Why Fasting?

Updated: March 28, 2025

Fasting — along with Giving — just might be the best ways to remind the body who is boss. My eternal spirit (also called “heart” in the Bible) should be in charge at all times, yet my body usually gets so much attention out of necessity that it continually tries to take over. Our best life depends on the discipline of filtering all thoughts, feelings, and needs through an understanding of God’s Word. Proper fasting reasserts the dominance of our hearts, and it helps us be more receptive to what the Holy Spirit would communicate to us.

Fasting doesn’t change God at all… it changes us. Fasting and prayer do not give us any more authority over the kingdom of darkness than what we already have in Jesus. Rather, it helps us learn to emphasize spirit and God’s truth over the feelings and perceptions of the mind and body. If done properly it can be a kind of “plant food” for our faith!
(1 Corinthians 9:27, John 6:63, Acts 13:3)