I’ve been approached again by many people on what the benefits of fasting brings, and this January, it may be a great way to start out the New Year. I feel this excerpt taken from Lisa Bevere’s, “You are not what you weigh”, best explains it. “Fasting changed my perceptions by changing my focus. This in turn caused me to change the way I lived. I didn’t live for food or weight-I lived for God. Even on a natural fast you will experience an increase in eyesight clarity. On a spiritual fast you will have your spiritual eyes stripped of scales that blinded them.
After the fast I saw everything differently. My eyes were illuminated by God’s Word and Truth. My eyes shifted off me and onto my Father God. I could see the right path on which to walk, and I recognized my former errors in judgment. A fast will give you a new vision and a new direction for your life.
Like David, I had humbled my self with fasting (Ps.35:13). When we humble ourselves we bring our selves into submission or subjection. I brought my soul and, inevitably, my body under subjection to God’s word and truth. Before that I had been in submission to the cravings and appetites of my flesh and soul.
Fasting positions us to acknowledge God’s provision in our lives. It communicates that He is our source. We deny our selves food and tell Him, I only want You and what You provide.”
There are many different types of fasts. Always pray to our Father and let Him guide and direct you. He will reveal to you what kind of fast you should submit to. Some people have even fasted from watching television, or talking on the phone. It may not always be about food.