When You Fast

When you fast

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; 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 6:16-18 KJV).

Again, we do not read, "if you fast," we read, "when you fast." This, too, is the outworking of the divine life flow of the Cross transformed individual. One who has been touched by the blood of Jesus Christ [The Anointed of God] realizes what great need of cleansing there is.

With the prophet, Isaiah, we must say, "Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts" (Isaiah 6:5 KJV).

Fasting, that abstinence from "the king's rich dainties" (Daniel 1:15 Amp), or the doing without all food for a season, will bring "knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom" and "understanding in all [kinds of] visions and dreams" (Daniel 1:17; Luke 21:15; James 1:5-7).

One would think that, with such great promised gain, everyone would fast at least one day a week. If the subduing of the cravings of the flesh can hone the sensitivity of the spirit to such a grand degree, then surely fasting is a discipline that should be developed in every true believer's life.

Even married couples are encouraged to fast their sexual intimacy for a time. "Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer" (1 Corinthians 7:5 KJV. see also: Exodus 19:15).

Some victories cannot be won except by the disciplines of both prayer and fasting: . . . This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting. Mark 9:29 (KJV)  

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