 What is a fast? When should I fast? How long should I fast? Why should I fast? Nowadays, you see and hear people talking about fasting. Oftentimes, they're talking about it in a way that they shouldn't, meaning they're letting people know that they're fasting to get some sort of attention, some sort of kudos. Wow, you are awesome. You are amazing. You are so spiritual to be fasting. I wish I could fast like you. Well, if someone knows you're fasting, that's not necessarily a problem, but you should not advertise you're fasting. Jesus says that when you're fasting, don't give the appearance that you are fasting. Dress yourself up. Look good. Don't give folks the appearance that you're doing something for the Lord. Let that be between you and the Lord, so to speak. I'm paraphrasing. But the question is, what is a fast? What's the purpose of a fast? Why do we fast? Are there different reasons to fast? Are there different links to fast? When should we fast? Well, let's get an understanding from the Bible. Let's first start off talking about a question that was posed to Jesus about his disciples. Jesus was asked, why doesn't his disciples fast? Here it is. In Luke 5.33, there came to him and said, the disciples of John often fast and offer prayers. The disciples of the Pharisees also do the same, but yours eat and drink. And Jesus said to them, you cannot make the attendance of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them. Can you now? One, they're watching them, they're noticing everything that they're doing. But notice what Jesus says. He says that they are with him. Why would you have the attendance of the bridegroom to fast while the bridegroom is with them? 35 he says, but the days will come and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days. There's no need to fast when the Lord is present with you. So that gives an indication as to why we should fast. We fast and here is the problem. Many times people think that we should fast to get something. Now, does that mean that there might not be something in view that we need? The Bible is not telling us to fast to get something. The Bible is telling us to fast to get someone to be closer. The reason why Jesus's disciples did not fast was because they had him. He was there, but once he's gone, they would fast. And so what does fasting ultimately do? Well, according to the Bible, the Bible elevates your voice with the Lord. In Isaiah 58 one, he says, cry it loudly, do not hold back, raise your voice like a trumpet and declare it to my people that there are transgressions. In other words, that it makes your voice heard on high. Other other versions might say, how is it that fasting elevates your voice or causes your voice to be heard on high? Well, because of your proximity. Now there is a bad way, a wrong way to fast. And so let's continue. He looked at, he says in verse two, he says, yet they seek me day by day and delight to know my ways as a nation that has done righteousness and has not forsaken the ordinance of God. They ask me for just for just decisions, they delight in the nearness of God. Why have we fasted and you do not see? Why have we humbled ourselves and you do not notice? Behold, on the day of your fast, you find your desire and drive hard all your workers. Behold, you fast for contention and strive and to strike with the wicked fist. You do not fast like you do today to make your voice heard on high. Is it a fast like this, which I choose a day for a man to humble himself? Is it for bowing one's head like a reed and for the spreading out sack sack cloths and ashes as a bed? Will you call this a fast, even an acceptable day to the Lord? In other words, this is not the sort of fast. As a matter of fact, notice what he says in verse six, is this not the fast which I choose to loosen the bounds of wickedness to undo the band of yoke and to let the oppressed go free and to break every yoke. The purpose of the fast, they weren't doing. Oftentimes we do that. In other words, we fast and then we're doing other things. We're fasting yet we still act in a wicked way. We fast to get what we want. We fast to serve our own needs and that's not the point. The point is to be with him, be close to him. As a matter of fact, you should be happy. You should be pleased because of what happens as a result of your fasting. In Joel 2.12, he puts it this way. He says, Yet even now declares the Lord, return to me with all your heart and with fasting, weeping and mourning. In other words, when you are fasting, it is to bring about a closeness. And this is what Joel is saying as he's prophesying and speaking about Israel, return back to him in this fasting way. Because what does fasting actually do? Well, let's go to Leviticus chapter 16 and I want you to see something about this. In verse 29, he says, And it shall be a statue. Now this is regarding the day of atonement and this is also obviously regarding their salvation at that time, them having their sins and souls atoned for. He says, And it shall be a statue to you forever in the seventh month on the 10th day of that month that you shall afflict your souls and shall do no work. Now the day of atonement deals with what God is doing, providing the offering, providing the scapegoat. And then there is this mediator, this priest. But what about the people? Well, the people, their job, what they're to do is to afflict their souls. What does that mean to afflict your souls? Notice what he says. He says, You shall afflict yourselves and shall do no work. Either the native or the stranger who search, who search earns for on this day shall atonement be made for you to cleanse you. Now, still, what does that mean? Well, let's get a couple of examples to see in Leviticus 23. Let's start in verse 28. You shall not do any work on this same day for it is a day of atonement to make atonement on behalf of you before the Lord your God. If any person who will not humble himself on this day, he shall be cut off from his people. Now understand what he's saying and understand the uses of the words. Humble yourself. You cannot be exalted. This is the reason why Jesus says make sure that people aren't seeing you do so or showing off because when you do so, you're really not humbling yourself. You're really making it known one for the sake of you. Now