The Discipline of Fasting

As we continue to press into the Kingdom of God, one of the keys to getting to where God has spiritually ordained us to be is the Discipline of Fasting. You're not going to be able to enter the Kingdom of God and access the power thereof without learning how to Deny Your Self (Ephesians 5). This is one of the challenges of many Christians in regards to learning how to Walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5). Many of us have not learned how to Deny Our Selves (Matthew 16). As a result, we stay trapped in the spirit of the flesh rather than basking in the Freedom of the Spirit (Galatians 5). One of the things that can set us free so that we can operate at the Level for which God has ordained is the Discipline of Fasting.

Fasting is the spiritual discipline of denying one's self in a particular area for the purpose of drawing closer to God and yielding to His Will. If you're serious about being close to God and having His Divine Will manifested in your life, it is imperative that you develop a Lifestyle of Fasting. Let me say it again: if you are intent upon having the Divine Will of God being manifested in your life, it is imperative that you develop a Lifestyle of Fasting. Fasting is not an option, it is Mandatory. I'm not sure if the Discipline and Principle of Fasting is taught enough in many of our mainstream churches. But I'm telling you for the record, if Fasting is not something that you're acclimated to doing "on the regular", you need to change your mindset and adjust your spiritual practices. In order to grow spiritually and be all that God would have you to be, you must embrace The Discipline of Fasting.

A lot of times when people think of Fasting, they automatically think of food. Of course this is appropriate, since many of the fasts that are mentioned in the Bible were specifically people fasting from food (Matthew 4, Exodus 34, Esther 4). However, food is not the only area for which one can conduct a Fast unto the Lord. What you want to be prayerful about is an area for which you may "over-indulge" that is not considered a sin. You do not Fast from sin, you repent from sin. So for some people, you may need to fast from television. Others may need to fast from the Internet (Facebook, Twitter, etc.). Some people may need to fast from talking on the phone. A Food Fast, however, is always in order. But the main thing with conducting a Fast is the objective of denying yourself in order to increase your capacity for God (Psalm 35).

When you go on a Fast, do it within a specific time frame. Don't just fast "arbitrarily", but set the time. So you may say, ok I'm going to fast for 3 days. Or, I'm going to fast for a week, or I'm going to fast for a month. But whatever the time frame is, set it. You can always adjust your Fast while you're going through it. So you may start off on a 3 day fast and then need to lengthen it to 5 days. Or you may have started out on a 30 day fast and need to shorten it to 3 weeks. That's ok. But whatever you do, make the time frame specific, don't just leave it open.

I believe saints that many of us have reached a period in our walk with Christ where a Fast is in order. If you feel like you've hit your "spiritual wall". If you feel like you're in a "funk" and you just can't pray and worship your way out of it; it may be time for a Fast. For this reason I recommend that all of us adopt as a part of our spiritual devotion and commitment, The Discipline of Fasting.