JANUARY 2 - Why Fasting is Important For Believers
“Return to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” (Joel 2:12)
At Celebration we’re praying that 2026 will be one of your best years ever. Please join us on Sunday, January 4, as we begin our SMART CHOICES series. We will also begin our 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting after lunch on Sunday. For the next couple of days we’re going to be sharing with you about what prayer and fasting is all about, so you can consider joining us for this special emphasis.
Devotional Thought: Fasting is one of the most underrated disciplines in the Christian world today. That wasn’t always the truth. In the time that Jesus walked the earth, fasting was not optional in the life of a believer. Jesus said, “WHEN you fast…” in Matthew 6 not "if you fast.” Jesus expected His followers to have a regular discipline of fasting. The early Christians fasted for a few different reasons and we should fast for those same reasons today.
- Fasting reorders our desires.
It reminds us that our stomach is not our master and the world is not our source. It dethrones the flesh and enthrones the Spirit. - Fasting increases spiritual sensitivity.
When we turn down the noise of the world, we can hear the whisper of the Holy Spirit more clearly. Many people feel as if they have not heard from God in a long time. The question we may have to answer is not “Is God speaking?” but “Is there room in my life for me to hear God speak?” - Fasting prepares us for breakthrough.
Some breakthroughs don’t happen by effort, knowledge, or emotion but by intentionally aligning ourselves with the Lord through prayer and fasting. In Matthew 17:21 Jesus was referring to a miracle that took place and said “this kind” required prayer AND fasting. Fasting positions us to receive what God has been willing to give, but we have been too spiritually distracted to perceive.
So why do we fast? We fast because certain encounters with God, certain miracles, and certain spiritual shifts occur only when we intentionally draw near to Him through fasting. God honors the sacrifice of a fasting believer and uses it to lift, strengthen, break chains, and bring clarity. Your calling, your marriage, your children, your purity, your purpose will all be impacted by this fast.
Prayer Focus: Father, deepen my conviction that fasting is a gift. Grow a hunger in me for Your presence that is greater than any craving or comfort. Where there is fear or doubt, remove it and help me surrender all to You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Follow-Up Activity: We have a fasting ebook available at celebrationchurch.org/prayer. In that ebook is a page with 13 Biblical reasons for fasting. Take time and read through that ebook, circling three reasons you personally need this fast. Begin asking the Lord what He may be asking you to give up during this time of prayer and fasting.
