Key Verse: Matthew 17:21: However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting (NKJV).
More Verses: Isaiah 58:6; Ezekiel 22:30; Luke 2:36-38
Brief Summary
In this blog we will look at fasting and discover the nature of a fast that pleases God. We will answer various questions concerning what fasting will do and what it will not do.
We will also examine different types of Biblical fasts and describe different types of fasting options for the believer.
Introduction
There are certain obstacles and barriers that we will face in our Christian walks for and against which there appear to be no clear answers or solutions. Our tendency may be to throw up our arms in despair and either hope that things will change, or resign ourselves to the way they are. Through God-ordained fasting however, the Lord has given us an instrument which, like dynamite, can remove even the most obstinate opposition.
If each of the variety of spiritual weapons available to the believer were given a military equivalent, fasting would be a nuclear bomb. When accompanied by a solid foundation in God’s Word, fasting has the explosive power to change circumstances and turn around situations, and is a powerful weapon available to the believer.
1 What is Fasting?
Fasting consists of voluntarily going without food or liquids. Some people say that they are going to “fast television,” or “fast movies,” but this does not constitute true Biblical fasting, which involves voluntarily abstaining from eating food, and in some cases, from drinking liquids.
The Hebrew word for "fast," tsum (Strong’s H6684) means to “cover over the mouth.”
The Greek word for "fast," nesteuo (Strong’s G3522), means to “abstain from food.”
Starvation during times of famine does not constitute fasting because it is involuntary.
Later on we will look at different types of fasts which are found in the Bible.
2 Atomic Power through Fasting
World War II had just ended, and a great wave of spiritual fervor accompanied by fasting and prayer swept the United States and the world in 1946-1947.
The truth behind the power contained in prayer and fasting was grasped by an evangelist named Franklin Hall. His book, Atomic Power With God Through Fasting and, was one of the sparks that enflamed thousands to go on extended fasts and to seek God for revival and the return of the gifts of the Spirit. The result of this extensive fasting was a revival that launched scores of evangelists into the harvest fields in the late 1940’s and into the 50’s and impacted the world. This same revival key is available to us today.
3 Know God's Word
It is important that the person who fasts be thoroughly versed in God’s Word, the Bible. Fasting opens a person up to the spirit realm, hence there is a potential for the individual to be more vulnerable to attacks from the kingdom of darkness.
Even Jesus, when tempted by Satan in the wilderness after His forty-day fast responded to Satan’s deceptive tactics with “It is written” (Matthew 4, Luke 4). Colossians 3:16 says: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom.” As the word dwells in us richly “in all wisdom,” we will be less vulnerable to deception.4 Arguably, every significant event that we find in the Bible was accompanied by fasting and prayer. Moses had been fasting without food or water for forty days when he received the Ten Commandments, the basis of not only Biblical, but all modern law in the Western world.
Prior to Jesus coming to the earth, Anna the prophetess was fasting and praying.
Prior to the church receiving the Holy Spirit in the “Upper Room,” they were waiting on the Lord, most likely accompanied by prayer and fasting.
Prior to the first gentile, Cornelius, received the Holy Spirit as ministered through the Apostle Peter, he had been fasting and praying.
4 Examples of Fasting in the Bible
Arguably, every significant event that we find in the Bible was accompanied by fasting and prayer. Moses had been fasting without food or water for forty days when he received the Ten Command-ments, the basis of not only Biblical, but all mod-ern law in the Western world.
Prior to Jesus coming to the earth, Anna the prophetess was fasting and praying.
Prior to the church receiving the Holy Spirit in the “Upper Room,” they were waiting on the Lord, most likely accompanied by prayer and fasting.
Prior to the first gentile, Cornelius, received the Holy Spirit as ministered through the Apostle Peter, he had been fasting and praying.
5 True Fasting as Seen in Isaiah
Isaiah 58:6 tells us,
Is this not the fast that I have chosen:
To loose the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the heavy burdens,
To let the oppressed go free,
And that you break every yoke? (NKJV).
The opening phrase of this verse implies that there is a fast that God has not chosen. We could reasonably deduce that a fast which we undertake for reasons other than those given in Isaiah 58:6, was not given to us by God.
