Duration and Timing of the Fast to Fit the Purpose.
“Is this not the fast which I choose, To loosen the bonds of wickedness, To undo the bands of the yoke, And to let the oppressed go free And break every yoke? “Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry And bring the homeless poor into the house; When you see the naked, to cover him; And not to hide yourself from your own flesh? “Then your light will break out like the dawn, And your recovery will speedily spring forth; And your righteousness will go before you; The glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. “Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; You will cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you remove the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness.” (Isaiah 58:6-9)
1. Duration and Timing of the Fast to Fit the Purpose.
Unless you are a new believer, there are probably very few of you who have not fasted at all. Starting from fasting one meal to 40-day fasting, not only ministers but also all members and even the children fast. You fast to receive the answers to the desires of your heart, to solve your problems or diseases, or to repent before God. Also, you fast to cast away your sins more quickly and to receive God’s power and glorify Him. You sometimes fast not for your own good but for the kingdom of God. But no matter why you fast, you should be able to receive the answer if you fast.
Fasting is praying without eating at all, and it means you are praying to God so earnestly risking your own life. Even the physical father wants to give good things to his children. If his children desire something so much, he will try to give what his children really want, even if he has to face hardship to do it. It is the heart of parents that want to give to their children even if they have to skip some meals or have to cut down on their necessities.
Then, how much more our Father God would want to give the answer to His children when they pray to Him with fasting, risking their lives? But in reality, we often see unfortunate cases. People sometimes do not receive the answer to their prayers and fasting even after long term periods. Sometimes they hurt their bodies by fasting that they cannot endure.
And why are there such cases? It is not because our God does not have ability to answer to their prayers. Also, no matter how long they fast, He can keep their bodies healthy, and He can make their bodies even healthier.
So if you fast and have not received the answer, and if the problem still remains, there must be a reason. From your side, you did a proper period of fasting, but because it was not a proper fast in the sight of God, you could not have received the answer. Not only long-period fasting, but even if you fast only for one meal, you have to fast to suit the will of God to receive the answer quickly. Even when we offer worship services, there are certain ways that God has commanded us. There are certain ways to offer burnt offerings and grain offerings. In the same way, there is a way of fasting with which God is pleased.
1) The Length of the Fast
In the Bible, you can see 40, 21, or 3 days fasting, and they have different purposes. For example, a 40-day fasting was to accomplish a great will of God for His kingdom. It was not for one’s own good or for any worldly businesses.
In the Bible, there are Jesus and Moses who fasted for 40 days to accomplish a great will of God. Jesus fasted for 40 days before He started His public life to fulfill His duty as the Savior for all mankind. Also, Moses’ fasting was to fulfill his duty to receive the Ten Commandments for all God’s people. In this way, 40-day fasting was for the kingdom of God at important points of the history to accomplish God’s great will, not for any personal purposes.
Next, even the 21-day fasting is not for any personal benefit. It was done mainly to realize the will and providence of God, and to accomplish that providence. Daniel’s eating no choice food in the book of Daniel chapter 10 is a good example. He prayed to receive the revelation about the end of the time eating no choice food, and the archangel appeared to him and revealed him the secret things about the end of the time in detail.
Looking at the examples of the Bible, you can realize that fasting for a long period of time should not be done at one’s own will. They should not be done for any personal purposes, for one’s own good, or for any physical things, but only for God’s kingdom and righteousness within the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. So in 1 Kings Chapter 18, when Elijah prayed for heavenly fire against the prophets of Baal to prove that God is true God, or when he prayed for rain after three and a half years of drought, he did not fast even for this kind of great work. It could be done because it was something that God had commanded him and also because he could receive the answer with just his earnest prayer with his whole heart that moved the throne of God.
Even in the case of Esther, it might have seemed that she had to fast for a long time because the whole nation was in danger of extermination. But she fasted only for 3 days along with her people.
