06/27/26

In watching some of the live-streaming church services on TBN, I heard a lot about “fasting.”

Some of the explanations were hard to imagine. So, I decided to refresh my memory about fasting and how to apply it to our Christian relationship with God and others. Some people believe that it should be one meal, others the whole day, and others overnight so that they can end it in the morning with “break-fast.” The dictionary tells us that “fasting” is the voluntary abstinence from some or all food and beverages for a set period. It is practiced for a variety of reasons, including spiritual disciplines, medical procedures, and health goals like weight management.

Then, I wanted to see what psychologists had to say about fasting. I found that psychologists generally view fasting as a strong behavioral tool with profound impacts on mental health. Depending on how it is practiced, it can either serve as a grounding mechanism to reduce stress and build resilience, or—if rooted in fear, guilt, or rigid perfectionism—act as a source of psychological distress and anxiety. That’s because psychologists analyze fasting through the lenses of both neurobiology and behavioral self-regulation. 

But psychologists also see that fasting is often combined with other spiritual disciplines to train the brain to respond consciously to impulses rather than just reacting. It functions as a “psychological detoxification” that helps individuals distance themselves from mundane concerns, fostering greater meaning, gratitude, and acceptance of life’s difficulties. Furthermore, psychologists note that the physiological stress of a sudden fast—particularly for those without experience—frequently causes a temporary increase in negative emotions, including irritability, fatigue, tension, and mild anxiety. Yet, over the longer term, fasting interventions have been shown to reduce inflammatory markers like Interleukin-6 (IL-6), which is a primary pro-inflammatory protein (cytokine) used as a biomarker for chronic stress, depression, and immune system dysregulation. It acts as a biological bridge linking psychological stress to physical health and mental disorders, and C-Reactive Protein (CRP) that measures the level of C-reactive protein (CRP) in a sample of your blood. Your liver makes CRP in response to inflammation.

With all that said, I really wanted to see what the Bible says about “fasting.” The Bible views fasting as a powerful spiritual discipline rather than a strict requirement. It primarily involves abstaining from food to minimize worldly distractions, prioritizing prayer, seeking God’s guidance, and demonstrating humility, repentance, and total dependence on Him. Jesus strongly rebuked fasting for show or to boast. In Matthew 6:16-18, He instructs followers to fast humbly and in secret, promising that God sees and rewards genuine devotion. Believers also fasted during critical decisions or times of crisis. Examples include Ezra fasting for safe travel (Ezra 8:21-23) and Esther fasting to save her people (Esther 4:15-16). In addition, fasting was frequently a physical sign of grief, mourning, or turning away from sin. The prophet Joel calls Israel to return to God “with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping and with mourning” (Joel 2:12).

While the only universally commanded fast in the Old Testament was on the annual Day of Atonement (Leviticus 23:27-32), Scripture outlines several ways it was practiced. We also see that people in the Bible engaged in absolute fasts (no food or water, like Paul in Acts 9:9), or partial fasts (abstaining from specific rich foods, as Daniel did in Daniel 10:3). Fasting contains no magic formula: The prophets warned against fasting simply to go through the motions. In Isaiah 58, God makes it clear that true fasting involves caring for the oppressed, breaking chains of injustice, and sharing food with the hungry. Ultimately, the Bible emphasizes that fasting is a voluntary way to humble yourself, draw closer to God, and align your heart with His will rather than your own fleshly desires. 

But one thing we must never forget: in the Bible, fasting and prayer are deeply linked as spiritual disciplines. Rather than a hunger strike to force God’s hand, the Bible presents fasting as a way to humble oneself, seek spiritual clarity, and focus entirely on God’s will rather than the distractions of the world. Furthermore, fasting is often an outward expression of a broken and humble heart before God. King David described it as humbling his soul (Psalm 35:13). We also note that believers frequently fasted when making major decisions. The book of Acts records church leaders fasting and praying before commissioning missionaries (Acts 13:2-3).

Finally, let’s look at Jesus’s guidelines for fasting. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus emphasizes that the motivation behind fasting is more important than the act itself: Jesus also warns against putting on a sad face or drawing attention to oneself to be seen by others (Matthew 6:16-18). He instructed His followers to wash their faces and look presentable so that their fast is observed only by God, who will reward sincere devotion. (Matthew 6:17). Jesus also taught that certain spiritual strongholds require dedicated prayer and fasting for breakthrough (Matthew 17:21, Mark 9:29). Therefore, we should never take fasting or prayer lightly; it is a sacred act before God (not man) to show our humble dependence on Him and His power to get positive results.