Ep 021 Discover 7 Key Benefits of Christian Fasting for Body, Soul, and Spirit
Continuing this series on Christian fasting as a spiritual discipline, in episode 021, we discuss seven benefits of fasting. This range of benefits impacts the spirit, soul, and body! Hear stories of emotional healing, strengthened self-control, and deepened intimacy with God, revealing that the true reward of fasting lies in drawing closer to the Lord.
Whether you're a seasoned faster or curious about starting, this episode offers valuable insights into making your fasting journey both impactful and spiritually enriching.
Tune in to "7 Benefits of Christian Fasting for Spirit, Soul, and Body" for a compelling look at how this ancient discipline continues to offer profound benefits for modern believers.
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Key Takeaways
7 Key Benefits of Christian Fasting:
Obedience: Walking in biblical tradition and following Jesus' example.
Intimacy with God: Deepening your relationship with the Lord, enhancing spiritual communion.
Powered-Up Prayer Life: Strengthening communication with God, leading to revelations and answered prayers.
Clarity and Focus: Improving mental clarity and focus, both spiritually and in daily life.
Emotional Healing: Facilitating internal healing and peace, addressing deep-seated issues.
Building Endurance and Self-Control: Developing patience and self-control through reliance on the Holy Spirit.
Physical Health: Honoring the body as a temple of the Holy Spirit, improving overall physical well-being.
Blog & Coaching Resources
Daniel Fast Journey Book on Amazon
Fasting Resources
Types of Christian Fasts in the Bible (Plus 6 Fasting Terms to Know)
Daniel Fast and Intermittent Fasting: What are the Differences?
Ep 008: Why do Christians fast? How to start the spiritual discipline of fasting
Read more about the stories shared in this episode at danielfastjourney.com/stories.
Show Transcript
Note: Podcast transcripts are automatically generated and may contain some errors. The transcript below has been lightly edited for grammar and readability, so may not match the podcast audio verbatim.
021 7 Benefits of Christian Fasting for Spirit, Soul, and Body
Why do we fast as Christians? Maybe your pastor recently called for a corporate fast, or a friend told you about fasting or recommended a book, or maybe you've simply noticed how frequently fasting is mentioned in the Bible. Well, fasting is a Christian discipline. It's not easy. It requires commitment and perseverance, but it is highly rewarding.
And it's been done throughout church history. In today's episode, we're going to talk about seven benefits of Christian fasting, but I'll tell you from the beginning, it's important to remember that it's not all about us and what we get out of it. Fasting is about sacrifice obedience and worshiping the Lord.
However, Jesus promised a reward for fasting in Matthew chapter six, verses 16 through 18. He said
' “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.'
We're in a mini-series on Christian fasting, and chances are good that as you're listening, our latest devotional is available on Amazon and from major booksellers. This 21-day fasting devotional in the journal is called Firm Foundation. And it's all about Jesus talking about what Jesus said about fasting, how he fasted and seeking to really draw closer to Jesus and establish our firm foundation while we fast. Each day includes scripture readings, a brief devotional, a practical fasting tip, and journaling questions. Go to Amazon or ww.danielfastjourney.com to learn more.
Episode 20 was about the difference between intermittent fasting, which is primarily about physical health and wellness. And Christian fasting, which is done for spiritual motivations. There are some similarities and overlaps, but also differences. And today we're going to talk more about why we fast, the purposes and the benefits of fasting.
I've been blogging about fasting for about a decade now. I published a book called Daniel Fast Journey in 2020 and have an online fasting community.
So I've seen quite a few different examples of fasting over the years and heard lots of testimonies and stories, and also seen people's challenges and struggles when it comes to fasting.
And fasting is part of my life, but I can't say that the process becomes easier, or more enjoyable per se. On one hand, I feel reluctant when it comes time to fast, I don't enjoy depriving myself of the things that I enjoy eating. But on the other hand, after having fasted so many times and heard so many testimonies, I know how great the benefits are. So I'm willing to endure that discomfort and that temporary difficult aspect because of the fruit it brings to my life.
And when you think about it, it's like so many other areas it's working really hard on a work project for a period of time so that you can reap the benefits and the results. Or it's like working out, which feels temporarily uncomfortable in the moment, but in the long run, it makes you stronger, healthier, and more fit.
Spiritual disciplines are sometimes the same and it's especially true when it comes to fasting. So today, we're going to talk about seven of these benefits of fasting, and along the way, I'm going to share testimonies and stories from others.
