“Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning.”
(Joel 2:12)
It’s new year and all around the nation of Nigeria, different denominations call for fasting and prayer to start the new year with. While fasting is good, could there be something not so right about this practice? Let’s look at it together.
The Doubtless Efficacy Of Fasting
“So we fasted and besought our God for this: and he was intreated of us.”
(Ezra 8:23)
“And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.”
(Mark 9:29)
First let me be clear that this article is not against fasting. Fasting is a both healthy and of immense spiritual benefit. When the disciples couldn’t cast out the demon oppressing the child brought to them by his father, Jesus came down from the holy mount and cast out the demon. When asked why they couldn’t cast out the demon, he said to them that such kind can’t be cast out but by prayer and fasting.
In the same way, Ezra the priest and those with him fasted and for the result of this fast he said, “he [God] was intreated of us.” God’s ear was opened to their prayers as a result of their fast.
John the baptist fasted often, and Christ fasted for forty days and forty nights in the wilderness. Moses also fasted for forty days. We could go on and on. And we all know the super exploits they all did. Fasting is a common practice of holy men and women. So it is good and efficacious. I encourage every man and woman to fast as often as they can.
Fasting In Its Right Place
“Is it such a fast that I have chosen?… wilt thou call this a fast?…”
(Isaiah 58:5)
Though fasting has immense benefits, both physically and spiritually, it must be put in the right place. Not only is fasting not the whole law, it is not a law at all. In the old covenant we see commandments of fasting while marking holy days, but in the new covenant we see nothing of such. Though it was never commanded as a law, it was yet done by individuals and as a people as a form of religious duty or in contrition, yet was it not a law at all. So it must be in its place and not be exalted as if it were even a law. Sadly, some have exalted fasting to be the whole law.
A.W. Tozer said he doesn’t place so much value on fasting, but he sometimes fast to show his body who’s the boss. John Owen (1616-1683), also known as the prince of the puritans, warned against over valuing the practice of fasting as though it were the whole Law. He said, “A man may have leanness of body and soul together.” By this he means the idea that fasting (leanness of body) in itself makes the soul rich must be jettisoned. Fasting must be accompanied by godliness and purity and contrition.
As we had seen, Ezra the priest said, “So we fasted and besought our God for this: and he was intreated of us.” (Ezra 8:23). I invite you to read about who Ezra was. The earlier chapters speaks about many wonderful things about him. How he prepared his heart to seek God, how he was a ready scribe, how he was a pious man, etc. that even the king Aterxerxes in a letter written to Ezra testified of his piety, and on this account gave him an uncommon authority saying, “And thou, Ezra, after the wisdom of thy God, that is in thine hand, set magistrates and judges, which may judge all the people that are beyond the river, all such as know the laws of thy God; and teach ye them that know them not. And whosoever will not do the law of thy God, and the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily upon him, whether it be unto death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment.” (Ezra 7:25 – 26). The piety that comes to the notice of a king of kings is no small piety. When such a man fasts, God hears. Look at the lives of other people who fasted in the Bible and got the benefit, they were pious men who were wholly devoted to God.
Some take fasting to be like a life up item in games. Something that you pick up and it increases your life bar. In this case it is as if fasting increases the spiritual bar, that bar that the fuller it becomes it gives you special abilities to do some super deadly moves. After everyone else has fasted for thirty days, then the special squad, pastors, elders, etc., commence their own extra thirty days of fasting. That way members have charged their spiritual battery to let’s say 67% and the bar is now yellowish green in colour. That is good enough to carry them through the year. After that the special squad continue for another thirty days which raises their spiritual battery to let’s say 98% and their bar is now greenish blue. Now they are charged enough to pull down strongholds of the kingdom of darkness with their super deadly moves. From the whole examination of the practice, this seems to me to be the whole theory behind the practice. It’s an exercise that the more we fast the more we are spiritually fortified and empowered. But let me paraphrase John Owen’s words, “a man may have leanness of body and spiritual deadness together.”
