“When you fast . . .” (Mt 6:16-7)
Father, may my life be yours.
Christian disciplines are a normal part of a healthy Christian life. Time in the Scriptures, prayer, giving, service, and sharing your faith are all disciplines I have already discussed. And while Christians may not practice these disciplines well, they generally agree that they ought to. Today, however, I want to deal with a discipline that may be the least practiced of them all, and part of the reason for the lag in practice is that many Christians do not think they ought to practice it. I am talking about fasting.
Why Christians Don’t Fast
There are two big reasons why Christians do not fast.
1. Some Christians see fasting as a legalistic practice. To them fasting is like the law, but we are now under grace. They read Colossians 2:20-23 and believe Paul is condemning fasting outright. They see in church history some monasteries turning fasting into nothing more than a rule. They see perhaps Christians today who make fasting a legalistic ritual. And when they see all this, they conclude that fasting was for the Old Testament maybe, but the old is gone and the new has come.
In all of the cases these Christians point to, however, I want to make a distinction. In Colossians, Paul is clearly condemning legalism. His point is that you are in Christ, that you are to walk in Christ, and that in Christ you have everything (2:6-15). He says that with Christ you died to the basic principles of this world (2:20). Why then would you do religion as the world does (2:20-3). The world focuses on rules, but rules cannot stop the indulgence of the flesh (v. 23). In other words, rules can’t make you holy. Paul’s point is not that Christians should refrain from practicing Christian disciplines, but that those disciplines do not lie at the center of our faith – Christ does.
In parts of church history and perhaps in some people’s lives today, fasting certainly has been a legalistic activity, and in that sense, Paul would condemn the way such people have practiced it, but I don’t believe Paul is condemning the practice wholesale. Many of the same monasteries that turned fasting into a rule also turned prayer into a rule, but no Christian seriously wants to say that prayer is legalistic. We are able to distinguish between legalistic prayer and legitimate prayer. Why can’t we do the same with fasting?
In fact, all the disciplines can be practiced in a legalistic way. You can have legalistic giving, legalistic Bible reading, legalistic service, legalistic sharing of your faith, legalistic confession, legalistic accountability, and more. When Christians refuse to fast because they think it legalistic, they are throwing the baby out with the bath water.
When Paul condemns legalism in Colossians, he is not condemning fasting itself. After Paul became a Christian, he still fasted. In fact, when he was part of the church leadership at Antioch, the entire church leadership fasted (Acts 13:1-2). And Antioch was not merely a Jewish congregation but a mix of Jews and Gentiles (11:19-21). In other words, fasting is not just some Old Testament practice reserved for Jews. It’s for everyone.
Jesus fasted (Mt 4:2) and endorsed fasting. He said “When you fast,” do it a certain way (Mt 6:16-8). He talks as if He expects you to fast, but He makes a distinction between legitimate fasting and illegitimate fasting. Later, when people ask why His disciples do not fast, He said, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from then, and then they will fast” (Mt 9:15). Jesus is referring to the future when He is no longer physically on Earth, and He says at that time, His people will fast.
Those Christians who claim fasting is legalistic are not looking at the whole picture. Nor are they making important distinctions between different motives for fasting or world views that inform fasting. Fasting is still beneficial for Christians. It can be legalistic, but it doesn’t have to be.
2. Probably the biggest reason why Christians don’t fast is that it is hard. Fasting denies our body something that it wants, and self-denial is a practice that the flesh will always fight. To put it in simplest terms: We don’t fast because we like to eat.
Even when the spirit is willing, the flesh is weak. We thus have this natural desire pressing us away from fasting. We then look at Scripture and see that fasting does not save us, that it can be done from wrong motives, that it can be legalistic, and that the Pharisees were big on it. We also see a God of grace and an emphasis on our hearts as opposed to our rituals, and conclude, usually subconsciously, that fasting isn’t all that important after all. We give fasting little thought, and when we do think about it, we often pat ourselves on the back that we have avoided the legalism of Ramadan. But what often drives such thinking is not really an avoidance of legalism but an avoidance of self-denial. Legalism is just the excuse. The flesh sits in the driver’s seat. I have seen this first hand, for I have seen it in myself.
