Fasting Is An Express Of Humility
15. Psalm 35:13-14 Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth and humbled myself with fasting. When my prayers returned to me unanswered, I went about mourning as though for my friend or brother. I bowed my head in grief as though weeping for my mother.
16. 1 Kings 21:25-27 When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and fasted. He lay in sackcloth and went around meekly.
Types Of Fasting People Use Today
People today use many of the same fasts people used in the Bible.
- Complete fasts are still used today. Most people undertaking this type of fast choose to do so for 1 to 3 days. Due to the extreme nature of a full fast, one should consult the advice of a medical professional before undertaking this type of fast, especially if you plan to fast for an extended period of time.
- Partial fasts are quite common today. It is a very flexible way to fast, as there are many ways to do a partial fast. Someone might forgo their morning coffee or their afternoon soda. A person could decide to consume only fruits and vegetables or to eliminate processed foods, fast foods, or sugar. The possibilities are endless, really.
- A popular type of partial fast used today is the Daniel Fast. Used by many seeking spiritual revelation and breakthrough, it focuses on limiting the types of food consumed. While on the Daniel fast, people consume only fruits, vegetables, beans and legumes, unleavened grains, and water. It typically lasts 21 days but can be for any length of time. Churches commonly use the Daniel Fast corporately, praying and fasting together for answered prayer or spiritual revelation.
- Fasting often centers around food, but it doesnt have to. Today many people fast other things instead. Some non-food things people might forgo during a fast are social media, electronics, hobbies, or any other worldly thing or activity that takes up time that could be used for seeking God.
Prayer And Fasting Quotes
Prayer is reaching out after the unseen fasting is letting go of all that is seen and temporal. Fasting helps express, deepen, confirm the resolution that we are ready to sacrifice anything, even ourselves to attain what we seek for the kingdom of God. ~ Andy Murray
Our prayers and fastings are of less avail, unless they are aided by almsgiving. ~ Cyprian
We must continue in prayer if we are to get an outpouring of the Spirit. Christ says there are some things we shall not get, unless we pray and fast, yes, prayer and fasting. We must control the flesh and abstain from whatever hinders direct fellowship with God. ~ Bonar Law
Bear up the hands that hang down, by faith and prayer support the tottering knees. Have you any days of fasting and prayer? Storm the throne of grace and persevere therein, and mercy will come down. ~ John Wesley
Man shall not live by bread alone. ~ Matthew McConaughey
I desired as many as could to join together in fasting and prayer, that God would restore the spirit of love and of a sound mind to the poor deluded rebels in America. ~ John Wesley
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Fasting Can Help Us To Become More Like Christ
As we deny ourselves and take up our cross daily, we are following in Jesus footsteps. As we do this, we can expect to see His character formed in us. We will become more patient, kind, humble, and self-controlled.
These are just a few of the advantages of fasting. If you have never tried it, why not give it a try? You may be surprised at how God will use it in your life!
Verses To Read When Fasting For A Relationship
Psalms 68:6 God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land.
Isaiah 34:16 Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them.
1 Corinthians 7:9But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
Psalm 27:14Wait for the Lord be strong, and let your heart take courage wait for the Lord!
Genesis 2:18 And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone I will make him an help meet for him.
Proverbs 18:22He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.
Genesis 2:24Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
2 Corinthians 6:14Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?
2 Peter 3:9The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
Hebrews 13:4Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.
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Bible Verses About Prayer And Fasting
Here are a few Bible verses on fasting.
In Matthew 6, verses 16 through 18, we are instructed to not make it obvious as the hypocrites doBut when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. The valuable instruction given by Jesus here is that fasting should be done secretly, not publicly.
We have fasted before you! they say. Why arent you impressed? We have been very hard on ourselves, and you dont even notice it! I will tell you why! I respond. Its because you are fasting to please yourselves. Even while you fast, you keep oppressing your workers. What good is fasting when you keep on fighting and quarreling? This kind of fasting will never get you anywhere with me. Isaiah 58:3-4
Here is an example of how not to fast. When fasting, the primary goal is to seek God. When we are ardently seeking God, our attitude is one of humility, love, joy, and peace. Obviously, this is not the attitude exhibited in the verse above. As a result, Isaiah says that their prayers will not be heard. Ouch! As you can see here, attitude is everything when it comes to reaping the benefits of fasting.
Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions. Ezra 8:21
How To Fast As A Christian
Matthew 6:17-18 tells us what we need to do before we fast. "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."
