Today you may be asking yourself, “does it take all of this? Why I am doing this? Surely, God is not requiring this of me.”
These are reasonable questions to ask yourself as you are coming to the end of your first day of the 21-Day Fast. The answer to your questions is, “no.” Fasting is not required for salvation. The finished work of Jesus has more than adequately covered our sins. It is by grace alone, through faith and not works that we are saved.
Fasting is one of several spiritual disciplines (meditation, prayer, study, worship, service, etc.) that we engage in as believers for the purpose of spiritual development. In other words, as seen in scripture, we are challenged to grow in Christ. As we develop physically and as we age from infant into a full-grown man or woman, likewise, we also develop spiritually as we grow and are strengthened in our Christian walk. We have no greater example of the importance of fasting than in the life of Christ himself (see Matthew 4:2).
Jesus fasted before He began his public ministry (see Luke 4:1-2). How can we do less when we are called to be the light of the world and salt of the earth? Surely, we too need the benefits of fasting to carry out our God-given purpose.
Jesus also made clear the importance of fasting to disciples once He, the bridegroom, was gone (see Mark 2: 19-20). As long as Christ was present with the disciples, He did not require them to fast, but like those disciples of John the Baptist, they were expected to fast once he was no longer with them in the flesh.
Still, on another occasion, he pointed out that some difficult things could only be accomplished through prayer and fasting (see Mark 9:29). While some translations omit the word “fasting” in this text, scripture shows us in the both old and new testaments the power of fasting for both spiritual and physical breakthroughs.
So, as your begin our journey, remember you are in good company! Jesus modeled fasting for us. It is not required but is well worth the sacrifice!
Expect greater anointing for your ministry, healing in your body, movement in things that have been tied up or held back and clarity in decisions you have to make. These are but a few examples of fasting outcomes in scripture. Remember, EXPECT GREAT THINGS!!!
