Benefits of Fasting
Some interesting facts... Doctors today are finding that fasting brings physical
benefits. When we fast for several days, it has a cleansing effect on the body
and clears the mind. God made our bodies to do that naturally. When we are sick, we are not hungry, we lose
our appetite, therefore not taking toxins in and subsequently cleansing our body.
The Fasting Center International says fasting can remove
5-10 lbs. of toxic chemicals in the average adult’s cell, tissue and organ
areas. They also suggest that fasting heightens your clarity of consciousness,
it moves you back towards your life’s birthright potential of optimal health,
increasing your happiness and healing power as you scientifically reset your
body’s odometer. Even people who are underweight at the beginning of a fast have
been known to gain weight after completing the fast.
According to Mark Mattson Ph.D., the current Chief of the
Laboratory of Neuroscience at the National Institute on Aging, "Fasting
does good things for the brain, and this is evident by all of the beneficial
neurochemical changes that happen in the brain when we fast. It also improves
cognitive function, increases stress resistance, and reduces
inflammation." Dr. Mattson has discovered fasting 2 times a week can significantly
lower the risk of developing both Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. Fasting removes unnecessary weight naturally,
restores energy you used to have, enhances the wisdom God gave you naturally,
enhances you spiritually and lifts your faith.
Along with physical benefits, fasting for the Lord has
spiritual benefits. Matthew 6:16-18 Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy
face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will
be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their
reward in full, But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so
that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in
secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you openly.
In other words, it’s between you and God. Nobody else has to
know about it. Jesus says “when you fast” not “if you fast”. Fasting is just as
essential for your spirit as praying, it should be in your routine regularly.
Fasting with prayer is an act of righteousness.
Matthew 6:1 Take heed that ye do not your alms (acts of righteousness)
before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father
which is in heaven. Verse 2-3 talk about giving in secret, 5-6 says to pray in
secret and verse 16-18 says to fast in secret. Our Father knows all our acts of righteousness and will reward us.
The hypocrites fasted for “self”. They made their faces
black with ashes, or sometimes wore a veil, or made somber faces, didn’t wash
their face or comb their hair when they fasted. They did it outwardly for their
own reputation. It was not for their own spirit, but for their self. They
didn’t fast for the Lord.
Fasting is an act of self-denial, mortification of the
flesh. Dr. Mattson suggests it is a challenge to your brain. It is telling
your flesh that your spirit is in control. When fasting, you are curbing the
flesh and its desires, making you to be more lively in religious exercises-
Matthew Henry commentary. If you’re busy letting people know you’re fasting,
you’re wanting attention. When you seek attention and pity, or praise and applause,
you are not seeking God. Seeking attention is wanting to uplift yourself which leaves no room for listening for
God’s voice, no room for hearing Him, and no room for praying, therefore there
will be no spiritual breakthrough.
Jesus doesn’t tell us how often too fast, but He will let
you know when to. He will speak to your heart. Fasting is the most powerful
spiritual discipline for the Christian. Fasting and prayer can let the Holy
Spirit transform your life. When we seek God’s face through fasting and prayer
with a broken, repentive and contrite spirit, He hears from Heaven and heals
our lives, our churches, our communities. Fasting and prayer can bring about
revival, it can actually change the direction of a nation and fulfill the Great
Commission.
Some benefits of fasting can be 1. Light 2. Health 3.
Righteousness 4. God’s glory being your rearguard (securing your passage)
5. Answered prayers and cries for help 6. God’s guidance 7. Satisfaction 8. Strengthening
9. Restoration. This is all found in Isaiah 58:8-12
Fasting can restore your first love for the Lord and give
you a closer walk with Him. The purpose of a fast is to sacrifice to God, humble
yourself to Him, come closer to Him, understand His Word more, find His will
and direction, seek healing or to intercede and pray on behalf of others. When
you need an answer to something and prayer alone hasn’t gotten any results, fasting
is a helpful tool.
