Fasting is a time to focus all our attention on God alone. Fasting is starving the flesh, not the body to feed the spirit. It’s a subtle but significant difference. This is not about punishing our bodies. The word “flesh” in the New Testament symbolises earthly desires that can distract us from a deeper reliance on God.
For example, Galatians 5:16-18 (NKJV) says ‘Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.’
It’s the battle of the flesh and the spirit. The good thing is, our spirit is in contact with the Spirit of God. As a follower of Jesus, the call is to crucify or starve the flesh, so that we can feed the spirit – and scriptures tell us true freedom is found when we do that.
When we fast, ideally the desire for fleshly things decrease, whilst our spiritual desires are strengthened and increase. When our spirit is stronger the desire to indulge in unhealthy or even unproductive habits decreases and our desire to pray and read His word and extend His love to others grows.
Additionally the power is in both prayer & fasting. The combination of prayer and fasting is right through scripture. We can do both without each other, however, there is something extra that takes place when we combine them. There is significance in seeking God with everything. Jeremiah 29:13 says that – ‘You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.’