Neither salvation nor spiritual advancement comes by fasting, but it helps to keep the body under. It is also to be accompanied by prayer, supplication, self examination, repentance and contrition. This way a man would have the full benefit of fasting. Just fasting without having time for these other spiritual things is just hunger striking. We’ll come to these later.
[On a light note: After spending lavishly in the Yuletide, fasting in January is a good way to save money… I know… But let’s not attach too much spiritual value to this practice…]
Lengthy Unrepentant Fasting Is Tantamount To Suffering
“Wherefore have we fasted?… wherefore have we afflicted our soul?…”
(Isaiah 58:3)
While it is good to fast as often as possible, I suppose twenty one days every year is close to suffering. How long does a man need to be contrite and examine his ways and make amends where necessary? If it takes three weeks at a stretch to do so, I wonder what thing you’re trying to amend. Are you sure it can be amended?
Jesus Christ fasted for forty days and forty nights in the wilderness before commencing his earthly ministry and Moses was on the mount of God for forty days too before bringing down the ten commandments. Such fasts are enshrouded in a cloud of mystery as to what they were meant to achieve and how it translated to the effectiveness of their ministry. Paul and Barnabas also fasted before choosing elders. (Acts 14:23). They had specific purposes for fasting. Purposes of great spiritual consequences. It is sad that people would fast for twenty one days with no one specific purpose of great spiritual consequence, except of course for things like “bless me this year.” Or “I want to marry this year.” But will conduct the voting process of selecting church leaders with no mention or thought of fasting. If people fasted for twenty one days every time there’s a need to select leaders, then that would have been great, but they feel it more convenient to fast for “bless me this year,” than to fast for appointing leaders. Voting by the way is an unscriptural process of selecting leaders. That’s a topic for another day.
However we know that they fasted for specific purposes of huge significance, and that only once. Moses fasted twice because he broke the first two tables of stone on which the Law was written. What are civil servants and business people fasting twenty one days or more every year for? I really don’t know.
Christ fasted in the solitude of the wilderness for forty days, Moses fasted in the solitude mount Sinai for forty days too. But which solitude can these afford themselves? They’re fasting and boarding transport to work, busy all day giving instructions and taking instructions, and no time to be in solitude with God. How then is it any use to be fasting for such lengthy periods?
All the commands of holy days in which God commanded the people of Israel, they were not supposed to do any work whatsoever. When we study the life of Christ, Moses, etc. who fasted for so long, and how they did it in solitude, and other passages about fasting, I suppose the fasting afforded a lengthy uninterrupted time of prayer with God.
In the New Testament it is written, “Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.” (1 Corinthians 7:5). This also indicates putting aside earthly duties to afford an uninterrupted time of solitude with God. If fasting doesn’t afford you uninterrupted time of solitude with God then you’re not achieving the what fasting is meant for.
So if you’d ask me, the right time for fasting is during holiday periods. Don’t take your leave to travel and have fun, take your leave for fasting, and through they year, the public holidays should be used the same way if you so choose. Why cramp it all up at a time when you’d be busy with the days work and have no time for God? People take leave for fun and fast when they’re busy.
While I’m not a judge, and if I am, I am a very incompetent one. So judge for yourself. I in more poor judgment think that this stringent fasting tradition is tantamount to mere suffering. The Bible clearly calls fasting an affliction of the soul. If this is done in a way that is pleasing to God thus beneficial, we can call that a sacrifice. But if it is done just ceremonially without the precautions to make it beneficial, then is it not mere affliction of the soul? This indeed is injurious.
Outward Show Of Piety For Inward Spiritual Bankruptcy
“And the men of Israel were distressed that day: for Saul had adjured the people, saying, Cursed be the man that eateth any food until evening, that I may be avenged on mine enemies. So none of the people tasted any food.”