1. First set a time and date to seek the face of God
2. Ensure you abstain from eating that morning of your fasting
3. Go to a quite place or in your room away from any distraction
4. Switch off your mobile phone or put in silence and store it away from you
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5. Start by worshiping and praising God in your dialect
6. Go on your knees before God and first repent of your sins
7. When praying, abstain from shouting so no one else knows that you are fasting and praying
8. When praying avoid vain repetitions just like the heathens do Matthew 6:7
9. Fasting is not the place for you to be asking God for wealth or riches etc. but rather pray to God for wisdom, open encounter, pray for God to show you your future, pray for divine direction, pray for God to kill any sinful habit in your life like sexual immorality, evil thoughts in your heart, and so on
10. When fasting, humble yourself before God Almighty
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The Complete Biblical Fast
A complete fast could last from part of a day to an entire day to several days or weeks. This was the most common in the scripture so Ill just list a few fasting and prayer scriptures to help you see the pattern.
Go, assemble all the Jews who are found in Susa, and fast for me do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maidens also will fast in the same way. And thus I will go in to the king, which is not according to the law and if I perish, I perish.
Yet even now, declares the Lord,Return to Me with all your heart,And with fasting, weeping and mourning
Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God to seek from Him a safe journey for us, our little ones, and all our possessions. For I was ashamed to request from the king troops and horsemen to protect us from the enemy on the way, because we had said to the king, The hand of our God is favorably disposed to all those who seek Him, but His power and His anger are against all those who forsake Him. So we fasted and sought our God concerning this matter, and He listened to our entreaty.
Even the lost saw God move through a Complete Fast
The people of Nineveh observed a fast that turned the hand of Gods wrath away.
These were a people who were far from God, enemies of Gods people. Still, we see God loves people, God cares for us even when we are struggling through sin!
Dont Fast To Be Seen As Spiritual
17. Matthew 6:17-18 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 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.
18. Luke 18:9-12 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: God, I thank you that I am not like other peoplerobbers, evildoers, adulterersor even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.
Reminders
19. Luke 18:1 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.
20. Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
21. Ecclesiastes 3:1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.
22. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances for this is Gods will for you in Christ Jesus.
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Fasting As A Metaphor For Sacrificial Love
Isaiah 58:3-7
Why have we fasted, they say, and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?
Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers. Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high.
Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for people to humble themselves? Is it only for bowing ones head like a reed and for lying in sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD?
Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
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Fasting should have a clear purpose and it must be clearly defined. However, people in the Bible fasted and prayed because they wanted something specific to happen. Fasting is taking your mind off of the things of this world in order to focus more on the things of God.
Fasting is the connection between you and God. With various types of fasting, it is therefore important to fast not because there is no money to feed or you wanted the world to know that you are fasting. Bible should be the standard or backing for your fasting and prayers. For example, if you embark on serious fast without prayers, then its just a spiritual exercise done in vanity.
Bible Verses To Take During Fasting And Prayers
1. 1 Thess 5:17 & 19, Pray without ceasing. Vs 19, Quench not the Spirit.
2. Isaiah 58:6,Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness,to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
3. Nehemiah 1:4, And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,
4. Acts 13:2-3, While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.
13.And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.
WARFARE SCRIPTURES
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Inspiring Quotes About Fasting
We hope these Bible verses about fasting offering words of wisdom will persuade us to fast during this Lent season as a personal spiritual exercise. We expect these quotes about fasting will stimulate more believers to make it a regular part of their lives. These quotes about fasting will enable us to keep the focus and faith firmly on God during this season of soul searching and reconciliation with our beloved Father.
Our collection of Bible Verses by Topic will encourage you to read the Word of God daily, will target the very issue you are dealing with at the moment, and motivate you to find your strength in Jesus Christ.
Encouraging Bible Verses About Fasting
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A Partial Biblical Fast
A Partial fast can also be called a 3 day spiritual fast. In Daniel, we also see believers who ate fruit, veggies and drank water for 10 days to honor God while in captivity.
Please test your servants for ten days, and let us be given some vegetables to eat and water to drink.
The Daniel Fast is a partial fast that has gotten a lot of attention in the past decade. The basic idea behind this fast is to have no meat, no tasty bread, no wine, no oils for his skin, for 21 days.
- I did not eat any tasty food, nor did meat or wine enter my mouth, nor did I use any ointment at all until the entire three weeks were completed.
- So I gave my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes.
These would have been things that satisfied Daniel.
The world latches onto the specifics of his fasting because of the power that came and the answers to prayer that he saw but what they miss is that fasting and prayer were his habits.
The Daniel fast was not powerful because of what Daniel gave up, but rather because of the humility of Daniels life.
Bible Verses To Read When Fasting For A Job
Psalm 37:4Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalms 90:17 And let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us And establish thou the work of our hands upon us Yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
2 Thessalonians 3:10 For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.
Matthew 7:7 Keep on asking and it will be given you keep on seeking and you will find keep on knocking and will be opened to you.
Colossians 3:23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men
Exodus 5:18 Go now and work. No straw will be given you, but you must still deliver the same number of bricks.
Proverbs 24:27 Prepare your work outside and get it ready for yourself in the field and afterward build your house and establish a home.
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Psalm 27:14Wait for the Lord be strong, and let your heart take courage wait for the Lord!
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