When you pray, sometimes it is beneficial to fast. There are all kinds or types of fasts. Here are three categories of fasts.
Fasts That Depict the Degree of the Fast
Normal fast.This is a fast from food and drinks, but not from water. It is the normal way to fast, and how Jesus fasted for forty days.
Absolute fast. This is a fast from food and drinks, including water. It is how Moses fasted for eighty days on Mount Sinai, and how Elijah fasted in the desert (both were miraculous feats). There were other absolute fasts not miraculous, but were not much over three days. For no one can naturally live for much over three days without food and water.
Partial fast. In a partial fast, you would eat only fruits and (or) vegetables—like Daniel did. If you have health problems, if you are concerned…
Here are 16 guidelines for fasting taken from my book Prayer A to Z. This list is very brief. For more information you can get my e-book by clicking on Prayer A to Z.
1. Most importantly, your fast must be a fast that God chooses. If it is a fast that God chooses then He will lead you and give you the right motives. You will be fasting for Him and not for any selfish reason (Is. 58:3-5).
2. Pray about your fast and set objectives. Before you start, make it clear in your mind how you believe God wants you to fast. Then determine that you will fast that way.
3. Be flexible in your fasting plans. If you have planned to fast on a certain day, and, because of circumstances, it will not work out, move your fast to…
1. To humble self so God can use me.In fasting we attempt to bring ourselves to a humble state so God can make us holy, so we will be willing to seek Him, able to minister to Him, honor Him, and do His will (e.g. Ezra 8:21).
2. To express grief and repentance for sin, and for deliverance. If we fast to express repentance, it will also be for deliverance. When Ninevah fasted they did turn from their evil way, but their main purpose was to avert God’s wrath. And that is just what happened. “…God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them…” (Jonah 3:10).
We in America also need to repent with fasting because of our evil (e. g. materialism, sensuality, pornography, and…
The following is an excrept from my e-book Prayer A to Z.
Eight Descriptions of Fasting
1. It is abstaining from food for spiritual purposes. The Hebrew word for fast (tsuwn) means “to cover the mouth.” The Greek word (nesteia) means “not to eat.” Therefore fasting means primarily to abstain from food. As for the second part of our description, “for spiritual reasons,” that comes from the Biblical context and from the purpose the Bible gives for fasting. Accordingly, it was for spiritual reasons that Jesus fasted, and why Moses, David, Elijah, and all the others fasted. And it is why the Bible teaches us to fast (Is. 58:6-9). We can certainly fast for other reasons, but, as I can see, the main reason why God has called us to fast is for spiritual reasons—to improve our relationship with God. Some would argue that our physical…
In the Old and New Testament period, in the early church, in the church throughout the centuries, and in America and throughout the World people have fasted.
Fasting in the Old Testament.According to Bible records, the practice of fasting among the Jews began with their great leader and deliverer, Moses. He by far has given us the greatest (or most extreme) example. For he fasted without food or water for forty days on two consecutive trips to Mount Sinai—eighty days and nights! It had to be a miracle. For no one in his own strength can fast much over three days without water.
Our next example was King David. I think he fasted often, but there are only three instances recorded in the Bible: (1) He fasted with his men over the death of Saul and Jonathan (2 Sam. 1:12); (2) he fasted when he was in grief…
Fasting is one of those things we would rather put out of our mind. Food is just too good these days. And who wants to suffer anyway. But if you are serious about prayer, you really should think about it.
The following is an excerpt from my ebook Basics of Prayer.
In the gospels there are two instances where Jesus taught fasting. The first was in Matthew 6:16-18. Here He taught fasting (along with giving and praying) as a presumed and necessary duty in the Christian life. In this passage, He did not say “if you want to fast,” or “if you feel like fasting,” He said, “when you fast.” Therefore, Jesus taught Christians to fast (along with giving and praying) as a regular discipline and duty.
What Jesus taught, basically, in this passage about fasting was that when we fast, just as with giving…
In general, fasting is abstinence from food for spiritual reasons; it is that personal discipline that aids us in our spiritual life.
To start, I want to tell you that I am not a regular faster, nor do I enjoy even the thought of it. But as any discipline, I know that it has its purpose; and so, as I present this information—which happens to be in the chapter of the book I am blogging through, Studies in the Sermon on the Mount—I am now trying to follow God’s will if He should guide me to fast. I will now present to you the follow four points:
The Biblical Basis for Fasting
Some would argue that in this day of grace, in this New Testament era, we should not be fasting. But clearly, there is a biblical basis for it, both in the Old and New Testament. As D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones points out, under the Law of Moses the children of Israel were commanded to fast once a year. And there are several examples of Old Testament fasting. Fasting is also mentioned in the New Testament. It is not directly commanded or taught by Jesus, but is indirectly taught and approved of by Jesus, since He Himself fasted (Matt. 4:2), and so did the early church (Acts13:2-3; 14:23).
Lloyd-Jones points out that the problem many are having now with fasting is clearly an over-reaction against Catholicism; for you recall from history that fasting was a huge part of the Catholic religion and clearly was an incorrect use of it.
The Wrong Use of Fasting
If we stick to what fasting basically is, a discipline that aids us in pray and in our spiritual relationship with God, that will keep us from any wrong use of it. With that being said, here are four wrong uses:
1. Fasting should not be done as a good work in itself.
2. Fasting should not be done to try to make yourself more disciplined or more spiritual.
3. Fasting should not be done to get a blessing from God or to be more prosperous.
4. Fasting should not be done to see if we can achieve some personal fasting goal—for example, to try to fast for a certain length of time. Overall, fasting itself will not please God. It should not be an end it itself. It is always to be regarded as a means to an end and not as an end in itself.
Correct Purposes for Fasting
Again, we will begin with the definition of fasting, which is a discipline to aid us in our spiritual life. From there we derive the following purposes:
1. To aid us in our lack of faith in doing some spiritual work (example: casting out a demon, Matt. 17:19-21).
2. Basically it is to be closer to God. We get this from Mark 2:18-20, where Jesus explains that His disciples did not fast because they were with Him, and so they had no need to fast. But after Jesus would be “taken away from them,” then they would fast—for obvious reasons.
3. As an aid in doing a special work of God, which would require a special spiritual guidance (example: Acts 14:2-3, choosing Barnabas and Saul as missionaries; Acts 14:23, appointing elders).
4. To receive help from God when faith is lacking (Example: the nation of Israel fasted when Moab and Ammon came against them and they were afraid, 2 Chron. 20:3).
How to Act When Fasting
Just as with giving and praying, fasting, Jesus said, is a practice of righteousness (Matt. 6:2, 5, 16), and therefore, we should do these things without sounding a trumpet, as to inform those around us what we are doing. For any act of our Christianity should be an act of humility and just between us and God. Fasting therefore should be done in secret, or, without people knowing that we are doing it. Hence, we shouldn’t draw attention to what we are doing by not washing or shaving. We should rather look as normal as possible. And if we are worried that we will not get our proper recognition, we can take comfort in the fact that God sees everything we do and will secretly reward us (Matt. 6:18).
Matthew 6:16-18
“And whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance in order to be seen fasting by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 17 “But you, when you fast, anoint your head, and wash your face 18 so that you may not be seen fasting by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will repay you. NASB
Stephen Nielsen 