by Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D.

As you step out in fasting for fire to learn how to position yourself to feast upon God, I pray these few tips help equip you in your journey. To dive even deeper check out the book Fasting for Fire which these tips are based up.

Be Led by the Spirit

Make sure you are led by the Spirit every step of the way as you venture out in faith to fast. Be wise and seek counsel or medical advice first regarding fasting if you have health issues. If you are pregnant, do not fast food but instead fast social media or something similar. For those who still want to participate in a fast but cannot because of health or weight issues, seek the Holy Spirit on how to be led in an alternative fast.

Start Small

If you have never fasted before, I suggest starting with a smaller fast and skipping two meals one day while drinking lots of water. If that is too hard, try drinking juice or a thicker liquid. For longer fasts, it is advisable to eat fruit just before. Remember that fasting is not just abstaining from food; it is also filling your soul with something better: the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Don’t avoid God by staying busy. Spend the time you would normally have spent eating instead in worship, silence, prayer, meditating on God, reading the Word, praying with a friend, or waiting upon Him. If you have a chance, go to an isolated place where you connect well with God. During your normal day, when you get hunger pains, turn your attention and affection toward God. The fast is the most effective when it is intricately woven together with communion with God.

 Uncomfortable

I find that days one and two are the hardest of any fast, no matter how long the fast is. This is when your body is detoxing. Usually after making it past day three, it gets much easier. During longer fasts, many times energy levels drop, and you may get cold easily. You may find yourself tired and needing to take naps or struggling to sleep throughout the night. Another thing to take into consideration is that many times one of the harder parts of fasting is not being as social since most events surround food. These gatherings are still fine to join but sometimes it is helpful to communicate with the host ahead of time so it is not awkward at the dinner table.

Refining

During a fast, be aware of what comes up for you and take time to journal and process it. Are you easily irritated, feeling out of control, or experiencing some other extreme mood shift? What things are you running to rather than food? What themes are emerging in your heart? What relationships is He bringing to the surface, and is He asking you to respond in a certain way? Is there anyone you need to forgive or be reconciled with? Is there anyone you need to reach out to or become more aligned with? Ask the Holy Spirit what is really going on during these times and what He might be bringing up within you to heal. Ask God to go to the root of any issues that emerge. I encourage you to press in, worship, pray, scream, dance, run, intercede, beat a drum, contend, or whatever you feel you need to do to respond to God when the hunger gets severe.

Pay Attention

Pay attention to the details and themes in what is being highlighted to you during a fast. Many times, we can hear the still small voice of God more clearly and see things we haven’t been able to see before. Also, be aware of possible new alignments God may bring to you. Who is God highlighting to you during this time? Who is reaching out to you during a fast? Are there potential divine connections or anointed alliances He is bringing? Is He putting a burden on your heart for a specific person or nation? Is He putting a new idea in your heart? Is He redirecting your steps? Don’t be surprised if God changes your plans or redirects you during a fast. This is actually very common. In the process of focusing on His face and His agenda more precisely, many times people hear things from God that seem “out of the blue.” These revelations are from God and can be expected during a fast. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t feel anything or see what you have been praying for during the fast. Setting yourself aside to feast upon Him alone is an act of worship, which He is pleased about whether you experience a tangible immediate result or not.

There’s Grace

It is important to give yourself grace during a fast. If you end up breaking the fast prematurely or before the original goal you had set for yourself, don’t beat yourself up or come under condemnation (Romans 8:1–4). Celebrate each small victory. If you have never fasted before and you were able to fast one meal rather than two starting off, celebrate that you are on your way. There have been times when I couldn’t even make it to the end of my one-day fast and I had to eat. The grace had lifted for me to continue, and that’s okay. The beautiful thing about fasting with pure motives and the right perspective is that we are not fasting to try and prove a point to anyone or even to ourselves; we are simply positioning ourselves to know God better. We fast to encounter more of God. There are no rules here. We do it to fall more in love with God. The more we practice fasting, the easier it becomes.

How to Break a Fast

Practically speaking, it is important to break a fast well to avoid injuring your stomach or harming your body. Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, so make sure to be wise and steward what goes in there. Breaking a fast is usually good with liquids, fruit juices, and then moving on to fruit and vegetables. Slowly integrate more regular foods into your diet depending on how long the fast was. Generally, you can come off shorter fasts with a light meal of fruits or vegetables and then work your way toward weightier meals. Coming off of a fast will vary for each person and depend upon how long the fast was. For longer fasts, be gentle and slowly ease back into your regular diet so that you don’t shock your system. It is important to replenish your body with the proper nutrients. Coconut water can be helpful to drink before, after, and sometimes even on a liquid fast because it is rich in electrolytes. Taking vitamin supplements can also be useful. The main thing to be aware of on the other side of a fast is that your body has gone without nutrients and will need some time to replenish them to get back to normal. Do some research to learn the best way for you to come off of a fast, and record what works and what doesn’t for future fasts.

