“Pastor, I’ve been fasting for a month now, but I’m surprised that I no longer feel the urge to pray and study the word as I fast. What could be wrong?”

Two things may have happened, you either lost focus or you never really established a purpose for the fast. That’s right! When the purpose of a thing is not established, compromise is inevitable.

Yesterday I taught you that one of the ways to deal with lack of zeal in the place of prayer is to fast. The bible says, “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strenght…”. So if you want more prayer strenght, engage in a fast to boost your spirit man.

We must be cautious though, because when it comes to fasting, your body automatically adjusts to the new eating routine after a while. So if you only eat in the evening due to the fast, after a while, you’d most likely not feel hunger until evening. If that happens, you may lose the zeal to pray or even study the word of God.

This is why we must change our mindset about fasting. Fasting is not about avoiding or skipping 2 meals, it’s about seeking God to a point where you’re not opportuned to eat as you please. It was Daniel that taught us this type of fast, while he was on his 21-day fast, he didn’t get the opportunity to eat any pleasurable food. What he was praying about consumed him to a point that he only munched in a few junks when he needed strenght. It was not a 6am to 6pm thing for him, he ate only when he needed strenght.

This also means that he could go on for three days without taking any form of food. As long as he had strenght, he didn’t have any business with food. So if you still have strenght by 6pm, you have no business with food, go and pray or study the word. Daniel was focused on the purpose of his fast, and that focus sustained him all through the 21 days.

If you’re engaging in a long fasting like that, fasting in this manner is the only way to maintain the zeal of your spirit. Otherwise, just do 3 days and get back to eating.

It’s true that hunger is the border between your flesh man and your spirit man, if you can conquer hunger, then your spirit man will comfortably take charge of your being. However, when the body adjusts or gets used to not eating, it would override your spirit man and take charge of your being again. Science even tells us that a person can live for at least two months by taking only water.

If you’re fasting to lose physical weight, then you probably won’t be worried about which part of you has control, whether your flesh or your spirit. But if you’re fasting to gain spiritual weight, then you must discipline yourself to pray and study the word, which is expected to strengthen your faith.

The purpose of fasting is to strengthen your faith to get something done. So if you’re not engaging in activities that strengthens your faith while you fast, then you’re just engaging in physical weight loss. Ofcourse your spirit man would be alive, but it would be dormant for the most part.

I hope this has brought enlightenment to someone.

Remain ever blessed, in Jesus precious name!

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