LONG FAST: A SCRIPTURAL STUDY OFF

Long fast: A scriptural study off
The length and amount of time we spend in prayers and fasting reveals the intensity of our desires as it relates to what we want from God. David said one thing have I desire of the Lord and that I will pursue after. If we desire spiritual growth it is natural to pursue same in prayers fasting and study of the word. Short or long, our fasting reveals our statement of intent.

It's a popular cliché in football circles used when one big team blows away another big team with a big score line. Pundits and commentators have always underline such performance as one of the team, the winning team, making a statement of intent to the other teams that, 'I want to win this league'. A season of prolong fasting and prayer is a statement of spiritual intent to the devil and his cohorts - 'I mean it more than ever this time! I am going out for all that God has in stock for me. I am changing my spiritual levels this year'!

Intent signals desire and what you desire determines what you acquire. Psalm 37:4 says what you desire determines what you are granted! Your spiritual desires will provoke the release of 'spiritual grants' from heaven!

I check through scriptures and I quickly put together a summary of fasting of people that fasted in scriptures. Let's look at them:

40 – FOURTY DAYS COMPANY – Moses, Elijah and Jesus belong to this company. The bible records of Jesus in Luke 4:1.

“And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.”

A similar account was rendered of Moses in Exodus 34:28, and Elijah 1 King 19:8. And from there downwards we have fasting of 21 days, 7 days, 3 days etc.

• 21 days - Daniel 10:3
• 14days - Acts 27: 9,33-34 14 days of dry fast for Paul and the other people with him
• 7days - David 2 Samuel 12:16
• 3days - Esther 4:16
• 1day - Children of Israel Jud 20:26

The 40 days company include Jesus, Moses and Elijah, all three 'men' who appeared on the mountain of transfiguration. Men who have mortified the deeds of the flesh.

There were some others whose length of fasting were not mention but one thing the scripture did say is that for this men and women fasting was a lifestyle for them. In this category we have the following people.

• John's disciples Matt 9:14
• Anna Luke 2:37
• Cornelius Acts 10:30(this lifestyle won't be unconnected with the vision he saw)
• Paul - 2 Corinthians 6:5, 2 Corinthians 11:27

These men mentioned, especially Jesus, Elijah and Moses, gained spiritual mastery through the exercise of fasting. It is through spiritual discipline that we gain spiritual mastery.

The spiritual discipline embraced determines the level of spiritual authority that is attained. In 1 Corinthians 9:24 - 27 Paul said: “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receives the prize? So, run, that ye may obtain. And every man that strives for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so, fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway."

Fasting puts our body under and gives us spiritual mastery and authority that puts us over life situations and circumstances. Further in Philippians 3:7-12 Paul talks about how he keeps pressing for higher spiritual levels and authority. Those who wants to keep winning keeps pressing. Only by pressing higher do we get to know God deeper.

The longer we fast and pray and embrace this lifestyle the more we press into the deep things of God and gain spiritual mastery and authority! And I tell you friends, spiritual authority is above every other authority on the earth, for 'whatever is from above is above all'! It's time to press deeper in God!

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If God was so close to Jesus I wondered why he had to fast for 40days again? I mean He just left heaven for earth so why fast again? And when he asked about fasting he told them while I am here they don't need to fast but while am gone they will fast! He is gone and yet still here. He was talking about a time he will be off the earth physically, that's why we fast. Even if it was that Matthew 17 that was the only scripture that the master talked about fasting it was enough and the message was clear: you won't walk in certain level of spiritual power faith and authority without a lifestyle of prayer and fasting! No wonder he always wake up a great while before day to pray. It was the master lifestyle. The Apostles had it too! Acts and the Epistles bore testimony to that. Our generation debates it no wonder we have not outdone that generation

DavidFirth said:

I have never fasted before. How do you recommend I do it for the first time?

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You can start by skipping a meal. If you eat 3/times a day start by skipping one regularly for say a week. The ideal fasting mode is skipping 2 meals per day. But start with one, maybe your breakfast and then thereafter you skip the lunch and eat only dinner. And I tell you it won't kill you.

~Cassia~ said:

No one is debating prayer.

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You can debate scriptures from now till eternity, nothing will change, the truth is the truth. In that Matthew 17, Jesus said a lot of things there paramount of which is that he could exercise a higher level of faith and authority than the apostles because he had a regular lifestyle of fasting and prayer! You can't debate that. That's the reason why he told the apostles that need not fast? Why cause he was always doing that for them. And you know one thing again? Three men appear on the mountain of transfiguration: Jesus, Moses and Elijah. All these three were the only men recorded in scriptures to have fasted for 40days! How can you mortify the deeds of the flesh and bring it under subjection when you feed it with all kinds. Anyway its a personal choice. Am not advocating to go on a long fast. I am saying anyone who desires more than the average Christian life must accept higher spiritual responsibilities. It all depends on what you want

DavidFirth said:

I didn't know that was considered fasting. Thank you.

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That's how we started off as kids!

~Cassia~ said:

As a natural hygienist that has studied nutrition since the '90s there is probably more reason to fast one day a week than is biblically correct to do so. The modern term for your cultural fasting is intermittant fasting which leaves large amounts of time for the digestive system to rest so as to give strength to the renewal system of the body. I've heard of yogis doing this but have never heard of it being recommended as a Christian ascetic. As a nutritionist my preferred nonbiblical-required fasting would be pure fresh juice for first meal, a fruit smoothy lunch and salad plus pressure cooked bean supper. I would never recommend it as biblical tho because it subtracts from the liberty Christ has given from law and that has been placed on communion with Christ that adds responsibility in co-operation with Him. Acknowledging that co-operation brings one closer to God than any outer act can accomplish and imho that's what serves to purify man and bring one closer to God.

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Wow! Thanks for this contribution!

~Cassia~ said:

In the west we've had so much propaganda giving way to fear about anything related to nutrition in the uninformed. Profit has replaced any intelligent information for the most part and deleted soils are not giving us what we need to maintain on little food. So the big question is "what do you eat for one meal a day!?!"

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Thanks. That's a question I can't readily give an answer to as I live in a different clime, Africa, hopefully others reading this that are from the west can suggest. But let me say here that undertaking a long fast must be for a purpose and born out of an intense spiritual desire. Really when I wrote these series of articles on fasting it was not to advocate for long fast but to explain to critics of such spiritual exercise the need for it. The need for having a purpose and an intense desire is very key because they overrides any lack of food your body may feel the need for. The meal I take per day is on a lighter side but has a balanced nutrient. You can figure that out, what you know will be good for your body!