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Join our FREE 3-Day Fasting for Fire Challenge Jan. 4-6, 2024 or our 4 week module and 21-Day Fast.

Learn more in Fasting for Fire: Igniting Fresh Hunger to Feast Upon God

by Jennifer A. Miskov, PhD.

“Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.” –Hebrews 12:26-29

A Second Wave

Over the last couple of years, there has been a sifting and refining that has taken place in the church. The hidden places were uncovered and God, through His mercy, extended an invitation to repent. I feel that in 2022, there will now be a second wave of refining fire sweeping across the church. This fire will not only go deeper in exposing the roots of sin in order to heal and re-establish on healthy foundations, but it will call us all to a higher level of consecration and devotion to Jesus in our everyday lives so that we can steward the increasing glory God wants to pour out.

The first wave of refining took out many who started their journey strong but got distracted or sidelined by fame, hidden sins, undealt with brokenness, or who were not deeply rooted in Jesus. There is now another refining coming that will purify at an even deeper level. The fire I am referring to is the fire of God’s presence and holiness. The Lord in His mercy, is sending this second wave to prepare us to learn how to live in the fire, refined and consecrated so that we can receive all that He has for us. This invitation to live in the fire is not as much a turning from sin, but it’s a call to those who are already walking in obedience to become even deeper rooted in His presence to steward the incoming glory. It’s an invitation to have greater union with God Himself.

Living in the Fire

When we learn to live in this fire rather than avoid it, when the fire does come, sometimes through increasing favor and other times through trials or persecution, we will already be purified to the core of our being so it won’t take us out. When we welcome the fire of God to examine our motives and purify our hearts, to purge us of anything that would hinder honoring His holiness, we will be immoveable to the swirl and constantly changing atmospheres around us. We will be established in Him as our Source and anchored in the Word of God which is His eternal truth.

In this new year, inspired by our burning love and devotion to Jesus and led by the Holy Spirit, may we seek to honor God by walking in purity at a deeper level (2 Corinthians 7:1). There is a seriousness about His holiness that must be respected. We must position ourselves to stand under the incoming greater glory so that we are not crushed by it. What we will face in the future demands a deeper level of consecration now so that when persecution knocks at our door, we can withstand the increasing shaking.

“This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the Lord Almighty… ‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the Lord Almighty.” –Haggai 2:6-9

Take Your Place

I know this is a heavier word than I have released before and more of a warning, a calling to walk on the highway of holiness and to raise the plumbline, but times are changing. I just released a book called Fasting for Fire and am preparing for our online School of Revival on the theme of Martyrdom this spring. We must get ready. This is no time to flirt with the things of the world. We must set our faces like flint before the King of kings. We must come off the sidelines and step into the front lines if we are not already standing here.

I pray the Holy Spirit uses this word to both apprehend and inspire you to throw off everything that hinders and run the race destined for you, fixing your eyes on Jesus, the glorious and holy one who paid a price for loving you.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross…” –Hebrews 12:1-2

Happy New Year! May we run into the fire of His love and holiness together and may we live our lives in such a way to honor the great price He paid (Romans 12:1).

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If you want to find your place in the kingdom of God, join our global online School of Revival family and run with us!

Excerpt taken from Chapter 1 in Fasting for Fire: Igniting Fresh Fire to Feast upon God
by Jennifer A. Miskov. Ph.D.

My recommendation for the Christian church today is to call a moratorium on all activity and focus on coming into worship until the fire descends and engulfs us in the sacredness of His presence.(1)

—A. W. Tozer

Fire

Burning ones fast and fasting ones burn.

Fasting and fire are inseparable. There is something about fasting that ignites an all-consuming fire for God inside. Fire brings us to a place of intense focus. Fire can also represent passionate, burning love. No other lovers can compete for our attention when we are captivated, on fire, and intently focused on the face of Jesus.

Hebrews 12:29 says that our God “is a consuming fire.” Choosing to live in the fire is essentially embracing the fiery presence of God Himself. When doing this continuously, there is a unique purity and consecration that happens. In the fire, everything must be purified and refined like gold. There is a respect for the holiness of God by welcoming a life refined by the fire.(2)

Fire can also represent revival. If we define one element of revival as simply being more in love with Jesus and completely yielded for His purposes, then as we focus our gaze upon the fire in His eyes, signs, wonders, and miracles are sure to follow. We don’t need to strive for revival to be released through our lives when our hearts burn for the One Thing more than any other lover. Revival is something that will naturally flow from the fire of God’s presence in our lives and our intimate communion with Him.

