Fasting for Spiritual Breakthrough: A Guide to Nine Biblical Fasts (32 page)

3.
Harm
. Because fasting is not required, a command was not violated when you ate or drank. However, you may have harmed your personal volition or self-esteem. By eating, you demonstrated a lack of self-discipline or the weakness of your resolve. You will probably want to return and remake your vow to the fast, keeping it this time so you can again build up your self-discipline. Although violating your fast was not a “sin” in itself, you may have weakened your faith. “Whatever is not from faith is sin” (Rom. 14:23).

Widow’s Fast

Problem
. A fast to provide for the needs of others, especially their humanitarian needs such as food and clothing.

Key Verse
. “Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; when you see the naked, that you cover him, and not hide yourself from your own flesh?” (Isa. 58:7).

Prescription
. (1) Become others oriented by being sensitive to the problems
of those you come in contact with or hear about. (2) Recognize how much better off you are than others. (3) Give to help meet the need from resources that would normally be consumed by yourself. (4) Ask for wisdom to determine the extent of your involvement in a specific humanitarian project. (5) Pray for the people for whom you are fasting during your fast. (6) Attempt to identify with the suffering of others during your fast. (7) Consider making significant lifestyle changes enabling you to continue contributing to the humanitarian needs of others.

Practical aspects
. (1) Identify the specific humanitarian need and/or project in which you will become involved. (2) Estimate the value of the food you would normally consume in a typical day. (3) Send the money to meet the humanitarian need before you begin fasting. (4) Determine how long you should fast to save the amount you intend to give to this project. (5) Break your fast with a simple meal of basic foods. (6) Look for specific ways to reduce your personal cost of living, enabling you to contribute more to meeting the needs of others.

Working Fast

A fast conducted secretly while maintaining regular work habits. This is usually fasting toward a goal.

F
ASTING HAS GONE ALMOST COMPLETELY OUT OF THE LIFE OF THE ORDI
nary person. Jesus condemned the wrong kind of fasting, but he never meant that fasting should be completely eliminated from life and living. We would do well to practice it in our own way and according to our own need.—
William Barclay

In my personal life, fasting has been for specific purposes and for a long duration. After three days, there are no hunger pains or desire for food. From twelve to fourteen days later, there seems to be a sense of complete cleanliness and mental clarity. After twenty-one days, there seems to be an outpouring of spiritual power and creativity that is indescribable, but that continues until the fast is ended. It seems especially after the third week that one is no longer even remotely interested in the trivial physical world around. One’s mind is filled exclusively with profound spiritual ideas and truths.

One of the most profound things is that the mind will concentrate for hours on the same subject without once wavering or being distracted. There is no question that there is awesome power in fasting. If the fast is controlled by the Holy Spirit and Jesus is foremost, then it is a beautiful and powerful experience.—
Arthur Blessitt

Inasmuch as fasting is before God, a practical proof that the thing we ask is to us a matter of true and pressing interest, and inasmuch as in a high degree it strengthens the intensity and power of the prayer, and becomes the unceasing practical expression of a prayer without words, I could believe that it would not be without efficacy, especially as the Master’s words had reference to a case like the present. I tried it, without telling any one, and in truth the later conflict was extraordinarily lightened by it. I could speak with much greater restfulness and decision. I did not require to be so long present with the sick one; and I felt that I could influence without being present.—
Blumhart

It would not do to say that preachers study too much. Some of them do not study at all; others do not study enough. Numbers do not study the right way to show themselves workmen approved of God. But our great lack is not in head culture, but in heart culture; not in lack of knowledge, but lack of holiness is our sad and telling defect—not that we know too much, but that we do not meditate on God and His Word and watch and fast and pray enough.—
E. M. Bounds

Feeling somewhat of the sweetness of communion with God and the constraining force of His love and how admirably it captivates the soul and makes all the desires and affections to center in God, I set apart this day for secret fasting and prayer to God, to direct and bless me with regard to the great work which I have in view of preaching the Gospel and to ask that the Lord would return to me and show me the light of His countenance. I had little life and power in the forenoon. Near the middle of the afternoon God enabled me to wrestle ardently in intercession for my absent friends, but just at night the Lord visited me marvelously in prayer. I think my soul was never in such agony before. I felt no restraint, for the treasures of divine grace were opened to me. I wrestled for absent friends, for the ingathering of souls, for multitudes of poor souls, and for many I thought were the children of God, personally
in many places. I was in such agony from sun half an hour high till near dark that I was all over wet with sweat, but yet it seemed to me that I had done nothing; oh, my dear Saviour did sweat blood for poor souls! I longed for more compassion toward them. I felt still in a sweet frame, under a sense of divine love and grace, and went to bed in such a frame, with my heart set on God.—
David Brainerd

There are indications that New Testament Christians were specially sensitive to the Spirit’s communications during fasting.—
F. F. Bruce

The reason why the Methodists in general do not live in this salvation is, there is too much sleep, too much meat and drink, too little fasting and self-denial, too much conversation with the world, too much preaching and hearing and too little self-examination and prayer.—
William Bramwell

