A Guide to Fasting

By Tim Drough, Mayfield Church of Christ

Based on Richard Foster’s chapter on Fasting from Celebration of Discipline, Hodder & Stoughton, 1985

In his Sermon on the Mount (Gospel of Matthew chapters 5-7), Jesus talks about fasting. He mentions fasting in almost the same breath as he mentions giving to the needy and prayer. No-one would argue against prayer being an essential part of following Jesus, but for some reason fasting does not get the same recognition.

Matthew 6:16-18 (NIV emphasis added):

16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Jesus doesn’t say ‘if’ you fast – he says when. This makes it pretty obvious to me that it is something that we ought to be doing. This is further reinforced in Matthew 9:14-15 (NIV emphasis added):

14 Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?”

15 Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.

[see also Mk 2:18-20 & Lk 5:33-35)

The Purpose of Fasting

Fasting is all about God. It must be initiated and ordained by Him. Fasting with the right motives is an act of worship. We need to be like the prophet Anna who in Luke 2:37, ‘worshiped night and day, fasting and praying’. ‘Worshipping the Lord’ and ‘fasting’ (Acts 13:2) need always to be said in the same breath.

If our fasting is not unto God, we have failed. Physical benefits, success in prayer, the enduing [endow or provide with a quality or ability] with power, spiritual insights – these must never replace God as the center of our fasting.

Celebration of Discipline, pp. 48-49

Fasting is all about bringing glory to God. Once this has been firmly established in our hearts we can be open to its secondary purposes. Fasting more than any other discipline reveals the things that control us. Our tendency might be to blame our hunger for whatever surfaces but if we pause and reflect, we become conscious of that which God is working to release us from.

Frequently, we seek after things we do not need until they hold us captive. Fasting can help us regain the balance between necessities and nonessentials.

There are many other values of fasting that have been written about but what I would encourage, is that you open yourself up to whatever it is that God wants to do in you, and through you, and trust the promise that He rewards those who earnestly seek him (Heb 11:6b).

Types of Fasting

Normal

In the Bible the ‘normal’ means of fasting consisted of abstaining from all food, solid or liquid, but not from water. In Luke 4:2 it states Jesus fasted for forty days, during this time he ‘ate nothing’ and at the end of this period ‘he was hungry’.

Partial

Refers to a restriction of diet. In Daniel 10:3 (NLT) we read that, ‘All that time I had eaten no rich food [choice food (NIV), pleasant food (NKJV), delicacies (ESV)]. No meat or wine crossed my lips, and I used no fragrant lotions until those three weeks had passed’.

Absolute

Abstaining from both food and water in the hope to have a dire need or emergency addressed (Esther 4:16). Paul fasted absolutely for three days following his encounter with Jesus (Acts 9:9). This fast is the exception and should never be engaged in apart from clear instruction from God and not for longer than three days.

The Practice of Fasting

  • Consult with a medical professional prior to fasting. Expectant mothers, diabetics and those with health concerns should not fast.
  • Begin slowly – a 24 hour partial fast (no food but with fresh fruit juices) lunchtime to lunchtime is suggested initially. You can attempt this once a week for several weeks.
  • As you live-out your day, focus on the inner attitude of worship.
  • After approximately three weeks you may attempt a 24 hour normal fast (with generous amounts of water).
  • Your stomach will grumble… but you are the master of your stomach, don’t let it control you!
  • As Jesus instructed in Matthew 6, do not draw attention to what you’re doing.
  • Scriptural fasting is in the realm of the spirit and thus what is happening spiritually is of far more consequence than what is happening physically.
  • Ensure you employ the spiritual armour as outlined in Ephesians 6:10-20.
  • Over time you may wish to fast for longer periods. I would encourage you to read all of Foster’s chapter in Celebration of Discipline (available in the church library) as he offers a step-by-step guide on working towards this.