Fasting is not a diet or giving up of social media. Fasting is giving up or starving your flesh and feeding your Spirit.
           Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on       every word that comes from      the mouth of God.'" Matthew 4:4

In Matthew, (in red) Jesus said to: Give, Pray and Fast. Matthew 6:16 says “WHEN you fast…..”  It’s something we are to do as Christians. It is an act of obedience to His Word.
Fasting is hungering to know Him more: His ways, His will and His vision for your life.

When the people in the Bible fasted, they fasted for a need or a purpose.
Ester fasted for favor with the king.

In Judges 20, God’s people fasted before a battle and received victory.

The first Adam fed the flesh or physical body and ate the fruit (food) vs. Jesus (the second Adam) fasted for 40 days in the wilderness and received dominion and authority.

When Daniel fasted he received understanding, a vision and gained clarity and focus.

                Every time there is a fast in the Bible, there is a reward or a victory.
The Bible is a Christian’s manual of how to walk in this world.

Fasting the first of the year is an act of worship. It says, “God I give you the first of my year”. It shows Him your honor and obedience. Just like we tithe and give him the first fruits of our money or we go to church on Sunday and give Him the first day of our week . Giving God the first of everything is honoring him.
It sets up the principles of how His Kingdom operates.
These are a few explanations on why Christians fast.

               Fasting unlocks God’s supernatural power through your life, into His Kingdom.

There are physical benefits when we fast. God always goes over and above. Weight lose happens, clarity comes, the Spirit rhelm shifts, supernatural power is increased. But the sole reason; is to get closer to our Father and know Him more.


Fasting can start with giving up one meal a day or one specific food and praying during that time. You don't just give it, you exchange it for time with the Lord. If you desire to know more, Jentezen Franklin has a book on fasting that explains it more complete.

A word from the Lord is “set in stone”.  When you gain a knowing about something or get revelation from the Lord, you cannot be talked out of it.

Have you ever had a child or a spouse tell you something that you have told them for years but all the sudden they hear it from a complete stranger, and they get it?

That’s how it works with the God. We can read or hear something for years and not understand, but when the Holy Spirit illuminates it, then it becomes wisdom or revelation.  

Ask the Lord to impart wisdom to you. It's life changing!

If someone in your life is not doing well; maybe they are an addict or withdrawn or involved with something unethical; ask God to show them and give them wisdom and revelation in that area.

I remember years ago, asking a friend how he was doing? His response was: “It’s hard to soar with the eagles when you are flapping with the buzzards”.
That has stuck with me all these years; it is so true! One key to a better life, is to evaluate what is keeping you stuck or pulling you down and change it. Often it’s the people we spend time with.

Become wise by walking with the wise;
hang out with fools and watch your life fall to pieces. Proverbs 13:20

What you surround yourself with, you become. If your life is not bearing fruit or it’s not working well; evaluate where and who you spend your time with. Change your surroundings. Fill your mind with the word of God.  You become what you’re exposed to.


Father, Show me the areas of my life that I need to change. Give me courage and help me move forward.  I give you permission, Holy Spirit, to close doors that are not healthy & open doors that you have for me. Amen.

But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. Isaiah 40:31

What people need from others when a loved one dies:

I have had people ask me this question before. I am answering it, not from a counseling perspective, but from a personal perspective. Losing a loved one is one of the hardest things to walk through. It’s similar to broken heart or the process of forgiveness in that you never really know how long the healing will take and it is very painful.

These are some things you can do to comfort someone when they lose a loved one.

1-Validate their feelings.

Let them feel whatever they feel; sad, angry, hurt… There is a gamut of dramatic emotions that come with the death of a loved one. It is good to allow them to have their emotions.  Owning your feelings allows you to move through them. Say to them: “I’m sorry for your lose”, “I am sorry you are hurting”, “It’s ok to cry”, etc.…

Allow grace for their turbulence of emotions.  Don’t expect them to be ok; it takes time; they are hurting. Love them through the process.

2. Go to the wake or funeral. It may not seem to be important or matter to them at the time, but as they look back and reflect, it was an act of love to be there for them. It will demonstrate you cared.  Even if you aren’t real close to the person, this speaks volumes that you took time to come.

3. Bring food to the wake or the home, after the funeral. Again, it is an act of caring that will matter later.

4. Send a note or bouquet after the funeral, about two weeks later. I call it the aftermath; when it is over and reality sets in; they need to know you care. Life starts to go on; and they are not able to do that yet. The note encourages them and lifts them up.

5. Pitch into the funeral cost.

If there is financial difficulty on the family, instead of, or along with, sending flowers, pitch into the funeral cost. This is something that is often a burden on top of the mourning process.

There is cost starting as low as 25.00 up to 5,000 plus. The sign in book, the casket spray, the casket itself, and the church fee are a few examples. Ask them, or a family member how you can help.

6.Handle some of the details:

 If you are very close to them, take some of the load of making decisions off. Make some of the decisions for them or go with them, so they are supported in the process. For example, the orchestrating of the funeral service takes hours and lots of thought or collecting pictures and music for the services, is another good idea.

Tell them with words and actions that you care and you are concerned about how they are doing.