For example, we should not fast to get what we want, if it is contrary to God’s will. Regardless of how long or how intensely we fast, we will not persuade God to do something that is contrary to His will for a given situation.
Simultaneously, however, if an issue is being weighed in the balance, fasting may tip it in favor of the righteous judgments of the Lord.
Rather than changing God, or His will, one of the results of fasting is to change the will of the person who fasts, allowing him or her to more easily hear, accept and be a conduit for God’s will in a given situation.
Let’s look more closely at Isaiah 58:6. First, let‘s observe that this verse tells us that we are to “loose the bands of wickedness.”
One example that I am aware of brings this purpose to light. In 1987, Tom Hess, who currently leads a 24-hour prayer watch on the Mount of Olives to the east of Jerusalem, undertook a 40-day fast in obedience to the Lord. At the time, he had been leading a 24 hour prayer vigil in Washington, D.C. to oppose abortion in the United States.
On the 40th day of this fast, the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court resigned. This man had been in favor of abortion. His resignation was a total surprise to the news media, but certainly not to God: He had found someone to “stand in the gap.”
Second, we are “to undo the heavy burdens.” When we fast, we undo the heavy burdens of ourselves and/or others. If you are feeling heavy or oppressed, or know of someone else who is, spend some time fasting and watch God release that oppression.
Third, we are to “let the oppressed go free.” One example that stands out in my mind in regard to letting the oppressed go free is a seven-day fast I felt led to undertake in 1991. On the seventh day of that particular fast I remember walking by a newspaper distribution box and reading the following headline: “Captives Set Free.” Apparently some foreigners who had been held captive in the Middle East had secured their freedom. Was this a coincidence or divine intervention? I believe it was the latter.
Finally, we are to “break every yoke.” Through our fasting, the power is liberated through us to break every yoke, as exemplified by an egg.
6 Yokes and Yolks
An egg has three parts. In the middle there is a yolk, then there is a clear liquid part surrounding the yolk, and finally there is a shell on the outside.
As human beings we are similar in many ways to the egg. We are spirit beings (the yolk), who live within a body (the shell), and contain a soul (the clear liquid - I Thessalonians 5: 23). The yolk of an egg is analogous to the spirit of man. It is the part of the egg that contains the life, just like our spirit contains our life. The yolk contains the embryo that becomes the chick that becomes the chicken.
Our spirit contains the part of our being which lasts forever. Jesus said: “…the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). God, who created us in His image, is “A spirit” (John 4:24). He is also “Life” (John 14:6). By deduction we can conclude that the life is found in the spirit. This is confirmed in 2 Corinthians 3:6: “Who also hath made us able ministers of the New Testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.”
This is helpful to us in our study of fasting in the following manner: when an egg is broken, the yolk and the egg white come forth. When the membrane of the yolk is broken, the yellow part of the egg, which represents its life, flows out.
Let us make a small change to the verse sited above (Isaiah 58:6) in order that we may grasp from where the power comes to set the captive free: “and that ye break every yolk.” When the membranes and walls surrounding our spirit are broken, the spirit can flow, allowing the life of God to come forth.
The power of fasting is found not in our ability to change God’s will, for God does not change (Malachi 3:1), but in the power of fasting to break the shells of our body and soul, so that God’s life, which is found in our spirit, can be released. No longer held captive by the strength of our will and selfish desires, the pure flow of God’s love and liberating power begins to come forth. It is the flood of that river being released from our innermost being which finds its way into the prisons of those held in Satan’s grip, and sets them free.
Note that Isaiah 58:6, which we looked at in the previous chapter, says that every yoke shall be broken. In other words if every yoke is not being broken in your life, it may be a good time to fast. The following example may help the reader to better understand what this verse is saying.
7 That’s One Big Rat!
When I was a child, our family would often visit my uncle’s farm in Minnesota. I remember vividly a one of the cleaning projects he undertook. Rats would sneak underneath the hogs’ feeding bins and eat up their feed. On one of those cloudless summer days when the sun was shining brightly, I remember him using his tractor to lift up one end of the little feeding shelters (roughly 6-feet wide by 10-feet long by 6-feet high) and expose the area below it to the light.