So when you have problems to solve, it is enough to pray fervently, or to fast for 3 or as long as 7 days. When I had to find a place for the church in the beginning, God made me fast for 3 days, and right after the fasting was over, I received the answer. Around the same time, a Senior Deaconess prayed to God to sell her house that had not been sold for a long time. God told her to fast for 3 days and give it to the dealer at a price that she wanted. The house that had not been sold for a long time was sold even at a higher price than before. So if you fast only for 3 days, if you do the fasting that God is pleased with, you will soon receive the answer.
2) Purpose of the Fast
When you fast for repentance, you have to distinguish each case well. There are things that you only have to repent with prayers, and there are some other things that you should beat your body and make it your slave with fasting. For example, it is not right to fast for 10 or 21 days to repent for skipping your prayer for one day. If you really repent of skipping your prayer, you only have to pray continually from now on. It is not something that you should fast for a long time. Also, one thing you must remember is that if you have sinned, you first have to repent thoroughly with tears and then fast for repentance.
If you fast, still having the sins in your heart, it has got nothing to do with God even if you fast. Even if you fast only for 3 days, God will receive it with joy if you have completely turned away from the sin. But even if you fast for 21 days, if you do not turn away from the sin, God will not receive it.
If you can really turn away with your inner heart, you don’t have to fast, or even if you do have to fast, it does not have to be long. Of course, if you keep on committing sins although you try to cast it away so much, you may fast to receive the strength to cast those sins away before God.
And even in these cases, you can cast away most sins with 3, 5, or 7 day fasting. You are more than able to turn away from that sin with fasting for this short durations if you are really praying earnestly with the heart to offer even fasting.
3) Timing of the Fast
To receive the answer by fasting that is pleasing to God, not only the length and purpose of the fasting, but also the timing is very important. Especially, fasting for a long period of time should be done according to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. There are many ministers and members who want to offer a long period of fasting because they want to receive the power to accomplish great things for the kingdom of God. If you want to receive God’s power truly for the kingdom of God, you may offer fasting for a long period. But the problem is the timing.
1 Corinthians 14:1 says that we should ask following the way of love when we ask for spiritual gifts. You should not ask according to your own thoughts or desires, but ask following the way of love with the true love for God.
Receiving God’s power is possible only after one’s vessel is properly prepared to receive it. After one purifies and sanctifies his heart completely, he can fast for 21 or for 40 days at the proper time that God wants.
Although one’s heart is proper in the sight of God and he can receive God’s power later on, or although one’s heart is burning with the passion and enthusiasm, he has to prepare the clean vessel first. If he decides to fast only with passion and enthusiasm while the vessel is not yet prepared as a clean vessel, God cannot give the answer.
It is because it does not fit the Law of Righteousness. Of course, even if he decides to fast with his own will, it does not mean that God will not help him in that fasting. God can receive the passionate heart and give him strength to finish the fasting, but even after the fasting, there will not be the answer to the prayers.
But if he truly prayed with his whole heart to receive God’s power, God will receive that heart with mercy and give him grace and strength so that he will be able to prepare a clean vessel that can receive God’s power.
But for that moment, God’s power cannot be given. So no matter how much passion you have in your heart, you should look back on yourself first and pray and fast to prepare the vessel first. And when the vessel is ready, if you fast according to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, you will definitely receive the answer.
2. Fasting Guideline for Well-being and to Please God
1) Follow the Spiritual and Physical Order
You should remember that when ministers fast for a long time, they have to do it following both physical and spiritual order. They first have to consult the senior pastor and decide. Their fasting should be recognized by the church. If they fast for a long period of time, they have to concentrate only on God’s Word and praying, so they cannot do their duties.
So when ministers, who should be taking care of the members decide on their own without consulting the church to fast for a long period of time leaving their duties, it is obviously not the proper way to do things.
Even in companies in the world, things like that cannot be done without approval. So in the church of God, they first have to follow the steps within that order. The reason why they should consult the senior pastor is because they should first check whether the purpose, duration, and the timing is right in the sight of God. If they have decided truly according to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, there is no reason to stop them. Also, if it really is God’s work, there is no reason for the church to stop them either.
But in reality, many ministers decide on their own without any consulting with the church.
