What is fasting?

Opening prayer and transition

• Prayer for healing of minds, emotions, and bodies in Jesus’ name.

• Blessing over the people and light-hearted comment about “sinners/singers” saved by grace.

• Transition to the morning teaching and reference to the notes on fasting and prayer.

Purpose of the teaching

• Many new people in the church do not fully understand prayer and fasting.

• Long-time members also need renewed direction, inspiration, and encouragement from Scripture for an effective and profitable fast.

• Pastor’s personal struggle with coughing and mic; testimony of praying over the upcoming fast and the church.

• Realization: the Lord, as the Good Shepherd, cares more about the people and their fasting than the pastor does.

• Emphasis that believers must hear the Shepherd’s voice; call to open hearts and spirits to the Word and notes.

What fasting is (definition and biblical basis)

• Fasting described as a spiritual discipline taught in the Bible, not an afterthought or optional for Christians.

• Reference to Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7) and the three practices: praying, giving, fasting (“when you pray… when you give… when you fast,” not “if”).

• Reading/summary of Matthew 6:16–18:

  • Do not fast to impress others; keep normal appearance; the Father sees in secret and rewards openly.

• Clarification: corporate fast cannot be fully secret, but the heart motive still must be God-centered, not people-centered.

• Cultural critique: problem of overeating and food addictions; fasting is needed, not optional.

Why fast? Main reasons 1. Health and personal reset

• Fasting brings health benefits; warning about “digging graves with forks and spoons.”

• Pastor’s personal testimony: fasting at the beginning of the year as a “reset” that affects months afterward and increases awareness of what is eaten.

2. Fasting gives more time for prayer

• Time normally used for preparing, eating, and cleaning up can be redirected to prayer.

• Acknowledgment of family responsibilities; encouragement to use available time for prayer.

• Biblical link between fasting and prayer: example from Acts 13 (worshiping, fasting, Holy Spirit speaks, Paul/Barnabas set apart).

• Explanation of the church’s prayer schedule for the fasting week (Monday–Friday, 6:30–8:30 with personal prayer, worship, exhortation, and corporate prayer each night, plus guest ministers and special focuses).

3. Fasting shows the depth of desire in prayer

• Fasting demonstrates how serious and desperate a person is about a prayer need.

• Challenge to those struggling with addictions, family issues, or sin to get desperate enough to say no to food.

• Story of a former pastor who listed God’s blessings and then asked, “What are you willing to do?”

• Scriptural support from Joel:

  • Call a holy fast, sacred assembly; return to God with all the heart, with fasting and weeping.

• Teaching that fasting “turbocharges” prayer and reaches the core of one’s being.

4. Fasting releases God’s supernatural power

• Observation of revival signs: increased Bible sales, campus awakenings, baptisms, and renewed spirituality.

• Note that whenever God moves, the devil attacks (division, discouragement, defeat, depression, doubt).

• Emphasis that united prayer and fasting delivers decisive blows to the enemy.

• Scriptural examples:

  • Ezra 8:23 (“we fasted and prayed… and he answered”).

  • Isaiah 58:6 (fasting that loosens chains of injustice, breaks yokes, sets oppressed free).

• Testimony of church growth attributed to prayer and fasting (services, groups, leaders, missions).

• Warning: forward movement invites spiritual resistance, requiring vigilance and continued fasting.

Importance of fasting in Scripture (examples)

• Often precedes major victories, miracles, and answered prayers.

• Examples listed:

  • Moses fasting before receiving the Ten Commandments.

  • Israelites fasting before miraculous victory.

  • Daniel fasting for guidance and understanding God’s plan (reading Jeremiah, receiving revelation).

  • Personal example: pastor fasting over whom to marry and other major decisions (work, place to live, business partnerships, missions trips).

  • Nehemiah fasting and praying before rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls, completing a century-old problem in 52 days.

  • Jesus fasting 40 days before public ministry and during temptation in the wilderness.

  • First Christians fasting during key decision-making (Acts 13, etc.).

• Application: fast over important life decisions; don’t rely on human wisdom alone.

Precautions and heart posture in fasting

• Fasting is not:

  • Earning answers or manipulating God.

  • A hunger strike against God.

• Fasting is:

  • Aligning with God’s will and opening space for what God already desires to do.

• Health cautions:

  • Fast only as health allows; consider partial fasts if on medication, etc.

• Warning against “sneaky” or superficial consecrations (e.g., trivial fasting windows that cost nothing).

• Encouragement to make fasting truly sacrificial and appropriate to one’s work and physical capacity.

Practical guidance: types and structure of fasting

• Types of fasts mentioned:

  • Water fast (all food and juices abstained from; not recommended for everyone for five days).

  • Partial fast (eliminating certain foods or meals).

  • Juice fast (fruit or vegetable juices only).

• Counsel on nutrition and physical activity:

  • Ensure nutrients; limit strenuous exercise; do not let exercise become an excuse to skip prayer/fasting.

• Guidance on breaking the fast:

  • Avoid heavy foods immediately (e.g., burritos, large meals); ease back into eating with lighter foods like fruit.

Corporate fasting and commitment

• Corporate fast provides structure, accountability, and mutual encouragement.

• Testimony of previous years:

  • New believers and first-time fasters completing five days.

  • Past 21-day fast (juice/soup only) and challenges met by the congregation.

• Value of structure: same as work or school schedules; helps people follow through.

• Mention of attendance statistics from previous years and desire to see increased participation (with the reminder that numbers represent people, not pride).

Fasting as assumed biblical practice

• Jesus says “when you fast,” implying fasting is assumed for Christians.

• Note of a resurgence of fasting teaching in recent decades, including influence from African and global churches.

• Observation: when God prepares to move, he stirs people to prayer and fasting.

Biblical reasons people fasted (summary list)

• Facing a crisis.

• Seeking God’s protection and deliverance.

• Called to repentance and renewal.

• Asking God for guidance.

• Humbling themselves in worship.

Dangers in the discipline

• Risk of empty ritual or fasting without meaning.

• Encouragement to start fasting and seek right motives as you go.

• Repeated call to hear the Good Shepherd’s voice and recognize that God wants to speak, guide, and bless more than people often realize.

Fasting as feasting on Jesus

• John Wesley quote: fasting must be done unto the Lord, with the eye singly fixed on Him, to glorify the Father.​

• Story of an Indian orphanage that fasts every Friday and calls it “feasting on Jesus,” praying specifically for the American church.

Call to fast and leadership responsibility

• Fasting starts with spiritual leaders and elders; leaders must model what they preach.

• Fasting often arises from spiritual desperation and urgency: “turn to me now while there is time.”

• Warning about increasing end-time deception; need for discernment and closeness to God.

Fasting and inner focus

• Fasting is more about focus than food; more about saying yes to the Spirit than no to the body.

• It is an outward response to an inward cry, an expression of brokenness and need.

• Calls to return to God with the heart, not just external religious acts (rending hearts, not garments).

• Fasting as response of a broken heart; God is drawn to the weak, broken, needy.

Immense responsibility and mission

• Believers carry the immense responsibility to be salt and light, preaching the gospel to a lost world.

• Fasting is a humble response to this responsibility, seeking God’s help and power to fulfill the mission.

Closing exhortation and prayer

• Pastor expresses desire to communicate God’s heart and encourage participation in the fast.

• Emphasis that God wants to speak and move, and fasting clears space in the heart.

• Call to fresh consecration and commitment for individuals and families.

• Prayer that God will bless and strengthen everyone who takes part, and closing invitation to join nightly prayer during the fasting week.