Taken primarily from Derek Prince’s, Shaping History Through Prayer and Fasting

Teaching

  • Matt. 6:1-18: Christ gives 3 duties to his disciples – giving alms, praying, and fasting
    • Places main emphasis upon the motive and warns against religious ostentation for the sake of impressing men
    • “When thou doest alms…” (6:2); “When thou [singular] prayest…” (6:6); “When ye [plural] pray…” (6:7); “When ye [plural] fast…” (6:16); “When thou [singular] fastest…” (6:17)
      • parallel between prayer and fasting; if Christ expects disciples to pray regularly, He expects them to fast regularly
  • Mark 2:18-20: fasting was an accepted part of religious duty among Jewish people in Christ’s day (see Luke 2:36-37).
    • Bridegroom = Jesus…Children of bridechamber = disciples of Christ…Period bridegroom is with them = days of Christ’s ministry on earth, while He was physically present with His disciples…Period when bridegroom was taken = began when Christ ascended back to heaven, continues until He returns for His church
    • Mark 2:20 – fasting is mark of true Christian discipleship, ordained by Jesus Himself

Jesus’ Example

  • Luke 4:1-2 – Jesus fasted
    • Fasted from food, not drink
    • Compare Luke 4:1 with 4:14 – potential for Holy Spirit’s power came forth into full manifestation after He had completed His fast.
      • Fasting was final phase of preparation before entering into His public ministry
    • Disciples abide by same spiritual laws that Jesus practiced (John 14:12; 13:16)

Practice of Early Church

  • By standards listed above, Paul was true disciple of Jesus
    • Acts 9:9 – Three days after first encounter with Christ, Paul fasted from food and drink
    • 2 Cor. 6:3-10 (esp. v. 5) – fastings and watchings are 2 ways in which Paul has proved himself a true minister of God
    • 2 Cor. 11:23-27 – “Are they ministers of Christ?…I am more.”
      • 11:27 – fastings and watchings
        • “in fastings often” – Paul devoted himself to frequent periods of fasting.
        • “hunger and thirst” – occasions when neither food nor drink was available
          • fasting – food was available, but Paul deliberately abstained for spiritual reasons
  • Acts 13:1-3
    • Praying and fasting described as ministry to the Lord.
      • Ministry to the Lord comes before ministry to men
    • 13:2 – fasting gives revelation of a special task
    • 13:3-4 – fasting gives grace and power needed to fulfill that task
    •  Compare Acts 14:4,14 with Acts 13:1 – apostolic ministry of Barnabas and Paul was born out of collective prayer and fasting by leaders of Antioch
  • Acts 14:21-23 – Paul and Barnabas transmitted practice of collective prayer and fasting to congregations of new disciples
    • Transition from disciples (v.22) to churches (v. 23) happened after elders were appointed
      • Appointed elders by praying with fasting

How Fasting Works

  • Fasting is form of mourning (for example, Esther 4:3; 9:31)
    • Psychologically, no one welcomes the thought of mourning…physically, no one welcomes the thought of fasting
    • Matt. 5:4
    • Isaiah 61:3 – Lord promises special blessings to those who “mourn for Zion.”
      • Mourn in Zion – response to prompting of Holy Spirit where believer shares in small measure God’s own grief over sin and folly of humanity
      • When we consider our own failures and shortcomings as Christians, and when we look beyond ourselves at misery and wickedness of world, there is cause for this kind of mourning
    • 2 Cor. 7:10 – godly sorrow of the believer contrasted with hopeless sorrow of the unbeliever
    • Leviticus 16:31 – day in Old Covenant to afflict souls
      • Jews interpret this as command to fast (see Acts 27:9)
    • Psalm 35:13 – word translated “humble” is same used for Day of Atonement translated as “afflict”
      • Psalm 69:10
    • James 4:2-10
  • Fasting brings body into subjection
    • 1 Cor. 9:27
      • bodies make wonderful servants, but terrible masters
    • Gal. 5:17 – opposition between Holy Spirit and carnal nature
      • Fasting deals with 2 great barriers to Holy Spirit: 1) stubborn self-will of soul and 2) insistent, self-gratifying appetites of the body.
      • Rightly practiced, fasting brings both soul and body into subjection to Holy Spirit
  • Fasting changes man, not God
    • Eph. 3:20 – inexhaustible potential for prayer
      • Power in prayer is Holy Spirit
      • With barriers removed, fasting makes way for Holy Spirit
  • 2 Samuel 12 – fasting will never change the righteous standards of God
    • David committed adultery, fasted seven days, but child still died
    • If a thing is wrong, fasting will not make it right
  • Col. 4:12 – fasting is means to attain this very high standard
  • Think of triangle…top shaded part is only answered by fasting…triangle represents those things within God’s will