These unexpected sun beams would cause the rats to scatter from their abode to find a new shelter. It was interesting to watch how this occurred. As the shelter would be lifted slightly, the smaller rats would scurry away. As the shelter was lifted to a slightly higher angle, the medium size rats would begin to leave.
At the highest point, when the structure would be at nearly a 45-degree angle to the ground and the rats were being exposed to the brightest light, the largest rats would begin to leave. These rats were in some cases so large that they approached the size of the farm cats.
In this real life example, we see the power of fasting to dislodge even the “big rats” referred to in Matthew 17:21, where Jesus said “this kind cometh not out but by prayer and fasting.” When we fast, we acquire the necessary spiritual strength or “light” to break every yoke!
8 The Results of a Biblical Fast
The result of undertaking an “Isaiah 58:6 fast” is powerful, as demonstrated in the three verses which follow this verse:
Share your food with the hungry,
and give shelter to the homeless.
Give clothes to those who need them,
and do not hide from relatives who need your help.
Then your salvation will come like the dawn,
and your wounds will quickly heal.
Your godliness will lead you forward,
and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind.
Then when you call, the Lord will answer.
'Yes, I am here,' he will quickly reply.
(Isaiah 58:7-9, NLT)
Note that when your fasting is accompanied by actions of compassion, such as sharing your food with the hungry, giving shelter to the homeless, giving clothes to those who need them, and being available to needy relatives then the Lord will bring salvation, including healing, righteousness, and His protective glory to cover. Additionally, you will get His attention when you call upon Him.
9 Fasting to “Stand in the Gap”
As a person fasts, he or she becomes the one who “stands in the gap” on behalf of God’s righteous cause, so He will not destroy the land.
Ezekiel 22:30 reveals the importance of this ministry: "So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one" (NKJV).
The consequences of no one answering the call to “stand in the gap” are described in the verse following this one:
"Therefore I have poured out My indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; and I have recompensed their deeds on their own heads,” says the Lord GOD (Ezekiel 22:31, NKJV).
So when God calls you to a fast, understand the importance of what He is calling you to do.
I remember once when God was calling me to a 40 day fast, I had disregarded His promptings for a couple of days. On the third day, a Sunday, I went to church and the preacher was using as the passage for his message, the story of the prophet and the man of God, found in 1 Kings 13.
In this account, the man of God from Judah is told to neither eat or drink anything while he is away delivering the Word of the Lord. After he has delivered the word of the Lord and is returning home, an old prophet tricks him into stopping at his house and having a meal with him., and the man of God, even though he was lied to by the old prophet, is nonetheless held accountable. On his way back to Judah, he is mauled by a lion and killed. After hearing this story, I immediately started and completed my fast.
10 Anna the Prophetess
I believe one of the most important people in all of the Bible is Anna the prophetess. Why do I believe this? Her continuous prayer and fasting was an important factor in God sending the Lord Jesus down to earth! Let’s take a closer look:
Anna, a prophet, was also there in the Temple. She was the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher, and was very old. She was a widow, for her husband had died when they had been married only seven years. 37She was now eighty-four years old. She never left the Temple but stayed there day and night, worshiping God with fasting and prayer. 38She came along just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph, and she began praising God. She talked about Jesus to everyone who had been waiting for the promised King to come and deliver Jerusalem (Luke 2: 36 – 38, NLT).
It would be reasonable to assume that God saw her insistent fasting and prayer and found someone through whom He could bring about the redemption of mankind. Fasting has this kind of “atomic power.”
11 Fasting Leads to Deliverance
On one occasion, in fact, Jesus pointed out that certain spirits could only be cast out through prayer and fasting, thus highlighting its power (Matthew 17:21).
In the story immediately preceding this verse in the Bible, we find the story of a man whose son was afflicted by seizures. He first brings the son to Jesus’ disciples, but they do not have the power necessary to bring about his deliverance. He then comes to Jesus, telling Him about his son and the disciples’ inability to deliver him.
After Jesus has delivered the son, His disciples ask Him “Why could not we cast him out?” (verse 19). Jesus answers “…Because of your unbelief…” He then continues by pointing out that in this case, prayer and fasting was necessary (verse 21): “Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.”