Likewise, you have to fast according to not only spiritual order but also physical order as well. When I explained to you about the causes of diseases, I said you might get a disease if you go beyond the physical orders that God has set. God certainly has set physical order in this world, so you should rest when you have to rest, you should eat when you have to eat, and you should not eat too much at one time. This is not right in truth because these things are from greed and lack of self-control.
If you abuse your body doing too much work, God is not pleased because you are going against the physical order of this world that you should follow. That is why you sometimes get a disease. In the same way, you might hurt your body if you fast too much without any control, so you should be wise.
For example, there are cases where you should first eat well and take a rest because your body does not have enough energy since you did not care for your body very well. In that case, even if you want to be healed of your disease or there are things to be solved, you should not fast, but recover the energy of your body first.
Especially, in cases of long-term fasting, although you have been inspired to fast for a long time, you should first care for your physical health and pray well to have good spiritual base before you start the long-term fasting. Fasting is a kind of sacrificing your life because you stop eating food, which is the source of life. And fasting for a long time is actually risking your life.
Therefore, you should not fast only because many others do, but only according to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Also, even when you have proper inspiration of the Holy Spirit, you should be careful and prepare yourself to offer proper fasting. Only when you fast following the spiritual and physical orders, it can be a proper fasting that God can pleasingly receive.
2) Fast following the proper purpose within truth
Secondly, to do a fast that God is pleased with, you have to fast following the proper purpose within truth. James 4:2-3 says, “You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.” You cannot receive the answer if you fast for the purpose that is not right in truth.
Even in asking for financial blessings, if you ask not with faith but with greed, it has got nothing to do with God no matter how much you fast. For example, if somebody who is giving 100,000 won tithes ask, “God, let me give 1 million won tithes from next month” being reluctant to give to God, God cannot answer to his prayer no matter how much he fasts. Furthermore, if there is the same kind of shop near your shop, and you pray, “Let my shop be more prosperous than that one. Let all the customers come to my shop only,” what will God say to you?
God cannot answer to any prayer with evil mind. Even if He answers to that prayer and gives financial blessings, it is not spiritual blessing at all. It will only harm his spirit adding to his greed as it says in James 1:15, “Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.”
In financial matters also, you can receive the answer when you sow before God with faith according to the law “you reap what you sow.” Also, even when you sow a lot, God wants to give you spiritual blessings first, so He waits for the proper time. Also, even when you ask for many spiritual gifts, you first have to prepare the clean vessel and ask for the glory of God.
For example, when you pray to open your spiritual eyes, you should pray with true love for the Father God and true hope for the spiritual world making your heart clean. You should not ask with greed without circumcising your heart.
Also, when you pray to receive God’s power, you should pray fervently circumcising your heart with the desire to give glory to God only. When it is not so, people sometimes get hurt.
Before, there were some people who did not have enough faith and love but fasted for a long time to ask for many spiritual gifts in other prayer houses, and fell in falsehood.
Some people hurt their bodies through fasting and some others became proud and haughty after fasting and received the works of Satan. Therefore, when you fast, you should check whether or not you are fasting for your greed or advantage, or whether you are fasting for the things that are right in the sight of God with a righteous heart.
3) Break the wall of sin between God and you
Thirdly, to make your fasting one that God has chosen, you first have to break the wall between God and you. As I have already explained last time, when there is anybody who is demon possessed, if the family members fast for 3 days altogether united with love, invite a person with God’s power and offer a worship service, the demon goes out immediately.
But in this case, the family members first have to repent of worshipping idols or not being united with love, and then fast with one heart. When you fast for a healing, you first have to realize the reason why you got the disease, repent of that reason and then start fasting.
Also, to receive blessings, you fist have to break the wall between God and you. For example, a person is fasting for a blessing, but he is always sleeping during the services. Sleeping during the service or the prayer time is such ill-mannered action. Therefore, this person has to repent of ill-mannered actions, worship in spirit and in truth, and pray with the whole heart before he starts fasting.
You have a problem because there is a wall between God and you, so just fasting will not solve the problem. Moreover, if you are fasting to receive blessings, you have to please God. You cannot fast asking for blessings while you continually disappoint God by your ill-mannered actions.