Resurgence of Fasting

Fasting for Fire: Igniting Fresh Hunger to Feast Upon God originally came from a blog I wrote in 2014 entitled “Fasting: The Lost Art of Feasting Upon God.” Interestingly enough, this has been one of my most frequented blogs. This surprised me. I always loved fasting, but to realize others were also interested was a fascinating discovery. Because I have experienced God in powerful ways as I have adopted a lifestyle of fasting, I want to share more about this pathway to intimacy and show how easily accessible it is no matter one’s starting point.

We are alive at such a unique time in history when God is bringing in one of the greatest harvests of souls we’ve ever known. So many people will be entering into the family of God in this new season. How amazing would it be if, when people entered into the kingdom of God, they also embraced a lifestyle of fasting that was marked by intimacy, consecration, and revival from the very start?

Unfortunately, many Christians have yet to discover or embrace the gift of fasting in our day. But what if fasting were not something exceptional in our generation? What would happen if spiritual fasting became a regular part of the Christian life rather than something reserved only for the religious elite? Or better yet, what if fasting for fire became the norm? I wonder what deeper levels of union with Jesus and profound revelation of the Holy Spirit might be tapped into when more believers access this pathway to intimacy. What type of deeper communion, extraordinary miracles, mass salvations, defining moments, increased anointing, and power might be released when the body of Christ strengthens her muscles in this way? How many more revival fires might be ignited when a community of burning ones gathers together, praying and fasting to take hold of more of God?

When a generation embraces the fire of God by setting themselves apart to fast, we will see an unstoppable army of lovers running hard after Him regardless of the cost. These fiery, consecrated, and set-apart saints will turn the world upside down for His glory. And fasting will be one of the pathways to increase and sustain their flame of love for Jesus.

Hunger

In my studies of revival history over the last several decades, the number one attribute that is present in the beginnings of almost every revival I’ve looked at is hunger. I discovered that hunger was the strongest component that initially stirred people to pray, position themselves, press in, and be desperate for a move of God. This hunger was first stirred up in their own lives, which later became catalytic for everyone around them.

So, if hunger for more of God is one of the most prominent elements God has used in history to catalyze revivals, wouldn’t it be amazing if there was a way for us to cultivate greater hunger for God today?

What if I told you that there is something very practical you can do today to cultivate increased hunger for God? Or that there is something you can integrate into your lifestyle that will radically accelerate your spiritual growth? Well, I have good news for you. There is! Fasting done with the right motives is one sure way to grow your hunger for God and access deeper levels of intimacy with Him. Besides asking God to give you the gift of hunger, you can also choose to embrace a lifestyle of fasting to grow your hunger for Him. A lifestyle of fasting can also contribute to greater anointing and power working through your life as you continue to yield to the Holy Spirit.

Jesus

Let me just say from the start that fasting is not the answer.

Jesus is the answer.

Fasting is not a formula to get God to do what we want. Fasting is simply one of the gifts or pathways to intimacy given to us that can help accelerate our growth in Christ and lead us into deeper union with Him. If signs, wonders, and miracles follow times of fasting, that’s amazing. However, that is not the focus of our fasting or our end game here. The point of fasting for fire is to get more of Jesus and allow Him to get more of us. Fasting is simply an invitation to know God more. It is all for Jesus. It must begin in Him, find its source in Him, and end with more of Him. In all of our fastings, may we get more of Jesus as our reward.

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1 A. W. Tozer, The Fire of God’s Presence: Drawing Near to a Holy God edited by James L. Snyder (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House, 2020), 41.

2 See Leviticus 6:8–13; Matthew 3:11; Romans 12:1–2.

The following blog became the inspiration for my new book Fasting for Fire which builds and goes deeper into this theme as well as adds the voices and experiences of Heidi Baker, Randy Clark, and Lou Engle.

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by Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D.

Part 1: Staying Full of the Oil

I want my lamp to be full of oil so that when it’s time to cast out demons, love the broken hearted, or release courage, I am ready. I want to be flooded with God’s love so much that the overflow spills out to those around me. I want to be one of the five virgins who remain ready for the arrival of the bridegroom. I want to enter into all that God has for me. It’s not about entering heaven and avoiding hell. What I am talking about is being totally possessed by the Holy Spirit and ever ready to step into the fullness of my God-given destiny. I want to be ready to advance the kingdom of God in season and out. I am talking about living the adventurous and abundant life that Jesus died for us to have, not just settling for a one way ticket to heaven. Fasting and other spiritual disciplines launch us into the world of impossibilities where we must learn to soar as our only option. If you are ready for an adventure into the depths of God’s heart, read on.