The order in which He states the reasons for their failure is important. First, He mentions their unbelief, then, He talks about the necessity of prayer and fasting. In other words, fasting is not a magic formula to bring about God’s will when He has already placed within us the necessary faith.
It does, however, give us additional spiritual strength in those cases where the faith we have is insufficient to bring about God’s will. Because Jesus had fasted 40 days and nights, He was able to minister “in the power of the Spirit” (Luke 4:14).
12 Jesus and Fasting
One of the errors of some Christian thinking today is that Jesus condemned or did away with fasting. This notion is unscriptural. First, let us look at His life. Prior to His public ministry, He spent forty days and nights in the wilderness fasting. Before undertaking this fast, no great deed was recorded in His ministry. After this fast, however, healings, miracles and other signs and wonders were a regular part of His ministry.
During the well known Sermon on the Mount (Matthew, chapters 5-7), He condemned the Scribes and Pharisees, not for fasting, but for the manner in which they fasted. He said that their faces were long and drawn, giving the impression that they wanted men to take notice and acknowledge their piety.
Jesus, on the other hand, understood that fasting was first a spiritual exercise, rather than a religious one. It was to be done primarily before God, and not before men. Therefore, He encouraged the religious leaders not to show off the fact that they were fasting. At no time, however, did He discourage it.
When His disciples were criticized for not following the patterns of fasting that had been established by the religious rulers, Jesus responded succinctly: “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” (Matthew 9:14,15-NIV).
What Jesus was saying here is that while He was on the earth, He was their spiritual covering. It was not a time to mourn – the King was in their midst! Think about it, what more could you ask for than to have the Son of God as your Pastor!
He then acknowledged that there would come a day, however, after His departure, when they would have to fast. This statement, while addressed to His disciples, could certainly be addressed to us today as well.
Just prior to His departure from this earth, Jesus gave His disciples one final commandment. He said “wait in Jerusalem until you be endued with power from on high.” While He didn’t specifically say “fast and wait,” the emphasis upon waiting might well be understood to include fasting.
In the preceding paragraphs, we have attempted to demonstrate that fasting did not end with Jesus coming to the earth.
He, in fact, not only fasted Himself, but talked about its power and importance, both for His disciples and for us today.
13 The Wedding Banquet
The Bible tells us about the wedding banquet that will be prepared for all of those who accept the King’s invitation (Matthew 22).
The wedding banquet referred to in this parable refers, I believe, to the day when Jesus will gather to Himself all those who have accepted the invitation to belong to His Kingdom.
I believe that one of the incentives to fast now is so that when we sit at the table with the Lord in His house (Matthew 25:10), we will have developed quite an appetite, and the food will taste all the better.
To put it in other terms, the sacrifices that we have made on this earth will seem like nothing compared to the glory and the rewards of Heaven.
14 Modern Examples of Fasting
Examples of the power of fasting are not relegated to Biblical days. They can be seen in modern times as well, as seen in the following anecdotes.
1) A. A. Allen, an evangelist during the revival of the 1940’s and 50’s became desperate for a touch from God. Finally he locked himself in a closet, fasting and waiting on the Lord, and didn’t come out until he had heard from God. Several days later God gave him the keys to a miracle ministry. During his meetings, extraordinary miracles would take place. In one meeting, the entire wheelchair section was emptied.
2) I heard the following story from a Canadian prophet. While hiking through the mountains of Switzerland in 1989, he sensed that the Lord was calling him to fast for 21 days. In obedience to that call he fasted for the three-week period. On the last day of that fast, he felt the burden to fast lift. Shortly thereafter, he learned that on the twenty-first day of his fast, the wall that separated East and West Berlin had fallen.
3) Another minister from Canada had just started a ministry in Europe in 1997. He purposed in his heart to fast for twenty-one days with only water. He sensed the anointing on his ministry increasing, however, so he decided to continue fasting. After 23 days of fasting, miracles started occurring during his meetings. People were receiving gold teeth and fillings. By the time he had fasted for forty days his ministry was becoming established in Europe and miracles were a regular part of his meetings.
