Fasting is a biblical practice with many powerful examples in Scripture. Dr. Charles Stanley shares the purpose and benefits of fasting for the believer in Jesus Christ. In Touch Ministries, 2010.
what are your greatest needs have you
talked to you having that father about
them when we set aside time to listen
and wait upon God we prepare ourselves
to hear from him today’s email asked
about the practice of fasting what
advantages it has for the believer so
the email reads when praying for a need
or an answer to prayer does fasting
really help Jesus told the disciples
that one kind of demon can only be
removed by fasting and praying
well fasting does help in certain
situations in the Old Testament for
example you’ll remember that nehemiah
prayed and fasted before he confronted
the king with what he desired Daniel and
seeking the Lord’s wisdom and guidance
for timing about prophecy he fasted and
prayed in the early church before they
sent out Barnabas and Saul the scripture
says they were fasting and praying in
the Sermon on the Mount Jesus gives
instruction clear instruction about
fasting and praying and if you’ll notice
what he says he says whenever you fast
do not put on a gloomy face as the
appearance of the hypocrites and so
forth and what I want you to notice here
he says when you fast that is fasting is
not commanded for the believer so the
question is how does fasting help well
one of the most important things it does
is this it increases a sense of humility
and dependence upon the Lord when you
begin to pray in the cry out to God you
set aside everything else for fasting
God begins to work in that heart in a
deeper more intimate way than ever
before because what you’ve done you
humbled yourself before him and said God
I need you
that’s what name I was saying that’s
what Daniel was saying that’s what the
early church were saying also it allows
us to give more time and attention to
prayer when the person sets aside eating
for example not drinking water but
necessarily eating what you’re doing is
you’re setting aside those things that
are normal part of life and an essential
part of life because you desire to get
God’s attention about something in your
life that’s very very important the
their fasting is an expression of where
we think the importance is at that time
thirdly it’s a good exercise of
self-discipline and what happens is this
when you set those things aside God has
a way of getting into a deeper element
of our life often times it is in fasting
and praying that a person reveals what
they really are on the inside and
secondly the reason is because the
Spirit of God reveals to them what’s on
the inside and oftentimes it’ll be some
sin something that you not thought about
something maybe you’d put aside many
many years ago God begins to dig deeper
and deeper and deeper because here’s
what happens when you fast it heightens
your spiritual and mental alertness you
begin to see and feel and since things
in your life that you did not before
your alertness to God to the Holy Spirit
he’s able to show you things about your
life you could not see before that
therefore it is very important in
certain situations to fast and pray it
also expresses our earnestness and our
urgency in our prayer this prayer is so
important god I want you to hear me I
need some direction and oftentimes it is
a prayer not only of urgency but of
desperation and it is so important that
you’re not finding this answer we set
aside everything not just eating but
relationships work or whatever it might
be so are there advantages to fasting
and praying many many advantages very
important ones that here is a warning
you cannot force God to give you an
answer about something or to give you
something by fasting and praying when a
person says oh I’m going too fast and
God’s going to hear me then well he may
hear you without fasting but sometimes
that is very important but you cannot
force God by fasting here’s the
advantage it gets us ready for God’s
answer and God’s answer may not be what
I want it to be but he gets me ready
because you see he’s cleanse my mind in
my thinking and helps me to see things
from his
effective that’s so crowded by
situations and circumstances and eating
and drinking and relationships and all
the rest when all that gets cleaned out
and it’s just you and God the greatest
help is it draws us into a sense of
oneness like nothing else
God honors the right spirit and the
right motive when we come to him and
fasting and praying you will be blessed
and if you have never tried it before
don’t just say well I think how fast and
pray no ask God to lay something on your
heart that is so important to you that
you desire to lay everything else aside
that your intimate relationship with him
can reach a pinnacle that you had never
experienced before well thank you for
joining us today on InTouch and until
next time obey God leave all the
consequences to him as sometimes that’s
very difficult but believe me it’s
living life at its very best