“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ ‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. Later the others also came. ‘Sir! Sir!’ they said, ‘Open the door for us!’ But he replied, ‘I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.’ Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.” Matthew 25:1-13 (NIV)

Let me rephrase the last line. Therefore keep watch, remain full, stay ready, for you do not know when God is going to act next. He wants you to be ready so that even if it’s midnight or an hour you least expect, you are full of Him and ready to partner with Him. One of the reasons why I fast as a regular part of my life is because I want to remain full, focused, and engaged in Him. I want to remain hungry for Him. Fasting is one way that helps keep me aligned with His heart and ready to step into all that He has for me.

The Purpose of Fasting

Fasting cultivates hunger for more of God. Fasting is feasting upon God. It is a way to accelerate and speed up your walk with God. It is an invitation to greater levels of intimacy. It is also a powerful weapon that can be used to tear down strongholds, set the oppressed free, heal the sick, align destinies, and stir up hunger for more of God. Our motives should be to seek the face of Jesus above all else (Joel 2:12; Zechariah 7:5; Acts 13:2)

Motivations for Fasting

• Grow in Hunger for God

• Regain focus

• Reposition or seek alignment

• Freedom from addiction or from habitual patterns of sin/bondage or to set others free (Isaiah 58:6/Luke 9:1-2)

• Spiritual Warfare (casting out demons: Matthew 17:21)

• Guidance in decisions (Daniel 9:2-22)

• To humble yourself (Psalm 69:10; John 4:8)

• Spiritually cleansing, renewing, refining fire

• Develop fruit of the Spirit, self-control

• Grow in intercessory prayer

• To sow into future seasons

• To prepare for stepping into greater measures of empowerment and anointing

Fasting to Bring Breakthrough

While fasting is one key to bring breakthrough, it is not always the only one God calls us to use in a situation. Sometimes breakthrough comes through fasting (Matthew 17:21) while other times it comes when loosing the chains of injustice and giving to the poor (Isaiah 58). Sometimes the key to breakthrough is found in giving away all your money to the poor (Matthew 19:21) and other times it comes when washing in the river seven times (2 Kings 5). Sometimes it is when your friends tear off the roof of a house so you can be healed (Luke 5:17-26) and sometimes it is simply in touching the hem of His garment (Matthew 9:20-22). The keys to our breakthroughs are different at different times. Sometimes what brought us a breakthrough in one season will not work in the next. That is why it important to spend time with God and be led by the Spirit in all things. With that said, fasting is one ready key that Jesus regularly states can bring breakthrough in different areas, especially in the area of freeing people from demonic oppression. Richard Foster states that “fasting can bring breakthroughs in the spiritual realm that will never happen in any other way.”[i]

Part 2: Secrets of the Inner Lives of Revivalists

Testimonies of Fasting Revivalists

Many of the great revivalists and strong Christian leaders we look up to regularly fast and stay full of the oil. Many of the spiritual heroes we look up to fast regularly or have even done 40 days fasts. Rolland and Heidi Baker and their Mozambiquan community fast every Monday as a part of their normal spiritual lives. When I was in Mozambique working in a refugee camp called Camp 2000, I was struck by 11 year old named Rafael who went on a seven day fast all on his own because his heart broke for the people in the nearby villages. What if fasting wasn’t something that is rare? What would happen if fasting became a regular part of life rather than something that’s exceptional? I wonder what type of extraordinary miracles, anointing, or power might be released when the body of Christ strengthens her muscles in this way.

Besides Moses, David, Elijah, Esther, Daniel, Anna, Paul, Peter, John, many others, and Jesus Himself, here are a few specific testimonies of how some of our heroes regularly fasted and the impact it has had on their lives. All of the following mentioned below were included in the book I helped Bill Johnson write called Defining Moments.

John Wesley (1703-1791) and his community formed this group they called the Holy Club. They fasted every week together as a community, training themselves to walk in the fullness of all that God had for them in their generation. He was a part of forming the Methodist church.

Charles Finney (1792-1875) prepared for revivals by sending and organizing teams to pray, fast, and spread the word before he arrived. His prayer warrior Daniel Nash went in before him for a few weeks or even months, to pray, fast, and prepare the fallow ground for the seeds that were about to be sown. Finney became known as the father of modern revivalism.