And you can find these original stories in blog posts at danielfastjourney.com/stories. And if you have a story you'd like to share about fasting, I highly encourage you to go to that website. We'll leave a link in the show notes, and you can fill out the testimony form and share your story with others.
Obedience
The first benefit of fasting is obedience.
It's walking in the way. And I want to share a story. From a time I went to speak at a local church. There was a lady there who told me that she started fasting because in her quiet time, the Lord told her you need to fast. And she said I had never fasted before and nobody told me to fast. But the Lord directed me to fasting.
And then I saw it in the Bible and I started looking for resources and realized how much was out there. So simply by opening up your Bible and reading about fasting, it may seem clear to you that this is something that you need to do simply because it's a biblical practice. It's something to commit to as you follow the example of Jesus, who fasted for 40 days and nights before entering public ministry.
The apostles and church leaders fast.
And we see this in the Book of Acts and as we mentioned in the last episode, The Didache, which is also known as the teaching of the 12 apostles, dates back to the first century. And in this little tiny book, it instructs believers to fast on Wednesdays and Fridays. So there's been this long history of fasting throughout the church that we just step into this tradition into this flow.
That's been established before us. And as we heard in that opening scripture, Jesus talks about fasting in Matthew chapter six, along with giving and prayer. And he talks about them in three very parallel fashions. When you give, you should give like this. When you pray, you should pray like this. And when you fast, you should fast like this. So a lot of times, people cite that as he didn't say if you fast, but when you fast, it was as if an assumption that it was something that you would do.
And so then his purpose in his teaching about these three disciplines was that you would do it with the right heart, that you wouldn't do it for show,
you wouldn't be out on the street corner, making sure everybody knows what you're doing and it's looking at you and how holy and righteous you are. But that it's something that you would do in the private place with your father.
2. Intimacy with God
This brings me to benefit number two: intimacy with God. In the Bible. Fasting is often translated as afflicting oneself, and it's associated with mourning, repentance, and intercession. But we often take more of a modern self-help standpoint on fasting in our day and age.
It's like fasting helps to cleanse us from the inside out. Fasting helps me receive answers to my prayers. It gives me direction. It makes me feel better. And that may all be true. Those are all benefits. Those are all wonderful side effects of fasting. But consider that biblical fasting is about humbling yourself and drawing closer to the Lord. And at the end of the day, this closeness to God, this enhanced intimacy with the Lord, is the greatest reward any of us can have.
And in fact, it's the missing link that makes everything else possible. Because if we get the thing that we want, if we get the answer to the prayer request, But we miss our relationship with the Lord. We're still going to come up empty at the end of the day. We're still gonna feel that hole in our soul that we're going to be searching for. That can only be filled through our time with the Lord.
As you spend time with the Lord as you fast, be okay with not having an agenda or a checklist, don't feel like you have to do a bunch of Bible studies or accomplish a bunch of things.
Simply sit in his presence.
And one of our fasting stories, Lara V says,
most of the time I do all the talking and he patiently listens as I will admit confess and request many things of him. He rarely receives the time to respond because I am too rushed to get going to the next thing. But when I fast, I slow down and give him the floor to share his heart for me. I have found that fasting takes away the static opening up direct line to God and reigniting my relationship with Jesus. This year, the Lord has been putting his finger on something in my heart that has been a struggle for years. Learning to wait on him.
And I know most of us can probably relate to this patience isn't easy. Waiting isn't easy, especially in such a fast-paced culture where we always have so much to do. But this great benefit of fasting is learning to slow down and focus on that relationship with the Lord building intimacy with him.
3. Powered-Up Prayer Life
The third benefit is a powered-up prayer life. And I would say personally, anecdotally, based on what I've heard from others, that something changes in terms of our communication with the Father. When we fast. People report feeling closer to the Lord as they fast in just his presence, wrapping around them. But it also ignites our passion. God always hears our prayers and we can think of those prayers, like fire on the altar.
We want to keep that fire burning, always giving up our intersessions, our petitions and our praises in our worship. But fasting is like pouring gasoline on that fire. It ignites something in us. It's a purifying fire. That's able to sort through what's going on internally and make things much more clear for us. And it's not that by fasting, we're changing God or getting his attention.
