House of Hope Online

January 18, 2026

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Last time we talked about the importance of prayer and fasting in the life of the believer.  We discussed the different types of fasts, the purposes of fasting, and how to pray while fasting.  We ended by reviewing three Biblical examples of fasting.

Today, I want to continue the discussion of fasting by looking at scriptures that show nine important benefits of fasting.  Some of these were taken from an excellent teaching by Chris Hodges, who is the Founding Pastor of Church of the Highlands, which is based in Birmingham, AL and has 27 campuses throughout the state of Alabama.  His sermon is titled “Fasting for Breakthrough” and can be found at www.churchofthehighlands.com.

1. Control of the Flesh

One of my biggest takeaways from Pastor Hodges’ word is that we humans are triune beings, meaning that our existence manifests in three forms:

• Spirit: the invisible part of us which communes with and receives from the Spirit of God.
• Soul: includes our mind, will, and emotions which are subject to both good and evil spirits.
• Body: includes our flesh, appetite, and self-satisfying nature.

The strongest of these three aspects of our being will dominate the other two.  As Christians, we want our spirit man or woman to receive from the Holy Spirit and then control our body and soul.  Pastor Hodges teaches that whichever one we feed will be the strongest.  Therefore we fast to deny the body and soul and strengthen the spirit.

The Apostle Paul also emphasized the importance of denying the flesh.

Romans 8:

 5 For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

 6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,

 7 because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able [to do so];

 8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

 9 However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.

Our fleshly nature wants to be fed constantly.  The more you feed yourself, the more your body wants to be fed.  When we deny our bodies food, we weaken the flesh and automatically strengthen our spirit.

In the same way, our soul can be overfed as well.  There is an information explosion going on in our world, and if you overfeed your mind with details, you will overcome the spirit and diminish your ability to hear from God.  It always bothers me when someone asks: “How can we pray for you?”  I believe the fewer details you know about a person or their situation, the better chance you have of soberly seeking the Lord’s will for them.  The more you know, the more biased you will be in seeking the Lord, and you will more likely pray for your will, instead of the Lord’s will.

So, the primary function of the fast is to weaken our body and soul so that our spirit can submit to God and rule our triune being.

• Intimacy with Jesus

In Matthew 9, Jesus explains that fasting is done to re-create intimacy with Him.

Matthew 9:

 14 ¶ Then the disciples of John *came to Him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?”

 15 And Jesus said to them, “The attendants of the bridegroom cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.

If you feel a dryness in your spirit, if you are having trouble hearing from God, it may be time to fast.  Jesus said when the Bridegroom is taken away from us, we should fast.  Fasting will restore intimacy with Him through the Holy Spirit, and that is what we covet in our walk with Him.  We receive His wisdom, life, and peace.

Romans 8:

 6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,

• Holy Spirit Power to Resist the Devil

In Luke 4, Jesus showed us how fasting provides Holy Spirit power to resist the devil.

Luke 4:

 1 ¶ And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led about by the Spirit in the wilderness

 2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days; and when they had ended, He became hungry.

 3 And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”

 4 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE.’”

Jesus’ body and soul were ruled by His Spirit.  He fasted to overcome the temptation of the devil.  When you fast, you can count on the devil to tempt you with food.  All those food commercials you normally ignore will become very tempting.

We know the devil continued to tempt Jesus, but the power of Jesus’ fast enabled Him to resist.

 Luke 4:

 13 And when the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.

 14 ¶ And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit; and news about Him spread through all the surrounding district.

Jesus’ fast resulted in Holy Spirit power as He returned to Galilee, and so we can expect the power of God to operate in our lives when we fast.  All glory to Jesus!

• Future Vision (Spiritual Insight)

The conversion of Saul of Tarsus into the Apostle Paul illustrates how a fast provides spiritual insight and future vision for our lives.

Acts 9:

 1 ¶ Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest,

 2 and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

 3 And it came about that as he journeyed, he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him;

 4 and he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”

 5 And he said, “Who art Thou, Lord?” And He [said,] “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting,

 6 but rise, and enter the city, and it shall be told you what you must do.”

 7 And the men who traveled with him stood speechless, hearing the voice, but seeing no one.

 8 And Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; and leading him by the hand, they brought him into Damascus.

 9 And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

Saul fasted for three days, and the Lord responded by speaking to Ananias and giving him the assignment of delivering the future vision for Paul’s life.

Acts 9:

10 ¶ Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Behold, [here am] I, Lord.”

 11 And the Lord [said] to him, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying,

 12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight.”

 13 But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to Thy saints at Jerusalem;

 14 and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call upon Thy name.”

 15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel;

 16 for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.”

 17 And Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight, and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

 18 And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight, and he arose and was baptized;

 19 and he took food and was strengthened. Now for several days he was with the disciples who were at Damascus,

 20 and immediately he [began] to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.”

