What is Fasting?

It is important to Know!
 First, What it is not?

• Fasting is not a legalistic discipline, but it

should be adapted to each Worshiper’s
individual Purpose.
 Is it a Discipline?

It is a Discipline to strengthen Christians

spiritually and to help them overcome barriers
that might keep them from living victorious
Christian lives.
 What must we Remember about
Fasting?

• It is important to Remember that Fasting is a

Physical discipline. Therefore, it is important
to consult the Physician before beginning to
fast.
What Question did John’s disciples ask
Jesus?
• The disciples of John the Baptist noted for
their Practice of fasting once asked Jesus Why
His disciples did not fast. “Jesus answered
them, ‘How can the guests of the Bridegroom
mourn while he is with them?’ (Matt. 9:15,
NIV). As long as Jesus was present with His
disciples, they didn’t fast. Jesus then said,
“The time will come when the bridegroom will
be taken from them; then they will fast” (v.15)
 What about Today, should we
bothered with Fasting?
• Obviously, the bridegroom is no longer
present on Earth in His Physical body; He was
taken to Heaven at the Ascension(Acts 1:9).
Jesus assumed that after He ascended into
heaven, those who believed in Him would
fast: “Then shall they fast in those days” (Mark
2:20).
 What Counsel did Jesus give must Be
Avoided in Fasting?

• “When you fast, do not look somber as the

Hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to
show men they are fasting. I tell you the
truth, they have received their reward in full”
(Matthew 6:16).
 What Counsel did Jesus give Must Be
upheld in Fasting?

• “But when you Fast, put oil on your head and

wash your face, so that it will not be obvious
to men that you are fasting, but only to your
Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who
sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
(Matthew 6:17-18).
Is Fasting more than Doing God’s Will?

• It’s important to note that Religious Practices

such as Fasting are Less Important than Doing
God’s Will. As Micah 6:8 points out, what the
Lord truly requires of us is Devotion to
Himself: “To do justly, to love mercy, and to
walk humbly with your God.”
 Is Fasting an End in itself?

• Fasting is Not an End in Itself; it is a Means by

which we can Worship the Lord and Submit
Ourselves in Humility to Him. We don’t make
God love us any more than He already does if
we Fast, or if we fast longer.
 What Admonition did Paul give about
Fasting to the Galatians?

• He stated: “Stand Fast therefore in the Liberty

by which Christ has made us Free, and do not
be Entangled Again with the Yoke of Bondage”
(Galatians 5:1). The goal of any Discipline is
Freedom. If the result is not Greater Freedom,
something is wrong.
 What is the Greatest Spiritual Benefit
of Fasting?
• Even if we wanted to, we could not
Manipulate God. We Fast and Pray for
Results, but the Results are in God’s Hands.
One of the Greatest Spiritual Benefits of
Fasting is Becoming More Attentive to God-
becoming more Aware of our Own
Inadequacies and His Adequacy, our own
Contingencies and His Self-Sufficiency-and
Listening to what He wants us to be and Do.”