Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.
2 Chronicles 20:3   ESV

There are numerous passages in the Bible about fasting. In the Old Testament we see numerous people fast as they pray and seek the Lord for help or guidance in any given situation. Jehoshaphat has just found that two vast armies are coming against his kingdom. He knows he and his army can’t stand against these armies, but he knows God is there for them.

His first thought isn’t to panic, it’s to seek the Lord through fasting and prayer. God delivered Jehoshaphat and his kingdom by causing those attacking armies to turn on each other. All Jehoshaphat and his men had to do was carry all the plunder away. There was so much it took them three days.

Esther fasted when she learned there was a plan to kill all the Jews. She ordered the people around her to fast and pray. God gave her favor with the king and spared the Jews and gave her cousin Mordecai a high position in the king’s court.

Nehemiah fasted and prayed when he learned of the condition of Jerusalem. God enabled him to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall.

We are told in Luke 4:1-2, Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit and the Spirit led him into the wilderness for forty days being tempted by the devil and he fasted during these forty days and at the end of them He was hungry.

Paul fasted. There are numerous Scripture passages in the Bible where people fasted. You just don’t hear much about fasting these days. Some religions fast during a time of lent from Ash Wednesday to Easter. Some don’t eat meat on Fridays throughout the year.

Fasting isn’t always giving up food, it can mean giving up anything that might get in the way of us spending more time with God. We can give up television or social media or video games or whatever might use time we could spend with God.

Fasting is a way of showing God we are willing to deny ourselves for Him. Matthew 6:16-18 tells us if we want to follow Jesus, we must deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him. God gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ to suffer and die on a cross that we could have eternal life. Are you willing to give up anything for Him?

Fasting doesn’t mean that we permanently deprive ourselves of something, it means that we agree to give it up for a fixed period of time. Forty is a number used to symbolize testing in the Bible. Jesus fasted for forty days.

Often times we pray to God and ask for something we feel we truly want or need. The question is are we willing to give up something to draw closer to Him? Are we willing to sacrifice our own comfort and our own desires for a period of time in order to show God that we are willing to deny ourselves? Are we willing to show sincere commitment?

Now perhaps you have thought about fasting and that’s great, but Jesus warns us that when we fast, there are some rules that go along with it. Jesus said in Matthew 6:16-18 that we should not look gloomy like the hypocrites when we fast, for they sadden their faces so their fasting may be seen by others. They receive their reward on earth. Instead, we should wash our faces and anoint our heads so that our fasting is not seen by others but seen by our Father in heaven in secret. When we do it this way, the Lord will see us in secret, and He will reward us.

If you have never fasted, now may be a great time to start. Read your Bible, study God’s word, seek the Lord, fast and pray.  Ultimately it just comes down to this: Are you willing to give up something to draw closer to Him?

Only you can answer that.

Have a great day!