Smith Wigglesworth (1859-1947) who moved in great anointing and power, fasted every Sunday and he never remembered “seeing less that fifty souls saved by the power of God in the meetings with the children, in the hospitals, on the ships, and in the Salvation Army.”[i] Following a turning point in his marriage and deep conviction to turn back to God, Wigglesworth decided to give ten days to praying and fasting to get his heart right. Following this time of sanctification and consecration unto the Lord, there was a marked change in him. His temper and moodiness left.[ii]

One fun story of how God used fasting in Wigglesworth’s life to release the kingdom happened later on in his life when he received a telegram to pray for a dangerously ill boy in England. Once he arrived in the town, his determination to see the boy’s healing caused him to go another nine miles on bicycle to get to the farm where the boy lay. When he arrived, his mother told him it was too late because her son was nearly dead. Wigglesworth told her that God never sends him anywhere too late. He prayed and fasted and then asked the parents to dry the boy’s clothes so they would be ready to put on. Smith then went off to church and came back only to find that the parents had not done as he asked. He went and got the clothes and had someone put the boy’s stockings on him. Then he asked everyone to leave and he shut the door behind him. When he began to pray and touched the boy’s hand, the power of God invaded the room and knocked Smith to the floor. He laid there in the glory for over 15 minutes. During this time, the boy regained his strength so much so that he was shouting joyously. After the boy dressed, he ran to tell his parents the great news but found them on the floor in the kitchen as a result of the glory that filled the house. “The daughter who had been brought from the asylum and whose mind was still affected was made perfectly whole that day. That whole village was moved and a revival began that day.”[iii]

Rees Howells (1879-1950) valued the hidden life. He entered one season by embracing aspects of the Nazarite vow. During this time, he fasted two meals a day. He also set himself apart by not wearing a hat during a time in the U.K. when that would have been seen as a cultural embarrassment. During this season, he also spent three hours every night on his knees from 6:00-9:00 p.m., two hours reading the Bible and one hour of waiting on God. Howells recalls of this precious time of prayer and fasting,

“Although we may be away from the presence of people, how hard it is to silence the voices of self. But after a time the Lord brought me to the place where the moment I shut the door at six o’clock, I left the world outside and had access into the presence of God.”[iv]

John G. Lake (1870-1935) went to prayer and fasting for 9 months waiting on God before he had his Spirit Baptism electricity encounter in October of 1907. It was after praying for 9 months and virtually giving up, while praying with Hezmalhalch for a sick woman, the Spirit possessed Lake afresh like lightning and he received his Spirit baptism and spoke in tongues.

Randy Clark (1952-present) had a series of prophetic words and impartations that marked his life and prepared him for what would prove to be the launching point for his ministry in 1994, the Toronto Blessing. He also is known to have gone on several 40 day fasts as well as other smaller fasts. He fasted while he traveled to conferences because he was so hungry for God and to receive impartation.

Heidi Baker (1959-present) a few months after her conversion, while on a 5 day fast, she was taken up in a vision for a few hours and heard the call to minister in Asia, England, and Africa. It was during a fast that she received her life defining call. In her own words she reflects on this time.

“In May toward the end of the semester I went on a five-day fast to find out more from God about what to do with my life. On the night of the fifth day I expectantly went to the Roarks’ little Pentecostal church in the country and was drawn to the altar. I knelt down and lifted my arms to the Lord. Suddenly I felt taken to a new heavenly place. Pastor Roark was preaching, but I couldn’t hear his loud, powerful voice at all. God’s glory came to me again, wrapping me in a pure and brilliant white light. I was overwhelmed by who He is. I had never felt so loved, and I began to weep. This time He spoke to me audibly. ‘I am calling you to be a minister and a missionary,’ He said. ‘You are to go to Africa, Asia and England.’ Again my heart was pounding and racing. I thought I might die.” [v]

Most of the leaders mentioned above had powerful movements and ministries. They all had one thing in common in that they regularly fasted at different times in their lives. For some it was preparation and proceeded great outpourings, for others it was simply a discipline of remaining full. Still others experienced life defining calls, increased power and anointing in their ministry, and greater intimacy with the Lord.

If you notice from these testimonies, there are seasons for feasting and there are seasons for fasting.

“Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came and asked Jesus, ‘How is it that John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but you are not?’ Jesus answered, ‘How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them. But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast.” Mark 2:18-20 (NIV)

Be led of the Spirit always.

