And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes. —Daniel 9:3
If more men and women of God would set their face to the Lord and seek Him in fasting and prayer, I am convinced that we would see more spirituality, more anointing, and more power with God. The subject this quarter is on the subject of fasting. It has been an abused and misunderstood subject and is becoming a lost practice among many professing saints.Read more
A fast divinely enabled by God.
Moses fasted for two periods of 40 days. Deuteronomy 9:9, 18
Elijah did not eat for 40 days. 1 Kings 19:8Read more
Scripture Reading: Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the LORD your God, and cry unto the LORD. —Joel 1:14
Summary: Fasting is a long-held practice of God’s people in both the Old and New Testament and is a needful part of a Christian’s life today. It is an outward act of self-denial that can help focus the mind, body, and spirit on the things of God. It is a channel of power with God for deliverance, guidance, anointing, and spiritual growth.
Definition: While Christians should practice self-denial in many areas, the word “fasting” in the Bible means specifically to abstain from food.Read more
The New Testament does not give guidelines for how frequently one should fast. The Pharisee in Luke 18:11-12 fasted twice a week. By the time of Christ, the Pharisees had turned fasts into legal bondage. The best advice is found in Galatians 5:18: “But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.” We need to be led by the Spirit in how often we fast. There is a danger that a spiritual observance done regularly can become a form or ritual without true spirituality. Fasting, whether regular or occasional, is a personal decision between an individual and God. Some people have broken their health because they fasted too frequently and too long. This is not temperate and is not caring for the body as the temple of God.Read more
Interpolation is the insertion of something of a different nature into something else. Some Bible versions mention fasting in Matthew 17:21, Mark 9:29, and 1 Corinthians 7:5. However, these references to fasting are believed to be later additions that were not part of the original Bible manuscripts.
Matthew 17:21 and Mark 9:29 refer to the disciples not being able to cast out a spirit, and Jesus said, “This kind goeth not out but by fasting and prayer.” According to the Adam Clarke Commentary and other scholars, Matthew 17:21 is not in the “Vatican MS, one of the most ancient and most authentic perhaps in the whole world.” It is omitted by more reliable texts. While some manuscripts contain the word “fasting” in the Mark account, the Vatican Manuscript omits “fasting”, the Amplified Bible uses italics for “and fasting,” and many other translations reject its veracity. The evidence is inconclusive in this verse. It is interesting that all of the Bibles in the different languages used for translation in this publication use the word fasting in the Matthew account. Swahili does not use the word fasting in the Mark account.Read more