"And he said unto them,this kind can come forth by nothing,but by prayer and fasting." (Mark 9:29 KJV)
What is Fasting?
Fasting can be defined as abstinence from food or water for spiritual purposes.
•It is the spiritual discipline which means to voluntarily reduce or eliminate your intake of food for the specific time and purpose.
•It is for concentration on the Lord,His holiness,kingdom and purposes.
•Isaiah 58:1-11; Fasting means giving something up in our lives.Like in the season of Lent many people choose either way of fasting.
•Fasting is away to draw closer to God.When life gives us unique circumstances or decisions that need to be made,it is important to reach out to God and fasting helps strengthen our focus on God.
•Jesus emphasizes that there are things that will not go without fasting and prayer because in fasting,you are trusting God for Deliverance from certain bondage or challenge such as demonic attacks,failure, sickness, sinful nature among others.(Mark 9:29)
•Matthew 6:16-18 challenges us that fasting shouldn't be obvious to men but to our father(God) who is unseen.It is not to earn our reward from the attention we get but from God.
Types of fasting
•Absolute fasting.
When you abstain from food and drink of any kind for a short period of time.Esther underwent 3 days fast(Esther 4:16)
•Supernatural fast.
Abstaining from food and water for a longer period of time.Moses underwent 40 days fast.( Exodus 34:28,Deut.9:9,18-19).Jesus also fasted 40 days(Matt.4:1-2)
•Regular fast/Complete or Total fast.
When you abstain from all food and drink except for water.
•Partial fast.
This involves abstaining from particular type of food.Daniel and his friends found healthier than their counterparts a ten day's trial.(Daniel 1:1-20,10:3-9).
Why fasting?
•As believers we fast because,it helps to create a stronger relationship with God.It helps us to see God work in our lives,put aside distractions and focus on God.
•Fasting is designed to humble us and help us draw closer to God.(Esther 4,Psalm 35:13, 69:10, Ezra 8:21)
•It is an act of repentance.To seek God's forgiveness.(Jonah 3:5-9,Joel 2:12-13,Psalm 51)
•Fasting is a reaction to intense grief.(1Sam.31:13, Nehemiah 1:4,Daniel 9:3-4,Mark 9:28-29)
•Fasting is for God's deliverance.(2Chronicles 20:3-4,Esther 4)
•Fasting is for guidance, help, strength and His will.(Acts 14:23, 2Cor.6:5, Matt.4:2,6:16-18, Luke 2:37,Isaiah 58:3-10)
•Fasting is to help us hear God clearly.It is a powerful spiritual weapon and discipline.
•Through fasting and prayer,the Holy Spirit can transform our lives, reveal our true spiritual condition.
•Fasting helps us to focus on God and our relationship with him.
•Fasting helps us overcome temptations and resist the enemies attacks.Jesus in the wilderness was able to defeat the devil's tricks (Matthew 4)
•In Fasting,there's no need of showing the world that we are fasting.It should be between us and to our unseen God who sees what is done in secret to reward us or even answer our prayers.
•The intention is to seek and find God even if He is far from us.
•The orientation we have to undertake is to subdue our flesh by fasting.Feed the body with the spiritual food.Deny the body the natural food while seeking Him.(Jeremiah 29:13; "you will seek me and find me ,when you seek me with all your heart."
•This is all about seeking the Lord through fasting and prayer.Drawing closer to God not any other thing or person.Amen.

Let's Pray 🙏
May the almighty Lord direct and guide us on the right way to fast.May we fast with a reason that glorifies God.Amen