Seeking the Lord with Fasting

Matthew 6:16-18

16 …when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 17 But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

Matthew 9:14-15

14 Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?” 15 And Jesus said to them, “Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.”

I want to invite you to explore with me five common questions people ask about fasting, and see what God’s Word can teach us. Let’s talk about Seeking the Lord with Fasting.

1. What is fasting?
Fasting simply means going without food for a time so you can seek God in a more intensified way. We’ve heard people talk about fasting TV or other things—and that can be beneficial—but in the Bible fasting means going without food. In fact, the Hebrew word for fasting means to cover your mouth!

Now, I think we can safely say that fasting is everyone’s least favorite spiritual discipline. After all, we need to eat, and food tastes good! I don’t have the statistics to prove it, but I suspect pizza is more popular than fasting by a big margin! Fasting can be difficult for us, even though it produces many benefits. Jesus said that the spirit is willing… but the flesh is weak!

Not only that, but when we fast, we may also face opposition. The Devil seems to work overtime to keep people from fasting. I think he knows he can’t afford to have you make a habit out of it. On the other hand, Jesus encourages us to fast. And the Bible shows us over and over that sincere fasting will release blessing to us.

We read today from Matthew 6, which is part of Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount. In that passage, the Lord is teaching on three spiritual disciplines: giving, prayer, and fasting – and He shares some foundational truths there.

1. First, Jesus assumes we’re going to give, and pray, and fast. He didn’t say, “if you fast,” but “when you fast.” That means Jesus considers fasting to be a normal part of the Christian life.

2. Second, the Lord warns us against hypocrisy in our fasting. He tells us not to put on a show when we fast. Rather, we should fast out of devotion to our Heavenly Father. If we fast to impress others, Jesus says that their admiration is all the reward we’ll ever receive.

3. Finally, the Lord encourages us that when we fast to the Father in secret, the Father will reward us – reward us openly.

A few general thoughts about fasting:

· Fasting can be total or partial. In a “normal” fast we go without food, but there are partial fasts also. Maybe you’ve heard of a “Daniel fast.” The prophet Daniel did two different kinds of partial fasts. In one such fast, he didn’t have any meat, rich foods, or wine.

· There’s also a complete fast, which is going without food and water. God commanded Israel to fast like this once a year on the Day of Atonement. Queen Esther did this for three days in an emergency. That’s an extreme fast because it’s dangerous to go without water that long.

· In the Bible, we also see a supernatural fast. Moses was in God’s Presence for 40 days with no food and no water. As I said, that was supernatural, so don’t try that unless you’re in the literal cloud of God’s glory like Moses was. (And by literal, I mean all of us can see it, not just you!)

In the ancient world, going around looking disheveled showed people that you were fasting or mourning. Fasting, mourning, and intercessory prayer all went together. Mourners tore their clothes, or put on sackcloth, which is a coarse cloth like burlap. Some even threw dust on their heads or sat in ashes as a sign of humility.

People did those things to show their devotion to God, and to show that they were mourning over their sins, or the sins of the people.

Jesus says bluntly that such people who make themselves disheveled wanted to appear to be fasting, and that having people see them like that was all the reward they would ever receive for their efforts.

In a true fast, we’re fasting to God, so we should appear normal on the outside. In fact, if there’s anything I should tear, it shouldn’t be my clothes – it should be something only God can see, and that’s my heart! You know, the prophet Joel said, “…tear your heart, and not your garments, and turn to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and merciful…” (Joel 2:13).

So, fasting is primarily private. It’s a way to express my personal devotion to God. Fasting is a way of saying that I long to be with Him even more than I desire food, and the normal things of life.

However, Jesus didn’t forbid public fasts. The Bible contains a number of public fasts. Kings and prophets sometimes declared a fast, so the people would come together and seek the Lord with prayer and fasting. And after Jesus ascended, we see the elders of the church fasting together, too. Both private and public fasts have an important purpose in our lives.

But in Matthew 6, Jesus is speaking about private fasting, and He says we do it to the One who sees in secret. The Lord gives us a wonderful promise: if we fast from the heart, God will reward us openly. In other words, He’ll bless us in ways that are public and obvious. How exactly will God bless us? We can leave that to Him, but we have Jesus’ promise that He will! What is fasting? Those are the basics.

A second question people ask about fasting is this:

2. Why is fasting so powerful?
The Bible gives us many examples of people who fasted and saw God move to help them. I’d encourage you to look up all the references to fasting in the Bible, and see for yourself. You’ll be blessed!

