Tod Kennedy, November 9, 2005
- What is fasting? What is fasting? Fasting is the deliberate and voluntary going without food (not water) in order to concentrate on God and prayer to God. Daniel 10.2-3 shows that fasting did not require abstinence from all food and drink. Fasting was recognized and practiced through out the OT world and the early part of the church age.
- Fasting showed God that you take him seriously.
- Fasting is an act of humility or accepting God’s authority and care for you.
- Fasting and prayer are linked together.
- Fasting is private in the sense that you do it without attempting to show it off.
- Fasting was voluntary, and there was no set length of time.
- The attitude and reason for fasting is very important.
- Pride, publicly displayed fasting, and ritual without reality fasting offend God (Isaiah 58:3-4; Zechariah 7:5-6; Matthew 6:16; Luke 2:37).
- Humility and concentration on the Lord are proper attitudes (Matthew 6:17-18).
- The New Testament words for fasting are the verb nhsteuw (Strong’s 3522), used 20 times for fasting; and the noun nhsteia (Strong’s 3521), used 4 times for fasting.
- Why would someone fast?
- To show genuine humility, repentance, confession of sin, and need of the Lord (1 Samuel 7:6; Jeremiah 36:9; Ezra 10:6; Nehemiah 9:1-2; Joel 2:12; Daniel 9:2-20; 10:2-3).
- To pray for others, especially those ill (Psalm 35:13; 2 Samuel 12:15-23).
- To pray for guidance and safety (Esther 4:3, 16; Ezra 8:21-31).
- At the hour of one’s death (Judges 20:26; 1 Samuel 31:13; 2 Samuel 1:12; 3:35).
- To concentrate on service for the Lord (Acts 13:1-4; 14:23).
- What about fasting today in the age of the church?
- Fasting has not been set aside, though it is not mentioned in the New Testament after Acts.
- Fasting is worship, both formal worship in a church group setting or informal worship done moment by moment in one’s life.
- Fasting to please men is not acceptable. Therefore if we fast, we are not to call attention to ourselves.
- Believers may fast as long as our motive and attitude is right before God: humility, recognition and expression of our dependence and need for God in our lives, intercessory prayer for others and ourselves, and focus ourselves on God’s will and our ministry for him.
- The study of fasting challenges us to take prayer and biblical concentration seriously in a very practical way.
- Daily prayer, both light-hearted and very serious prayer.
- Occasional longer times of prayer and thinking about God, God’s word, Christian service, and God’s will for your life.