going back to this, he says verse 30, For as many as for as many people who does any work on this same day, that person I will destroy from among his people. Now, don't confuse the doing work part with the humbling part. Those are two different things. They both have to be done. He says you shall not do any work at all. It is a perpetual statue throughout your generations and all your dwellings. It is to be a Sabbath of complete rest to you, and you shall humble your souls on the ninth of the month at evening from evening until evening. You shall keep your Sabbath. Well, is that giving us a full indication? No, we're still missing something now. We've covered this in different parts, but I want to try to make this build this point up. This humbling of your soul, this is them fasting. They could not eat at this point in time. Going to Psalm 35, he says, But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was set up. I humbled my soul with fasting. The fasting part is to afflict your soul, to humble your soul. In other words, you should have this humility about yourself and this reverence before the Lord, which causes you to draw closer. And so the whole point of fasting has to do with you, obviously, humbling yourself, recognizing who you are and who he is. There's just no way that you can be before the Lord and not recognize there's a difference between you and God and would cause you to just humble yourself. So the question is, who should fast? And then along those lines, why should you fast? Who should fast? Is anyone who desires to be closer to the Lord? Why? Same reason. Your closeness to the Lord. Now, are there some times where there are things going on and you want those things? Well, if it is to get those things, have you ever noticed that oftentimes people fast for something and don't get them? Now, are there times where you fast for something and get them? Yes. But the point is, though, that what you're getting, because the focus is going to be getting the Lord as you get closer to the Lord. Well, then he has no problem, depending on what it is. I can't speak for the Lord. But in supplying your need, you have sacrificed the physical for the spiritual. And I believe that if a person gets to the point to where the spiritual matters the most, then the physical won't be a problem. Because what does the Lord not want to have happen is the physical take you away from the spiritual. It's almost like, think about it this way, when you're at work and you've got a deadline and so what do you do? Sometimes you might skip lunch. You sacrifice the fact that you're hungry just so you can get something accomplished. Well, in this case, you sacrifice your physical just so you can accomplish something spiritual, which is what? Drawing closer to him. That's all God has ever wanted, a proximity with him to be closer and closer and closer. He wants a relationship with his people. And fasting helps to accentuate and accelerate that. Now, the question is going to be, what should I fast from? How long should I fast? Well, remember, if a fast is to humble your soul to afflict your soul, sometimes we have fast that really aren't fast at all. I'm going to fast from Coca Cola. I'm going to fast from ice cream. I want to take that's not really fasting. Fasting is to afflict yourself, afflict your soul, humble your soul, humble yourself. And so sometimes there needs to be something more to it. And so when you fast, the better way to do so is to do so obviously without food, because that's what a fast is. And then to do so at a length of time that causes you to humble yourself or to afflict your soul. And then something else that also should be brought up when you're fasting, fasting and doing everything else along with the fast is probably not a good way to fast. Why is that? Now I'm not saying you shouldn't work or should do any other thing, whatever. What I'm saying is if you're going to fast, but then go to the movies, do binge watching something on TV. Well, your mind is not even on the thing that you should be focused on. If your mind is on this episode, season one, episode two, season one, episode three, you've made your way through the first five seasons of a particular series or movie. That's not the good. That's not the right thing because what are you doing? You're not afflicting anything. You're not humbling anything. Your focus, your attention is somewhere else rather than where it should be. God is going to give us an eternal rest. Well, right now our focus should be on just in him, especially during that fast. And so if in your fast, your mind is never focused on gobbling on things, other things that you're doing also, well then you might want to reconsider that fast. Do the fast in a way to where you feel it. You are humbled. You are focused on him. Your fallenness is before you and his glory, his greatness is before you as well. Now the question that's also going to come up is how long should I fast? And there are different periods of times that we see in the Bible, some from sunrise to sunset, some from for one day, some for three days, seven days, 40 days. There is no particular timeframe that you have to. The Bible doesn't spell. You must do it this time to this time. Some folks might fast for six hours. Again, the whole goal, the whole point is to do what? To humble your soul before the Lord in order to do what? The goal of the fast is to become closer to get closer to God. How many times should I fast? Well, as often as you want to. Can I fast once a week, once a month, every other week? It's up to you. No problem whatsoever. Shall I plan a fast once every week, every two weeks? What have you? No problem. However you want to do it, again, what is the overall goal? The overall goal is to get closer to Him and in doing so, humbling yourself. So hope that's been helpful. This is what you ought to do. Oh, by the way, do this as often as you can. And so when you find yourself kind of, let's say, dry, distant, there's not a connection with the Lord. Well, instead of turning on the music, instead of finding something on YouTube to watch, instead of watching a Christian movie, how about you just spend some time with just you and the Lord in fasting and in prayer, and then watch your connection, your closest with the Lord increase. Amen.