4) Another man of God, whom I met at the Calvary Pentecostal Tabernacle Campground, was on a Caribbean island fasting and praying. After 58 days of fasting, the Voodoo inspired leader of an adjacent Caribbean Island suddenly abdicated his post. A coincidence? I don’t think so.
15 Different types of Biblical Fasts
What should you do if you feel that the Lord is calling you to fast? What type of fast should your undertake? There are a wide variety of different fasts, roughly divided into two broad categories, the length of the fast, and the intensity of the fast. The length of the fast is fairly self-explanatory. How many days do you feel the Lord leading you to fast? The intensity of the fast has to do with what you consume (if anything) during the fast.
The length of a fast may range from one meal to 40 days or longer. When I first heard about someone doing a 40 day fast, I did not think that I could even consider doing anything close to that. Perhaps you are in a similar position. Don’t be intimidated. Fasting just one meal can be very powerful.
I would like to look at several fasts that are mentioned in the Bible, and suggest these as fasts that you may want to undertake. I will give each of them a name, although they are not mentioned with these names when they are referred to in the Bible.
The Esther Fast
As the name of this fast suggests, this is the fast completed by Esther and her Jewish compatriots during the reign of Xerxes[1] of Persia. You are probably familiar with the story of how Esther’s uncle Mordecai uncovers a plot to destroy the Jews of the land, and urges Esther, selected to be Queen of the land, to take action. Before she goes before the King, she and her Jewish countrymen fast for three days without any food or liquids. Her request to spare the Jewish people is met with favor by King Xerxes. The mercy extended to the Jewish people by the King, as well as the punishment exerted upon the evil perpetrator of the dastardly plot to exterminate them, Haman, is due to the radical obedience demonstrated in their lives through their three day fast without food or liquids. Although God is not mentioned by name in the book of Esther, His justice is an underlying theme, and this justice was ensured by the people’s obedience to seek Him with all of their hearts through the Esther fast.
To summarize, an Esther fast is a fast of three days with no food or liquids of any type. I like to think of it as a “liberation” fast, for truly it has the power to liberate people from the chains of whatever curse, bondage, or enslavement they may be subjected to. This includes the power to overcome seemingly impossible addictions to drugs, alcohol, or sexual sin. The strength of this fast is that it only takes three days to complete, and therefore delivers very quick results.
Nonetheless, you may want to consider taking off a day or two from work, since by the second day of this fast you will probably become quite weak and not be able to perform at peak efficiency.
The Fast of Consecration
In order to enter the Aaronic priesthood as described in the law of Moses, a priest had to go through a seven day period of consecration, as described in Exodus: Thus you shall do to Aaron and his sons, according to all that I have commanded you. Seven days you shall consecrate them (Exodus 29:35, NKJV).
Pastor David Yhonggi Cho whose church in Seoul, South Korea is approaching one million members, has all of the ministers that he is considering for ordination fast for seven days prior to ordination.
King David of Israel fasted for seven days for the life of the baby which he had through his adulterous affair with Bathsheba. While the baby died, I believe this fast of consecration was honored by the Lord and enabled him to have another son with Bathsheba, one who would later become the King of Israel and write several books of the Bible, King Solomon.
I remember one seven day fast that I completed with just juice in 1986. God honored my fast, and at the end of this time of consecration I was able to purchase a brand new vehicle in the color and with all of the options that I was looking for. I even got it below the dealer price for the car!
The Fast of Desperation
We learn about this fast in the book of Acts. Paul is being transported with some other prisoners to Rome. Along the way, the ship runs into a long lasting gale-force wind storm, during which no one on the ship eats, because their lives are in danger. Paul encourages them finally to eat (Acts 27:33-37, NLT):
Just as day was dawning, Paul urged everyone to eat. "You have been so worried that you haven't touched food for two weeks," he said. "Please eat something now for your own good. For not a hair of your heads will perish." Then he took some bread, gave thanks to God before them all, and broke off a piece and ate it. Then everyone was encouraged and began to eat— all 276 of us who were on board. Note that these men were desperate. They were in danger of losing their lives, and as they fasted, God preserved them.