But if you asked me, “Why is fasting so powerful? How does it work?”, I’d have to say we don’t really know. There’s no one, single Bible verse that tells us. Perhaps we ought to simply say that God gives us grace when we fast, and leave it at that. After all, the Bible says God gives grace to the humble, and fasting is a way to humble ourselves before Him. But we can discern a few other reasons for fasting’s powerful impact.

First, fasting is powerful because it puts our focus on the Lord. Fasting gives me more time to seek God. If I’m not preparing and eating meals, and cleaning up after, it frees up time to seek the Lord. Fasting is one way we can have more time to sow to the Spirit.

Fasting also gives me more time to let God search my heart. I can give Him more time to show me things that I need to deal with.

When I fast, I also have more time to devote to the Word. The time I would typically spend on meal prep and eating, I can sow to the Word instead, feasting on Christ in the Word instead of on food.

Am I saying that fasting is all about the use of our time? No, but I think the brief amount of time that people in our generation spend with God has made us weaker Christians.

We know that not everyone can spend three hours a day with God, but in my opinion, three minutes a day with God isn’t doing a whole lot for us. Some days we may not even spend enough time with God to refresh our spirits, much less let His life and power permeate us. Fasting will give us the time and the focus we need to get alone with God and seek His Face in our prayer closets!

Another reason fasting is powerful is that it weans us away from defiling entertainment. If you don’t know what I mean by the word defile or defiling, I simply mean something that pollutes your spirit.

I’m not saying entertainment is bad, or that you shouldn’t relax at the end of a long, hard day. But I will say that people today—including believers—spend much more time on worldly amusements than previous generations. And we know that today’s entertainment can be much more immoral. It can rob us of spiritual sensitivity, sear our conscience, and ruin our appetite for spiritual things.

Let God break the world’s hold on you through a season of fasting. Get into His Presence and then, as you begin to fast, God will re-focus your heart on Heaven’s priorities. The Bible says, “Love not the world,” but if we’re being completely honest, some of us are on pretty good terms with it. Fasting can help you turn your affections back toward Christ and away from the world.

Finally, fasting is powerful because it keeps our bodies under subjection. Fasting keeps your flesh in its proper place. The apostle Paul said “…I discipline my body and bring it under strict control, so that after preaching to others, I myself will not be disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:27). Paul wouldn’t let his body get the upper hand over him!

A lifestyle that incorporates fasting keeps me from indulging the flesh. And I need to avoid indulging my flesh if I’m going to live an overcoming life.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said: When you give, when you pray, when you fast. I believe that when He said that He was giving us some keys to overcoming the enemies that every Christian faces. What are the three enemies of the believer? Who knows? The world… the flesh… and the devil. So listen to this, church:

· When you give… you’re overcoming the power of the world, breaking its grip on you.

· When you pray… you’re overcoming the power of the devil, receiving grace to stand against his temptations and his attacks.

· And when you fast… you’re overcoming the power of the flesh to control you.

Fasting doesn’t change God, but it can change me. And for many of us, fasting may very well be the missing ingredient that brings us into a new freedom and power in the Spirit. Focusing on the Lord, breaking the grip of the world, keeping the flesh under subjection – all these things make fasting a powerful weapon. This is how fasting works, and why it’s powerful.

We’re exploring five common questions about fasting. Here’s the next one:

3. Who should fast?
Very simply, every Christian should fast, at least occasionally. It’s a part of the normal Christian life, like praying and giving, and Jesus assumed we would do it.

But we shouldn’t see it as a duty. You see, fasting is for people who are in love with Jesus – people who long to encounter Him. Fasting is for people who long for the Presence of Christ. Jesus’ disciples didn’t fast when He was with them, here on Earth, but we fast now.

Jesus said: “Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast” (Matthew 9:15b). In other words, My disciples aren’t fasting now, but once I ascend back to the Father, then the Church is going to fast.

If I can say it in a plain and homey kind of way, the Church fasts because we miss Jesus, and we want more of Him. We fast because we’re hungrier for more of the Lord than we are for a meal. The prayer of our heart is the ancient prayer of the Church: “Maranatha!”, “Come, Lord Jesus!”

And we’re hungry for His Word also. In the book of Job, Job said, “…I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food” (Job 23:12b).

