Part 3 in the Series of Prayer and Fasting
If you are curious about the benefits of fasting and prayer, I’m glad you are seeking answers. We have learned what humility is and its importance while fasting in Part 1 of this series. In Part 2, we also learned that Jesus expects His followers to fast as necessary. Let’s dive in and see how a time of fasting and prayer can benefit us.
Jesus taught us the importance of fasting, which still applies to Christians today. When we are humble before God, spiritual benefits will follow. Let’s discover those benefits for ourselves!
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Biblical Definition of Fasting
A biblical definition of fasting is going without food or sustenance for a specific period. In some Biblical examples, God instructed His people to go without food and water, including the animals. Their obedience was meant to accomplish a specific end.
Today, when we talk about fasting, we voluntarily go without food and drink only water.
Isaiah 58:1-14 describes the kind of fast God has chosen. The Hebrews understood the term “afflict thy soul” (Isaiah 58:5) to mean going without food.
Many people cannot abstain from food for medical reasons. They may choose to deny themselves something else they value, such as television or social media.
Since fasting involves humility and the attitude of our hearts, the abstinence we choose should bring us closer to God as we trust Him during this fasting period.
Also, I should mention that this post is not about fasting for weight loss or weight management. This is not the Biblical definition of fasting. When weight loss is the goal of fasting, your thoughts will focus on the lack of food and your daily weight rather than on God and prayer.
10 Benefits of Fasting and Prayer
Food is necessary for life. We need nourishment for energy and strength. If you go without food too long, you can get sick and die.
Fasting is not a death sentence. Going without food can be. The difference is in your choice. Food is available, but you choose not to eat, or you don’t have food when you need it. It’s a heart thing.
When we fast for spiritual breakthroughs, we may reap benefits we don’t expect.
1 – A Time of Fasting Will Gain A Deeper Intimacy With God
Fasting and prayer deepen our relationship with God; when we willingly give up food to spend time with Him, we grow closer to Him.
David longed for God’s presence, crying out night and day in Psalm 42:1-3; again, in Psalm 63:1-11, we see how deeply he longed for God.
In our time of fasting and prayer, we, too, will have that deeper intimacy with God.
2 – Answers to Fervent Prayer is One of the Benefits of Fasting
Sometimes we do not see the results we are seeking in our regular prayers. While we cannot control or manipulate God to answer our prayers the way we want, God sees your heart and responds according to His plan.
Please understand that God often answers earnest, fervent prayer that doesn’t stem from fasting.
However, sometimes fervent prayer goes hand in hand with the added boost of fasting before God. You may have an unusual request for which you are seeking an answer. Whether you fast and pray regularly, you always have access to Christ, Romans 5:2; Ephesians 2:18; 3:12.
3 – A Time of Fasting Will Develop Humility Before God
It may not seem like it, but humility before God is one of many benefits of fasting.
Fasting from food for any length of time is humbling. We need food to survive. So when believers voluntarily “afflict their soul” by fasting, they humble themselves. When your heart truly seeks God, He will see your motive and respond to your heart’s cry.
Developing humility means recognizing who you are in relation to God. He is sovereign and mighty, just and righteous. Yet, He is merciful and gracious, kind and loving.
As you approach God with a reverent heart and voluntarily give up the necessity of life (your food), God will respond as He said in 2 Chronicles 7:14.
4 – Gain Wisdom and Understanding
King Solomon wrote much about the importance of gaining wisdom and understanding. These two things go hand in hand. The Book of Proverbs teaches much about wisdom, as does spending time in God’s presence.
When Daniel sought the LORD for help, he fasted for 21 days to gain understanding and wisdom for his situation. Daniel 10:12; 14 tells us that God heard Daniel’s heart, saw his humility in fasting and sent an angel to help him understand.
As you fast and pray, believe that God will give you wisdom and understanding. Not only for what you are praying for, but for every area of your life. He will give you a clear mind and better understanding.
5 – Authority over Demonic Strongholds
You may be fasting to break the devil’s strongholds in your life or others’. While you can break strongholds by commanding evil spirits and using the name of Jesus, fasting can add more spiritual power to that work.
Some strongholds are stronger than others, meaning they may have been nagging the believer longer, or the evil spirits behind them are simply stronger.
Either way, fasting and prayer will equip you to break the bonds of wickedness (Isaiah 58:6). And as Jesus said in Mark 9:29, sometimes fasting is required to cast out certain kinds of demons.
Through deep, fervent prayer, we can overcome many demonic strongholds. When we fast, we add a spiritual weapon to our prayers that will break the bonds of wickedness and the heavy yoke (Isaiah 58:6).
