There have been a few times in my adult life when I have successfully lost a lot of weight. Want to know my revolutionary secret?
Diet and exercise.
Now, it does have to be both. My weight doesn’t budge when I only do one. When I track my calorie intake and do regular, rigorous exercise, though? The number on the scale changes dramatically without pills, injections, or “three easy payments of $19.99”.
The same principle applies to my spiritual health. Throughout the Bible, God’s people fast – purposefully going without food or drink for a time – so I’ve tried fasting at different points in my Christian walk. It was never as extreme as the 40 day fasts of Moses, Elijah, or Jesus (cf. Ex. 34:28; 1 Kgs. 19:8; Matt. 4:1-2). A 24-hour fast – essentially skipping two meals and drinking only water – was enough for me. And I reaped the rewards: hunger, discomfort, and irritability.
Israel fasted in the days of Isaiah – while still seeking their own pleasure, oppressing their workers, and wickedly fighting with each other (cf. Isa. 58:3-4). That kind of fasting does no good. It should not be a box to check or an empty exercise in self-deprivation: “asceticism and severity to the body” don’t help us stop “the indulgence of the flesh” (Col. 2:23 ESV). Nor should it be done to gain others’ admiration: that is all you will receive if it is (cf. Matt. 6:16).
God richly rewards the fast where we pour ourselves out…for the hungry and afflicted (Isa. 58:6-10). That’s when He answers our call, coming near and filling us with Himself. “And the LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail” (Isa. 58:11).
What might that look like in practice? Like Antioch’s church leaders, who “were worshiping the Lord and fasting” when the Holy Spirit set Paul and Barnabas apart for mission work: “Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off” (Acts 13:1-3). When later appointing elders in every church plant, it was “with prayer and fasting” that they “committed them to the Lord” (Acts 14:23). More than private deprivation, they fasted with worship, prayer, and each other. They fasted with seeking hearts that longed to be filled up with the Lord more than anything and to go do what He wanted done. Diet and exercise.
Struggling to shed some stubborn sins? Ready to break through to the next level of spiritual health? Then grab a workout buddy or join a group fitness class: it’s time to start praying and fasting. God will reward your efforts to seek Him with real results.