Other than these, if you have stopped praying, committed a work of the flesh, or if there is anything that became a wall between God and you, you first have to solve these problems and break the wall. Only after that you will receive the answer if you fast and pray. Even when you pray to cast away your sins, your action to change yourself into the truth has to be accompanied. You cannot just be sanctified by fasting and praying with words.
For example, when you have hatred in your heart against a brother, you just say, “I would rather fast” still having the hatred in your heart. This fasting cannot even be a fasting for repentance. Fasting for repentance is a humble action to ask for forgiveness before God even sacrificing your life, and fasting with evil heart is not just right.
First you have to repent your evilness in your heart thoroughly and pray to cast away the evil in your heart. Only then will grace and power come from above, and the hatred will be removed from your heart.
4) Pray fervently during the fasting
Fourthly, to offer fasting with which God is pleased, you have to pray fervently during the fasting.
I have seen some people just lying down or sleep because they don’t have strength while they are fasting. Then this is not fasting offered to God, but just not eating any food. What God receives is not just “not eating” but the earnest prayers accompanied with fasting. Therefore, you have to concentrate on prayers and learning God’s words as much as possible while you are fasting, and you have to pray more, and more fervently than usual.
Especially, when you fast for a long time, you have to prepare for it with a lot of prayer, and you have to pray fervently crying out to the Lord for at least 5 hours during the fasting. It is obvious for worldly people to hurt their bodies if they do not eat any starch, but if you fast before God, you receive health and strength. Even when you pray, you should not pray for your personal or material things. You first have to pray for the kingdom of God, the Shepherd and the church.
When I fasted for 40 days before, I never stopped praying out loud even though I was going through the dangers of death. I had been living with fasting, and I had done many long-term fasting for 15 or 21 days, so I thought I would do the 40-day fasting easily. I was good until the 6th day, but from the 7th day God stopped giving me strength. I couldn’t sleep for many days, and felt so dizzy. I couldn’t even drink water. As soon as I drank water I threw it up and later I began to cough up blood. I was literally in danger of death every moment.
Moreover, it was the coldest year in more than 60 years, and the temperatures dropped to between – 17 and – 24 degrees Celsius (about 0 to -13 F). When I went into the prayer cell, there was frost and ice. Even in this situation, I did not stop praying. I didn’t even have strength to walk a step. But when I cried out to God to give me strength for more than half an hour, or sometimes for more than an hour, God gave me strength. Then, I gained energy again and cried out for many hours again.
When you fast, you must pray fervently at the same time. Then your prayer will be greater aroma to go to God’s throne, and you will receive the answer quickly. You should have proper purpose before God and follow the spiritual and physical orders. Only then will you be able to accomplish your purpose of fasting and give glory to God.
5) Master your body and make it your slave
Now fifthly, to offer fasting that God has chosen, you should master your body and make it your slave while you are fasting. Isaiah 58:3-5 says, “Why have we fasted and You do not see? Why have we humbled ourselves and You do not notice?’ Behold, on the day of your fast you find your desire, And drive hard all your workers. “Behold, you fast for contention and strife and to strike with a wicked fist. You do not fast like you do today to make your voice heard on high. “Is it a fast like this which I choose, a day for a man to humble himself? Is it for bowing one’s head like a reed And for spreading out sackcloth and ashes as a bed? Will you call this a fast, even an acceptable day to the Lord?”
If you look for entertainment, exploit your workers, quarrel and fight with each other when you fast, what will God say to you? God laments saying, “How can this be fasting that I have chosen?” and “How can I answer to you?” Today, some people watch TV dramas or show programs and enjoy themselves taking worldly entertainments while they are fasting. They judge their brothers and neighbors and talk badly about them. They talk about worldly things, and so they speak useless words and jokes. Sometimes they quarrel and fight with other people and get angry at them while they are fasting. Then, this can never be a fast that God has chosen no matter how much you fast.
Fasting is risking your lives and is such a humble act asking God’s grace relying upon Him only. Therefore, you should fast with all your heart and mind and strength, and act within God’s will so that God will be moved by your acts.
