Did you know you have a spiritual enemy fighting against you…and—this may surprise you— it’s not the devil. Fasting and prayer are tools that will defeat this hidden enemy. But What if everything you thought you knew about fasting isn’t what God intended? In this video, we’re going to uncover what the Bible really says about fasting—and trust me, it might just change how you approach your relationship with God forever.
1. Fasting means not eating
The Hebrew word in the Old Testament for fasting, is the word Tsom, and it actually means to close or cover the mouth. That’s the main idea. Fasting, in a Biblical sense, always means to abstain from eating food, and in some cases, like Esther’s fast, they also didn’t drink water for three days. Though others might fast for health purposes or weight loss purposes, that’s not why we’re fasting. Fasting is a time of dedication and consecration to God, and when we accompany it with prayer, it gives us the ability to hear God’s voice more clearly by subduing our flesh.
2. Fasting should always be accompanied by prayer
It’s important to understand that fasting is not a hunger strike for the believer. Fasting should always be accompanied by prayer. That’s what we saw in the Old Testament and the New Testament. Anytime we’re serious enough to push the plate away, we should spend extra time in prayer, seeking God’s face, looking for direction for our lives, and understand that we’re being strengthened to accomplish what God has called us to do. I always encourage people who are fasting to not spend a lot of time watching TV or streaming shows, playing video games, or even sleeping the fast away. Spend that time praying and pressing into God’s presence and listen for his voice.
3. Fasting is the tool that subdues your carnal nature
Fasting is a tool that helps you to subdue your carnal nature. The Bible says in Galatians 5:17 that the flesh or the carnal nature, is constantly at war with the Spirit. Your carnal nature wants to do sinful things, whereas your spiritual nature, that’s been redeemed by Christ, wants to do things that are pleasing to God, and they fight against one another. But when you’re fasting, you can subdue and weaken your carnal nature, so that your spirit can take control. This allows you to follow God’s voice and clearly hear him as you’re praying and seeking his face. Subduing your carnal nature doesn’t make you a baby Christian.
In 1 Corinthians 9:27, Paul said he had to put his carnal nature under on a daily basis and make it do what it should. So if the Apostle Paul needed to do it, if Jesus fasted and prayed, then don’t feel bad that you also need to fast, pray and subdue your carnal nature.
Maybe you’re brand new to fasting. If so, don’t set a massive goal for your first time fasting. Don’t fast for 40 days, 21 days, or even 10 days. Maybe spend the first 24 hours fasting. If you’ve never done a 24 hour fast, fast for one day, read the Word of God, pray, seek God’s face and accomplish that first. There’s no set length in the Bible that we are commanded to fast. We do it in obedience to the Lord by faith. Do it with a proper motivation to please God, to seek his face, hear his voice, and to draw closer to him.
In fact, I’ve created something to help you on your fast. It’s called the Fasting Starter Kit. It’s free to download, and it’ll give you our favorite supplements, how to pray when you’re fasting, how to start a fast, how to break a fast. In it, I’ll show you the five most popular myths about fasting. I’ll give you a reading and devotional list, and even a Bible reading plan that you can follow while you’re fasting.
And if you’re ready to go even deeper, check out my book, A Complete Guide to Biblical Fasting. In it, I break down everything you need to know about fasting from a biblical perspective!