Principals & Practices

Principals

- There is more to fasting than just abstaining from food — fasting is about our relationship with Christ, it is a spiritual exercise with a focus, a Christ-centered purpose seeking spiritual results that honor and glorify Christ (see Isaiah 58:1ff; Matt. 6:16-18; Ezra 9:1-10).

- Fasting is a help to our life of prayer (John 15; 1 Thess. 5:17; Neh. 1:8-10).

- Fasting is expected and taught to be a practiced discipline of the faith (Matt. 6:16-18; 9:14-15).

- Fasting was associated with grief and mourning (1 Sam. 1:7-8; 31:13).

- Fasting was associated with seeking God’s renewed presence and sustaining strength and salvation from enemies, danger and temptation (Ex. 34:28; Matt. 4:1-11; Luke 4:2; 2 Chron. 20:3-4; Esther 4:16; ).

- Fasting goes along with knowing and doing God’s will (Judges 20; Acts 14:23).

Fasting is related to power and fruit through ministry (1 Kings 13:122; Isa. 58:1-12;Acts 13:1-4; Matt. 4:2ff).

- Fasting is linked with worship and adoration of the Father (Luke 2:37; Zechariah 7:5).

Practices

- The Bible distinguishes between several kinds of fasts: normal (all food but not water, Matt. 4:2), partial (dietary limitation, Dan. 1:12), absolute, (no food or liquids, Ezra 10:6) and supernatural (Deut. 9:9).

- In Scripture, fasts were private (Matt. 6:16-18), congregational (Joel 2:15-16;Acts 13:1-4), regular and occasional (Lev. 16:29-31; Matt. 9:15).

- Biblical fasts lasted one day, 14 days, 40 days, 3 days and 7 days (see Judges 20:26;Acts 9:9; 1 Sam. 31:13; Dan. 10:3-13).