Jesus treats prayer and fasting as normal practices of discipleship. In the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus teaches on both prayer and fasting. He begins the lessons, “When you pray…” (6:5), and “When you fast…” (6:16). Not “if”: “When.” These are actions Jesus assumes his followers will do. If you follow Jesus, then you pray. If you follow Jesus, then you fast.

Jesus goes on to teach at length on prayer. First, he states that prayer is an act of humility, not an act we should do to be seen by others

Jesus not only showed us how to fast but promised that his followers would fast as well. Fasting draws us closer to God by starving our

flesh and feeding our spirit. Fasting is about starving our flesh to further feed our spirit.

We can become so bombarded by daily life and its pressures that we forget we are first and foremost people of God’s kingdom. Fasting helps us focus our attention on God and away from the distractions around us. I love what A. W. Tozer once said, “We have as much of God as we actually want.”

If for any reason you have any health conditions that make it not wise to go without food, consider fasting from television, computer, social media, or some other regular enjoyment that would bend your heart toward greater enjoyment of Jesus.

For all the married folks out there… Paul even talks about married couples fasting from sex ‘for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer.”

1 Corinthians 7:5 (NLT)

Do not deprive each other of sexual relations, unless you both agree to refrain from sexual intimacy for a limited time so you can give yourselves more completely to prayer. Afterward, you should come together again so that Satan won’t be able to tempt you because of your lack of self-control.