David Diga Hernandez - Fast and Pray THE BIBLICAL WAY

Here’s a spiritual truth: for every natural act of faith, there is a divine reaction. The Bible is very clear that when I step out in faith, in obedience to the Word of God, God responds with power. The scripture says in James chapter 2, verse 17, «Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.» Faith moves things in the spiritual realm; faith removes stubborn barriers. Whenever you feel spiritually stuck or stagnant, carry out an act of faith. Faith has the power, when enacted, to cause you to become unstuck; it stirs something inside of you. Faith breaks through difficult barriers in the spiritual realm. When the scripture teaches us to fast and pray, it makes it very clear here, actually in Matthew chapter 6, verses 16 through 18: «And when you fast, do not make it obvious as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable in order to be admired by others for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get. But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face, so that no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.» Here we see Jesus telling us that we are to fast; He assumes, when you fast, it’s something you are to practice regularly. When we are told to fast, we may not understand all of the spiritual dynamics behind it. I don’t know why fasting works; I’ve read about the concept of fasting, and I’ve studied it throughout scripture. Though I’ve looked for the why, I’ve only come to understand the what. I know that fasting works, but I’m never able to see exactly what is going on in the spiritual realm when I fast. So, I take it by faith and respond to the Word of God by saying if Jesus says it’s something that I should do, I will do it. If the scripture tells me that it’s something I must do, then I will do it and experience the benefits of prayer and fasting, even though I don’t understand the mechanism itself. There are examples throughout Scripture of what happens when you act in faith in the natural realm. For example, Moses parting the Red Sea, Israel shouting down the walls of Jericho, Elijah calling down fire from heaven, and so forth. There are many examples in the Bible—hundreds, even thousands—of people stepping out in faith in response to the Word of God and seeing powerful results. The same is true when we fast. Again, we may not understand why it works, but we know biblically that it does, and that should be enough for us to step out in faith, take God at His Word, and experience the power of prayer and fasting. Looking again at that portion of scripture we read in Matthew, we see that we’re to do it regularly. Jesus says, «When you fast,» so we are to do it privately. Jesus spoke about not doing things publicly for the sake of being celebrated by others. Now, here I must interject a point: we have to avoid superstition. Sometimes, it is required that we fast corporately; sometimes it is required that we fast as a group. You will see it throughout scripture—people fasting as a group at the same time for a common purpose. If you are going to fast with a group at the same time for a common purpose, then you have to tell people that you’re fasting. Jesus wasn’t saying to keep it a secret or else it has no power. He was warning us against wanting to pray and fast specifically with the intention of being celebrated by other people or being esteemed as super-spiritual. It’s not like a birthday wish where if someone knows what you wished for, it won’t come true; that is superstition. But again, we must avoid that extreme of being motivated to do these things so that others will look at us and celebrate us. So, we’re to do it in faith, we’re to do it prayerfully. However, the more basic question at this point is: what exactly is a fast? Well, in its strictest and most traditional definition, fasting is simply abstaining from food for a certain period of time in order to devote yourself more to prayer and the Word. Now, that is a very simple definition, but I want to look at the different types of fasts throughout scripture so you can get a better idea of what this is. Number one: there’s the food fast. In Matthew chapter 4, verse 2, we read, «After fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry.» Now, there’s no mention here of Jesus being thirsty, and the devil didn’t tempt Jesus with water. He tempted Him with food because Jesus was hungry; He was hungry because He was fasting food. Now, I have to interject a side point, and this is somewhat of a tangent, but I think the question will come up, and this is a good place to address it. People often ask me, «When fasting, is it okay if I get vegetables, blend them up, and drink them?» Well, here’s the thing: when it comes to fasting, the whole idea is giving up the cravings of the flesh so that we might depend upon the power of the Holy Spirit and focus more on devotion to prayer and the Word. So really, if you’re gaining nutrition, if you’re gaining energy from anything—even if it is liquid—then it could undermine the purpose of fasting.