How to Fast for Spiritual Breakthrough | Season 03, Episode 05 | Simple Truth Podcast

Have you ever tried fasting and wondered if you were doing it right? Or maybe you need a spiritual breakthrough, but you don't know where to start. In our last episode, we uncovered why fasting leads to spiritual breakthrough. Now, we're getting practical. This episode is all about how to fast, the different types of fasts, and how to approach it in a way that positions your heart for a real breakthrough from God. We'll break down the discipline of biblical fasting step by step from absolute fasts to partial fasts, water fasts, and even group fasts. So you know what's behind each one and how to do it wisely. This isn't for show. This is not to punish your body, but it's to humble your soul, sharpen your spirit, and open the door for God to move in your life. If you want to see God move, gain clarity about your purpose in life, and experience spiritual breakthroughs by fasting, this episode is for you. Let's get into it in this episode of The Simple Truth. Welcome to the Simple Truth Podcast, where we open the Bible to uncover simple, biblical, and essential truths that can transform your life. And now, here's your host, Ted Ross. Hi, my name is Ted Ross and this is the Simple Truth Podcast, your home for biblical truth clearly taught and freely given. Now, we're discussing season 3, episode 5. Last episode we talked about why fasting leads to spiritual breakthrough. This episode we talk about how to fast for spiritual breakthrough. Let's get into it. Why does this episode matter? Well, first of all, it's more than just inspiration. We need instruction on how to fast, right? This episode shows you exactly how to fast. Whether you're turning back to God in deep repentance or if you're urgently seeking God's direction or maybe you're just pressing in for a true spiritual breakthrough. Right? Last episode we learned that fasting it changes the soil of your heart. This episode shows you how to cultivate that soil. When you need clarity, when you need mercy, when you need God's intervention, fasting positions you to hear God, turn to God, and overcome your issues. If you've ever been stuck or distracted, or if you're spiritually dry, this episode shows you how fasting is a key discipline for spiritual breakthrough. So, let's start by recapping the last episode, episode 4. Why does fasting actually lead to spiritual breakthrough? We discussed this in depth in episode 4, but let's cover a few key points that are worth reminding us of. We learned that fasting is not dieting. It's denying your flesh to awaken your spirit. Breakthroughs, they don't come from more information. They actually come from heart transformation. Through the parable of the sewer that we read in Mark chapter 4, we saw that the seed that the sewer is sewing is actually God's word. And the soil in the parable is our heart. So fasting transforms the condition of that soil aka our heart so God's word can take root in our heart and produce fruit aka breakthroughs. A hardened wayside heart that we saw in the parable of the sewer, it actually blocks the word. Whereas the shallow stony heart, it actually quits under pressure. the distracted thorny heart. It actually chokes God's word with worldly desires. So fasting softens and strengthens our heart so that it's good ground. It's a good heart so we could bear real fruit. When it's done God's way, fasting does a lot of things we discussed last episode. It breaks yolks. It lifts burdens. It brings healing. It releases clarity. And it positions the Lord as your defense. I don't know about you, but I want and need every one of those things. So, what is fasting again? Well, the basics of fasting. I'll remind you of them. Fasting is voluntarily choosing not to eat food and sometimes drink for a spiritual purpose. In the Bible, fasting was practiced in several ways. And in this episode, we're going to go into great detail as to various biblical types of fasts. And of course, you could prayerfully choose your own approach, but there are two common examples that I'd like to start off with that you could say are traditions that you often saw in the Bible. First of all was this idea of a one-day fast. So, we saw this in scripture between sunrise and sunset where people would fast by abstaining from food for the day and while typically allowing water. Okay. A second form of fast that was common in the Bible is a multi-day fast. And the multi-day fast had two a couple approaches to it, two flavors, if you don't mind the joke. First of all, in a multi-day fast, you could abstain from normal, enjoyable food. So, you would eat very simple meals. Meals you really don't like, but they keep you alive. The second way is to reduce your overall intake where you're actually staying hungry and you're still eating, but you're eating a very small amount and you're kind of unsatisfied during the course of a multi-day fast. So, there's a one-day fast, typically found in the Bible, in which you did not eat, but you would drink water for an entire day. The second one are the multi-day fasts, where you would abstain from eating normal, enjoyable foods, or else eating just smaller amounts of food so that you're staying hungry, but you're still eating. These are common examples in the New Testament, but of course, like I said, over the course of this episode, we're going to get into a lot more details. Overall though, as you choose your fast, seek God's guidance. Focus on humbling