January has become an annual time to concentrate on "Prayer and Fasting." This year we are tying this to a study with "Experiencing God." Oh, what a combination.
We will continue to have a time of extended fasting as I am calling for a day of fasting each Tuesday/Wednesday in January. I always recommend you begin your fast at sundown on Tuesday and conclude at sundown on Wednesday (the Jewish fast day).
"Fasting is refraining from food for a spiritual purpose."
Your Level of Participation:
Enter into a time of prayer and fasting at whatever level you can. Prayerfully consider your limitations as you determine your level of participation. Some cannot participate in food fast due to health reasons, pregnancy, or other reasons. However, even those limitations can find a way to join in this time of fasting; or a part of it.
If your fast cannot be food-focused, then seek to fast from something else that is a regular part of your life: social media, TV, internet, sports, hobby, etc. Whatever activity that you sense is exerting too much influence on your heart or time and we need to fast from it to regain a more biblical perspective.
Abstaining from food is the most powerful, but fasting from other things can have powerful benefits.
Remember, the details are not as important as the spirit in which you participate.
Remember, the details are not as important as the spirit in which you participate.
Primary Purpose of Fasting?
The fast is a spiritual discipline designed to better connect us with God. As a church, we are fasting in order to deepen our relationship with God, to better HEAR His voice, and to walk with fewer distractions in obedience.
Fasting is not some kind of hunger strike that is forcing the hand of God to move.
You use the time you would normally eat to pursue God. Fasting is a biblical practice and a spiritual process that God anoints powerfully. Fasting is not a diet; it's a spiritual discipline. As you neglect yourself to pursue God, you are winning the war against the flesh. The walls come down when you approach God with this kind of focus, intentionality, and passion.
There is no mandate in the Bible to fast except on the Day of Atonement. But fasting is assumed just as is praying and giving (Matthew 6). Biblical fasting takes a lot of discipline and strength.
Types of Fasts:
* Absolute Fast (no food/drink) Ezra 10: 6; Esther 4:16; Acts 9:9
* Normal Fast (no food, drink only liquids such as water and juices). This appears to be what the Lord did for 40 days. This is the most common type of fast.
* Partial Fast (certain foods are given up). This is what Daniel did in Daniel 10:3. One could give up a meal or a particular kind of food. Daniel fasted for 21 days.
Online resources helpful for fasting:
Jentezen Franklin - great resources and a free e-bookDaniel Fast
Ronnie Floyd - Fasting and Prayer as Your Spiritual Worship - GREAT article - a MUST read
Donald Whitney article on Fasting
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