Destiny House Rhythm

As Destiny House, we fast as a community every Monday. Then on the Monday evening, we break fast together and have a family meal. Corporate and regular fasts can be powerful. When something comes up that needs a miracle or breakthrough, we are already fasting so we can link arms in prayer. When we eventually are able to host missionaries and leaders who come to visit, we will be able to fast and pray ahead of time for the breakthrough they are seeking. Learning the discipline of regular fasting will help prepare each one if there is ever a season that God calls them to a longer fast. We also do a week fast once a year to prepare, pray, and sow into the upcoming season. This has a powerful impact on the whole year following because powerful seeds are sown. These smaller fasts help prepare people so that when it’s time to step into longer fast as they are led of the Spirit, they are trained, prepared, and ready.I want people to be ready if they feel led to fast for 3 days, or a week, or even for 40 days. Because we are practicing fasting in the peaceful times, we will be ready when the battle arises. It’s kind of like how the Navy Seals train and prepare rigorously so that when it’s time to be sent on a mission they are ready. They don’t get ready right before they get sent. They live ready.

I Like to Fast

Yes, I am one of those weird people who actually enjoys the spiritual discipline of fasting. It’s not that I don’t enjoy food, it’s just that I love that I can position myself to experience more of God by setting myself totally apart just to hunger after Him. He is my portion and my prize. The reasons I fast at different times vary. Generally though, I fast to grow in my hunger for God and to keep my lamp full of oil. I want to stay prepared and to stay filled. If one can take dominion over their body with self-control, they will be able to take dominion over other things as well. If one can’t have self-control over their body, they may have limited authority over other things. Fasting is also practice for taking dominion over spiritual strongholds.

It is important to keep fasting in balance and not to come under the law, judgement, or condemnation with it. Only the Holy Spirit can really sustain you on a fast and you should always be led by the Spirit into all things. It’s not by our own might or power, but by His Spirit that we will be sustained during a time of fasting. Make sure God is on it or else you may just fast to get hungry. Other times, you may feel that you want to initiate a fast because you want to honor God, consecrate yourself, sow into future seasons, or do it simply as an act of worship unto God. As long as your heart remains pure and you are not doing it to try and manipulate God or for personal and self-righteous gain, there are great rewards in fasting (Matthew 6:16-18).

Here's Why I Fast

• To be more desperate for God

• To commune with God

• To be hungry for God

• To be purified and sanctified afresh for His purposes in my life

• To be set apart for Him

• To sow into the next season of my life

• Because Jesus fasted

• To tap into the wells that other revivalists have tapped into

• To stay ready to step into what God is doing

• To keep my lamp full of oil

• To see breakthrough

• To stay focused on the things of God

• As an act of consecration and worship unto Him

Part 3: Practical Tips for Fasting

What fasting looks like practically is abstaining from food for spiritual purposes. It is regularly linked to prayer. You can also fast for a time from things like T.V., secular music, Facebook, social media, shopping, sugar, coffee, etc. Fasting is not explicitly stated as a commandment in the Bible possibly because it was assumed that believers fasted as a regular part of their spirituality. There seems to be an assumption in Scripture that if people followed Jesus, then they would regularly fast because He fasted. Further, in a similar way in which He said “when you give to the needy,” implying that that was normal and expected part of spirituality, Jesus also said in Matthew 6:16 “When you fast…” He did not say “if” you fast. If Jesus is our model and He regularly fasted, then we ought to follow in His footsteps.

Jesus fasted as He was led by the Spirit for preparation for a new season (Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:9-13). Immediately after He returned from His extended fast, He was launched into His ministry. Longer fasts have proven significant for many leaders in launching them and their ministry into a greater measure of destiny as will be mentioned more.

Different Types of Fasts

• Absolute Fast: no food or water (sometimes done in emergencies: Esther 4:16; Acts 9:9; Deut. 9:9,18; Exodus 34:28)

• Full Fast: water only fast (Matthew 4:2)

• Partial Fast: a restriction of diet but not total abstaining from food (Daniel 1:15, 10:3)

• Private fasts: the most common fasts, should be done undercover (Matt. 6:16)

• Regular fasts: done once or twice each week as a discipline (Zech. 8:19; Luke 18:12)

• Public/Corporate fasts: sometimes called in times of group or national emergencies (Joel 2:15; 2 Chron. 20:1-4; Ezra 8:21-23)

Start Small

Start small and celebrate your successes. Start with a partial fast and skip two meals one day while drinking lots of water. If that’s too hard, try drinking juice. Remember that fasting is not just abstaining from food but it is also filling our bodies with something better, the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Spend the time you would normally have spent eating, alone with Him in prayer, in the Word, or on waiting on Him. During your normal day when you get hunger pains, turn towards God in prayer. For longer fasts, it is advisable to eat fruit before. Come off the fast with a light meal of fruits or vegetables and then work your way towards weightier meals.

