FASTING FACTS

BENEFITS OF FASTING

Fasting and prayer can restore the loss of the “first love” for your Lord and result in a more intimate relationship with Christ.

Fasting is a biblical way to truly humble yourself in the sight of God (Psalm 35:13; Ezra 8:21). King David said, “I humble myself through fasting.”

Fasting enables the Holy Spirit to reveal your true spiritual condition, resulting in brokenness, repentance, and a transformed life.  The Holy Spirit will also quicken the Word of God in your heart and His truth will become more meaningful to you.

Fasting can transform your prayer life into a richer and more personal experience.

Fasting was an expected discipline in both the Old and New Testament. Jesus fasted 40 days and reminded His followers to fast, “when you fast,” not if you fast.

Types of Fasts

Normal Fast:

In this type of fast, the person abstains from food and liquid for a period of one day; from sunset of one day to sunset of the next (Leviticus 16:29; 23:32). Since people usually don’t eat during the night, that makes the fast fairly easy. You can eat again in the evening before going to bed.

The Partial Fast (Daniel Fast):

vegetables and drinking only water (Daniel 1:15) and later on when Daniel alone practiced a limited diet for three weeks, or 21 days (Daniel 10:3).

The Radical Fast:

This type of fast is one in which the person refrains from both food and water OR food only (but not water) for an extended period of time. A radical fast can be harmful to your health and in most cases should not exceed three days. An example of a radical fast can be found with Esther and her household. Esther decided to fast for three days abstaining from both “food and water” both “day and night” (Esther 4:15-16). The rabbi Ezra and the apostle Paul also went without food and water for three days (Ezra 10:6-9; Acts 9:9). David is another example of a radical fast. He went seven days without food (but probably with liquid) as a plea to God to save the life of his child (2 Samuel 12:15-20).

Fasts that extend beyond three or seven days can be found in the Bible, but these exceptions were based upon direct guidance from God or a supernatural ability given by God to complete the fast. Examples of these extreme fasts are: Moses (Deuteronomy 9:9-18 and Exodus 34:28); Elijah (1 Kings 19:8); and Jesus (Matthew 4:1-11).