Fasting seems all the rage these days. There's the Intermittent fast, the OMAD (one meal a day) fast, there's the extended fast (more than a day), there's the wet fast and the dry fast… and probably others I have never heard of. People abstain from food for weight loss. I fasted when I was in the army to lose weight, myself. People abstain from food for physical healing Fasting is also all over the Word. How many people abstain from food for godly reasons? This I believe, is the true fast.
There was a snippet of verses I was taught years ago that was supposed to redefine fasting as the "true fast."
Isaiah 58:5-8 5Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD? 6Is 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? 7Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? 8Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy reward.
Is this what this section is teaching? Let's look at the context. Go to verse 1.
Isaiah 58:1-3 1Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins. 2Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God. 3Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours.
You can see that this section was addressed to hypocrites who violated the principle of loving their neighbors as themselves. However, there is more to fasting than just not eating.
Let's look at what Jesus said about fasting. First, let's look at what he says about prayer.
Matthew 6:5-6 5And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 6But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
Hypocrites pray to show off, you should pray privately. He said pretty much the same thing about fasting.
Matthew 6:16-18 16Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 17But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; 18That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.
Hypocrites fast to show off, you should fast privately. See the parallel between what Jesus says about praying and what Jesus says about fasting? How did Jesus expect his followers to fast?
You don't fast to show off how holy you are. Genuine fasting is about humility, not pride.
Notice it says, "When you fast" not "if you fast." Have you considered that fasting is a tool in your spiritual tool chest? Don't be hasty to dismiss it.
Is there fasting in our administration, in the church epistles? Corporate fasting began the first outreach program in Acts.
Acts 13:1-3 1Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2As they ministered (NIV has worship) to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. 3And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.
They were believing for prophets and teachers. How did they choose them?
Acts 14:21-23 21And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch, 22Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. 23And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.
You can see they are picking elders, so they want to be sure they are picking the right people. Leaders fasted and prayed before they made important decisions. Basically, they gave up all activities waiting for the Lord to speak. They took time off from everything else to wait on God"s strategy.
Apparently, there are certain spirits that can only be cast out by prayer and fasting:
Matthew 17:18-21 18And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour. 19Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? 20And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. 21Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
You don’t have to reach a certain degree of righteousness to be effective at fasting with God. Ahab, one of the most wicked kings humbled himself and fasted.
1 Kings 21:25-29 25But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up. 26And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all things as did the Amorites, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel. 27And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly. 28And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 29Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son's days will I bring the evil upon his house.
We can see this even work for Gentiles with Jonah and Nineveh. The whole city prayed and fasted. Speaking of corporate fasting, it is very effective throughout the bible. Look at the record with Esther
Esther 4:13-16 13Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews. 14For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this? 15Then Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer, 16Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.
You remember the record. She got her interview with the king and intervened for the Jews in the land.
Paul spoke of fasting often in 2 Corinthians 11:27. The apostle Paul was busy, but not too busy to fast. We should pray for leadership. Leaders are responsible to lead from the front and go further into the fray. You can see from Paul's record some of the blows that genuine leadership face. Fasting and prayer was a part of Paul's arsenal. Perhaps you might consider taking it on yourself.
Now I've talked a lot about fasting. It is much more than just abstaining from food, it is dropping everything — turn off the phone, the tv, and drop to your knees and pray. How long? Until you feel the job's done. Twenty minutes or 2-3 days, whatever you feel is needed to get the job done. You will know. If Nick would happen to ask you to pray and fast for a specific situation, could you do it? I'm sure you could.
So, how can you fast? Find a method that works for you. My recommendation is that you follow somewhat Nick's list of steps in the deliverance class that he did a few years ago. Since God resists the proud and you have verses that insist you go humbly to God with your prayers and fasting, that you begin with confessing any broken fellowship that comes to your mind. Next, I think it is advantageous to spend some time in the Word. Lastly, just begin to pray. A prayer list helps but go with any issue or concern that is on your mind. You just go until you are done.
Maybe end it with just being quiet in God's presence. That's up to you how you go about this. God bless you.