Uncomfortable

“More than any other Discipline, fasting reveals the things that control us.”[i] -Richard Foster

I find that day 1-2 are the hardest of any fast, no matter how long the fast ends up being. Usually after making it past day 3, it gets much easier. Be aware of what comes up for you during a fast. Are you easily irritated, feeling out of control, or experiencing some other extreme mood shift? What things are you running to rather than food? Ask the Holy Spirit what is really going on during these times and what He might be bringing up within you to heal. Ask God to go to the root. I encourage you to press in, worship, pray, scream, dance, intercede, contend, or whatever you feel you need to do to take hold of God when the hunger gets severe. There have been some times where I went days without eating and avoided God by being busy to mask the hunger pains rather than turn to Him. I have been pleasantly surprised by rich encounters in His presence when I chose not simply to abstain from food but more importantly during that time, to instead feast on the living God. Songs have been birthed, Scripture has been revealed at new depths, healing has come when I have positioned myself at His feet instead of trying to stay busy to avoid the hunger. Fasting is not just going without food, it must also be feasting on God. The fast is the most effective when these two are married together.

How to Break a Fast

It is important to break the fast well to avoid injuring your stomach or harming your body. You body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, so make sure to be wise and steward what goes in there well. Breaking a fast is usually good with liquids, fruit juices, and then moving on to fruit and vegetables. Slowly integrate more regular foods into your diet depending on how long the fast was. Come off the fast with a light meal of fruits or vegetables and then work your way towards weightier meals.

One thing I do want to share is that in many of my fasts, I don’t feel anything during the time I am fasting. Most of my major breakthroughs, increased anointings have come in the season following my fast. Several of my books including Silver to Gold, Water to Wine,  and Life on Wings were birthed after longer fasts. Destiny House came right after a long fast as well. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t feel anything or see what you have been praying for during the fast. While you are setting yourself apart for the Lord, He is at work behind the scenes on your behalf.

I hope this has been a helpful start to deeper engagement with the living God. Be led of the Spirit into fasting, it should always draw you closer to Jesus. May you be inspired to seek the Lord in more desperate measures. May fasting be a strength and one of the ways to help position you to feast more upon God. Join our Destiny House family as we regularly and corporately fast on Mondays. As you embark in this adventure into the heart of God, may you experience His love in greater measures and be perfectly positioned to enter into the feast with the bridegroom.

Further Resources

Check out podcast on Focus, Fire, and Fasting

Check out another blog called Positioning Ourselves to Feast Upon God: Revival of the Disciplines

In Jen’s Walking on Water Encounter E-Course, she shares her heart, personal experiences, practical tips, and testimonies from the role fasting has had in her life and in others and how you can position yourself to tap into even more that God has for you today.

Walking on Water

Encounter E-Course with a session on Fasting

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References:

Part 1: [i] Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline (New York, NY: HarperOne, 1978, reprint 1998), 60.

Part 2: [i]Stanley Howard Frodsham, Smith Wigglesworth: Apostle of Faith (London: Elim Publishing Co., Ltd, 1949), 5-6.

[ii]Smith Wigglesworth, Faith that Prevails (Springfield, MO: Gospel Publishing House, 1938, 1966), 61.

[iii]Stanley Howard Frodsham, Smith Wigglesworth: Apostle of Faith (London: Elim Publishing Co., Ltd, 1949), 30-31.

[iv] Norman P. Grubb, Rees Howells: Intercessor (Fort Washington, PA: CLC Publications, 2008 reprint from 1952), 114.

[v] Rolland and Heidi Baker There’s Always Enough (Sovereign World Ltd, England: 2003), 23-27.

Part 3: [i] Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline (New York, NY: HarperOne, 1978, reprint 1998), 55.

by Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D.

“The desperate need today is not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people.”  -Richard Foster

God wants to free people from fear. He wants to raise up His bride to embrace all He has in this new season. One of the ways He wants to equip people to step into all that He has is to bring a resurgence of what has been overlooked, forgotten, abused, broken, misunderstood, or misappropriated. God is raising up an army of lovers who will go anywhere and do anything for him. When I hear people say that they want to be like Heidi Baker, John Wesley, Smith Wigglesworth, John G. Lake, Carrie Judd Montgomery, Rees Howells, Saint Francis of Assisi, or even Jesus, I encourage them to follow in their footsteps and embrace the things they embraced. These all practiced spiritual disciplines. They all lived with their lamps full of oil. They all regularly positioned themselves to step into all that God has by integrating the spiritual disciplines into their daily lives. If we want to walk in same authority, dominion, power, love, intimacy as these, a good start is to discover and tap into similar wells where they found life.