(1 Samuel 14:24)
Fasting as we have said is not a law, meaning one does not sin if he fails to fast, though some have made it as though fasting is even the whole law. With this misconception, many hope to make up for their spiritual bankruptcy with fasting. They disobey God in all manner of wayward practices and habits, then they start fasting as if fasting were the whole law and the other commands they’ve broken were not laws commanded by God to be kept.
One example of a person who fasted a lot thinking it could make up for his many practices of disobedience was Saul. Rather than obey God he was just doing things out of an ignorant zeal. 1 Samuel 28:20 says, “Then Saul fell straightway all along on the earth, and was sore afraid, because of the words of Samuel: and there was no strength in him; for he had eaten no bread all the day, nor all the night.” Saul was such an ardent faster that he seemed to think it would serve as a substitute for his obedience. He even fasted to go consult a familiar spirit. He made Samuel rise from the dead with sorcery. He couldn’t distinguish the difference between holy and unholy. How could he seek the holy man for a seemingly holy purpose in such an unholy way? And he did that fasting.
The same way people fast today in disobedience. Pastors are there commanding and organising fasting and would steadily extort their congregation with their endless extortive sermons. Women would fast the whole day and still come to our prayer meetings meant to wrap up the fast to speak and lead prayers, whereas it is forbidden for women to speak in our congregations. Others would come to wrap up their fasting in a prayer meeting without covering their heads. Others wear revealing, skimpy, and lust-provoking clothing to church and other places while fasting. Thieves, greedy men, adulterers, fornicators, and corrupt individuals, all fast and join in prayers, without any repentance or contrition, but in bold assurance that they do no wrong. All this as if their fasting could make up for the wrong of their disobedience which the Bible tells us is worse than witchcraft.
Simple obedience is better than all these. It is better to obey than to fast. If we are beginning to mistake fasting for the whole law, we could as well banish fasting all together if that will open our eyes to other things we are meant to obey.
If people see the need to fast, it is definitely because they see something they wish were not so and therefore implore God to intervene. But let them keep the fasting aside and obey the simple commands, that would make them a people after God’s own heart and God shall gladly intervene in their matter and uphold them the way he upheld David by his constant intervention. David obeyed God and when he sinned he was contrite and didn’t excuse his sin the way Saul did. But how many times did you read that David fasted? He never did except when he had committed adultery with the wife of Urai and it was told him that the child would die. But the moment the child died he got up and ate. Why? He was not a Mr. Faster. I can’t remember anywhere else where it was recorded that David ever fasted. Yet look at the wondrous ways God upheld him and the wonderful promises that we’re made to him. Even that the Christ of God should come from his loins. Fasting did not procure him these. Simplistic obedience did, and when he sinned he was contrite and did not make excuses. Who made us think that fasting is efficacious in moving God?
Since the days that these January fasting became a tradition in the nation of Nigeria, things haven’t become better. They have only gone from bad to worse. Rather than all this outward show of shouting and fasting, we need to go back to the Bible in humble repentance and contrition, with a resolve to continue in simplistic obedience to the Bible. Then shall we know the mighty deliverance of the Lord our God.
One thing you’d notice about people who try to use fasting to make up for their spiritual bankruptcy is that their decisions are often miscalculated to go against the move of God and ways of reason. Jonathan, the son of Saul, and his armour bearer alone went into the camp of the Philistines and discomfited them. This would have been a great day of mighty deliverance and victory for the children of Israel. But earlier Saul, the ardent faster, had given a commandment that everyone must fast and so severe was his command that he said to them, “Cursed be the man that eateth any food until evening, that I may be avenged on mine enemies.” (1 Samuel 14:24). So when it was time to pursue the Philistines the men were all tired and faint. And Jonathan through whom this victory came complained saying, “My father hath troubled the land: see, I pray you, how mine eyes have been enlightened, because I tasted a little of this honey. How much more, if haply the people had eaten freely to day of the spoil of their enemies which they found? for had there not been now a much greater slaughter among the Philistines? And they smote the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon: and the people were very faint.” So the fast Saul proclaimed only dampened the victory God had granted them. If fasting in itself were a super mover of God’s power, the people should have been endowed with uncommon strength that day and fly like an eagle overtaking their enemies. God too should have aided them with hailstones to destroy the Philistines. But none of that happened. You can read the full chapter and see the disastrous result of this fasting. It was so bad that men flew upon beasts and ate the meat with the blood because of their severe hunger. Something God forbad them from doing. Yet this same fasting he proclaimed was so stringent that upon the condition he gave, Jonathan through whom God had given this victory was supposed to die, had not the people delivered him from Saul his father. That I call an unhelpful and disastrous fast diametrically opposed to expediency.
