Lesson 2: Watch & Read

What is fasting? Richard Foster defines fasting as, “abstaining from food for spiritual purposes”. Simply defined, fasting is not eating food. John Mark Comer puts it this way, “Fasting is going without food for a set amount of time to awaken our body and soul to our deep hunger and need for God.”

Similar to prayer, fasting serves two primary purposes, connecting with Jesus and joining his

mission. It's a way of saying, "Jesus I need you!" and it's a means by which we discern Jesus' calling and direction for joining his kingdom work.

First, let's talk about fasting as connecting with Jesus.

Jesus assumed his disciples would fast. In Matthew 6:16, Jesus said, "when you fast..." and in Matthew 9:14-15 he said, 

Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.

Jesus taught his disciples withhold from fasting while he was with them but expected them to fast after he died and ascended to the Father. For Jesus, there was something significant about fasting once he was no longer physically present with his disciples. Fasting represents a longing for Jesus and for the day when we will no longer have to fast because Jesus will be physically present with his people again. This teaches us that fasting is longing for the bridegroom to return. It's longing for the "not yet" kingdom of God to come in it's fullness when Jesus comes back. It's depriving our bodies of food so we can feel the hunger and longing for Jesus. It's saying with our entire bodies, I want Jesus. I need Jesus. Hebrew 9:28 tells us, "so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him." 

The primary goal in fasting is to offer ourselves to Jesus. Fasting is praying with your body in a way that communicates to God, I hunger for you. I want you. I need you. 

When Jesus fasted in the wilderness and was tempted with food, he quoted Deuteronomy 8:3 and said, “man shall not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Jesus was identifying where full and abundant life comes from; God. Union with God is the deepest and most necessary need of every human soul and we find it in God's presence and His word. Going without food for a period of time helps remind us that our greatest hunger and need is for God. 

In short, fasting is offering ourselves to God and recognizing our deep need and hunger for God with our entire body. 

Second, fasting is joining Jesus' mission.

Although fasting can be a personal discipline (Matthew 6), in Scripture, it is more often a corporate act (Joel 2, 2 Chronicles 20, Zechariah 8, Acts 13). Disciple-makers worldwide regularly fast and pray as they cry out to God to work in ways only he can. Below are two ways fasting and mission/disciple-making are linked:

Fasting reveals to whom and where to go (Acts 13:2) 

Acts 13:2-3: While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.

In Acts 13, where the Church in Antioch first intentionally sends out missionaries to plant the Gospel throughout the world, we see the role of fasting and prayer in highlighting to whom and where to go.

As everyday missionaries, it may be appropriate to spend time fasting in order to discover your particular missional context.

Fasting brings spiritual breakthrough (Mark 9:29)

Mark 9:29: So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.” (NKJV)

Fasting is mysterious. Although fasting doesn’t “make God do anything,” supernatural breakthrough is often the result. Fasting frustrates the plans of the demonic and unleashes angelic activity. (Daniel 10)

As everyday missionaries, we carry a spiritual authority as caretakers (Genesis 1:28) and priests (1 Peter 2:9) in our ministry contexts. As we pray and fast, we invite the power of God to break strongholds, and to reveal where he is working, and how we can join him in prayer and action.

“Fasting can bring breakthroughs in the spiritual realm that will never happen in any other way. It is a means of God’s grace and blessing that should not be neglected any longer.” – Richard Foster

In summary, fasting has two primary purposes, connecting with Jesus and joining his mission. It has an inward movement toward God and an outward movement toward serving and loving others. 

GETTING STARTED: HOW TO FAST

Start Small: 

Start by fasting from one meal for one day. If this is not a regular practice for you, begin simply and learn from your experience before you build on it. 

Begin with a Purpose & Plan:

Without a specific purpose, fasting is merely abstaining from food. But with a determined purpose, fasting, and the physical reminders that accompany it, drives us to desperately seek God’s will and breakthrough. 

Plan when and how you will pray during your fast. Use the time to pray that you would have normally spent doing whatever you have chosen to fast from.

Determine how long you wish to fast. Start slowly if you are new to fasting. But common lengths include: 1 meal, 1 day, 3 days, 1 week, 21 days, 40 days. For heavy or significant purposes, it may be recommended to fast longer than 24 hours. (It is not recommended that you fast for longer than 10 days without the co-discernment of your community, or discussing it with a medical professional).

It is also important to determine if this is a personal or corporate fast.

Do It In Community: 

Fasting is important as both a personal spiritual discipline, as well as communal practice in which we corporately cry out for God’s purposes. As everyday missionaries, fasting with your missional team or simple church can bring clarity and new breakthrough in your mission fields. If doing a team fast, determine your rhythms of checking in with one another and praying together. Coupling fasts with other prayer practices like prayer walks is recommended.

The Renewal Collective Leadership team fasts from noon on Mondays to noon on Tuesdays. We begin our twenty-four hour fast with a virtual noon prayer call on Mondays and conclude by braking fast together over lunch on Tuesdays. You are welcome and encouraged to join us for the noon virtual prayer call and for lunch on Tuesdays.

Fast From Something Other Than Food: 

The most common practice for fasting is to go without food. But fasting from food may not be for everyone. Some health conditions keep even the most devout from being able to fast from food in a traditional manner. However, fasting is not limited to abstaining from food. As Martyn Lloyd-Jones said, “Fasting should really be made to include abstinence from anything which is legitimate in and of itself for the sake of some special spiritual purpose."

Additional Fasting Tips

• When you fast, spend time in worship and adoration, reading Scripture, bringing your requests before God, and be sure to listen to whatever God wants to express to you during your fast.

• If doing a personal fast, it is important to practice the discipline of secrecy. The impulse to tell others is usually a desire for validation, and you will receive your reward in full.

• The enemy will try to keep you from focusing on God and seek to discourage you during your fast. Fasting does not always bring about a “mountain top encounter,” so don’t become discouraged or put too much emphasis on the experience. The results may not be obvious at the time, and some results may not fully come until later. But the time you spend in fasting and prayer will not be in vain, for God sees your heart’s desire.

• Physically, one to three days is often the hardest stretch, where your body goes through withdrawals. In the four to six day stretch, most will find that hunger pangs have subsided, and there is a clarity of mind and greater awareness of your own embodied feelings.