your soul and try to draw near to God during the fast. Don't just skip meals. One note, this teaching, it's spiritual guidance. It's not medical advice. So, please consider your health and consult with a health professional if needed. So, biblical reasons for fasting. Okay. So, if that is what fasting is, and that's kind of at a high level how it occurred in the Bible, some good examples of it, but what are the reasons why God's people would fast in the scriptures? Because that might give you insight as to why you would fast or even how you would fast. So, why should we fast today is what I'm getting at. And that leads us to our first simple truth of this episode. Christians typically fast for repentance, direction, or breakthrough. Let's take a look at it. Let's start talking about a fast for repentance. Joel 2 12 and 13. In this verse, we're going to see that fasting can show sincere repentance and a wholehearted turning back to God. Joel 2:12. Now, therefore, says the Lord, turn to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning. That expression, turn to me with all your heart, means to return, to repent with your inner self, with your soul and your spirit. That's really what it means when we say the heart. We see that unseen part of you. Turn yourself back to God with your soul, your will, intellect, or your emotions, and your spirit. He says, "Turn back to me with fasting." Remember, fasting in the Hebrew means to abstain from food, possibly drink, to humble yourself, to intensify prayer, and to seek God's intervention. Specifically in this context, it's about repentance. It's about changing your mind, having another mind, and turning back to God because of some mistake that you made because you sinned against God. And God says to do that, to come to him, turn to him with all your heart, to do it with fasting, and to also do it with weeping, to do it with sorrow, to do it with emotional honesty, and to do it with mourning. Right? Deep grief over sin, from your separation from God. Remember, sin isn't just doing something bad. It's not just falling short. It separates us from God. Maybe the greatest example of this was Adam and Eve. their sins separated them out of Eden. And when we look at our life, when we do things contrary to God's will, we often feel a real conviction and a real separation. And that's not how we want to live. And that's not the relationship we want with God. God will always respond to fasting. That's a part of repentance and regret and a turn back to God. Joel 2 verse 13. In this verse, we're going to see that fasting and heartfelt repentance, they actually bring about God's mercy and restoration. And when you are repenting from something, restoration is exactly what you want. Joel 2:13, so rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness, and he relents from doing harm. Joel 2:13 says, "Rend your heart." That means to tear apart your inner self. He says, "Don't tear apart your garments, your clothes. Instead, tear apart your heart." That's what I want you to do. I'm not looking for the outward display or the outward show. Especially God does not want you to do that in front of a bunch of other people to get people to look at you and to admire you. No, no, no, no. God wants you to tear apart your inside, your inner heart. He says, "Return to the Lord your God. Turn back. Reorient your life to God. You are going down the wrong path. So repent. Change your mind. Have another mind. Turn back to God. It's powerful. It's great." By the way, God will never send you away. God will never look at you and say, "Your sin was too great and you're too filthy. Jesus Christ died for your sins. He was buried and he rose again the third day." And honestly, you weren't even looking for God and you weren't even seeking God when Jesus died for you. And if you are now trying to turn back to God, if you were trying to repent from something that was done wrong, that something you knew you shouldn't be doing, God will welcome you with open arms. We see this in verse after verse after verse. But when you return to the Lord, you're going to need to reorient yourself. You're going to need to rendge your heart. You're going to tear yourself apart on the inside. You're going to need to come back with contrition. You need to be contrite. You're going to need to be emotionally honest. It says, "For God is gracious and merciful. He gives favor without you deserving it." That's what it means to be gracious. And God won't punish you with what you deserve. And that's what it means to be merciful. Thank God. And he will relent from doing harm. God can change his course of action. He may actually pause judgment because you fasted and you came to him with a repentant heart. Praise God. Fasting for repentance is the heartfelt turning back to God. It's marked by sorrow for your sin, for falling short, by doing wrong. It's marked by humility, and it's marked by a sincere desire to be restored back to God. What about fasting for direction? That's a second great example in the Bible. So, we're going to take a look at Acts 13:es 2 and 3. In here, we see that God guides his people when they earnestly seek him. Fasting can actually be an important part of discerning God's will and God's direction for your life. Acts 13:2 As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, quote, "Now separate to me Barnabas and Saul for the work which I have called them." So it says, "As they ministered to the Lord, as the disciples and the apostles