Remember this verse in Zechariah 4:6:
… Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.
6 – Repentance and Salvation
Jonah 3:4-10 tells of Jonah reluctantly obeying God and delivering God’s message to the people of Nineveh…to repent of their wicked ways. That message led the entire city to repent before God. Their change of heart caused God to spare them for 100 years.
You may be earnestly seeking salvation for loved ones through times of fasting and prayer. The result may come immediately, soon after, or even weeks or months later, but God will answer. He desires that all be saved to eternal life (John 3:16), so this prayer aligns with God’s will.
You may also want to read 7 Benefits of Biblical Fasting: How to Fast the Right Way by Kelly R. Baker, who gives fasting tips to help you get started.
7 – A Time of Fasting Will Result in Personal Victories in Your Life
Another of the benefits of fasting and prayer is receiving personal victories in your life. You may pray for self-control or self-discipline in a certain area of your life, and soon after your time of fasting, you may begin to notice the victory in that area.
We are not perfect, but we are not powerless. Developing a habit of regular fasting increases our awareness of our personal weaknesses and helps us pray for victory in those areas.
James 4:1-10 reminds us that our bodies want what they want, but the Spirit of God living in us helps us overcome the temptations we face. In this passage, we are told to submit to God, resist the devil, draw close to God, and humble ourselves in God’s sight, and He will lift us up.
8 – Gaining Heaven’s Perspective is One of the Benefits of Fasting
Look again at Isaiah 58:1-14. From God’s perspective, He saw the people’s outward appearance of fasting, but their hearts were in the wrong place. They weren’t taking their fast seriously, as they enjoyed their daily pleasures.
When we fast, God expects us to humble ourselves (2 Chronicles 7:14) so we can see the situation as God sees it. He sees the big picture and has a specific time for everything to be accomplished. We see with limited vision and wonder why God doesn’t answer us right away. Remember that God is sovereign and has our best interests in mind.
As we spend time seeking God in fasting and prayer, we will begin to see two things: ourselves as He sees us, and the situation we’re praying for as He sees it.
God will reward our time fasting and praying before Him as we see the glory of the LORD (Isaiah 58:8).
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9 – God’s Protection and Help
A biblical example appears in 2 Chronicles 20:1-37 (an amazing story of victory), when God’s people were attacked by the Ammonites and Moabites.
King Jehoshaphat and his people fasted before they went into battle. In 2 Chronicles 20:15, God told them the battle was not theirs but His. He would be with them and deliver them (2 Chronicles 20:17). Their fasting and seeking God resulted in a dramatic deliverance.
Esther (Esther 4:16) and Ezra (Ezra 8:21-23) also fasted for God’s intervention and protection. Read more about this in Why Humility and Fasting Go Together.
If you want divine intervention, seek God through prayer and fasting!
When we fast and pray, we also receive God’s intervention in our circumstances. We are targeted by the enemy and need God’s divine help in winning the victory.
10 – Commissioned to Ministry
In Acts 13:1-3, the teachers and prophets, along with several other men, fasted as they sought the Lord for direction. The Holy Spirit responded by directing them to send out Barnabas and Saul to the place He was calling them.
Then, notice in Acts 13:3 that they fasted a second time before sending them out. This time they also laid hands on them before sending them out into the mission field.
In the early church, it was common to fast and pray for God’s will when ordaining elders. Acts 14:23 says they did this in every church, indicating that fasting was a regular practice.
God may be calling you into a new area of ministry. If so, it would be wise to spend time in fasting and prayer to seek His will. You may even ask others to join you as you seek God’s will for your life.
Wrapping Up the Benefits of Fasting
There you go. You now know at least 10 benefits of fasting along with the four kinds of fasts that one could practice.
One more thing to remember: the goal of fasting is not simply to receive the benefits; it is primarily to draw closer to God as you petition Him with your request(s).
Do you fast periodically or regularly? What have you benefited the most from fasting and prayer?
~ Prayer and Fasting Series Posts ~
- Part 1 – Why Humility and Fasting Go Together. Before declaring a fast, check your motive!
- Part 2 – Prayer and Fasting: New Testament Teaching. Learn what Jesus said about fasting and whether His followers should fast today.
- Part 4 – 10 Proven Types of Fasting in the Bible. Coming soon. There is a difference between a kind of fast and a type of fast. We’ll look at 10 types of fasts proven and tested by well-known biblical characters. One of these may be the type of fast for you!
- Part 5 – How to Start a Fast and The Best Way to Break a Fast. Coming Soon. This is chock-full of good information to properly start and end a fast.