Psalm 35:13 But as for me, when they were
sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting; …David
humbled himself before the Lord with fasting and prayer for his enemies as
though they were his friends or brothers. (35:14) God wants us to respond in
mercy to our enemies, just as God responded towards us while we were yet
sinners. Christ sacrificed Himself for us.
Fasting helps loose the chains of injustice,
set captives free, to raise relief for the poor, renewal, and protection.
Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to
undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break
every yoke? Is it not to share
your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your house, to
clothe the naked when you see him, and not to ignore your own flesh and blood?
Isaiah 58:6-7
The Lord wants us to fast, deny ourselves and seek Him so He
can do a mighty work in us and through us, for us and for others.
The devil doesn’t want you to fast and
will try and make it difficult for you by distraction or otherwise. He knows
that it wins battles against evil. Matthew 17:21 "But
this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting." (In fact- the devil
has taken this verse out of some Bible versions because he doesn’t want you
fasting) Jesus was talking about a demon. Fasting is used as a weapon in
a spiritual battle. Combined
with prayer, it is one of the most powerful weapons a Christian has. It
shows discipline to the Lord, and it shows Him you are serious about your
prayer requests whether they be for others or yourself.
When fasting, you are not forcing God to
do something, but resisting supernatural strongholds and power in your life. While you fast,
you are to seek God’s face, especially during times of weakness when you want to partake in what the Lord has asked you to give up- usually
meal times. Focus wholly on Him, desire God's will instead of yours. Make every act one of praise and worship toward
Him. This brings you into a time of heightened spiritual devotion. This in turn
strengthens your faith, and this is your shield against the enemy’s attacks.
Your prayers can become powerful and effective when focusing on God.
In Matthew 4:1-11, Jesus fasted 40 days
and nights. During this time, it is recorded that the devil tempted Him 3
times. Luke 4:2 says He was tempted for 40 days. Each time Jesus responded with
God’s Word. He was armed and prepared for the enemy with the Word of God, with
the Truth.
Biblical fasting is always connected to
prayer and communication with God. Just before Jesus was sent to the wilderness
for 40 days, He had gotten baptized and was praying, then Heaven opened up and
God said, “You are My beloved Son, with You I am well pleased.”
Praying, seeking God, reading His Word, and
being humbled goes hand in hand when you fast. It is natural to want to seek
Him more. You have more time to pray the more or longer you fast. You become
aware that you need to turn to God and seek His face. There is nothing else to
rely on for strength except Him. You become aware that He is your strength so you
lean on Him more.
True spiritual fasting focuses on God. Zechariah
7:5 … for the past seventy
years, was it really for Me that you fasted? Your
attitudes, actions, desires, motives and words need to be totally centered on
God. He has to be your center of attention- all else is by the wayside. Nothing
else should be important. The Holy Spirit will bring your sins to your
attention so you can ask forgiveness and go on and continue with God.
2 Chronicles 7:14 If My people who are called by My name
will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked
ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their
land. Humble, pray, seek Him, confess, turn from wickedness… these are all
contained in fasting. God said He will hear from heaven and forgive and heal. Through your fasting God can heal
our land. Through your prayer and fasting, others are blessed.
There are many examples in the Bible of fasting and many different ways. No certain way is right or wrong. There is no certain length of time, or certain food or thing to
abstain from. John Wesley fasted every Wednesday and Friday, requiring his
clergy to do the same to keep their walk close to God. Apostle Paul made it a
continuous part of his walk with God. Nobody’s method was right or wrong.
Fasting is a condition of the heart, not the number of days. Some people are
impressed by God to fast 40 days. Saul fasted 3 days while he was blind. Moses
fasted 40 days, then another 40 days.
Some fast 1 meal a day, 2 meals a day, 1 week a month, 1 day
a week, some are no food or water, some are no food but water, liquids only, or
abstain from a certain thing or habit that God has impressed upon them to give up. The
Holy Spirit tells you what He would like you to fast and when to stop. He will
never ask you to fast longer than you can handle. God never intends to harm
your body.
The important thing is to remember why you are fasting. Your
vow to God can lead to desired spiritual results as you seek His face. But when
you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be
seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in
secret will reward you. Matthew 6:17-18