were there ministering to the Lord, that means they were actively serving and worshiping God and they fasted." Here it is in Greek, much like how that word is in Hebrew, it means to abstain from food for spiritual reasons. Fasting, as we see in this verse, it's a way of removing distraction. It's a way of humbling ourselves. So our heart is in the posture to receive clear guidance from the Holy Spirit. They were at a crossroads. They needed direction from God. So what did they do? They actively served God. They worshiped God. And they fasted. They abstained from food. And when they did it, God spoke to them and gave them direction. Fasting is not just about abstaining from food. It's about creating space for God to speak so that you could hear hear his direction for your life. Specifically in this context, we're going to take a look at Acts 13:3. And here we see that Christians in the Bible, they didn't act on guesswork. They didn't run around with feelings. They didn't go around making stuff up. They actually prayed and they fasted to discern God's will. Acts 13:3 then having fasted and prayed and laid hands on them, they sent them away. That's Barnabas and Saul. How did Christians behave? We see this here in Acts 13:3. Notice they fasted. Notice they ministered to the Lord. Notice they prayed. And when they did those things, they heard God. And then after they heard God, they took action. Right? This is how Christians behave. We worship God. We fast. We pray, we hear God's voice, and then we act on that voice. So, they sought God with fasting. They abstained from distractions. They didn't have foods or comforts. They weren't sitting around playing video games to try to hear God. They weren't listening to a bunch of secular music or going to an amusement park. These weren't the things they did. I'm not judging any of those things, but these weren't things they did to hear God. They abstained from food. They abstained from comfort. And they focused on God. They prayed for guidance. They asked God to make his will clear to them. They listened for the Holy Spirit. They were attentive to God's voice, God's instructions, God's confirmations to them. And then when they heard what the Holy Spirit had to say, they responded in faith. They acted on God's direction. This is what Christians do, folks. Fasting is not just for personal breakthrough. We discuss that a lot. We say, "Listen, if you've got challenges, if you've got problems, if you need clarity, you should go fast." That's great. It's really good. But it's not just about that, is it? We just saw here in Acts 13, we saw group, right? We're going to discuss a little later what a group fast is, but we saw a group of people who use fasting as a tool to hear God's voice and to receive direction, not just as an individual, but as a group. Let's talk about fasting for breakthrough. Okay, we're going to go to Ezra 8:es 21-23. And here we're going to see Ezra who was a priest. He proclaimed a fast for breakthrough acknowledging complete dependence on God rather than their own strength or their own resources. Ezra 8 21 quote 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 proclaimed a fast. He called a fast to humble Israel before God to seek direction and to prepare for a breakthrough because as we're going to see in a verse or two, there were enemies in the way and they needed to get through those obstacles to seek from him the right way. They fasted and prayed to get the path, to get the direction. Which way do you want us to go, God? Ezra fasted not just for himself, as you could see here, but he fasted on behalf of others. He humbled himself. He urged others to humble themselves to seek God's favor and protection. They were asking for a breakthrough so they could safely leave Babylon and overcome the major obstacles during that journey. Ezra 8:22, quote, "For I was ashamed to request of the king an escort of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemies on the road. Because we had spoken to the king, saying, "The hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek him. But his power and his wrath are against all those who forsake him." Ezra spoke the truth to the king, so he wasn't going to ask the king for an escort. We see here that Ezra trusted God over human protection, relying on God for safety, believing that a breakthrough would come from anyone who would seek God, not from worldly help. Ezra said, "I was ashamed." Ezra knew that they should be relying on God and not the king. He said, "The hand of God is on those who seek him. God blesses those who earnestly pursue him, such as through fasting and prayer." Ezra 8:23. And here we're going to see that fasting, it can be most effective when it's paired with prayer, which is going to be the fourth discipline that we're going to discuss in a future episode. Specific requests as well as a dependence on God rather than looking to other people. Okay. Ezra 8:23, quote, "So we fasted and intreated our God for this and he answered our prayer." Fasting is often not an end in itself. Often you're fasting and during your fasting, you're reading God's word. you're meditating on God's word or in this case they're intreating and they're praying to God, right? It helps you humble your heart. It helps you heighten your spiritual sensitivity. You could say it this way, fasting is a force multiplier. It takes the prayer. It takes the reading. It takes the meditating and it magnifies it because you're fasting. The breakthrough came