Like we've been praying and praying about something, and he's ignoring us. But then when we fast, he's like, oh, well, because he fasted. Now I'm going to listen to you. Now, I'm going to answer your prayer. No, that's not how it works. But fasting changes something in us. And so sometimes it's a communication barrier where it's not so much that God isn't speaking, but that we're not listening. Or just like a radio dial that we're just not tuned into the right frequency. But when we fast, it tunes us in to have a more enhanced and dynamic prayer life.
In her fasting story, Jessica Luttrell says
pretty much every time I fast, there was a revelation of some sort. One in particular that has affected me was a vision. God gave me at the end of the week of fasting. This vision was in my family and the generations that our family would effect due to our obedience of worshiping him. That image of me and my husband and my three children and their spouses worshiping God with the generations of people behind us. Was an image I will always remember and hold onto a prayer for the future of my family.
So, also think about this: when it comes to praying and fasting, we may have our prayers, but let's be open to asking God, what should I pray for?
And how should I pray? Are we even asking the right questions? Are we making the right petitions and requests? That's something we'll only know if we ask and then stop and patiently. Listen.
4. Clarity and Focus
Benefit number four is clarity and focus. So many people in our January fast, in our community are praying for clarity.
That's a very common prayer request that we see. And in episode 20, we touched on the mental health benefits of fasting. And that's the case that even those who are fasting for purely secular reasons, for health reasons, they're doing intermittent fasting. They'll say I feel more energized and clearheaded when I fast. And you're very likely to feel the same way.
And it's partly just physiological.
It's partly getting your blood sugar even and sorting out and cleansing those internal systems of your body that then affect your mind and your ability to think and to have enough energy. You're also not busy digesting a lot of heavy food. And so that's going to give you more energy.
And then another aspect to it is that many people when they fast cut out social media and TV, And you may be surprised how much that's affecting your mental and emotional health until you do without it. Not only are you okay and you're not missing out on anything, but you may find that you feel much more positively in the knot, which will really affect your energy level. Your clarity and your focus around what you're doing.
Another thing is that it's just a distraction to be constantly scrolling on your phone, especially if it's in the middle of your Workday or as you're trying to do other things. That alone is going to improve your focus. If, along with your fasting, you're also abstaining from social media.
But more than anything, it's our intention and focus on the Lord that clears the way. That makes things clear. It makes things focused. And when we have a mindset as it says in Colossians three, one through two, which says, therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things that are above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on the things above. Not on the things that are on earth. And that's what's really going to give us clarity.
Jennifer Kosuda talks in her fasting story about finding clarity and focus in a fast.
The very first year that I did a fast was when God stirred my heart to start truly preparing my writing projects and work into a series at the time, it was just an adult series in memoir.
However, it led to other places too, with the children's series. It is also when I started to record the promptings and revelations so that I always have them as reminders and motivation.
Jen is the author of the children's book series, The Art of a Messy House. And she's also a great encourager on social media and her blog.
5. Emotional Healing
Now next I want to give the fifth. Benefit of fasting, which is emotional healing. And we often come to fasting with a list of prayer requests and that's not wrong. And in fact, I encourage you to do it. I encourage you to sit down at the beginning of your fast and list out all the prayer requests that you have big and small.
I created a list that happened to be 10 prayer requests this past January, when I fasted. And some of them, I had resolution on within that first month. Some of them. Are still TBD, but I continue to revisit them every first Wednesday. Also, the ones that are answered because it is such a great builder of faith and gratitude.
And remembering that God is faithful. But God is concerned about our hearts. His priority is doing the internal work, the work that is in us, rather than just giving us the external results of the prayer requests. And sometimes, during fasting, stuff gets really stirred up. And some of that can be spiritual warfare.
Some of it can be our flesh. Some of it can be God using an opportunity where we're so tuned into him. And we're so eager to hear from him. To really address some issues at the heart that need to be healed. And that can be a tremendous moment of revelation for us when we're fasting. And then out of that revelation comes a walking in truth and healing.
Now one personal example I have is that. For a period of time, I was in a really difficult situation. I'm going to be a little bit vague about it, but just imagine a situation when you're in a lot of strife and a lot of stress. And I just didn't know what to do about it anymore. And so I decided to fast. And I did a three-day fast, started out praying, praying, praying, very diligently for this prayer request.
And then the second day I felt completely overwhelmed by God's peace.
And this peace was so supernatural, a peace that surpasses all understanding. And it was a peace that just overtook me to the point where I truly didn't care about the outcome of this prayer request anymore. It's like, Lord, if it happens, that's great. But I also felt him reassuring me in that time, even if nothing changes. You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. It's not so much about changing those external circumstances.