Some Benefits of Fasting
1. Fasting helps you see your weakness more clearly. The truth is that you and I are far weaker than we think. We like to go around thinking how capable we are – I’ve got this . . . I can do this. Such thinking is pandemic. But when you fast, you become physically weak, and you grow tired more easily. When you feel weak, you are less apt to think yourself strong and more apt to see your need for God. Thus . . .
2. Fasting drives you to God. It helps you see Him more clearly. Part of seeing God is seeing your own brokenness, and part of seeing God is to see His glory. Fasting helps in both these directions. The reason most people miss God’s glory is that Earth gets in the way. We are so consumed with work responsibilities and family issues and finances and entertainment that God becomes distant and nebulous.
Fasting has a way of cutting through all these earthly distractions and directing our attention back to God. Fasting doesn’t eliminate all other responsibilities, but it puts them in perspective. Think of it this way. What’s more important? Your 8:00 AM meetings? Or food? In fact, don’t you work so that you can eat? When you willingly give up something like food in obedience to God, your job looks different. When you give up food, it’s not that you think eating is unimportant but that God is much more important. This perspective on food can spill over into other areas of life. If God is more important than food, then surely He is also more important than basketball or music or a computer science degree. It’s not just food that gets a new perspective. All of life does. And when God becomes bigger to you than life, you begin to see Him.
3. Fasting helps you deny self. Jesus said that if you want to follow Him, you must deny self and take up your cross. He said you must lose your life in order to find it (Mt 16:24-5). Paul said that he died daily (I Cor 15:31) and counted all things loss that he might know Christ (Ph 3:7-8). The concept of denying self or dying to self is all over the New Testament. It is central to what the Christian life is to look like. The problem with self-denial is that we don’t want to do it. It’s hard. But it’s mandatory.
Fasting gives you practice in self-denial. It helps train your heart to let go of what you want, so that when God puts His finger on something you cherish and says, “Give it to me,” the practice is not foreign to you. The letting go of food in a fast is minor and temporary compared to the other things God will ask you to give up. He may ask for your career or a girl friend or boyfriend. He may say, “I am more important than your family.” Thus, fasting is not the complete self-denial or dying that God will ask of you, but if you fast in obedience to God, it can help when the real dying comes.
One reason the Western church is so shallow is that it has thrown away the concept of self-denial, and when you get rid of self-denial, you live for yourself. The Western lack of emphasis on fasting is both a contributing factor and a symptom of this shallowness.
4. Fasting builds discipline and self-control. One of the fruits of the Spirit is self-control. When you fast, you are practicing self-control.
5. Proper fasting helps build humility. I say proper fasting because the Pharisees fasted and were quite proud. But when you fast with God at the center, you lay at His feet a strong desire of yours. Fasting involves a submission of your life to God. It says to God, “You are in charge of even when I eat.”
How Not to Fast
So let’s talk about some do’s and don’ts. First the don’ts.
1. Do not fast because you think God requires fasting in order to be good. That is legalism. Fasting does not make you good.
2. Do not fast because you think God requires fasting in order to accept you. That is Islam, and it is also legalism. God accepts you in Christ. Christ did the work of being good. By faith you are simply in Him and have His righteousness. In that sense, God accepts you even when you are not good – like the tax collector praying.
3. Do not fast in order to look good spiritually. This is the sort of fast Jesus condemns in Matthew 6. When you fast, fast for your heavenly Father who is in secret and not to be seen by men. This means don’t show off the fact that you are fasting. Don’t announce it to the world. Of course, there will be people close to you who will see that you are fasting. Don’t lie to them in order to keep things secret. If someone asks you why you are not eating, just tell him.
4. Do not think you are better than others because you fast. The Pharisee praying in the temple thanked God that he fasted twice a week and that he was not like sinners – like that tax collector over there. Jesus, however, said that it was the tax collector and not the Pharisee who was justified before God. Remember, fasting doesn’t make you good.
