Ever since the beginning of the year, I’ve felt that still, small voice calling me to fast from food in order to focus on prayer. But I kept making excuses as to why I shouldn’t or why it was bad timing—fear of eating disorders, needing energy for work, a desire to eat Easter desserts. (Yes, that crossed my mind! XD)

Finally this week, I couldn’t ignore that still, small voice any longer, and I did a 24-hour food fast. The first thing I did to prepare my heart was to look up every verse on fasting in the Bible.

After reading through 40 different examples of fasting, I noticed 7 reasons to fast:

Decision Making

One of the most common reasons Christians fast is to hear from God about what to do. God is always available to us, but sometimes we distract ourselves so much we can’t hear his voice. Fasting allows us to get rid of earthly distractions so that we can tune in to what God has to say.

In the Bible, Moses miraculously fasts from food and water for 40 days while he is receiving the 10 Commandments (Exodus 34:28). We also see the church at Antioch fasting and worshiping when the Lord identifies Barnabas and Saul as His chosen ones for a task (Acts 13:2).

Commitment / Dedication

The second biblical reason to fast is to commit ourselves or to dedicate something to the Lord. This is frequently done at the beginning of a ministry season, such as going on a missions trip or beginning a new job. Fasting allows time to pray over that thing and show God we are serious about it as well as to hear His guidance on the new season or project.

In the Bible, Daniel abstains from unacceptable foods and eats a vegetarian diet to keep his covenant with the Lord (Daniel 1:8-16). John the Baptist’s disciples fast as they wait for the Messiah (Luke 5:33-35). Jesus begins his earthly ministry with 40 days of fasting in the wilderness (Luke 4:2-4). And Paul and Barnabas fast and pray to commit newly appointed elders to the church (Acts 14:23).

Petition / Prayer Requests

The third biblical reason to fast is to present prayer requests to God or to petition for someone else. It is clear that in this life, there will be many kinds of hardship, but the Bible instructs us that prayer is powerful, even prayer for someone else’s healing, salvation, or deliverance. Fasting is a way to show God we mean business! And God is known for listening to those who call upon Him.

In the Bible, we see Esther call her people to a nationwide fast before she bravely goes to the king to plead mercy for her people (Esther 4:16). Daniel also abstains from meat and wine later in his life after receiving a troubling revelation about war (Daniel 10:3). Finally, in the New Testament, Paul warns married people: “Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer” (1 Cor 7:5).

Repentance / Mourning

The fourth biblical reason to fast is to repent of sin. We know that sin breaks the heart of the Lord, and it should break ours too! Fasting is a great way to show sorrow for sin and allow God to heal us and take away the stronghold we’ve allowed into our lives.

Frequently in the Old Testament, we see a call to fast after the Hebrew people have completely broken their covenant with God and turned to the surrounding culture (Joel 2:12, Nehemiah 1:4, 1 Kings 21:25-27, Ezra 8:21, Jonah 3:5). In 2 Samuel 1:12, we see the people of Israel fasting after the death of King Saul and his son Jonathan. And we also see David fasting to plead for God to save his dying newborn son, the product of his sin with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12:15-17).

Prophecy

The fifth biblical reason to fast is to hear prophecies from the Lord. This isn’t to say that every time we fast, we will receive a prophetic word, but it is clear throughout many of the Scriptures we’ve already looked at that prophecy is many times preceded by fasting.

A curious passage from Jesus’s childhood discusses an 84-year-old widow named Anna who practically lived at the temple, worshiping day and night, fasting and praying. When Jesus’s parents bring Him to the temple, Anna prophesies that Jesus is Messiah (Luke 2:36-38). If she hadn’t been fasting and praying, she may not have received this revelation.

Humbling Ourselves

The sixth biblical reason to fast is to humble ourselves and admit we need God. Fasting is frequently, but not always, done alone and in secret so that it doesn’t become a source of pride. While Jesus is fasting in the wilderness, Satan tempts Him with food (Matt 4:1-4). In response, Jesus quotes Deut 8:3 which says, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” By this, Jesus is showing that food alone cannot keep us alive, but fasting to hear from God humbles us and sustains us.

In the New Testament, we see Jesus frequently admonishing the Pharisees for fasting with impure motives. Because of this, He teaches his disciples about fasting: “For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (Matthew 6:16-17). Even if no one knows that we are fasting, what we are doing is to be close to the Lord and pride gets in the way of that. Next, Jesus promises, “Your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you” (Matthew 6:18).

Freedom From Sin

The seventh biblical reason to fast is to break strongholds of sin. Jesus tells his disciples that some sin is broken only through the power of prayer and fasting (Matt. 17:21). So if there is a stronghold of sin, we might need to fast and pray to get rid of its power over us.

Isaiah 58:6 says, “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?” Sin is a heavy yoke to bear. It is wickedness. It is oppression. God’s chosen fast calls for us to break sin. There is power over sin when we fast!

Conclusion

Many times in Scripture, fasting is accompanied by prayer and worship. Fasting is not simply a diet. It’s giving up something we are extremely dependent upon to realize our dependence on God.

If you’re thinking about fasting, don’t feel like you need to meet all of these criteria. For me, I focused on 4 reasons for my 24-hour fast. But for you, only 1-2 of these might apply. God could even call you to fast for an unknown reason!

Whatever the case, a spiritual fast—whether it be from food, desserts, alcohol, meat, TV, or social media—is an amazing way to show God how serious we are about refining our lives and growing deeper with Him.