As a Christian, establishing a strong relationship with God is the ultimate scope of living. This is because Christianity in it true sense is not a religion but a relationship with Jesus himself.
One sure way to keep up a healthy relationship with God through Jesus Christ so you can make heaven at last, is to engage in a committed spiritual exercise. One of such exercise is to fast and pray.
You are probably aware of the fact that we had in a earlier post pointed out fasting as one of the sure ways to energize your spirit for an effective work with God. So what is fasting?
THE MEANING OF FASTING
To put in a simplified term, fasting mean abstaining from food and drink for a particular period as form of a religious activity.
This means that during a fast you are not expected to eat anything (except for water in some cases). Chances are that you are already eager to know why fasting is necessary. So let’s delve into that.
WHY SHOULD CHRISTIANS FAST?
Though fasting is abstaining from food and drinks, God does not intend fasting to serve as punishment for His people. Below, we will quickly take a look at some of the reasons Christians should fast.
1. Fasting energizes your spirit.
This is so important because our mortal body wars against our spirit daily, hence fasting puts your spirit in charge in accordance with the will of God for you. See what the scripture said :
Romans 8:6 ‘For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8:8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.’
2. Fasting ensures speedy answers to prayers:
Well we had in a earlier post discussed on how to get speedy answers to prayers by praying the way Jesus taught us to pray. But there are certain issues that can only be resolved while you fast. Let’s look at this scripture.
In Mark 9:23-29 we saw Jesus heal a child who was possessed with deaf and dumb spirit. However, prior to that healing the disciples of Jesus had prayed for the young man with no success.
But after Jesus healed the man his disciples sort to know why they couldn’t do what he did. See his response. Mark 9:29 ‘And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.’
By implication, there are certain issues that won’t get solved until you fast and pray.
3. We earn God’s mercy when we fast.
We have mentioned that fasting is one sure way to humble your flesh and put your spirit in command. So as Christians, we can earn God’s mercy when we fast. It goes a long way to show Him that we truly regret our actions.
Countless number of times in scriptures we saw men like David, Ahab, obtain mercy by fasting. Similarly, in Jonah 3:1-10 we understand that God could no longer destroy Nineveh after they fasted.
In Conclusion:
You have seen some reasons you should fast and pray. So we urge you to take advantage of them in faith and see what God does. Keep in mind that your fasting doesn’t profit God but you.
Stay blessed.