5. Do not fast merely for health reasons or to lose weight. Fasting to lose weight might better be called anorexia. Its focus is not on God but on your body and self-image. It is self-centered.
Fasting, however, can result in certain health benefits and fasting for health reasons is now in vogue. You can practice such a fast. It is not wrong in and of itself, but understand that fasting for health reasons is different from fasting for spiritual reasons. If you want to maximize the spiritual benefit of fasting, then fast for your heavenly Father, fast over your sin, fast for God’s presence, fast to see God move in a situation, fast out of obedience to God. Biblical fasting is always spiritual.
How to Fast
1. Fast as God leads. We are not under law, so there is no universal rule or fasting schedule for all people. Fasting is personal. It is something you do because God asks you to. Fasting can be corporate, but even when it is corporate, you participate because God wants you to.
Fasting can be scheduled. Maybe God asks you to fast regularly one day a week. But when you engage in a scheduled fast, your schedule is not binding on others, and it is binding on you only because God has spoken to you.
2. Fast with your heart on God. Fasting should be focused on God. The purpose of fasting is spiritual, to seek God’s heart, God’s direction, God’s help, God’s power. If you fast but are not seeking God in some way, you are not engaged in a Biblical fast.
3. When you fast, continue to practice other Christian disciplines. Read and meditate on Scripture when you fast. Pray when you fast. Sing and worship when you fast. Take time to be alone when you fast. The purpose of fasting is to focus on God, and all these practices help you do that.
Some Practical Considerations
1. Fasting can look different for different people. Maybe God asks you to fast one meal a day. Maybe He asks you to fast one day a week or two days. Maybe He asks you to fast for a week or two. Or longer. Maybe He asks you to fast indefinitely and wants you to trust Him for when the fast will end. Maybe He wants you to fast until something happens (until after a conference or a teaching you are giving). Not only will the fasting schedule look different for different people, but it may also look different for you at different times.
2. The most common fast is to go without food but to drink water. Some people fast from food but may drink juices or other liquids. Some people may fast from food and water. For complete fasts from food and drink, do not go beyond three days. Your body can’t generally go without water for more time than that. It can, however, go without food for a much longer time.
3. If you are a normal, healthy person, fasting should not cause you any health problems. In fact, it may bring some health benefits. Some people, however, may have health conditions that would preclude them from a typical fast. If you are diabetic or pregnant, you probably don’t want to fast. If you have a specific health condition and want to know if you can fast, ask your doctor.
4. The most common fasts involve food, and when the Bible talks about fasting, it is referring to food. However, it is possible to fast from things other than food. You can fast from the Internet, from soccer, from social media, from the news, from Spotify, or from virtually anything that is a common practice of yours. The fast, of course, should involve giving something up that you would find difficult to give up. If you fast from camping but hate camping, that’s not doing anything. But if your habit is to check social media every few hours or if you really love watching football, now we are talking about a fast that can help you.
These kinds of fasts can be beneficial for people who, for health reasons, can’t fast from food. They can also be beneficial for people who do fast from food. If you have ever given up some practice for a time (social media, TV) and felt the spiritual benefit of doing so, then you understand how fasting can bring spiritual benefit.
5. When you break a fast (especially a longer fast), do not break it with a heavy meal. Eat some fruit or vegetables or maybe some cereal. Drink some water or juice, but don’t go in for a big plate of pasta or curry. You’ll regret that. When you fast, your body adjusts to no food. If you then suddenly stuff yourself with a Mexican plate, your body can’t handle it well. You want to ease your body back into handling food.
You will also find that when you break a fast, your eyes will be bigger than your stomach. You will feel hungry and think you can eat portions like before, but you can’t. Psychologically, you will want to pile your plate high, but in reality, your stomach has shrunk and you will be able to eat maybe half a portion. Just be prepared for that phenomenon.
I have been quite brief in this blog, but I hope that I have encouraged you to be open to the possibility that God might ask you to fast and then to obey if He does.
Fasting has helped God’s people for thousands of years.
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