his disciples not to fast as the hypocrites do because they were just starving themselves to make themselves look righteous. Instead he says to wash your face and anoint your head so that no one would know that you are fasting and God would reward you publicly.

In the verses from Daniel chapter 9, there are six points I found in these three verses that I want to share with you. It concerns the attitude and posture that Daniel took when he began to fast and what he did while he fasted. First, he humbled himself – then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request. Second he prayed and made supplication. To make supplication is to petition or entreat someone in humbleness. Third he fasted with sackcloth and ashes. Sackcloth and ashes was a sign of mourning or anguish in Old Testament times. When Job lost his family and was afflicted with boils, he put on sackcloth and ashes to display his mourning for his children and his anguish about his situation. Fourth, he confessed. He confessed the sins of his people and his ancestors before them. Fifth, he worshipped and praised God – “O Lord, Great and Awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments.” And the sixth point – he repented. Though he was confessing the sins of his people he included himself in it and in repentance asked for forgiveness for himself and his people. The entire chapter is about his prayer to the Lord while he was fasting and he entreats the Lord on behalf of his people throughout the first 19 verses of the chapter. His answer came that evening and God revealed things to him that were to come.

I wanted to share something with you regarding fasting from my own personal experience. When I was just a baby in the Lord, the Lord spoke to me and told me He wanted me on a campaign of fasting. This meant that I had to fast for several days. At the time I knew nothing of fasting except for the fact that you can’t eat. So I asked questions because I also had to work and I had a problem that if I didn’t eat by a certain time of the day I would have a terrible headache. My pastor told me I could fast from 6am to 12 noon since I would be at work most of the time. Anyway I obeyed and I began to fast from 6am to 12 noon with no water and no food. It was not easy because I was at work all week but God gave me strength. Since I didn’t know when I was supposed to stop I did this for almost 2 months everyday and Sundays I would fast in church. Now that I think about it I probably fasted 40 days. I don’t recall the exact amount of days; I know that it was almost two months. During that time I did not see any results though I was seeking the Lord and I was reading the word and my purpose was to get closer to Him. One day before I stopped, I asked my pastor how long I had to keep fasting and she did not know that it had almost been two months since I got that word and was surprised that I was still doing it. When it was over I noticed the changes God had been working in me during that time. I did not see them while I was fasting, but when it was over I was asked to teach the 1-3 year old children at Sunday school. My point is that you may not see the results right away but you will see your prayers answered and you will see God moving in your life when you humble yourself before Him, fast, pray, and give. Fasting and praying go hand in hand, along with bible study. I have had moments of clarity in bible study during a fast. I encourage you if you haven’t tried it yet, to do so. There are different kinds of fasts. You can fast 3 days, 1 day, 21 days, 40 days, or you can fast from sunup till sundown (6am to 6pm). You can abstain from all foods and just drink water and juice or you can do a partial fast where you abstain from meat, sweets, and bread and eat only vegetables and fruits. If you have health problems you can fast from 6am to 12 noon after consulting your doctor. If you want to fast for more than one day make sure to drink plenty of water. The point is you can do it! Fasting breaks chains! Fasting does not make you holy but it makes you sensitive to the Spirit of God. It helps you draw closer to God and make you aware when He draws closer to you. Try it and you will not regret it, don’t listen to your stomach, it will always tell you that you’re hungry. Remember that you have to have a specific purpose for your fast, whether it be for direction, a lost loved one, your church, or a deeper intimacy with the Lord. God answers prayer and when prayer is combined with fasting the atmosphere begins to change and the glory of God is revealed to you. Praise the Lord!