Fasting, is it for me?

Our flesh loves to be pampered and given everything that it wants, but sometimes we have to tell our flesh, "no," and instead, feed our spirit man. God knows that when we quiet our flesh and go on a fast in order to quiet our minds and focus our attention on God, that we are making a sacrifice to Him. God knows that we could choose to ignore Holy Spirit and not go on a fast. Please understand that you can go on a fast whenever you want, you do not have to wait for your pastor to call a fast. You do not have to tell anyone, it can be between you and the Lord.

At the very beginning of my Christian walk with the Lord, I learned to fast. I would go on a fast in which I would not eat breakfast & lunch, only drink water, and then eat dinner; or I would replace my meal with a liquid meal, along with water. Sometimes, I might fast from breakfast, but eat my other meals. I've been on a fast in which I fasted from sugar for a year, yes, anything that had sugar in it, I did not eat. Why did I go on such a fast, for multiple reasons. 1) my lust for sweets was out of control; 2) I didn't want to do the fast because I loved eating sweets; 3) It was my offering to God, because it was the one thing that I did not want to give up; and 4) I also went on the fast because I needed to learn self-control, and who better to teach me than Holy Spirit. I think that was one of my hardest fasts, because sweets are such a temptation for me. I didn't tell anyone outside of my immediate family that I was fasting from sugar, so it was a little challenging avoiding sweets at group gatherings, but I managed.

I think the longest fast that I have ever been on was when I was a leader, and the pastor called a fast, and also invited everyone to join him on a forty day fast. Of course, he taught us about fasting leading up to the different fasts, and he didn't demand that everyone do the forty day fast, there were other variations made available. The forty day fast was a liquid fast, so we only drank liquids, and made healthy smoothies. That was the most challenging fast that I was ever on, and it required much prayer and meditation on the Lord. I am glad that I was able to finish it, but I was so happy when it was over and I could eat. I learned a lot during that fast, especially about myself.

I have gone on other fasts as well, I am not going to share all of them, I only shared these various fasts with you because I want you to understand, that each and every type of fast that I have done pleased God. God is not like people, He is not performance driven, He is heart driven. You have to ask yourself, "why am I fasting?" When I was younger in the Lord, I would fast to get closer to the Lord, but that was wrong, because later I learned that I was as close to God as I would ever get. The problem was that my flesh was louder than my spirit in certain situations. I was fasting to hear from God, but what I was really doing was feeding my spirit and taking authority over my flesh.

You can fast from activities, foods, social media, your telephone, etc...ask Holy Spirit what type of fast you should go on, and He will instruct you. You can start fasting with one day a week, one hour a day, it all depends on you, just do it from the heart. Only you know what you can handle; if you decide to fast from foods, and you have health issues, I encourage you to discuss fasting with your doctor, to ensure that you do not cause yourself any harm. Just remember that fasting is not dead, and it is not pointless. I promise you that your faith and dependence on Almighty God will be heavily impacted as you discipline yourself to fast.

During these troublesome times, as Christians, we really need to fast and pray for each other and this world. It is easy to assume that it is someone else's responsibility to fast, someone else's responsibility to pray, but it is every Christians responsibility to teach our own spirit and nurture it to grow. After hearing a teaching or your pastor's message on Sunday & Mid-Week Service, it is our responsibility to keep learning, Monday through Saturday, until the next Sunday, when we are equipped with new knowledge. When we are away from church, that is when our spirit has the opportunity to mature in the disciplines of our Lord Jesus, and put into action what you have learned.

The book of Esther is a great example for Christians regarding the power of fasting & prayer. I encourage you to read or re-read Esther, here is Esther's reply to her uncle Mordecai's urgent and dangerous request of her:

Esther 4:16-17 (NKJV): "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!" So Mordecai went his way and did according to all that Esther commanded him."

The book of Matthew, Chapter 6 is a great place to learn what Jesus taught us on how we should fast & pray, here is what Jesus said about fasting, I also encourage you to learn more about fasting on your own:

Matthew 6:16-18 (NKJV): "Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance, For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."

Society may be changing, but God does not change, and if He has given us instructions and tools to be an overcoming Christian, those tools are still effective and not obsolete. Fasting will starve doubt, increase your faith, disciple your flesh, and cause your spirit man to hear from heaven more clearly, and there are many more benefits to fasting. So, if you have stopped fasting, or if you have never fasted, why don't you ask God what fast is for you. I only ask that you please remember, this one thing: God loves you, even if you do not fast, you are so precious and valuable to Him! God bless you my friend!

By Alva Williams

02/11/2021