Purpose of Spiritual Disciplines

Spiritual disciplines are for the purpose of knowing God. We practice spiritual disciplines so that we can live deep within the heart of God. We commit to walk the path of spiritual disciplines so that we can choose God first and feast upon Him. I regularly go to the lake and spend time waiting on God, being with Him, reading His Word, playing with Him, or simply resting in Him. I long to be with Him alone. No one else and nothing else can ever satisfy. Choosing to embrace the disciplines will help position us to be with the One we love. Contending for space with the living God for the sole purpose of communing with Him is invaluable.

Richard Foster says in his Celebration of Discipline that “The purpose of the Disciplines is liberation from the stifling slavery to self-interest and fear. When the inner spirit is liberated from all that weighs it down, it can hardly be described as dull drudgery. Singing, dancing, even shouting characterize the Disciplines of the spiritual life!”*Spiritual disciplines, including prayer, meditation, fasting, reading the Word, worship, and community help us to align our lives more with heaven. The disciplines are an invitation to explore the hidden crevices of the Father’s heart. This world is crying out for deep people who can live from a place of interwoveness with the Creator. Foster says that “The classical Disciplines of the spiritual life call us to move beyond surface living into the depths.”* There is so much more of the Father’s heart to explore and the disciplines simply help take us on that journey.

Everyone connects with God differently according to their personality and how they are wired. Some people connect with God in nature or in silence while others connect with Him during activity or through music or dance. Practicing the disciplines helps everyone, regardless of how they are wired, tap into a greater measure of the heart of God.

The Spiritual Disciplines

• Deepen our connection with God
• Bring us into greater union with God
• Invite us to feast upon God
• Position us to hear God’s voice
• Align us to receive God’s blessings
• Prepare us to step into the kingdom
• Keep our lamps full of oil

Spiritual Disciplines Release Freedom

The Spiritual disciplines are intended to bring freedom and liberation. The motivation should always be a longing to know God more (Psalm 42:1-2). The disciplines bring focus, self-control, and pave the way to walk on the highway of holiness. It is the pure in heart that see God. The disciplines also can act as a purifying fire. While there is always the danger of the disciplines degenerating into law and empty ritualistic practice, fear of this happening should not be greater than the drive to take hold of the King of kings by positioning ourselves in front of His throne. The disciplines help us do just that.

Some people confuse the disciplines with striving or trying to manipulate or control God when in reality that could not be farther from the truth. While only God can grow us spiritually, there are things we can do to prepare and cultivate our lives to invite this. One helpful example of explaining spiritual disciplines is likening it to farming. A farmer can’t make the seeds grow. However, he can plant the seeds, cultivate the ground, water the crops and create an environment that invites this growth. When the sun shines and the rain comes, saturating what he has cultivated, life springs forth (Galatians 5:22-25). The same is true for us. We all have seeds of destiny deposited in our hearts. As we cultivate and tend to our hearts by practicing the disciplines and thus positioning ourselves under the waterfall of God’s grace, when the outpouring comes, we are ready to receive. The floods will cause our dreams to spring forth (Isaiah 61:11).

Another benefit of the disciplines can be likened to training for sports. Athletes don’t win gold medals by sitting at home and watching television. They train their bodies for the big race. Similarly, spiritual disciplines can also act as spiritual training for us to be ready to advance the kingdom of God. Because we have been building our spiritual muscles and regularly filling our lamps with oil, we will be ready to set the oppressed free, tear down demonic strongholds, release healing, and love the broken when the need arises.

Freedom to Soar in His Presence

If you have been under an oppressive system of law rather than love and grace or have run from the spiritual disciplines because you have been wounded by their inappropriate and legalistic implementation, today is your day to be set free. I invite you to no longer react out of fear. God wants time with you. It takes discipline to set aside and guard time for Him alone. You will have to fight a million battles to protect your time with God. Discipline will help you win those battles. Discipline is not intended to imprison you but instead to bind you to Christ Himself. Motivated through your relationship with Christ and by following the leading of the Spirit, may God use the spiritual disciplines to free you to fully explore and dive even deeper into the heart of God. I release you from fear in Jesus’ name. I release grace to forgive those who have hurt you through legalism. I impart courage to dive into a new world of forsaking all other lovers. Today, I invite you to be compelled to set everything aside for the sole purpose of beholding Jesus.

“Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear;

though war break out against me, even then I will be confident.

One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek:

that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,

to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.”

Psalm 27

See also Feasting on God: The Lost Art of Fasting (Part 1)

*All Richard Foster quotes come from Celebration of Discipline (New York, NY: HarperOne, 1978, reprint 1998), 1-2.