For How long should I fast - Apostle Joseph Simwela
17m | Apr 29, 2023*For how long does one need to fast*
You can fast for a day, three days, or as many days as 21 or 40 or even more.
you can have a full fast-dry or drinking only liquids, or partial fast-taking only fruits and vegetables like Daniel-water and juice.
Day and night makes 1 day - what we mostly call two days or three days fasting are actually partial fasting.
*Text*
And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.
*Genesis 1:13 ESV*
Partial as to sun top to sundown.
A fourty day fast is to seek God for greater sense of authority - where it has been lost, as in Jesus fast-Matt 4.
As Christians, we need to go into fasting atleast once in a week for us to remain strong in God - even if there is non to pray for. Lets equip ourselves and remain strong in the Lord.
As I said before, fasting is a sacrifice and no honorable sacrifice goes without a blessing.
*Text*
When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the Lord . Abel also brought a gift—the best portions of the firstborn lambs from his flock.
The Lord accepted Abel and his gift, but he did not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected.
*Genesis 4:3-5 NLT*
When you fast, you present your bodies to God as a gift or a living sacrifice.
Abel and Cain both presented a gift to God but it was Abel's sacrifice that was accepted.
The need to be accepted is what now drives Christians to either full, dry, or partial fasting.
Every fasting is permissible but not every fasting is acceptable. . . .
If you have fasted before and seen no answer, then try another kind of fasting. . . .
This is where we are going -
Keep following. . . .
*Text*
May He remember all your offerings and accept your burnt offering. Selah
*Psalms 20:3 HCSB*
Now it's no longer burnt offerings but our own bodies - but the principle remains the same -is your sacrifice special, pleasing and acceptable?
*Text*
Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship.
*Romans 12:1 HCSB*
The principle of sacrifice is by *how much* have you sacrificed and *for what*, the two must be well balanced and so is fasting.
What is the extent or the dimension of what you want to receive?
*Text*
The next morning a group of Jews got together and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul.
*Acts of the Apostles 23:12 NLT*
These people went to unlimited days dry fast, why? because they did not want to kill just an ordinary person, but the anointed man of God - Apostle Paul.
Your fasting will depend on what you really want.
It also means your enemies fast so that you fall down - as a Christian you need to have more than one Spiritual weapon. . . prayer and fasting is not just enough. . .
Dry, full or partial fast only describes the extent someone is able to offer his own body as a sacrifice, and so are the number of days.
Again number of days will give you whether it should be dry or partial looking at the physiological system of the body.
The level of sacrificing self is determined by what you want to achieve at the end of your fasting.
*Let's illustrate for instance*:
*1 day fasting be it dry or partial* - one will do it just to be close to God, to stay alive in Spirit. One can plan it to be on weekly basis - fasting with or without any petition. The purpose is to be stable in Spirit and one is readily available for any challenge that would come.
*Dry fasting* means one will not even drink water for the set period. Usually three days can biologically sustain a person without taking anything. Others call it the Esther fasting.
*Text*
Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die.”
*Esther 4:15-16 NLT*
*3 days dry*
Here, death threat was at stake not to only the Jews but even to Esther who wanted to rescue them by appearing before the king without formal arrangement.
Do this fasting only when a situation equivalent to death is at stake in your life. Sometimes you can discern the spirit of death in someone or self - it's this kind of fasting that can reverse, not only skipping lunch. You can also have deadly situations in your life, apply this.
At all cost. . .
- you need a job
- you need promotion
- you need to pass an exam
. . . .any deadly situation in your life requires 3 day and night dry. . . .not food, no water
It's all about the revelation, application and to the extent of sacrifice, never should you say am not Esther, Daniel or Jesus. Some say if you rise up and pray at midnight even if it's just 10 minutes, it will be like 3 days fasting.
*21 days - Daniel partial*
Here days were long, and Daniel was not a free person - was like a slave, had to submit to the earthly masters too in terms of hard work. He opted to change diet from usual hard food to just fruits so he can be close to God.
I recommend partial for those whose work is more physical than in the Office. . .
You can skip breakfast. ..or whatever
Or you can choose to eat only fruits. . .
Or only fluids. . .. .
Or just few hours during the day.. ..
*This is partial. . .*
*Text*
When this vision came to me, I, Daniel, had been in mourning for three whole weeks. All that time I had eaten no rich food. No meat or wine crossed my lips, and I used no fragrant lotions until those three weeks had passed.
*Daniel 10:2-3 NLT*
He did this because he saw hardships and war in a vision.
One can reap hardships and confusion that will lead to death for not taking the right decision - death both physically and spiritual.
Do such fasting if you are at that level of risk. . . not death but to avoid something that would lead to death.
do partial fasting also when your daily task demands you to really work very hard, to use more of your muscles. . .provided there is time for prayer, meditation and reflection.
*40 days fasting* Jesus
Just after fasting, Jesus started his ministry. Ministry is something that shoulders the burdens of a lot of people and a good preparation is needed.
if you want to impact a lot of people in a certain way, be it opening a company, organization, school and something similar, this kind can prepare you.
Before entering into marriage or a relationship - you can seriously consider this and then God directs you.
To men and women of God, I can advise this kind at least once a year. . . .to prepare spiritually for the other year.
You need to know that as followers to a man of God, you receive from God through him.
you do not receive from a man of God because he is a man of God. You receive based on the capacity and to the extent he has sacrificed self for the sake of you.
A man of God will fast so that you can receive
He will be praying for you to receive while you watching a movie
Sometimes he will not sleep just to make sure he hears something about you.
The bible says, in his house are both vessels of honor and those of dishonor - in his house, meaning both saved or both men of God. Honor comes because of the extent someone has sacrificed self.
In summary, types of fasting are simply levels, the extent one should sacrifice his own body as a living sacrifice in order to get lifted in Spirit.
We have not been lifted the same way in Spirit - it's not by just grace, but the extent we chose to ignore our own body.
