Why fast?

First of all, our church does a campus wide 21 days of prayer and fasting every January.  The reason behind this is, just like you give God the first 10% of your tithe, you should give God the first of your year.  Each year we have a theme, this year using the verse Ephesians 3:20 – Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.  So they said to make big requests to God and trust that it will happen.  My prayers are: fix my family, fix my marriage, let the kids grow in God, let Mike find salvation and a CURE for diabetes.

Fasting must center on God.  The purpose of a spiritual fast is to focus upon and worship God.  It should draw us closer to God, where we experience a deeper relationship with Him.  So, when I feel hungry, it makes me remember what I am doing and why.  I have also been reading the Bible daily, and making sure to pray regularly. 

There is no Biblical commandment to fast, but many men in the Bible fasted.  In Matthew 6:16 Jesus says “and whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do”.  This insinuates that he expects us to fast. 

As for me, the reason I am doing this kind of extreme fast is that when they began talking about it in December God immediately told me that this was what I was supposed to do.  I fought it at first, thinking that it would be too much of a hardship.  But, the fast is a sign of my faith, and it shows God that I believe He can do what I ask.  If I fail it doesn’t mean He will.  I am human.  But I can do my best.