Fasting -- What it is NOT

Fasting is not a way to show off your spirituality.

“Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.(Mt 6:16-17NKJ)

God wants our fasting to be private. A few "fellow fasters" to encourage one another is fine. The point Jesus is making is that we are not to use fasting as a way to show off how spiritual we are.

Fasting is not a “spiritual” way to lose weight. Losing weight is a by product, but that should not be the purpose of a fast. However, I have fasted for God to break my compulsive overeating behaviours. There has been tremendous progress as I learn to feed on God and His Word instead of feeding my sinful nature.

Fasting is not a means of coercing God to do our will. David fasted for his son born out of his adultery with Bathsheba, and yet God still took the child's life.

2Sa12:13-23

So David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die.”

Then Nathan departed to his house. And the Lord struck the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David, and it became ill. David therefore pleaded with God for the child, and David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground. So the elders of his house arose and went to him, to raise him up from the ground. But he would not, nor did he eat food with them.

Then on the seventh day it came to pass that the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead. For they said, “Indeed, while the child was alive, we spoke to him, and he would not heed our voice. How can we tell him that the child is dead? He may do some harm!”
When David saw that his servants were whispering, David perceived that the child was dead. Therefore David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?” And they said, “He is dead.”
So David arose from the ground, washed and anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he went into the house of the Lord and worshipped. Then he went to his own house; and when he requested, they set food before him, and he ate.
Then his servants said to him, “What is this that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive, but when the child died, you arose and ate food.”
And he said, “While the child was alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, ‘Who can tell whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’ But now he is dead; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.”

(2Sa12:13-23 NKJ)

God did not answer David's request, but David's response was still to praise God! He didn't say anything like “I didn't pray enough! I didn't fast enough! I didn't have enough faith! If only I had done more, God would have answered my prayer.” He understood that God sometimes says “No!” and yet He still is so worthy to be praised!

Next time we will look more at what Biblical fasting is.