Why fasting matters

Fasting is an important part of the Christian faith. But why is that? I wondered this myself as I never fully understood the concept until this past year. This devotional helps to break it down in 3 easy points why fasting is something we need to make a regular thing in our lives.

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Spiritual Habits: Fasting

When you think of “fasting,” what comes to mind? 

Maybe you envision people willingly starving themselves. Maybe you picture a monk living off of dry bread. Or maybe you’re someone who prefers not to think about fasting … ever. 

Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness fasting. And based on His conversations with His disciples, fasting was a practice He assumed they would practice as well. 

But intentionally creating space in our lives to hear God by removing things that give us immediate satisfaction can feel uncomfortable—especially when our world glorifies pleasure.

Here are 3 reasons why fasting matters: 

Fasting starves what is stopping us from experiencing God’s presence. It forces us to pay attention to the parts of our lives that we try to drown out through late night binges and social media scrolls. And in the process, it teaches us to rely on Jesus to meet our needs.

Fasting invites us to give up something we love to make space for something we love even more. Although giving up something you love, like food, may feel difficult and uncomfortable, it is actually an opportunity to experience great joy, because true joy is only found when our strength comes from Jesus. 

Fasting often comes before breakthrough. Moses fasted for 40 days while receiving the 10 Commandments, Daniel fasted for 3 weeks and then received a vision, and Jesus fasted for 40 days and then overcame the devil’s temptations. In each of these cases, God provided clarity, strength, and breakthrough on the other side of faithful sacrifice. 

Take Action: Try completing a 24 hour fast. If you haven’t fasted often, keep this exercise simple—the goal here is to finish. If you start to feel weary during your fast, turn that weariness into an opportunity to talk to God and listen to Him. Once you’ve finished the fast, write down anything that stood out to you during this time.

Accompanying bible verse

NIV version

Matthew 6:16-18

¹⁶ “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.

¹⁷ But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face,

¹⁸ so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.