I am attempting to categorize and define aspects of fasting and praying as an experience leading to church growth. It may be that by exposing these ideas I will get others to learn experientially about fasting and praying and thus stimulate much more church growth. I would desire that….Fasting is a spiritual discipline. It is probably not for everyone. Yet it may be a key to “power theology” needed to break open new works.—
J. Robert Clinton

I spent Friday in secret fasting, meditation, and prayer for help on the Lord’s Day. About the middle of the sermon a man cried out; at the cry my soul ran over. I fell to prayer, nor could we preach any more for cries and tears all over the chapel. We continued in intercessions, and salvation came.—
Thomas Collins

Fasting is rather widely practiced on our mission fields today. Like every other God-ordained religious practice, fasting can be misused or abused. This will be discussed in later paragraphs. But fasting is still God’s chosen way to deepen and strengthen prayer. You will be the poorer spiritually and your prayer life will never be what God wants it to be until you practice the privilege of fasting.—
Wesley L. Duewel

Who does not know that the fast of the fourth and sixth days of the
week are observed by the Christians throughout the world?—
Epiphanius, Bishop of Salamis

Revival must come to America. Because of this, I have called America to join me in a great fast…I believe that it is biblical for us to call a fast. This is an act of faith. When we call a fast, we challenge people to deprive themselves of one of life’s necessities so that they may more effectively pray to God.—
Jerry Falwell

I was also led into a state of great dissatisfaction with my own want of stability in faith and love….I often felt myself weak in the presence of temptation and needed frequently to hold days of fasting and prayer and to spend much time in overhauling my own religious life in order to retain that communion with God and that hold upon the Divine truth that would enable me efficiently to labor for the promotion of revivals of religion.—
Charles G. Finney

In my research I have not found a single full-length book written on the subject of fasting from 1861 to 1954, a period of nearly 100 years. What would account such as an almost total disregard of a discipline so frequently mentioned in Scripture and so ardently practiced by Christians throughout the centuries? Two things, at least. First, there has been a reaction, and rightly so, to the excessive ascetic practices of the Middle Ages. Second, there has developed a prevailing philosophy that literally dominates American culture, including American religious culture, that it is a positive virtue to satisfy virtually every human passion….The first thing I learned about myself in experiences of fasting was my passion for good feelings. I was hungry and I did not feel good. All of a sudden I began to realize that I would do almost anything to feel good. Now there is not a thing wrong with feeling good, but that has got to brought to an easy place in our life where it does not control us.—
Richard J. Foster

If one does fast, let the fasting be done in secret as unto the Father and not to appear before men.—
A. C. Gaebelein

Our ability to perceive God’s direction in life is directly related to our ability to sense the inner promptings of His Spirit. God provides a specific activity to assist us in doing this….Men through whom God has
worked greatly have emphasized the significance of prayer with fasting….In an extended fast of over three days, one quickly experiences a great decrease in sensual desires and soon has a great new alertness to spiritual things.—
Bill Gothard

Voluntary fasting, an age-old practice, has become a therapeutic tool in the control of intractable obesity. Fasting for ten to fourteen days, given access to water, is neither archaic nor barbaric. It is tolerated well by obese men and women, and is a revolutionary and promising approach to the management of obesity.—
Robert B. Greenblatt

Fasting is not confined to abstinence from eating and drinking. Fasting really means voluntary abstinence for a time from various necessities of life such as food, drink, sleep, rest, association with people and so forth.

The purpose of such abstinence for a longer or shorter period of time is to loosen to some degree the ties which bind us to the world or material things and our surroundings as a whole, in order that we may concentrate all our spiritual powers upon the unseen and eternal things.

To strive in prayer means in the final analysis to take up the battle against all the inner and outward hindrances which would dissociate us from the spirit of prayer.

It is at this point that God has ordained fasting as a means of carrying on the struggle against the subtle and dangerous hindrances which confront us in prayer.—
O. Hallesby

The Scriptures bid us fast, the Church says now.—
George Herbert

Fastings and vigils without a special object in view are time run to waste. They are made to minister to a sort of self-gratification, instead of being turned to good account.—
David Livingstone

As men and women are beginning to consider the days and times through which we are passing with a new seriousness, and as many are beginning to look for revival and reawakening, the question of fasting has become more and more important.—
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

The New Testament often links prayer with fasting. Abstinence from food can be a valuable aid in spiritual exercises. From the human side, it
promotes clarity, concentration and keenness. From the divine standpoint, it seems the Lord is especially willing to answer prayer when we put that prayer before our necessary food.—
William MacDonald

Our temptation is certainly not to fast too much, but of never checking our indulgence of appetite in any degree or on any occasion. We would be much healthier and stronger if we sometimes reduced our meals and rested our organs of nutrition.—
F. B. Meyer

If you say I will fast when God lays it on me, you never will. You are too cold and indifferent. Take the yoke upon you.—
Dwight L. Moody

Learn from these men that the work which the Holy Ghost commands must call us to new fasting and prayer, to new separation from the spirit and the pleasures of the world, to new consecration to God and to His fellowship. Those men gave themselves up to fasting and prayer, and if in all our ordinary Christian work there were more prayer there would be more blessing in our own inner life.—
Andrew Murray