What Is the Primary Blessing of Fasting?
Fasting weakens the flesh, strengthening our spirits to resist temptation and see reality as God sees it.
This question might feel like an oxymoron. How can "blessing" and "fasting" be in the same sentence?
For Christians, fasting is a spiritual discipline that involves voluntarily abstaining from food for a specific period to focus on God. While some "fast" media, hobbies, or coffee, a traditional fast involves denying one's body food to nourish one's spirit. It is an opportunity to set aside physical desires and distractions to prioritize spiritual growth, humility, and dependence on God.
When Jesus spoke of fasting in Matthew 6:16-18, he used the phrase “when you fast,” which indicates fasting was assumed. It should be something Christians do privately and communally. If you’re part of a church that starts the year with 21 days of prayer and fasting, this devotional is especially timely.
The most notable fasting example in the Bible is found in Matthew 4, where Jesus fasts for forty days in the wilderness. This example reveals that fasting is actually a means of spiritual strength. As John Mark Comer notes,
It’s easy to misinterpret this story; I did for years. I took it to mean the devil waited until Jesus was exhausted and weak to make his move. But this is a gross misunderstanding of the reciprocal relationship between fasting and spiritual power. Forty days in, Jesus was at the height of his spiritual power and was able to wisely discern the devil’s lies and dismiss his temptations with adroit skill.[1]
Fasting weakens the flesh, strengthening our spirits to resist temptation and see reality as God sees it. This is the value of fasting. So, when should we fast?