We sometimes hear people say they want more of God, but do we make room for Him? You know, we get rid of our old furniture when we get better furniture. What are we willing to move around—or even throw out—so that God can have more of our hearts? Maybe some of us need to have a tag sale in our hearts to make some more space for Jesus. Hungry people who want more of God – those are the people who fast!

Who should fast? One other thing we should say in response to this question is that fasting is for healthy people. During a national emergency, all of Israel was called to fast. They even called people back from their honeymoons to participate. But that was an emergency.

Regular fasting is for those who can tolerate it. So, if you’re very young, or you’re pregnant, or have blood sugar issues, if you’re on medication or you’re elderly, we want you to be aware that fasting may not be safe. Ask your doctor whether you should fast and how much you can fast.

God knows your heart, and there may be other things you can give up so you can pursue Him better. Fasting is not about us being heroic; it’s about our hearts. Let’s look now at another common question about fasting:

4. When should we fast?
The stories of the people in the Bible were written as examples for us. That’s what God’s Word says. And we can see when the heroes of the faith fasted and why. I believe God encourages us to fast for the same reasons they did.

We can fast for guidance. When people didn’t know what to do, they fasted to receive the Lord’s guidance. The Bible says Ezra fasted to find the right way to go (Ezra 8). Maybe you have a big decision to make, or you need clarity on something. Heaven has the answer even when we don’t!

We can fast for deliverance. When people needed God to rescue them, they fasted. When the Kingdom of Judah was invaded, King Jehoshaphat proclaimed a fast and the people came together to seek the Lord (2 Chronicles 20).

We can fast for revelation. The prophet Daniel fasted and prayed because he knew that the captivity of God’s people in Babylon was soon going to end. In response, God sent the angel Gabriel to Daniel, and Gabriel basically laid out for him the entire future history of Israel (Daniel 9)!

We can fast when we need the Lord’s anointing and power. On one occasion, Jesus’ disciples failed to cast a demon out of a boy. Jesus said, “…this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting” (Matthew 17:21).

Some problems are tougher than others. Some problems are Chihuahuas, and some are Rottweilers. If we’re not careful— if we’re weak in faith and we lack anointing—we might end up running away from Chihuahuas, not just Rottweilers!

That difficult situation you’re facing this week? It may require you to seek God with prayer and fasting for His supernatural power – day and night if necessary! The great evangelist John Wesley said, “Do you have any days of fasting and prayer? Storm the throne of grace and persevere in it, and mercy will come down."

We can also fast as a way to purify and intensify our worship. In Acts chapter 13, we see the elders of the church fasting and ministering to the Lord together. They worshiped God with fasting. What came out of that season of seeking God? The Holy Spirit spoke and gave them specific words of direction. And the Holy Spirit launched the apostolic ministries of Paul and Barnabas out of that special time of ministering to the Lord.

We can fast to consecrate ourselves to the Lord. Many people have fasted to consecrate themselves to God, or to begin a new season of ministry and service. Jesus did this, and so did many others. If Jesus fasted before launching His ministry, how much more do I need to consider fasting before starting something big. After Jesus fasted, the Bible says He “returned in the power of the Spirit” (Luke 4). Wouldn’t it be great if we could show up everywhere we go in the power of the Spirit?

People sometimes ask me whether they should fast before a time of ministry, or while they’re ministering. This is just my opinion, but I prefer to fast before a season of ministry or busyness. That’s because the body is weaker while we’re fasting.

We can fast for many reasons, but by all means we ought to fast on a regular basis. We should fast on an ongoing basis, to get ready and stay ready for ministry, and for life in general. Regular fasting will help you to grow in grace and in the knowledge of God. We call this a fasted lifestyle.

· When they had to deal with that difficult demon, Jesus was ready even when others weren’t! He lived a fasted lifestyle.

· John Wesley, whom I mentioned earlier, was very wise: he wouldn’t ordain you to the ministry unless you agreed to fast two days a week.

The late Bible teacher Derek Prince had a great illustration. He said: Picture in your mind the alphabet. God may have tremendous blessing that He wants to send you, blessings that go from A to Z.

But if we never fast, chances are we’ll never see the whole alphabet. Maybe we’ll only experience everything from A to S. And that will still be great, but if we don’t fast and consecrate ourselves to God in a deeper way, we’ll never experience the fullness of His blessings. We’ll never know what God had for us in the rest of the alphabet, from the letter T down to Z. Perhaps most people never see the whole alphabet. And I think that’s a good word.