In my case, I cleaned my body and mind and put on clean clothes before I started fasting. I never usually speak useless words, but I paid more attention to my words and acted more humbly. Until the end of the fasting, I did not contact anything worldly, not even newspapers. Especially, when I fasted for 40 days, God inspired me not to take even Christian books, so I took only the Bible and the Hymn book.
Generally, when the members fast for a short time, they usually have to keep doing the works in their work places and houses. They can do it because they should be faithful in all God’s house, but they cannot do it in case of long-term fasting. It is because you should not do any hard work during the long-term fasting, and it is also because you must not contact any worldly things but control yourself and concentrate on learning God’s words and on prayers. You must not either quarrel with any body or get angry.
You should not talk about worldly things and things about other people, or take any worldly entertainment. Therefore, you cannot fast for a long time keeping your daily work routines. You should not only control yourself and fast, but also be joyful with truth, and you should hope and believe, standing firmly within the truth from the first day till the end of it. You should share your food with the hungry and provide the poor wanderer with shelter–when you see the naked, you should clothe him, and not turn away from your own flesh and blood.
Namely, God will pleasingly receive your fast when you do good while you fast. Conclusively, you should fast with all your mind, heart, and soul so that God will receive it pleasingly. When you fast that God has chosen, you will not feel difficult or bored, but your spirit will be full of the Holy Spirit with God’s grace because you think of God only. Also, you can control your body not to feel tired with your spirit because you are hoping for the answer with faith.
God helps you looking at that faith, and His power comes down from above so that you will overcome. But, just as when I fasted for 40 days, if you can overcome with your own will and faith, God sometimes does not give His power to make him or her stronger, or to receive that fasting more greatly. But this does not usually happen.
6) Eat proper recovery food
Sixth, to make your fasting that God has chosen, you must eat proper recovery food. The duration of taking recovery food should be same as the duration of the fasting. For example, if you fast for 3 days, you should take the recovery food for 3 days, and if you fast for 21 days, you should take recovery food for 21 days, and so on. When you fast with faith, God protects you so that your body will not be hurt. But even if you fast with faith, you still have to do what you can do from your side. Maybe it will not matter with short term fasting like 3 days, but you can feel that your body is not normal after a long-term fasting. The bones and the organs are weak, and the immune system is also weak due to lack of energy.
Sometimes people lose their hairs, and the eyesight becomes bad. So not only during the fasting, but even after the fasting, sometimes you feel dizzy when you read for a long time.
When I was reading the Bible after the 40-day fasting, my sight became misty and I felt dizzy. Therefore, you should remember that your body is not normal during the time of recovery and should keep away from hard works and moving your body too much. Even if there is a meeting, you should sometimes control yourself. You can do some housekeeping that is very simple, but you should keep away from heavy housekeeping work. Of course, it is OK with 3-day fasting, but I’m talking about long-term fasting.
The recovery food helps the body recover by supplying energy to the body since it is weak and has little energy. If you do not eat proper recovery food after fasting as instructed, sometimes your body will develop problems. It is similar to women who do not care her body after giving birth. Especially in case of 40-day fasting, you can face dangers of death while you are recovering. But if God has received the fasting pleasingly, He will lead you to recover properly.
He will give you strength to control yourself so that you will not eat any food that you should not eat. Also, you will be able to keep away from troubles by eating too much. The recovery period with self-control will be included in the fasting. Therefore, you should eat proper recovery food to make your fasting that God has chosen.
Some people continuously fast and lose their energy, and keep on fasting again, and their bodies become weaker and weaker. But if you eat proper recovery food, you will regain your energy quickly and be healthier than before the fasting, and your face will shine more.
Your body will be healthier because you empty your stomach and get rid of bad things in it during the fast, and then supply good food with self-control. Especially, when you empty your bowel after fasting, you are aware of the bad things go out of your body through the unusually bad color and smell of body wastes. It will be so helpful to the body because that which has accumulated in the corners of your intestines for a long time go out. In this way, if you offer a fast that God has chosen, it is helpful to the health as well.