Fasting Brings Deliverance and Victory

2 Chronicles 20:1-30

  • Jehosophat didn’t have military resources to meet challenge
  • 20:3 – proclaimed a (public) fast
    • 20:13 – men, women, children all included
  • 20:4 – all God’s people were brought together (out of all the cities)
  • Jehoshaphat led prayer, reminding God of covenant with Abraham
  • 20:14-17 – prayer receives immediate, supernatural response
  • Through Jahaziel, Holy Spirit gave powerful prophetic utterance
    • 20:18-19,21 – Received with spontaneous worship and praise 
  • 2 Chronicles 20:22-30 – outcome (enemies killed themselves)
  • 3 practical lessons:
    1. Need for all God’s people to unite in prayer and fasting
    2. Need for spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 1:7-8; Acts 2:17-18)
    3. Supremacy of spiritual power over carnal power (2 Cor. 10:4)
      1. weapon of collective fasting
      2. weapon of united prayer
      3. weapon of supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit
      4. weapon of public worship and praise

Ezra 8:21-23

  • denied soldiers and horsemen, and chose God’s supernatural power
  • 8:21 – as leader, Ezra proclaimed a fast
  • 8:21 – humbled/afflicted themselves by fasting
  • 8:31 – Victory in spiritual realm is primary (produced victory in natural realm)

Esther

  • greatest crisis to hit Jewish nation 
  • feast of Purim (“lots”)
    • Haman cast lots to determine day of destruction of Jews
      • casting lots was form of divination
  • Esther and maidens fasted three days from eating and drinking
    • Esther 4:11 – to enter King’s inner court w/o permission was death sentence (like the strange incense offered in Ex. 30:9)
    • Esther 4:15-5:2 – symbolic of entering inner room of God in prayer through fasting?
      • Requests are answered (Is. 58:9)
  • Esther 2:19 – in hour of crisis, we find God’s people “gathered together”
    • all Jews fasted and prayed three days
  • Result: whole policy of Persian empire was changed
    • Haman and his sons perished
    • enemies of Jews suffered total defeat
    • Mordecai and Esther became two most influential personalities in Persian politics.

Jonah

  • Example comes from Gentile nation fasting
  • Jonah 3:4 – Jonah preached that Nineveh had forty days
  • Jonah 3:5-9 – universal, public fasting became most complete and appropriate expression of deep inner mourning and self-humbling
  • Jonah 3:10 – God repented of the calamity
    • Nineveh was spared for another hundred and fifty years, then was finally destroyed as predicted by later prophets Nahum and Zephaniah.
    • Jeremiah 18:7-10 – promises of blessing and warnings of judgment are both conditional
      • In 8th cent. B.C., gentile city of Nineveh received one warning from one prophet; whole population responded with universal repentance.
      • During same period, northern kingdom of Israel herad repeated warnings of God from Jonah and at least four other prophets (Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, Micah); yet they rejected these prophets and refused to repent
        • Assyrian empire (Nineveh was capital) became instrument of God’s judgment upon Israel

Fasting Prepares Latter Rain

  • Dan. 9:2-3 – balance between fulfilled promises of God and free will of humans
    • He studied Jer. 29:10
    • Dan. 6:10 – Daniel already practiced regular intercession for restoration of Israel
    • Dan. 9:3 – “I set my face unto the Lord God”
    • Dan. 9:3 – Daniel fasted
      • Fasting again seen associated with mourning
      • Dan. 9:5,7 – self-humbling
  • 2 Chronicles 7:14 – God’s requirements: 1) humble themselves 2) pray 3) seek His face 4) turn from their wicked ways
    • Daniel fulfilled all these; Israel was restored
  • REVELATION DEMANDS INVOLVEMENT (prophecies and promises of God’s Word are never an excuse to cease praying)

Joel

  • Joel 1:8-12 – picture of desperate and hopeless situation
  • Joel 1:13-14 – God’s appointed remedy: consecrate fast, seek God with desperate prayer
    • Joel 2:12 – repeats the instructions
    • Joel 2:15-17 – emphasizes again
  • Joel 2:23-29 – God promises to change land, send former and latter rain (pour out Spirit)
    • Acts 2:16-18
  • Joel 2:28 – “It will come about after this”; this = consecrate fast, call solemn assembly, seek God, come together with prayer and fasting
    • Joel 1:13-14 – priests, ministers, and elders are singled out
    • Joel 2:16-17 – there is need for leaders to show, by example, this pattern of collective prayer and fasting to seek God’s intervention on behalf of His people

