An Introduction To Biblical Fasting

An Introduction To Biblical Fasting

There are a lot of men that don't understand the importance and value of fasting. Biblical fasting is a part of the Christian life. If you are not fasting you are missing out on tremendous spiritual benefits. Fasting is referenced 70 times in Scripture and about 30 times in the New Testament. It is an extremely important aspect of the Christian life. 

Transcript

Welcome to the Equipped For Life podcast. This is your host BC Vine. Happy to be here with you gentlemen again. I know that it's been quite some time since we've had an audio podcast, but I wanted to Get back on the airwaves with you, if you will. I think that really what I want to be able to approach today is the topic around fasting.

There's a lot of men that I speak to that don't seem to understand the importance and value of fasting and Biblical fasting is a part of the Christian life.  Part of the life of the disciple.  Not to Partake in fasting you are missing out on tremendous spiritual benefits and to be quite honest physical benefits that you otherwise would not be able to Enjoy without fasting and if you want to know, you know fasting is referenced probably about 70 times in scripture I'm at 30 times in the New Testament and you see it as a extremely important aspect of the Christian life Our Messiah fasted.

And if it was good enough for our Messiah, then it should be good enough for us. And I think that it's important for us to remember that. One of the verses that I want to read to you today is the time that Jesus Yeshua was tempted by the adversary. This is in Matthew chapter 4. If you want to go to your Bibles, I'm going to read this passage and then let's talk about it.

We're gonna have a conversation about it. Some of the things that we as men of God have done in EFL. Many of us in, went on a fast to start the month of November that was quite a blessing. And I'm hoping that this is a way for men to come into a time of fasting as December rolls around. In Matthew chapter 4, that Jesus was led out into the desert.

Many know this story. I think that it's phenomenal to read it though. So we're going to read this and then we're going to have a conversation around. So Matthew chapter 4, it reads as this. Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting 40 days and 40 nights, he was hungry.

The tempter came to him and said, If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread. Jesus answered, It is written, Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple.

If you are the Son of God, he said, throw yourself down, for it is written, he will command his angels concerning you. And they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against the stone. Jesus answered him, It is also written, Do not put the Lord your God to the test. Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.

All this I will give you, he said, if you will bow down and worship me. Jesus said to him, Away from me, Satan. For it is written, Worship the Lord your God, And serve him only then the devil left Him and Angels came and attended to him. This is Matthew chapter four, verse one through 11. I am reading from the NIV, which is a good translation to read if you're.

Just trying to read along or read something you're not necessarily exegeting scripture. So let's look at this 40 days and 40 nights of fasting of our Messiah. And the enemy came to him during this time period to lead him into temptation towards the end of the fast when he was hungry and he was the weakest.

And you notice that the Spirit is who led him out. He didn't lead himself out. And often times, we as believers, you've got to recognize when the Holy Spirit is communicating with you. There's gonna be times where you're gonna be struggling with things, you're gonna have things going on in your life, and the Holy Spirit is gonna give you discernment.

Because he's the counselor. He's going to draw you into a time of fasting, into a time of prayer, for prolonged, extended periods of time. Now, if you've never fasted before, maybe a 24 to 48 hour fast is the best recourse for you. I think that 48 hours, a two day fast is the minimum that I would do as a first fast.

Yeah, but at the end of the day you want to go for the most I got and pray about what he'll have you do But a 72 hour fast 48 to 72 hours, I think is the most beneficial it allows your mind and your body and your Spirit to be on one accord, right? You're able to see things come together in a way that you would not if you only had a 24 hour fast, right?

Fasting though is referenced on multiple occasions. Scripture that talks about if you're going to cast something out. It says that this kind only comes out through prayer and fasting. This kind only comes out through prayer and fasting. And recently, the brothers at EFL had an opportunity to participate in a fast.

I think that if you come to Tuesday nights, you have either heard this or you have. are going to hear this and you already heard it, either way, if you are considering fasting, I would highly recommend it. I highly recommend it. I wrote this on the last day of the fast. I'm going to share this.

This was a, one of my journal entries and it really sums up from my perspective what happens during the fast and the intent behind it. And it reads as this. To draw nearer to the Most High, you must enter into times of fasting and prayer. To draw nearer to Yahweh, you must shed yourself of worldly desires and enter into His presence with a spirit of surrender and submission.

The sacrifice you make during a time of fasting is minimal when compared to what you receive when you go before him with a fully repentant and surrendered heart and mind. During the period of fasting, the spirit will reveal to you many things. Embrace his leading. Allow yourself to be guided by the spirit of truth.

Receive revelation with open hands. Be willing to allow his spirit to search the deep parts of your being in order to expose any wicked way within you. The fasting period is an opportunity to reset and be renewed. A time to dedicate yourself to Yehovah. Give yourself to Him fully and completely in the name of Yeshua.

We're going to talk more about fasting too as well. Some of the things that I want to be able to bring to the group is, Why do we fast? What does the Bible say about fasting? Benefits of fasting. And what to expect during a fast. We'll talk about those, but this is just an introduction to fasting.

There's going to be more conversation around this, more topics of discussion concerning fasting. I think that you're going to really enjoy it. I think that it's going to deepen your walk with Christ. It's going to strengthen your relationship with the Lord. It's going to permit you to experience a type of relationship perhaps maybe that you've been longing for but missing.

I think that fasting is the key to unlock that. So this is just an introduction, just a brief bit of commentary around the topic to prep you for, I think, what is to come. So I hope you've enjoyed this. Once again, this is Equipped for Life, equipping men for their spiritual journey. I am BC Vine, your host.

Navigator and host of this podcast and I hope you enjoyed it and be blessed and be strong on your journey.