Then, how should you eat your recovery food? When you eat for the first time after a long-term fasting, you should take very dilute rice soup about four times a day. At first, you should make it so dilute that you can even drink it, but later you can make it a little thicker. You can also take ground fruit. For example, you can grind a piece of apple and take about four times a day. You should grind the fruit because the stomach, after a long-term fasting, is like that of a newborn baby and does not digest solids well.
You can add rice power, pumpkin, bean-sprout, or some vegetable leaves to your rice soup. After 3 or 4 days, you can take a little thicker rice soup, and you can eat fruit without grinding it, but after chewing it well. In my personal experience, rice soup with black sesame with its skin off was good for recovering the energy. The side dishes should mainly be vegetables not cooked too much, and without much spice.
Even when you can eat thick rice soup, you should not eat anything spicy, salty, or any food with artificial seasoning. You should not eat anything strong such as carbonated drinks. Also, you should not take any meat or milk. A little bit of grilled fish is OK, but meat is too much for the stomach. If you do not control yourself, you can see that your face swell up.
When I fasted for the first time, I couldn’t be careful at all because I did not have a single idea about recovery food. I ate ordinary food even after fasting and I ate as much as I wanted. But God still protected me not to have any problem because I did so without any knowledge. And one day, I heard that we should not eat normal food like others but eat recovery food after fasting in a sermon. Even after I heard that, I took greasy food after a fast thinking that I had been OK so far.
Then, God did not protect me this time. God had protected me with His power although I did not take recovery food because I did not know about it, but this time God made me realize about it because I disobeyed even after hearing about it during a sermon. So since then, I strictly kept the recovery food. If you eat proper recovery food that God is pleased with without eating too much, your face will never swell up but rather be whiter than before. You will also recover your proper weight quickly as well.
In my case, I recovered my weight in a week even after a 40-day fasting. My actual weight was 58kg, and it became 40kg during the 40 day fasting, and after a week of taking recovery food, it came back to 58kg again. With the power of God, the body does not get weak or die even with 40-day fasting but rather recovers in a week. I lost a lot of my hair during the fast, but I got new hair after I finished taking the recovery food, and my eyesight became normal as well. Rather, the energy of the body was filled again with refreshed and clear feelings.
If you finish taking your recovery food properly after the fasting, your fasting becomes the one God has chosen, and you will receive the answer quickly. I have explained about what kind of fasting is the one that God has chosen. Whether a fasting is a success or a failure depends on whether or not you receive the answer.
If you offered a fasting that God has chosen, you will certainly receive the answer. Even if it is not given immediately, you can have the assurance in your heart. And it will be seen when the time comes.
In the Bible, you can see that the power of fasting is so great. Jesus’ 40-day fasting prepared the way of human salvation, and Moses’ 40-day fasting enabled him to receive the Ten Commandments. Esther’s 3-day fasting saved her and her people from the danger of destruction and let them overcome the enemy and gave glory to God greatly. Also, people received revelations about the end of the time, were forgiven of their sins and were saved from the punishments through fasting. Since it is praying risking the life, people can receive the answer more quickly than just praying.
I also fasted so many times even before I became a pastor, and I fasted even more in my senior year in the theological seminary. I immediately fasted whenever the Holy Spirit inspired me for 3 days, 5 days, 7 days, 10 days, 15 days, 21 days, 30 days, and even 40 days. As a result of those fasts, God began to reveal the secret words of the spiritual realm, gave me God’s great power, and let our church grow until today.
God certainly answers to the earnest prayers of His children who are praying without eating food, because He has promised, “Ask and it will be given to you.” Therefore, if you fast for a healing, you should be healed, and if you fast for any problem, the problem should go away as a result of the fasting. If you fast for a blessing, then you should be blessed, and if you fast for God’s power, you should be able to manifest God’s power. The problem is whether God receives the fasting and whether it is the kind of fasting that God has chosen.
Isaiah 58:8-9 says, “Then your light will break out like the dawn, And your recovery will speedily spring forth; And your righteousness will go before you; The glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; You will cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’“ As it is said, if you fast like this, God will answer quickly for any kind of request saying, “Here am I,” and you will be able to experience great works of God.