The Need to Fast

"Jesus has many lovers of His kingdom of heaven,
but he has few bearers of His Cross.
Many desire His consolation,
but few desire His tribulation.
He finds many comrades in eating and drinking,
but He finds few hands who will be with Him in His abstinence and fasting...
But those who love Jesus purely for Himself,
and not for their own profit or convenience,
bless Him as heartily in temptation and tribulation
and in all other adversities
as they do in time of consolation.
And if He never sent them consolation,
they would still bless and praise Him."

Thomas a Kempis

Fasting is one of those areas that has largly eluded the American Church.
Below is an outline of a sermon
given by Pastor Dave Hess of Christ Community Church
in Camp Hill Pennsylvania (Christcc.org)
on the subject of why we should fast in obedience to Christ's command.


Sunday 1-10-10 Pastor Dave Hess
Christ Community Church
Camp Hill, Pennsylvania

Why Should We Fast?

Matthew 6:16 NAS
16"Whenever you fast,
do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do,
for they neglect their appearance
so that they will be noticed by men
when they are fasting
Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.

Notice it says “When you fast,” not if you fast.

Fasting is not about performance…
Nor about comparison…

Fasting is about being connected,
having a deepening connection
Intimacy with God.

Matthew 16:1 NAS
1"Beware of practicing your righteousness before men
to be noticed by them;
otherwise you have no reward
with your Father who is in heaven.

God’s heart is not to deprive us of anything…
His purpose is to fill us with His presence


1. We fast to show that there is a higher priority in life
than to simply exist.
i.e. King stomach, please meet King JESUS

2. We fast because we have a desire to hear God
Fasting serves to filter worldly things our of the way
So we can focus on the Lord and hear Him better

3. We fast when we are longing for a breakthrough
Self, family, church, work, city, state, nation(s)
2 Chronicles 7:14
14 and if My people who are called by My name
humble themselves
and pray
and seek My face
and turn from their wicked ways,
then I will hear from heaven,
will forgive their sin
and will heal their land.

The main focus in fasting
is to spend more time with the Lord.

Seeking First His Kingdom

Matthew 6:33 NAS
But seek first his kingdom
and his righteousness,
and all these things will be given to you as well.

Result in seeking His Kingdom first and His priorities:

a. Deeper more intimate relationship with God
b. Greater power manifest in our ministry for God
c. Powerful cleansing work
Body - removes toxins (healing)
Soul - removes mental distractions
Spirit- removes strongholds
d. Humbles us before God

Mark 2:20-22 NAS
20"But the days will come
when the bridegroom is taken away from them,
and then they will fast in that day.
21"No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment;
otherwise the patch pulls away from it,
the new from the old, and a worse tear results.
22"No one puts new wine into old wineskins;
otherwise the wine will burst the skins,
and the wine is lost and the skins as well;
but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins."

We acquire new wineskins
when we spend time fasting and praying

Everyone born of the Spirit is like the wind
flexible, pliable, powerful

John 3:8 NAS
The wind blows wherever it pleases.
You hear its sound,
but you cannot tell where it comes from
or where it is going.
So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

4. Fasting Releases Greater Faith
Matthew 17:20-21 NAS
"When the disciples couldn’t rebuke
an unclean spirit from a child
Jesus told them:
20And He said to them,
"Because of the littleness of your faith;
for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.
21["But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."]

We desire to have increased faith
because it is impossible to please God without faith.

Hebrews 11:6 NAS
"And without faith it is impossible to please God,
because anyone who comes to him
must believe that he exists
and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."

5 We fast because it increases our wisdom
a. Daniel
b. Solomon
c. Joseph

We influence the spirit of infirmity through fasting

We Fast for Powerful and lasting breakthroughs
Saul was powerfully converted
and then transformed during a period of prayer and fasting.

7. Prayer and Fasting Change the Environment
Salt on the ice
Light in a dark room
2 Chronicles 7:14
14 and if My people who are called by My name
humble themselves
and pray
and seek My face
and turn from their wicked ways,
then I will hear from heaven,
will forgive their sin
and will heal their land.

Prayer and Fasting can turn twisted ways
into a straightened pathway.

After Jesus fasted
the word says
he healed all who were oppressed by the devil

Acts 10:38 NAS
38"You know of Jesus of Nazareth,
how God anointed Him
with the Holy Spirit and with power,
and how He went about doing good
and healing all who were oppressed by the devil,
for God was with Him.

When Jesus is our priority
He sustains us.

All we need is added
as we trust our lives into the Lord’s hands.

A Three Fold Chord:

We are to be devoted to”
Giving
Fasting
Prayer

Ecclesiastes 4:12 NAS

12And if one can overpower him who is alone,
two can resist him.
A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.


30 fkj