when they humbled themselves in fasting and when they intreated God or prayed to God. So they sought God intentionally and they trusted in God for a righteous outcome. Ezra shows that fasting combined with prayer humbles the heart, invites God's intervention, and it results in answered prayers and breakthrough. In fact, some breakthroughs actually require extra spiritual intensity. So let's take a look at Matthew 17 19- 21. In Matthew 17:19, we're going to see that fasting helps humble you, strengthen your faith, and give you access to God's power over challenges, over strongholds, over obstacles. Matthew 17:19, quote, "Then the disciples turned to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?" Okay, why could we not cast it out? The disciples were unable to follow Jesus's instructions and cast a demon out of a young man with epilepsy. That's what you'll see earlier in Matthew 17. Their failure wasn't due to a lack of trying. The disciples weren't stupid. They weren't carnal and they weren't confused. They tried. But Jesus is going to say in the next verses that it is actually their lack of sufficient faith and their spiritual preparation that did not allow them to cast that demon out. Matthew 17 verse 20. In this verse, we're going to see that fasting aligns us with God's will and it removes spiritual resistance and distractions and it allows our faith to function for breakthroughs. Matthew 17:20 quote. So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief, for assuredly I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, move from here to there, and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you." Jesus said, "Because of your unbelief," that word is distrust, your refusal to rely on God. He says,"For assuredly I say to you, if you had faith as a mustard seed, I think we've all heard sermons often on this conversation. A mustard seed is quite small, but it grows into so great a plant, right? It was a native plant in Israel. And so, it's such a tiny seed that grows into such a strong plant." So, he says, "If your faith is even as small as a mustard seed, even a small measure of real genuine faith can accomplish what seems impossible." He says, "If you even had that, you will say to this mountain." Now, a mountain could represent a difficult challenge in your life. It could be a spiritual stronghold. It could be some kind of persistent problem, something you keep running into that's getting in your way. Fasting is a tool to increase your faith and spiritual authority, enabling breakthroughs over challenges that otherwise feel insurmountable. Matthew 17:21. And here we're going to see that prayer and fasting is required for stubborn spiritual strongholds or issues that cannot be overcome by ordinary prayer or ordinary effort. Matthew 17:21, Jesus tells the disciples, the ones who were unable to cast that demon out of that young man with epilepsy. And he says, Matthew 17:21, quote, "However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting. of this kind. He's saying particularly this difficult spiritual opposition that you're running into, this opposition you're running into, it does not go out. Does not go out means it won't leave. It won't be removed. It implies that there's a resistance that requires spiritual authority to overcome it except I think it's interesting. You're not going to see me take words like accept or this etc. But when it's really important for the verse, I'm going to go ahead and define it. So he says this kind does not go out except only by there is a required method. That's what the word except means. So Jesus says this kind this spiritual opposition. It will not be removed unless you do this required method. And that is prayer which is talking to and listening to God. We're going to have a whole season on prayer as well as fasting. That's abstaining from food for spiritual reasons. Praise God. this kind won't come out except if you uh do this required method of praying to God and fasting. Right? Some obstacles they're entrenched and they require a deeper preparation, a deeper dependence on God. They require fasting for the breakthrough. Let's take a moment. Fasting is voluntarily choosing not to eat food and sometimes drink for a spiritual purpose. Fasting is not about the food and the drink. It's really about the base desires of the flesh, right? You're denying these base desires, things that you'll hunger after and crave after. And when you deny yourself that, your body's going to say, "How dare you deny me?" Right? As you say, "Hold on. You're not going to die. You're going to be okay. You're uncomfortable, but you're going to be okay." And you then focus on the things of the spirit because you want to hear God. Fasting has many benefits, including it deepens our humility and our repentance. So it helps us turn back to God. It gives us greater spiritual sensitivity and a clear direction from God. And it also delivers breakthrough and deliverance, right? It loose bonds. It breaks yolks. As we saw in Isaiah 58 in the last episode, fasting is a force multiplier. We're going to use that expression again for reading, for meditation, for prayer, for being led by the spirit. Fasting makes God's voice louder than your own voice. Fasting chasens the soul, right? Grinds it out. It tells your soul to be quiet and your body to be quiet. And it does it to amplify your spirit. We've explored what fasting is. Now, let's clarify for a second what it is not. What fasting isn't. Fasting is not. First