In verse 15, God instructed Ananias that Paul was a chosen instrument to bear witness to the Gentiles as well as the kings and sons of Israel.  After Ananias delivers the spiritual insight, Paul received not only his physical vision but also his spiritual vision of his future.  Verse 20 says the man who formerly persecuted Christians began immediately to proclaim Jesus as the Son of God.

Last week we saw that Daniel’s 21-day partial fast also produced a vision of the future  for Israel from the angel of the Lord.

Daniel 10:

14 “Now I have come to give you an understanding of what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision pertains to the days yet [future.]”

So, fasting is a powerful way to receive spiritual insight into our vision of the future.

• Freedom from Bondage and Oppression

Last week we looked at the spiritual benefits of fasting listed in Isaiah 58 which include loosening the bonds of wickedness, undoing all bondage and oppression, and breaking every yoke.  The yoke is used to connect the oxen to carry a heavy load.  Jesus promised His yoke is easy, and His load is light.

Isaiah 58 also teaches that we fast to divide the bread with the hungry, house the homeless, and to clothe the naked.  Denying our flesh will change our heart and make us less centered on ourselves and more focused on helping the poor and homeless.

• Answer to Prayer

Last time we mentioned Ezra’s fast, which was proclaimed to humble the people to seek from God a safe journey and protection of their children and possessions.

Ezra 8:

 21 ¶ Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God to seek from Him a safe journey for us, our little ones, and all our possessions.

 22 For I was ashamed to request from the king troops and horsemen to protect us from the enemy on the way, because we had said to the king, “The hand of our God is favorably disposed to all those who seek Him, but His power and His anger are against all those who forsake Him.”

Verse 22 promises that God is favorably disposed to those who seek Him through fasting and prayer.

• Authority to Cast Out Demons

In Matthew 17, Jesus taught that prayer and fasting are necessary to cast out demons.

Matthew 17:

 18 And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was cured at once.

 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?”

 20 And He *said to them, “Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it shall move; and nothing shall be impossible to you.

 21 [“But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”]

A lot of people are uncomfortable talking about demons, but they are as real as angels of the Lord.  When they possess an individual, they must be cast out, and only the power of the Holy Spirit can do that.  Jesus’s word here is that we should regularly fast and pray to take authority and cast out demons.

• Spiritual Warfare

In discussing the Daniel fast last week, we noted the spiritual warfare that was going on in the heavenlies as he fasted.

Daniel 10:

 12 Then he said to me, “Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding [this] and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words.

 13 “But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding me for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia.

Daniel was fasting for a word concerning Israel’s future and the angel told him that the spiritual warfare delayed him from giving the word.  When we experience delays in answered prayer, we must understand that there is a war in the heavens trying to prevent our understanding, trying to discourage us, and trying to turn us against the Lord.  Fasting is a way to wage war with the devil in the Spirit realm.  When your circumstance does not match God’s promises, it’s time to fast and pray.

• National Benefits

Fasting for our nation produces favor with the Lord.  In the Book of Esther, the Jewish people were plotted against by Haman, a high-ranking official who sought to destroy them.  Esther, a Jew, had found favor with the King and was appointed as Queen.  Esther’s cousin Mordecai entreated her to expose the plot to the King that he might put an end to it and save the nation of Israel.

In those days, one did not just walk into the King’s chambers unsummoned and ask for a favor.  Queen Esther was taking a significant risk, so she called a national fast so she might attain favor with the King. 

Esther 4:

 15 Then Esther told [them] to reply to Mordecai,

 16 “Go, assemble all the Jews who are found in Susa, and fast for me; do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maidens also will fast in the same way. And thus I will go in to the king, which is not according to the law; and if I perish, I perish.”

 17 So Mordecai went away and did just as Esther had commanded him.

God responded to the Queen’s fast, and Esther was allowed into the King’s chambers, where she exposed the plot of Haman to the King.  The King decreed that Haman would be hung on the gallows he was planning to use to hang Mordecai.  The King also decreed in Esther 8:11 that the Jews in any and all cities would be allowed to defend themselves against any army that came against their people.

Therefore, we should fast for our nation and the nation of Israel, as the Lord directs.

Closing

There are many powerful benefits that accrue to us when we fast and pray.  Fasting is an effective way to crucify the flesh, and allow the Spirit of God to rule our bodies and our mind, will, and emotions.  It leads to intimacy with Jesus and empowers us to resist the devil.  Fasting gives us spiritual insight and a vision for our future.  It is an effective way to free us from bondage and oppression, and enables us to wage spiritual warfare in the heavenlies.  We are empowered to cast out demons, and we achieve the Lord’s favor for ourselves and our nation when we fast and pray.

Because of these many benefits, the Lord would have us fast and pray on a regular basis.

Let us pray.

Father God, thank You for Your word on fasting and praying.  Draw us, Lord, to the pattern of fasting that You would have for us in 2026 and beyond.  Strengthen us as we deny the flesh and empower our spirit man and spirit woman to prosper in Your ways.  We covet intimacy with Jesus, the wisdom and power of the Holy Spirit, and freedom from bondage and oppression as we await the soon return of our loving Lord and Savior.  In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.