Fasting And Why It Is Important

 

Matthew  17:19-21

19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?”

20 So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. 21 However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.

 

Some of your unresolved and stubborn issues may indeed need fasting and prayer to break off the demonic assignment over your life. 

 

1. Biblical fasting is refraining from food for a spiritual purpose. I know there is a growing segment of people who are fasting material things like electronics or social media, but I firmly believe this is a deception. If there was another option, it would have been in the Bible. God is an on purpose God, and He will only tell you what will bring you life and not death.

 
2. Fasting purifies not only our bodies but also our hearts. It empties us of unbelief and aligns our faith and trust in a way that allows us to triumph over our circumstances

3. Jesus says about fasting, “When you fast . . . ” (Matthew 6:16). God did not say fasting was for those certain kinds of people. No, it was for everyone to do. When you fast, your spirit is able to tap into areas that the flesh was blocking. 

4. Fasting sets us up for a stronger infilling from God. We exchange food for the Word, Worship, and Prayer with a higher level of intensity. Fasting teaches us to hunger after God with a focus that we normally do not reach in our daily walk. Our expectations increase and in that, we see a supernatural manifestation. 

5. When we humble ourselves, God will lift us up. Fasting should only be done through humility.  Do not fast to show off some religious image to someone else.  God is not honored. 

6. When we are not strong enough to break through a barrier, we need to add fasting to our prayers. God meets us at our point of weakness and gives us His strength to break through.

7. In the New Testament, we see how the anointing for ministry was released after people prayed and fasted. God will call you to fast at these times as well, and it is important to listen to the leading of the Holy Spirit. 

 

When I fast, I do not fast with a number of days in mind, but you most certainly can. I find it is far more difficult when I am merely counting days until I am done. I don't have the full focus on my relationship with God, and the breakthrough that I am seeking. 

 

When I fast, I first make a Fasting and Prayer list. This is a list that I am coming before God with. It could be gifts and anointings that I am asking for; healing; problems; heart issues; direction and guidance; needs for other people; and any other breakthrough I am looking for.  I will pray over this list multiple times a day in tongues. Before I begin the fast, I make a decision on what I want to experience before I will stop fasting.

 

In 2012, I originally fasted with 21 days in mind, but my goal was for God to show up in my presence, aside from what was on my list. Over those 21 days, I saw many of the items on my list get resolved, and I heard from God about His promise to, at some point, answer the other items, but He still had not shown up. I was on a full liquid fast at the time and decided that I would continue on until He showed up.  At day 23, I shifted to one full meal a day and liquids for the other meals. Around day 60, I felt God wanted me to stop fasting, but He still had not shown up. Three days later, I stopped my fast, and that weekend, God showed up one night to talk to me about the next 15 years of my life. And 2 days later, God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit were in my room talking about the last item on my list and agreed to give me that anointing. 

 

You are not fasting to live up to my example. This is about you and God alone.  Expect that God will give you many supernatural experiences. Many will receive an angel for sure; look for signs even if you do not directly see the angel. Do not get down on yourself if you fail in a fast, just pick up and keep going. In those 63 days, I did have a few days that were not perfect, but my heart was in the right place. The more you get in your mindset about the prize, the easier staying on a fast will become. My prize was God showing up, and I was not going to let that slip from my hands if I could avoid it. God honors our desires for more of Him. He will meet you where you are! 

 

There are many biblical types of fasts, which you can research. Do what you feel led to do. If you have a caffeine addiction, you should start eliminating that a week or two before the fast. Start out slow if you need to. If you can only manage to fast one hard to give up food, or just fast one meal a day, then start there. Drink lots of liquids. It will be much easier to stay on the fast if your stomach is full with liquids.  Work on changing your mindset off of the food entirely, and just onto spending intimate time with God. Trust me, the more you look at it from this aspect, you will realize that you are truly gaining more than the value of that food in your day.