One more question to explore, number five:

5. How can I fast successfully?
Let’s talk about some of the practicalities of fasting.

If you’ve never fasted before, start out slow. Don’t begin with a 40-day fast… unless you want our next meeting to be in the hospital! Start by skipping a meal, then work your way up to the point where you can go a whole day on just water or juices. Try to avoid juices that are too acidic, as they may upset your stomach. Be aware that when you stop drinking tea and coffee, you may experience some headaches at first due to caffeine withdrawal. But if you establish a set day to fast each week, your body will probably get used to that day, and fasting will become easier for you.

Once you can fast a whole day, you might consider longer fasts. Unless you have a medical issue, a lot of the hunger we feel is psychological. We’ve trained ourselves to eat a certain number of times per day. The ancient Egyptians had a proverb about this. They said: “Man lives on one-fourth of what he eats — doctors live on the rest!” Obviously, a lot of our eating is just out of habit, or is social, or it’s for emotional comfort.

Some people get to the point where they’ll fast for a week or longer. In the Bible, some people fasted for 21 or even 40 days.

You should end a fast gradually. Add things back into your diet gradually and with wisdom. If you don’t eat for 14 days and then you go out for pizza to celebrate, I’ll be visiting you in the hospital again!

How strict should your fast be? Should you avoid all food? Should you have juices, or water only? That’s between you and the Lord. Follow the leading of His Spirit and take wise counsel from people with experience. God sees your heart. If you’ve never fasted, then you may want to start with a Daniel fast, or by skipping a meal or two.

Fasting can make us feel weak — and when you’re fasting, your body may require more rest. So, don’t push yourself to the point of exhaustion.

What happens if I blow it? Well, don’t condemn yourself if you get defeated by the “potato chip demon.” Don’t give up; don’t get discouraged. God is pulling for you, and I believe He would want you to get back on the horse, rather than give up on fasting.

Also, let me say that what we do spiritually while we’re fasting matters a great deal. I suggest that when you fast, you should use your mealtimes to feast on God’s Word instead. Let the Word of God be your food. Remember, Job said he treasured God’s words more than his necessary food. This will have tremendous benefits.

You should also stay humble by serving. Jesus said He had food to eat that His disciples didn’t know about, and that food was to do the Will of God. Serving others will bring us joy, and refresh our spirits!

Conclusion
We’ve looked at some questions about fasting, and as we close, let me encourage you: fasting is transformational. Jesus said that if we fast with the proper motivation, God will reward us. I believe the Father will craft rewards just for us, tailor-made according to His wisdom and His love.

If we fast in the right spirit, God promises us the blessings of what He calls His “chosen fast.” In Isaiah chapter 58, the Lord rebukes some people who were fasting in a wrong spirit. He contrasts their fasting with the kind of fast He approves of. Read that chapter on your own this week, or at least read it before the next time you fast!

In Isaiah 58, God encouraged the people by telling them how He would bless them when they sought Him with sincerity. He says (v. 8): Then shall your light break forth as the morning, and your health shall spring forth speedily; and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. That’s a wonderful promise of healing — and a promise that God will take care of your reputation! He says His very Presence will follow close behind you.

He promised to answer their prayers (v. 9): Then you shall thou call, and the LORD shall answer; you shall cry, and he shall say, “Here I am…” That’s one of the greatest prayer promises in the entire Old Testament.

God’s chosen fast brings a glorious promise of physical and spiritual prosperity, even when everything around you is collapsing (v. 10): … the LORD shall… satisfy your soul in drought, and make your bones fat; and you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.

God’s kind of fasting will help me inspire others, and influence the next generation, too (v. 12). Look what He says: And those who shall be from you shall build the old waste places; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations…

He’ll use you to rebuild places that have fallen into ruins. A humble, praying, fasting people can be used by God to give life to hopeless situations, and repair the foundations of things that have crumbled.

Fasting does all these things because it reconnects me to God’s heart. It aligns me with God’s purposes, so I become His partner once again.

Friends, today I want to challenge every one of us to commit to fasting. I would encourage you to fast, once a week. That may look a little different for every one of us, but why not seek the Lord and His goodness? Spouses, families, or friends can even fast together.

Who knows what God might do for you, or for your family? Who knows what He might do through you, or through His church? Ask the Holy Spirit to show you how He wants you to begin. And if you’re someone who used to fast regularly, and got away from it, why not begin again this week?

We can experience a greater measure of the Father’s blessing; we can enjoy His rewards, see more of His Presence, and more of His glory, if we begin to seek the Lord with fasting!