Luke 5:35

Occasions of Fasting in the Bible Times of loss, mourning or personal sorrow. (2 Samuel 1:12; Judges 20:26) Earnest prayer regarding deep concerns (Nehemiah 1:4; 2 Samuel 12:16; Acts 9:9, 11) Confession of sin and repentance (Nehemiah 9:1-21 ; 1 Samuel 7:6; Jonah 3:5) Events of great significance to God’s people (Exodus 34:28; Esther 4:16; Acts 13:2-3; 13:23)

The Length of Fasts The longest recorded fasts lasted FORTY days (Exodus 34:28; 1 Kings 19:8; Matt. 4:2) Seven days (1 Samuel 31:13) Three days (Esther 4:16) “Until the evening” ( Ezra 9:5; Judges 20:26) One night (Daniel 6:18)

Key Components in Fasting Humility (Luke 18:9-14). Sincerity (Isaiah 58; Zecheriah 7:4-10; Matthew 6:16-18) Intensity “Fasting in the biblical sense is choosing not to partake of food because your spiritual hunger is so deep, your determination in intercession so intense, or your spiritual warfare so demanding that you have temporarily set aside even fleshly needs to give yourself to prayer and meditation.” ~ Wesley Duewel

Fasting in the Lives of Christians Today It’s authorized (2 Corinthians 6:5; 11:27) Jesus’ teaching assumed that His disciples would fast (Matthew 6:16-18; 9:14-15) The early disciples fasted individually and collectively (Acts 13:2-3; 1 Corinthians 7:5) It can be a source of spiritual blessing & power To seek an answer from God. To gain the wisdom to know what to do, to make a decision. As an expression of sorrow or humility before God. To avoid a disaster in which only God can change the outcome. To express repentance for sin. To encourage into service (i.e. elders or evangelists)

Fasting in the Lives of Christians Today “The purpose of fasting is to loosen to some degree the ties which bind us to the world of material things and our surroundings as a whole, in order that we may concentrate all our spiritual powers upon the unseen and eternal things.” ~ Ole Hallesby “Fasting of the body is food for the soul.” ~ John Chrysostom