“This kind only comes out by fasting and prayer (Matthew 17:21).”
Jesus fasted and taught
his disciples to fast as a life practice. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
reinforced the prayer tool of fasting in his epistles to the churches telling
them to be “in fastings often (II Corinthians 11:27).” There are several different
types of fasts referenced in the Bible. Some fasts are absolute where people
such as Moses, Elijah, and Jesus were set apart for 40 days without food or
water (Exodus 34:28-29, Deuteronomy 10:10, I Kings 19:8, Matthew 4:1- 13). Some
fasts were for shorter periods, such as three days and three nights, as Esther
did with her maids (Esther 4:13- 16). Other fasts called for people like Daniel
and the three Hebrew boys to abstain from particular foods, drinks, or
activities for an extended period (Daniel 1:8-13, 10:3).
Regardless of the length
or type of fast in the Bible, it was always coupled with prayer because it is a
form of prayer. Fast without prayer is a physical fast that can help strip away
toxins and re-wire cells of your physical body. Fast with prayer is a Spiritual
fast and helps re-wire the four aspects of the soul (thoughts, feelings,
intellect, and will) as well as your physical body. During seasons of fasting
and praying, we not only limit or eliminate our food intake, but we also limit
or eliminate activities that do not feed our soul. Examples of spiritual
fasting include limiting our time for radio, television, social media, and
other forms of entertainment so that we can focus our energy on spiritual
things.
Jesus taught his
disciples to “anoint your head and to wash your face.” He balanced the
spiritual aspect of fasting (anointing the head for supernatural strength) with
the natural part of fasting (washing your face). Ask the Holy Spirit to lead
you and guide you in what you are to fast from for the next 40 days. It can be
a specific food like meats and sweets or a beverage like soda or coffee. It may
also be not eating for a defined period (8-16 hours a day).
In Matthew 17:14-21,
Jesus, our example of what it means to be fully human and fully Divine,
encountered a young man who appeared to be a lunatic. The young man often cut
himself and had fits of rage. He was suicidal and made several attempts to
drown and burn himself to death.
While his friends and
family loved him, they did not have the consciousness to help him; therefore,
he lived in the tombs by himself. One of the family members decided to bring
the young man to the disciples for healing. They, too, were unsuccessful in
healing the young man.
Finally, they brought the
young man to Jesus, who restored the young man to sanity. Privately, the
disciples asked Jesus the reason why he was able to help the young man when
they were not. Jesus credited his ability to cast out negativity to fasting and
prayer and encouraged his disciples to do the same. In the Sermon on the Mount,
Jesus taught his disciples about fasting and its rewards (Matthew 6:16-18).
Sometimes you may think
that a spiritual practice is not for you or is unnecessary or no longer
relevant. The disciples probably thought the same thing until they had this
experience with the young man. All the spiritual practices are relevant. They are
for the development of your soul to equip you to handle whatever experience
comes your way.
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