For many of you reading this short article, this year’s Day of Atonement in October will have been the last time you fasted. On that day, you were surrounded by brethren who were joining with you in fasting, honoring God’s command.
However, the vast majority of fasts in each true Christian’s life should be private and personal—just as the majority of our prayers must be private and personal.
So, as a member of the true Church of God, are you fasting regularly? Why should we fast regularly? How should we plan so that our time of fasting will produce optimal results?
Part of the answer is found in Jesus’ instruction to His disciples in Matthew 9:14: “Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, ‘Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?’” The clear message is that Jesus’ disciples—while He was here in the flesh— were already “close” to Him. Think of it. They were literally rubbing shoulders with God—though in the human flesh! They were constantly seeing and hearing the one perfect example who has ever lived! So they did not need to fast in order to draw close to God. In the person of Jesus Christ, God was right there with them. But Jesus did tell them, in this passage, that after He was taken away from His disciples, “then they will fast” (v. 15).
Therefore we, today—in a world cut off from God, and in a society constantly distracted by sights and sounds and “things”—desperately need to fast before our God in order to concentrate our minds on the things of God! The Apostle Paul powerfully reminds us: “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:1–3).
By earnestly fasting, by doing without food and water and seeking God in a special way during this time of self-abnegation, we are enabled to draw close to the invisible God—to cry out in prayer to God with more fervency and to humbly meditate on the fundamental issues of life. Remember, God tells us in His word: “But on this one will I look: on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word” (Isaiah 66:2).
As we approach the final years of this age, it is imperative that we all draw really close to God. If we in this “little flock” are going to complete at least our part of the Work of the living Christ, we profoundly need to have the great God “look on us” with favor! We need to genuinely “walk with God” in a very special way—being sure that we guide our thoughts and keep in a “spirit of prayer” all day long. As we do this, we will both feel and see the power of God using us even more powerfully than ever before!
A Scriptural Example
We all know that the Bible is the revealed “mind of God.” In His inspired revelation, God reveals to us how He views things. Clearly, God was orchestrating the events described in the book of Esther. In order to counteract the imperial decree to destroy all the Jews, Esther and Mordecai needed divine intervention.
So, what did they do?
Queen Esther was inspired by God to tell Mordecai: “Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!” (Esther 4:16).
The result?
The tables were completely turned on wicked Haman! Instead of Mordecai being hanged on the gallows, Haman was (Esther 7:10). Instead of all the Jews being put to shame, their enemies were (Esther 9:1). But, remember, this was accomplished after several thousand faithful Jews cried out to the God of Israel with prayer and fasting!
And what about us? There must be a deep and powerful “yearning” in the hearts of God’s people to be genuinely close to Him, filled with and empowered by His Spirit to overcome the lusts and vanities of this flesh, to truly “reflect” Jesus Christ in every aspect of life and to do the Work of God with a zeal and power never before experienced in modern times!
Remember that when Daniel needed encouragement and direction regarding the fate of his people and the Holy City, Jerusalem, he said: “Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes” (Daniel 9:3).
Describing Saul of Tarsus, struck down and totally blinded on the way to persecute the Christians at Damascus, God’s word tells us: “And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank” (Acts 9:9).
When Jesus was about to be tempted by Satan the Devil for forty days, Luke tells us that “in those days He ate nothing” (Luke 4:2). So it is clear that at a time of great need, of extreme danger, and/or at a time when God’s powerful intervention is especially needed, true men and women of God will devote themselves to fasting!
Some Practical Suggestions
To physically prepare for a fast, it is best to prepare by avoiding salty or spicy foods beforehand. Otherwise, your body will “cry out” for water excessively. Drink plenty of water ahead of time. Many do well to avoid caffeine for a week or so before a fast. Do not do any heavy work or exercise just before beginning the fast. Let your body and your mind “calm down.” Plan to take the day off work, if possible, or at least half a day. Or plan your fast on Sunday or on a day you are not fully engaged in other things. That way, you can devote yourself totally to resting, meditating and seeking God without undue interruption.
After the fast, it is best to eat a light, non-spicy meal at first and ease into your regular diet gradually. It is hard on a person to “gorge” himself with a big steak or huge meal right after fasting! And it does take away from that “extra edge” of zest and humility you may have gained during the fast. During the fast, stay out of the hot sun, take a nap or rest in the middle of the day and be sure you do not “overdo it.” If you have any health problems, get a checkup before fasting.
Spiritually, as you begin a fast, try to focus on the things of God. Remind yourself why you are fasting. And then draw close to Him—during the entire day or more that you are fasting—through diligent Bible study, meditation and prayer. Be careful not to let other things interfere! For your own human nature, your family or friends, or even Satan the Devil at times, may distract you and try to get your mind on physical things, lusts, vanities, problems, unpaid bills, etc.
So especially during a period of fasting, “guard your mind.” And ask God to earnestly help you in “bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). Then, concentrate in a long, uninterrupted period of Bible study. Ask God—even as you study—to help you “feed” on Christ and fully drink in of Christ’s mind and of His will for your life (John 6:57).
During your fast, try to focus on those parts of the Bible that are personally corrective and instructive—such as most of the New Testament, Isaiah 53–60 and the Psalms. Then meditate carefully on what you have read. Apply it to you! Ask God to show you where you are wrong—or maybe falling short in any way.
Then, take time for long, unhurried periods of prayer and ask God with complete sincerity to help you repent of any wrongs, to clean you up and scrub you out and make you in every way more like Jesus Christ. Ask Him to help you to see yourself as He sees you, and to be willing to change and to grow to achieve the full stature of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 4:12–13).
Ask God fervently to help all of your brethren—and to help all in His Church—to draw close to Him and to honor Him as we should. Ask Him to help us be more truly sensitive to His will and respond more fervently in heart and mind to whatever He directs. Ask our Father in heaven to pour out His Spirit and to empower us to do the Work more as the Apostles did. Ask Him to grant us the “gifts” of His Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12) and to grant us the “signs” Christ said would follow His faithful servants (Mark 16:17–18).
Brethren, if the vast majority of us begin to cry out to God in this way with earnest study, fervent prayer, and with meditation and fasting, our Father and our God will hear us. He will fashion and mold us ever more perfectly into Christ’s image and will certainly use us more powerfully than ever as His “tools,” His “ambassadors” to help complete the Work of God among men today.
We Must Walk With God!
Brethren, I hope and pray that each of you will “catch the vision.” It is time we go “all out” to seek and to serve our God. It is time that we are far more sensitive to God and to the things of God—and that we become far more willing to utterly forsake this present world. Truly brethren, we all need to realize more fully that our puny, weak, extremely short physical lives are only a tiny part of the total universe around us—a world inhabited by angels, by demons and ultimately controlled by our Father in heaven. In all of this, we need to realize more profoundly our genuine need to put our hand in God’s hand and to walk humbly and prayerfully with Him, day by day, even hour by hour, now and forever.
If each of us begins a personal crusade to draw closer to God and to beseech Him to grant His faithful servants the full power of His Spirit, we in this Church will have a dramatic impact on this world far beyond our numbers. As the Apostle Paul described: “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Ephesians 3:20–21).