Almost every religion in the world has the concept of fasting. Muslims keep thirsty fasts in the year and Jews keep twenty-two fasts in the year Christians keep forty days of fasting in the year and the Church calls this season lent. Lent means the spring season, which means fasting brings a new spiritual spring into the life of believers, and they enjoy it, but Christians can keep fasting anytime in the year.
It’s a very important practice for believers. History describes the first record of fasting in the book of judges. Then all the people of Israel, the whole army, went up and came to Bethel and wept. They sat there before the Lord and fasted that day until evening, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord.” (Judges 20:26, ESV).
Meanings of fasting
The Hebrew word "som" is used for fasting which means abstaining from food (suffer your soul).
The Greek word for fasting (Nesteuo) has the same meaning as abstaining from food for a spiritual purpose.
What is fasting
Fasting is the negation of physical intention and the name of making the soul humble. Fasting means suffering your soul and negating all kinds of carnal desires.
‘By fasting’ the body learns to obey the soul, by praying the soul learns to command the body.
Purpose of fasting
- Fasting is the name of serious communication between God and man.
- Fasting is proof of human loyalty to God.
- By fasting, we knock on God’s heart.
- Fasting increases your capacity to receive spiritual power.
- Fasting and prayer are incomplete without each other.
Benefits of fasting
Through fasting and prayer, you can overcome your trials as Jesus overcame his trials in the wilderness.
Matthew 4:1-2 "Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was hungry."
Queen Esther overcame her trial through fasting and prayer during the time of her trial. Esther 4:16, "Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish."
There is another beautiful story of fasting in the book of Jonah, chapter 3 verses 5-6. "The people of Nineveh believed in God; they proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth. When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes."
What a wonderful story! Through this practice they got the mercy of God during the period of their trial. There is a lesson for us if we are passing through the time of trials. Through this practice, we can overcome them.
Physical obedience brings spiritual revolution. Our soul needs fasting as much as our body needs food.
Dear readers, I want to encourage you to pray and fast so you will get God's spiritual blessing.
Pastor Barkat is a graduate of Punjab University. After receiving a call to ministry in 1999 he attended Gujranwala Theological Seminary, graduating in 2003 with a Master of Divinity (His thesis covered a Biblical model of house churches.) Upon graduating he started pastoral ministry with the Anglican Church and was ordained in 2004, working within that church in different positions until mid 2015 when he got the opportunity for a short training program on Pneumatology from South Korea. Suneel currently is a visiting teacher in an evangelical Bible College empowered by Korean Mission in Pakistan, as well as doing independent teaching and preaching ministry. He has established many Bible study groups and I have passion to preach in remote areas of Pakistan.