Common Beliefs About Fasting

The 13 Most Common Beliefs About Fasting

Leaving Ordinary Prayer & Fasting Behind – Part 2

Having been in the church world all my life, this statement I’m about to make will sound surprising, but at the same time not surprising. I was one of those people who didn’t really believe in fasting. Prayer wasn’t a problem, but fasting not so much. I didn’t get it nor did I understand it. What good comes from not eating on purpose? Here it is, food is available, I’m hungry, and choose not to eat. To add to my own personal barrier against fasting, there were the folks who did. To be totally honest, I had no desire to be like those people. They made this spiritual act (if I can call it that) very undesirable. My belief was and still is today that anything we do for Jesus should be attractive. In other words, our actions and efforts should draw those who see us and those we influence to want what we have. Leaving that alone for now, let me continue with what my natural thoughts of what fasting looked like.

Fasting was a practice that I had never really participated in. It wasn’t a common practice for anyone in my family nor anyone in the church we regularly attended. It was only on occasions that I encountered someone who said they were fasting or even spoke on the topic. Fasting in my small home church was viewed no differently than “speaking in tongues.” That kind of stuff was left to the super-believers. Not even the preachers had to be experienced in either. I’m not sure how that works. Does your experience sound familiar?

What do we know of prayer and fasting?

This brings me to ask a question: What do we know of prayer and fasting? Notice I didn’t say what we should know on this topic. We will get to that later. For the moment, I would like to visit the common responses we receive when we ask others about prayer and fasting.

So here are the results of our poll on the topic of fasting. Let me warn you, it’s more of a brain dump. In other words, it’s not in any particular order nor is it categorized in any way.

Fasting means to give up at least one meal for the purpose of prayer, mediating, reading a devotional, or reading your Bible.
Fasting means to limit one’s eating for a period of time.
Fasting is giving up something or setting boundaries for an activity for a period of time.
Fasting means we replace one activity for another.
Fasting sets measures to avoid immoral behavior.
Fasting is used to break strongholds.
Fasting provides clarity in general.
Fasting gives direction.
We fast because it’s what our church does.
Fasting purifies one’s soul.
We fast to petition for the needs of another.
We fast for healing.
We fast to receive favor in our spiritual warfare efforts and to do battle against “the enemy.”

While all these things sound good, I have just one problem. Why don’t we participate more in this practice? That leads me to three findings since the majority of Christians rarely fast. Based on this, the conclusion yields the following findings. Finding number one, fasting doesn’t produce the results we say that it does. Finding number two, if fasting does not produce results, then we must be doing it all wrong. Finding number three, we think fasting is something that it is not, prayer. If fasting brings healing, gives us direction when we lack it, helps us in spiritual fights, and breaks the things that hold us back, what would keep us from fasting? If we truly believe these things, I can’t imagine us avoiding this spiritual act knowing what it produces. We’re setting the foundation for taking this practice for prayer and fasting to the next level. Stay with us.

Question: which of these findings or others do you think might be impacting the results we receive from prayer and fasting?