If you read this story in more detail, you will note that they shouldn’t have been sailing in the first place, and had been warned to that effect by the Apostle Paul. Yet through this fast of desperation, God brought about a miraculous deliverance.
The Daniel Fast
After Daniel had been fasting for three weeks, the Lord gave Him a vision (Dan 10:2-3, NLT): "When this vision came to me, I, Daniel, had been in mourning for three whole weeks. 3 All that time I had eaten no rich food. No meat or wine crossed my lips, and I used no fragrant lotions until those three weeks had passed."
An angel descends from Heaven and describes the vision that he had received. I don’t know whether he would have received either the vision, or the angelic visitation had he not been fasting. Note that this fast was not just a liquid fast. He may have eaten vegetables and perhaps fruit and nuts. The Bible simply tells us that he ate no rich (or “pleasant” (KJV)) food.
I like to call this fast alternatively the fast of angelic visitation. I had two friends who did twenty-one day fasts. One had an angelic visitation at the end of 21 days, the other one was transported to heaven. This is a powerful fast which is often the key for individuals to enter into the supernatural.
The Fast of the Servant of the Lord
In the Bible, only three individuals are said to have fasted for 40 days.
The first was Moses. Prior to receiving the 10 commandments, Moses fasted for 40 days. This was an amazing fast in that he had neither food nor liquids during the duration of his fast. While I have heard of other individuals completing such a fast and living to tell about it, most doctors advise going no more than three days without food or water. Personally, I have gone five days without food or water, but if you attempt this type of total fast, do it preferably under medical supervision.
The second person in the Bible who fasted for 40 days was Elijah. In I Kings 19 he is given a cake to eat prior to fasting for 40 days as he walked to Mount Horeb.
Finally, the third person to fast 40 days in the Bible was the Lord Jesus himself. We see the story of His temptation in both Matthew 4 and Luke 4. Note that after he had finished His fast, “…Jesus returned to Galilee, filled with the Holy Spirit's power…” (Luke 4:14).
This is the primary purpose of this fast, to fill the servant of the Lord with power and prepare him or her to step into a ministry of signs, wonders, and miracles.
It is interesting to note that Jesus met with both Moses and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration. Perhaps nobody performed greater miracles, signs, and wonders than these three.
This is the type of fast to undertake to prepare yourself to step into a ministry of signs, wonders, and miracles.
16 Should I drink during the Fast?
Unless you are undertaking an Esther fast or a Daniel fast,[2] it is recommended to drink water, juice, or some other liquid when you are fasting. I would recommend water and juices, because they go through and cleanse your digestive system as you consume them.
The colon cleanse fast, consisting of mixing a fresh squeezed lemon and a tablespoon of maple syrup in eight ounces of water and adding some hot cayenne pepper has had remarkable results in seeing people healed of cancer and being restored to health in their bodies.
Another fast that I have heard brings great success in the area of healing is a fast on carrot juice.
Frankly, the healing power of Biblical fasting is explosive, as the title of this book implies, spiritually, emotionally, financially, relationally, and physically. This healing element is brought out in Isaiah 58:8:
Then your light shall break forth like the morning,
Your healing shall spring forth speedily,
And your righteousness shall go before you;
The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard (NKJV).
17 Many Resources Available
To adequately address the issue of fasting one would have to spend more time than the scope of this book allows. For those of you who desire to study more on this subject, one excellent book is God’s Chosen Fast, by Arthur Wallis. There have also been many other excellent books written on the subject, including books by Bill Bright, Mahesh Chavda, Gordon Lindsay, Derek Prince, Elmer Towns, Jentzen Franklin, and others.
18 Conclusion
Fasting is one of the most powerful spiritual resources available to the believer to loose the grip of darkness and liberate the blessings of God. It comes in many forms and types and is diverse enough to become a part of the lifestyle of every committed Christian.
Fasting doesn’t change the will of God, but it does move Him to favor the righteous cause and truly it has the power to change the course of history and the destiny of nations.
[1] Also called Ahaseurus.
[2] While in the Bible Daniel ate vegetables and other food (however no "rich" food), a 21 day fast on just liquids is very powerful as well.
