Who Should Fast?

"If you desire to make more space in your life for God, if you would like to deepen your prayer life, fasting can be very helpful.  Look at your life.  What activities are crowding out prayer?  What activities or foods are becoming more important to you than God?  Is something in your life taking up more space than you want it to?  What activities are siphoning off time, money or energy in a way that isn't necessarily sinful but isn't helpful eaither?  Consider fasting from that activity or that food for a day or a few days.  Ask God to help your fast create more space for him.

"If you would like to grow in thankfulness and experience heartfelt gratitude for the blessings in your life, fasting is a helpful discipline.  If you would like to pray more fervently for someone who is ill, the poor or those in need of the gospel, fasting helps.  If you know you are being sucked into our consumer culture, fasting creates a small oasis of time and space for God's truth and grace to surround us.

"If you have a specific prayer request weighing on your heart, fasting will almost certainly help focus those prayers.  If you are not entirely sure how to pray for that need, fasting will help you make space to read the Bible, and it will enable you to listen to God for guidance in how to pray.  Fasting will help deepen your prayers, add power to your prayers and remind you to pray.

"...Who should fast?  Anyone who wants to draw near to God."
--Lynne Baab, "Fasting"