of all, it's not dieting. The goals of fasting are spiritual goals, not physical weight loss. Secondly, fasting is not manipulating God. You don't fast or deny yourself food to force God to do something. That's not how God does it. God wants to have a relationship with you. You may remember from one of our previous episodes we discussed God's not a vending machine. You're not going to fast and then force God to make something happen. You fast to seek God, to align yourself with God, and to humble yourself before God to hear his voice. Fasting is not earning God's favor. We are accepted by grace. Uh if a person fasts more than another person, it doesn't make them the better Christian. It doesn't make them someone that God likes more because of all the works that they've done. We are accepted by grace. We're not accepted by works. However, we should still fast and perform the spiritual disciplines for Christian growth. Fasting is not outward and it's not supposed to be dramatic for other people to see. It's not supposed to be some kind of religious performance. You should generally go about your normal life without drawing attention to yourself. If you are fasting in a way that's drawing attention to yourself, then you're people pleasing and you're seeking the favor and the rewards of men and women around you and that's not a fast. And Jesus said, you have your reward. There's nothing you're not going to get any out of that. What you really want is God's reward. And it's going to come from doing it in secret. It's going to come from doing it before God and doing it with humility. And then God rewards you openly. As the scripture says, fasting is not a punishment of the body. You're not here to try to punish your body. You're trying to humble your soul. You're trying to seek God's intervention. You are denying your flesh. Your flesh wants to eat. For some of us, it wants to eat all the time. Your flesh wants to eat and wants to be satisfied. Your flesh wants to be comfortable. And by fasting, you're going to stay alive. You're not going to hurt yourself, but your flesh is going to say, "I'm uncomfortable." And you're gonna say, "I know. I understand you're uncomfortable and instead I'm going to read God's word. I'm going to meditate on God's word and I'm going to do those things so I could be sensitive to God's spirit and I could hear God's voice. Fasting is not distracting yourself or obsessing over the sacrifice. What do I mean by that? When you fast, avoid filling your fast with television, social media, video games, or constantly obsessing about the next meal. If you're going to fast, I understand it's natural to want to try to distract yourself. But a fast is focusing on God. It's focusing on service to others, right? It's doing the fast that God proclaimed in Isaiah 58. Is it really fasting if it's not about food? This is most common discussions in churches that I think is worth addressing. Sometimes Christians are recommended to quote unquote fast from a behavior. So they're asked to do a social media fast or a complaint fast or a spending fast, right? Where people are saying, "Hey, don't use social media for this period of time or stop complaining for this period of time or try to stop spending all your money during this period of time." And this may be wise to do in your life. But to be clear, biblically, this is not what fasting means, right? Biblically, as we've been seeing through this episode and last episode, fasting is about food and drink. Whether you look at in the Hebrew or you look at in the Greek, abstaining from an activity or behavior like social media or complaining or spending is probably better described as self-denial, right? Self-denial is voluntarily refusing personal comfort or desire. That's a good description for social media, not using it or stopping complaining or stopping spending. Another good maybe definition or another good term for what we just described is consecration. Right? Consecration is setting yourself apart for God's purposes. Which means I'm going to go ahead and stop using stop watching so much television or stop going to the movies all the time or stop listening to all this secular music or whatever it may be. And I'm doing it because I want to hear God better, right? Because I want to have a closer relationship with God. So you're setting yourself apart for God's purposes. So people will consecrate themselves before something. Maybe they're going to minister or maybe they're going to go do something important or challenging, right? So those are, I think, better terms for it. Biblical fasting refers to abstaining from food. However, Christians, don't get me wrong, may also choose to abstain from other habits or other distractions as a form of consecration and self-denial. But the term fasting would not be appropriately used in that context. Again, just staying scriptural, folks. It begs the question, well, how do you fast? Well, let's talk about the types of fasting. Now, what are the types of biblical fasts? Well, first of all, there is the absolute fast. Now, I'm not going to read it, but you can see this in Esther 4:16. And what is the absolute fast? An absolute fast involves abstaining from all food, all drink, all water as seen in the book of Esther. So in the book of Esther, there were three days with no food and no drink. It was undertaken for an urgent divine intervention. They were seeking God's favor. They needed a breakthrough. It was a life ordeath situation for the Jewish people. So