This same way these January fastings probably set people back in whatever field they pursue. January is a time when people relaunch their activities after the break in December. Organisations, companies, business people, etc., at this time would have taken stock of their performances in the last year and made plans for the new, but at this time when people are supposed to launch the year at full speed and force is when they begin to fast and frequenting the church for lengthy prayers. These things puts them under undue stress and strain. And as we have seen, fasting may as well be a waste if you don’t have time for prayer, study of the word of God, supplication, and self examination, all enough to make a man truly contrite. So the fasting works against ones work, and the work against the fasting.
If you say you’re going to launch your own year after the fast, you’d most likely be moving out of flow. If you call it a sacrifice as though it were done for the sake and name of God, know that it is no sacrifice if God did not command it. And as we have seen, fasting is no Law. Therefore it is no sacrifice.
Such acts of desperate fasting, as we saw in Saul, is more often than not born of a preceding disobedience. First people disobey him in a flagrant disregard for his word, justify their disobedience, thus seeing no need for contrition, then they try to bend God by starving. Haven’t you heard the kind of comments people make about such fastings? You’d hear something like, “after all this fasting and prayer God must do something this year.” MUST? They may see that as an expression of confidence that God will do according to what they’ve prayed for, but the confidence is more in the fast and than in the God to whom they fasted. But God listens to the obedient and contrite, not to the faster even if he fasts all year round.
Dr. Selwyn Hughes said, “We honour God’s name in action and speech, and it’s been said that the most arrogant profanity is to call yourself a Christian and not live like Christ.” When we call ourselves Christians and make so much noise about our fasting and prayer, claiming we do it in his name, all without obedience and true repentance, that is a gruesome act of profanity. That is to misuse the name of Christ. That is to take the name of the Lord in vain. From a firsthand experience, I say there’s scarcely any true repentance in January fasting. People don’t even seem to know their wrong. How then can they be contrite? And if you won’t be contrite, then why fast?
Like God judged Saul who sinned, excused his sins, and started fasting, God will judge these too. Women who don’t cover their heads when they pray, put on men’s clothings, paint their faces, wear skimpy clothing, and what have you and go about fasting should not
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expect to be hidden from the wrath of God. In case you’re wondering why these things are sinful, I wrote extensively about them in my book, “OUR HOLY CHRISTIAN DRESSING TRADITIONS AND APPEARANCE.” The full book is free. Kindly download yours and see the things I wrote on dressing. Pastors too who would not teach sound doctrines but just be teaching doctrines of mammon for filthy lucre’s sake, God will judge. And the end shall not be sweet unless there is a genuine repentance.
Good Deeds Of Piety Are To Be Secret
“Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face.” (Matthew 6:16-17)
Another reason why I suppose January fasting isn’t good is that it is done in a way I consider to be unscriptural. Why is it that it is now known by Christians and none Christians alike that Christians fast in January. Should our fasting practices not be completely personal and secret?
Christ forbad us from doing our good deeds before men or to be seen of them. So we must take all reasonable precautions to ensure that our good acts be hidden from the sight of others. I say reasonable because there are times when it can’t be hidden. Say for example a man can’t hide it from his wife when he’s fasting. He needn’t go out of his way to hide his breakfast away and lie to his wife that he had eaten it just so she doesn’t know he’s fasting. From such our fastings can’t be reasonably hidden. But where it can be hidden we must hide it by all means.