It's about changing what's internal.
And so I walked out of that fast with renewed peace and with resolve and just with an assurance in the Lord. But then I could not believe it. Several years later, I was doing a 40-day fast. And during that 40-day fast, the initial prayer requests that I had prayed for those three days. Got completely resolved. And it was something that I had laid to rest.
I wasn't asking the Lord about it anymore, but he gave me complete release in that area. But I really think there was a lesson in that, that I had to resolve the internal issue first that we need to pray, not so much that our circumstances would be easier.
But that we would be strong in the Lord and the strength of his might knowing that we can do anything that's before us, as long as we're relying on the Lord and walking in righteousness and faith.
6. Building Endurance and Self-Control
The sixth benefit of fasting is building endurance and self-control. When it comes to food, we often tie our eating habits to our willpower, and there can be a lot of shame and blame in that thinking, oh my goodness. If I only had enough willpower, then I could control myself around food. I could control how much I eat and then I could lose weight. But usually, that's coming from a really toxic place, and we do need to keep in mind the effects that the processed food that we eat has on our body, stimulating our cravings and getting us trapped in the cycle of craving food.
But I think there's a difference also between an unhealthy desire for control. And the fruit of the spirit that has self-control. Because the first is about our control.
It's our personal control of the situation. The second is the fruit of the spirit, self-control, which is about yielding to the Holy Spirit.
It's not uncommon to come into fasting with white knuckling and willpower. It's just gritting the teeth. And just by force, I'm going to follow this fast, and I'm going to be successful. And again, the problem with that is, is all about. And me, me, me, but fasting is about relying on God's power, not our willpower. And say we are successful in that.
Well, all it's going to do is puff us up with pride, and then we're going to condemn others because they don't have the same willpower we do, or it's not as easy for them as it is for us. And that must be because we're superior, and we have. better faith or we're reading our Bible more while we fast.
All of that stuff…all of those condescending attitudes and criticisms are so yucky. We are not to compare ourselves to others when we're fasting. Now Galatians 5:22- 23 says the fruit of the spirit is love. And then it lists the other fruits. Joy, peace, patience, kindness. Goodness, faithfulness, gentleness. Self-control. Against such things. There is no law.
So fasting is about aligning ourselves with the Father and being led by the Holy Spirit. And that will cultivate patience, build endurance, and increase self-control. These are spiritual benefits, and yes, also practical benefits. As we fast, we can learn to see where we've become too dependent on food as a temporary bandaid, a way of addressing difficult emotions, numbing ourselves, or eating out of boredom.
So in the end, those things are going to help us improve our relationship with food.
But above all else, when it comes to this endurance, when it comes to self-control, it's about leaning on the Holy Spirit. And Donna Davis says in her fasting story.
Every time I've fasted. I've come away with a blessing. In 2022, when I started the year with the 28 day Daniel fast, the Lord gave me a revelation about the Holy Spirit's power. And my need to give him more attention throughout each day. Over the years, he was there to help me in various situations, but I was not taking advantage of his presence in my life. By spending more time reading my Bible, praying and striving to be obedient. I seek his presence more and can sense His leading.
During my most recent fast, the Lord taught me to not feel I have to have the last word when I feel I'm right about something. Although I have to keep working at it. It has already brought me more peace.
7. Physical Health
Finally, I want to close with the seventh benefit, which is our physical health. We talked about it in the last episode.
And we'll talk more in future episodes. About the physiological benefits of fasting. But what I really want to hit on here is that from a spiritual level, Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. And as we fast, we are, yes. Improving our relationship with food from a mental and emotional standpoint.
And from a physical standpoint, relearning how to nourish our bodies. In a way that's healthy in a way that God intended. And to notice, how does different food affect our bodies? Is it slowing us down? Is it making us sluggish? Is it making us cranky? Is it putting us into a bad cycle? Fasting brings us clarity in all of these areas so that not only is fasting a temporary health fix for our body. But that it can also transform.
Long-term the way that we treat our bodies and our relationship with food. Having the relationship that God intended.
Remember that, as 1 Corinthians 6:19 says, your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God; you are not your own.
So I hope you've enjoyed this episode and please go to the show and hit subscribe to make sure that you see all the future episodes.
Just a reminder and disclaimer that this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for medical advice or professional counseling. Please be sure to consult your doctor before making any changes to your diet or exercise plan or starting to fast.
If you're interested in more information about fasting and spiritual disciplines, check out www.danielfastjourney.com
