by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, PhD
The core reason to fast is to reconnect with God! Life has a way of causing our spiritual life to drift in the currents of our hectic lifestyle. Connection with God gets sketchy. Time alone with God can be diminished and almost non-existent. A recent poll revealed that about 1 out of every 2 people do not pray daily.
“When you fast, you abstain from food for spiritual purposes. Fasting is doing without food for a period of time, which generally causes you to leave the commotion of normal activity. Part of the sacrifice of fasting, seeking God and studying His Word is that normal activity fades into the background. (Jentzen Franklin, Fasting, 111)
God wants us to draw away with Him, to focus on Him, to cry out to Him, to pour out our heart to Him, to humble ourselves before Him … to reveal our real selves to Him! The best way to do that is to fast … to set the physical hunger of this life aside for the spiritual hunger of knowing God deeper … Jesus said it this way:
“But when you fast, put oil on your head, and wash your face, so that you don’t show your fasting to people but to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:17–18)
Often God rewards those who fast in the present … answering their deepest needs at their most desperate moments. The Bible tells us of many reasons and people who fasted …
- People who fasted for a breakthrough from God when everything they did seemed to meet only obstacles! (David)
- People who fasted and heard God’s assignment for their lives, for their next step of direction! (Cornelius)
- People who fasted to recover their passion for God! (David)
- People who fasted to remove the demonic oppression of loved ones! (Jesus)
- People who fasted to get God’s instructions for their people! (Moses)
- People who fasted to gain understanding from God! (Daniel)
- People who fasted to maintain their spiritual purity! (Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego)
- People who fasted to save their people from certain death! (Esther)
- People who longed to conceive a child! (Hannah)
Fasting opens the door to a deeper, more intimate, more powerful relationship with God! Do you need a breakthrough?
21 Days – 2024: Our Year To Be Fearless!
These 21 days are a time to express our excitement to God about what He is about to do in us in 2024!
Many of us sense a Supernatural move of God is coming to those of us who are alert, listening, and banging on the door of Heaven.
For those of us who are ready, we will set ourselves apart to God for 3 weeks at the beginning of 2024.