Isaiah

  • Isaiah 58:3-5 – description of fast that is not acceptable to God, fault lies mainly in motives and attitudes of those practicing it
    • fasting was merely an accepted part of religious ritual
    • no real repentance or self-humbling
  • 58:6-12 – description of fast which is well pleasing to God
    • 58:6 – all these things can only be accomplished by prayer and fasting
    • 58:7 – fasting must be united with sincere and practical charity with those around us (particularly those who need help in material and financial matters).
    • 58:9-10 – contrasts unacceptable kind of fasting with acceptable kind of fasting
      • “The yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity” = legalism, criticism, insincerity
    • 58:8 – blessings promised to those who fast in acceptable way
      • health and righteousness
        • Mal. 4:2
    • 58:9 – blessing of answered prayer
    • 58:10-11 – blessing of guidance and fruitfulness
    • 58:12 – blessing of restoration
      • like Joel, Isaiah points to close connection between fasting and restoration of God’s people
  • Ezekiel 22:30 – will you be that man?

Practical Guidelines for Fasting

  • Fasting is like prayer (Matt. 6)
    • Do in regular periods
      • Careful of legalistic bondage (Gal. 5:18)
  • Times when Holy Spirit calls to special seasons of prayer/fasting
  • Come together in group of public fasting
    • Matt. 6:17-18 – Jesus is speaking in singular, to the individual
    • Matt. 6:16 – Jesus speaks of public fasting
  1. Enter into fast with positive faith (Heb. 11:6) (Matt. 6:18)
  2. Remember Rom. 10:17 – fast out of conviction that God’s Word enjoins it
  3. Do not wait for emergency to drive you to fasting.  Better to begin fasting when you are spiritually “up,” rather than “down.”

Law of progress in God’s kingdom is: “from strength to strength” (Ps. 84:7); “from faith to faith” (Ro. 1:17); “from glory to glory” (2 Cor. 3:18)

  1. In beginning, do not set yourself too long a period of fasting (maybe start with one or two meals)
  2. During fast, give plenty of time to Bible study.  Read portion of scripture before prayer (Psalms are especially helpful).  Read aloud, identifying yourself with the prayers, the praises and confessions contained in them.
  3. Helpful to set certain specific objectives in fasting and make written list of these.
  4. Apart from special periods of prayer or other spiritual activity, your life and conduct should be as normal as possible (Matt. 6:16-18).  Boasting is excluded by the law of faith (Ro. 3:27).  Fasting is duty; doesn’t earn merit badges (Luke 17:10).
  5. Keep watchful check on your motives (take time to read Is. 58:1-12 once again).

Physical Benefits of Fasting

  1. 1 Cor. 6:19.  Health is benefit of fasting with right motive (Isaiah 58:8)
  2. If you have medical condition, it is wise to seek medical advice before fasting beyond a meal or two.
  3. May experience physical discomfort (indication that fasting is overdue?).  Do not allow physical discomfort to deter you (Ezekiel 4:3)
  4. Hunger is partly matter of habit.  Sometimes you can fool your stomach by drinking glass of water instead of eating.
  5. Before and after fasting, choose meals such as: fresh fruit or fruit juices; dried figs, prunes or apricots; oatmeal, etc. (to guard from constipation)
  6. Don’t drink strong stimulants (such as coffee or tea).  Do not come under bondage to other people’s theories.  Work out particular pattern of fasting which suits you best as individual.
  7. Do not abstain from fluids for period exceeding 72 hours (Ester 4:16).  Moses twice spent forty days without eating or drinking (Deut. 9:9-18), however, Moses was then on supernatural plane in immediate presence of God…unless you are on same supernatural plane, do not attempt to follow Moses’ example.
  8. Break your fast gradually.  Begin with meals that are light and easy to digest.  The longer you’ve fasted, the more careful you need to be.
  9. During fast that exceeds two days, stomach will shrink.  If you train yourself to eat more lightly, your stomach will adjust itself accordingly.

Guidelines for Collective Fasting

  1. Matt. 18:19 – power released when believers “agree”
  2. People participating in collective fast should pray specifically for each other during the period of the fast.
  3. Meeting place should be chosen where those participating in fast can come together at times mutually agreed upon.