Isaiah chapter 58 is all about fasting. The chapter addresses motives and benefits of fasting from God’s perspective, which is the one that really counts, right? In this article I’ll be breaking down one verse from this chapter, but if you want more thorough understanding I suggest you open up your Bible, dig in, pray and ask God some questions! Also, you can feel free to stick around and get involved in the chat. We’d loooove to talk to you 😉 Without further delay, let’s jump into verse four:
“”If keeping from food makes you quickly angry, ready for fighting and giving blows with evil hands, your holy days are not such as to make your voice come to my ears on high”
Isaiah 58:4 (BBE)
There are two key statements in this verse. Let’s talk about them one at a time. First, we’ll deal with our potential temperament during fasting. It is good to keep in mind that fasting is a spiritual act. It can be difficult and unpleasant, but it is spiritually beneficial.
Food can change our mood. A good meal makes us happy and gives us energy, but to not eat makes us feel what’s already inside. Our pleasure sensors aren’t being stimulated by our taste buds. Whatever we feel during fasting is organic. It’s what’s already inside of us.
Moodiness is very common when people start fasting. Fasting forces us to face our natural state, acknowledge it, and take it to prayer. It allows us to eventually overcome those emotional hang ups that stop us from becoming who Jesus has called us to be. We gain freedom from self centeredness.
We are instructed to die to ourselves and to live for Christ. (Luke 9:23) Once we remove ourselves Jesus can take His rightful place on the throne of our hearts. We can stop praying with the wrong motives.
“You don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. And even when you ask you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong. You want only what will give you pleasure.”
James 4:2b-3
Let’s look at our first reference again:
“”If keeping from food makes you quickly angry, ready for fighting and giving blows with evil hands, your holy days are not such as to make your voice come to my ears on high“
Isaiah 58:4 (BBE)
Do you see the connection between those two verses there? Almost half of Isaiah 58 talks about fasting with the wrong motive and warns that God is not hearing the people’s prayers because they are being self centered. James 4 reinforces this truth.
We want our prayers to be heard by God, but when we have wrong motives He turns His ears away. If we want to pray righteous prayers we must be willing to pray God’s will into our lives. Fasting is a tool we use to train our bodies to submit to God’s will. It is also a way we train our souls to pursue God’s will. Our goal is to lay down our own agendas and desires and take up God’s mission and purposes for our lives.
According to Strong’s concordance, Hebrew # 5315, the soul is identified as:
- the person
- the source of appetites
- the source of emotions and passions
- the activities of the mind, will, and character.
The soul is what drives and defines us as individuals. If it isn’t submitted to God we will never be or do all He has called us to. Fasting is a way to cleanse and transform your soul, making it usable for God’s work. The habit of intentionally denying your body gratification through fasting cleanses your soul. Coupling this with prayer, worship, and reading the Bible is giving yourself a spiritual work out! It tips the scale in favor of the Holy Spirit and the child of God! This act of submission opens the door for you to know and to do the will of the Father.
Some people want to know how to fast. There are so many ways to do this! If you’re just getting started it is good to train your body to get used to hearing “no” to certain foods before saying no to all food. A good way to start is to fast sugar or your treat of choice for a set amount of time. This time can start off small and build up slowly. Other options are to just fast one meal per day or to fast until a set time of day. As you build tolerance, let the Lord lead you outside of your comfort zone and deeper into your fast. This could turn into an all day fast, fasting for a number of days without food or fasting for a number of days/weeks without a particular food (sugar for example).
Remember that fasting is not a performance, it is a sacrifice. We give this sacrifice in exchange for deeper communion with God. Removing the distraction of our own pleasure and strength helps us to focus our attention and intention on God alone. There will be days you feel weak and tired. Don’t be surprised. And if by chance you don’t make your fasting goal for the day, it’s ok. Just dust yourself off and try again! It’s all just a part of the process. It will get easier with practice.
Are you new to fasting? If you have any questions feel free to ask and we’ll do our best to help. Have you fasted before? If you have, we encourage you to share your testimony. Did you experience break through, character growth, gain deeper understanding of God, or something else? You never know who your story could impact, so don’t be shy. Testify!