they proclaimed a fast for 3 days. No food, no drink, and God heard them. The next type is the water fast, which you'd see in Matthew 4:es 1 and 2. A water fast involves abstaining from food while still continuing to drink water as Jesus did in the wilderness. It's undertaken for spiritual preparation and for strengthening. It positions us to resist temptation as we saw Jesus did in the wilderness as well as walk in authority. So, a water fast is abstaining from food but still continuing to drink water. The third type of biblical fast is the partial fast. You'll see this in the book of Daniel 10:es 2 and 3. A partial fast involves restricting certain foods rather than abstaining from all food. So, in Daniel 10, Daniel ate vegetables and water only for 21 days. He avoided meat. He avoided wine. He avoided any rich foods, which means no dessert, folks. No dessert. Right? In this partial fast, you are still eating, but you're eating vegetables, water, etc. Foods that are enough to sustain you and keep you alive, but not comfortable in any way, shape, or form. The partial fast was undertaken for a sustained seeking of God. Notice it went for 21 days. Daniel continued to seek God and sought after God. He combined humility. He combined discipline while pursuing clarity, understanding, and a spiritual breakthrough. The fourth type of biblical fast is group fasting, which you'll see in 2 Chronicles 20, as well as we looked at in Acts 13 earlier in this episode. A group fast is where a community, a group of people, two or more, they seek God together for direction, for protection, for deliverance. Right? It often precedes a major breakthrough. So you'll see it in 2 Chronicles 20, you'll see it in Acts 13 where a group of people, they fasted, they prayed, they ministered to the Lord as we saw in Acts 13. And it often precedes some major breakthrough where God responds maybe with guidance or maybe with victory, right? When his people unite together in fasting. So let's provide some practical advice on fasting, right? First of all, be led by the spirit. True breakthroughs, they don't come from the act itself. They come from aligning your fast with God's will, God's timing, and God's purpose. Uh, if I could speak just from direct experience, there were times in my life where I fasted more than other times. There were times where I knew that there was resistance and there was pressure or something wasn't working right. And God would consistently get me closer and closer and closer. I fasted more. I prayed more. I read more. The God wanted me to draw closer to get that breakthrough. If you're running into resistance and pressure and friction, I recommend that you draw closer to God. Don't stand on a distance and say, "God's not doing it, and I tried it once and it didn't work." No, no, no, no, no. Draw yourself closer to God. He's probably saying, "I appreciate what you're doing, but come closer. This is a time for you to draw closer." And there's other times where I'm doing other things, right? I'm ministering more. I'm participating more in other actions. And then maybe I'm doing a little less of some of those disciplines that I did before. And I think it's really, really important that we're not living under the law. There's not some rule that you need to do this once or you do this twice or if you did five times, you're okay. No, no, no, no. You have God's spirit inside of you. Be led by the spirit. True breakthroughs, they come from aligning yourself with God's will. Right? And maybe you're not understanding what God wants. then maybe fasting will help you to get to that. But we are Christians. We are children of God and we are to be led by his spirit in all of our actions. Secondly, some final advice about fasting. Don't be legalistic. Fasting is a discipline. It's a habit, but it's not a rule for righteousness. It doesn't make you right with God because you fasted. Right? You a day where you didn't fast, you're not wrong with God. And a day you did fast, you're not right with God. It's a spiritual discipline and it's done to help reduce the loudness of your flesh and to increase the perception of your spirit and you're seeking God and you're meditating on his word and you're reading God's word and you're doing it for a purpose. So don't be legal. If not, we would every day be constantly trying to fast and that's not God's will for your life. Third piece of advice, check your motive. Don't fast out of pride. Don't fast to be seen by others. I get it. You want attention. Sometimes people like attention. There's a lot of things we like, but this is just a desire of the flesh, like any other desire of the flesh. So check your motive. Why are you fasting? And how are you fasting? Because if you're fasting out of pride, if you're fasting to be seen, you're not going to get at all what you're looking for from God. The next piece of advice is keep a right heart. Humility really matters, right? Humility matters more than duration. So you can go and try to do some extra long fast and really push yourself to the limits. And some of you are very disciplined people, right? And so pushing yourself really hard in a fast, you might even kind of enjoy that. That's not the point, folks. The point is to have a right heart before God. Really drive deep into the humility, to the prayer, to the listening to God's voice. That's as important as the duration or the how extreme your fast is. A next piece of advice is replace meals with prayer and scripture. Seek God's