In Matthew 6:16-17, Christ spoke particularly about fasting, which is the topic at hand now. He’s not merely saying we should be happy when fasting as though we are doing it to prove our strength that we can fast and still have a cheerful countenance, lest we think we can make our fasting known to others provided we are happy. In the light of the fact that he had commanded that we must not do our good deeds to be seen of men, he takes the issue of fasting a bit further, that not even our countenance should reveal the secret. With the voice of prayer people can tell we are praying in the street, so we are to enter into our closets to pray. With our outstretched arm people can tell that we are giving alms, so our left hand mustn’t know what our right hand is doing. With our voices we could also let people know that we are fasting. But that being forbidden, he goes further that not even in our countenance should it be possible for others to detect that we are fasting. So fasting is a personal thing between us and God.
The reward of fasting comes when we do it in secret. That is why Christ said, “That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.” (Matthew 6:18).
For this reason I do not think it is right and expedient to have a designated period known to all for fasting. But as we have it there is a definite period for fasting (January), and you’d see members of different churches telling people to “join” the fast, and they even tell people of other denominations to join their church’s fasting program. I do not think this is right. Christians should just be encouraged to fast (by sermons) and it should be left to each individual to determine when and how to fast.
It is true that people are not the ones declaring to the world that they’re fasting, except of course those who go about making statements that makes it obvious that they must be fasting, but just as in hypocrisy (as Christ calls it) men as individuals fast to show off their acts of piety, churches now do it as a body. To show off. They make announcements about it and make it public so that people can know they’re up to something. Just as individuals lose their blessings by making their fasting known to others, churches too lose their blessings.
It is good to fast and pray, but we lose the whole blessing of fasting when we make it known to others that we are fasting.
The Fasting God Accepts
“Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD? 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? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh.”
(Isaiah 58:5 – 7)
Fasting as we can see must be accompanied by genuine acts of piety. We see a lot of things that God prescribed to be done in piety and reverence to his name. And these were accompanied by countless promises and blessings including, “Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am…” (Isaiah 58:9). Fasting must be accompanied by acts of piety and the piety is far more important than the fasting.
The ways of God are not hid. They are plainly spelt out in his word. It is only hid from those the Devil has succeeded in blindfolding. But if only we’d open our eyes to his word we shall see plainly the things which we ought to do to accompany our fastings and make them acceptable to God. He only accepts the fasting and prayers of the upright and contrite.
Conclusion
“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”
(Ecclesiastes 12:13)
My conclusion therefore is this, anyone should fast if they will, but they should not place so much value on fasting in itself as though it were a law of God they were commanded to keep. They should not think fasting by any means would make up for acts of disobedience like Saul thought who would disobey and they embark on a stringent fast. If we aren’t resolved to obey God, there is no point fasting. The whole duty of man is to fear God and keep his commandments. And fasting, though it is good, is not part of those commandments. Let us prioritise the keeping of God’s commandments over fasting and only fast as it helps us keep his commandments.
People should not by any means go about telling others things like, “you know this January fasting we are doing, it is not allowing me to…” or “are you not fasting?” They should desist from making such statements that would make others know they’re fasting. Even if you’d partake in this lengthy fasting and at the same time for which it was scheduled, you could do it without it seeming like you’re doing it.
Churches should also desist from making a public show of fasting. It is enough to merely speak from time to time on the importance of fasting and let each individual determine how and when to fast. Public fasting (especially one done in disobedience) dishonours God. This works our harm not our good.
In all, we must ensure that our lives are upright and where we find any shortcomings, big or great, let’s be repent and be contrite and so fast and pray. Privately fast and pray.
Prayer: Dear God and Father, in all we do in your name, may we do it truly and holily as becometh saints. Help us to desist from unhelpful practices of show. From this day grant that our fasts may be purer, holier, and beneficial and done in absolute obedience to your will.