direction when you would be eating. Seek God's voice during your fast. Don't just skip food. You don't want to have exactly the same day you'd already have, just there's no food involved. You're going to want to have a day where you add extra elements to the day, where you're really humbling yourself. You're really ministering to God, as it says in Acts 13, where you're really praying. Begin wisely and begin humbly. If you're someone who hasn't fasted before, start small. Consider your health and reflect on what God is speaking to your spirit. A little more advice on fasting. Stay hydrated. Unless you're doing an absolute fast, you really should consider drinking water throughout your fast. I've known some people who would fast without water and get into some difficult situations. So stay hydrated. Drink plenty of water throughout your fast. That's one piece of advice. Begin each fast with prayer. Open it up, right? Ask God to speak to you, to guide your heart, to be there with you, to talk with you during the course of your fast. End each fast with intentionality. Reflect on what God has spoken. Think about what God has said to you. Think about revelation you may have had during the course of that fast. Consider writing it down. Some folks journal, right? So, it could be journaling, but write down those insights. You could find it very useful to refer to later and modify as needed for your health. This is a spiritual guidance. Again, we're discussing fasting in these two episodes, and we're discussing what the Bible says about fasting. This isn't here to be medical advice. So, if you need to consult a health professional if you're having concerns. Now, let's talk about our next episode. So if reading the Bible, which we saw in our first discipline, teaches you about God, and meditating on God's word, which is the second discipline, internalizes what you learn. And if fasting, the third discipline, conditions your heart to hear God, then what's the purpose of prayer, which is the fourth discipline? Well, prayer is how you engage God's presence and how you engage God's power. So, join us for the next episode, how prayer builds a powerful Christian life. Thank you for listening to this episode of the Simple Truth Podcast. Fasting isn't about being perfect. It's not about punishing your body or proving your spirituality. It's about humility, dependence on God, and positioning your heart for a breakthrough or as Jesus described it, conditioning the soil in the parable of the swer. Remember, fasting is a discipline meant to draw you closer to God, to sharpen your spirit and to prepare your heart to hear God clearly. It can be challenging, but that's exactly why it works. When we humble ourselves, we set aside our own desires and our own wants, and we intentionally seek God, God moves in ways that we can't achieve on our own. So, it's time to move from talking about fasting to trying a fast. To help you put this into practice, I want to invite you to a three-w weekek fasting challenge designed to be simple, safe, and progressive. In week one, everyone starts by skipping breakfast once this week. I personally choose Mondays, but you could choose any day. Use that extra time for prayer, for Bible reading, or quiet meditation, and pay attention to what God might be saying to you during that fast. For week two, beginners should repeat the same fast from week one, skipping breakfast for one day. The more advanced can skip breakfast and lunch for that day. I'll let you be the judge which one you are. Focus on listening to God, writing down any spiritual insights, and growing in spiritual sensitivity. For week three, beginners should consider skipping breakfast and lunch for that one day. The more advanced should consider skipping breakfast, lunch, and dinner, eating only after sundown. Use these fasting hours intentionally. Pray, read scripture, seek God's guidance for your life. As a reminder, please drink plenty of water. Some people even drink tea. Begin each fast with prayer and with intention. End each fast by reflecting on what God has revealed to you. Be safe and adjust appropriately for your health. As you take this journey, pay attention to what your spirit is saying, not just your physical hunger. Every day is an opportunity to grow, draw closer to God, and to see real breakthrough in your life, your relationships, and your purpose. Try not to get caught up in petty details like exactly what time is sundown so I can break my fast or am I a beginner or am I advanced? Or what kind of tea can I exactly drink? Remember, what God is looking for is that you deprive yourself with a sincere heart and seek his voice in his direction. So start humbly. Stay consistent and trust that God will meet you with this fast. Share your experience. Encourage someone else and see how fasting can unlock a spiritual breakthrough. It's biblical. Jesus fasted and many others fasted. That's why we made it discipline number three in the five disciplines for Christian growth. Next episode we look at discipline number four. How prayer builds a powerful Christian life. If this episode encouraged you, please like, subscribe, and share it with someone else who wants to experience a spiritual breakthrough fasting. It's been a real pleasure talking about the Bible with you. I pray God bless you, God keep you, and guide you in your fasting journey. Until next time, thank you for listening to the Simple Truth Podcast. For additional episodes, visit us at www.simpletruth.org.