Daily Dose: FORMED
Part 3 — Fasting: Learning Dependence Over Desire
Matthew 6:16-18 (ESV)
“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
Fasting is one of the least spoken about practices in many areas of modern Christianity, yet throughout Scripture it is repeatedly connected to humility, dependence, prayer, repentance, and drawing near to God. But fasting is often misunderstood. Some treat it as a way to appear spiritual, while others avoid it completely because they only see it as restriction.
Yet biblical fasting was never about performance.
It was about dependence.
Jesus did not say “if you fast.” He said:
“And when you fast…”
He spoke about fasting as something that would naturally exist within the life of a believer. Not as a way to earn God’s love, but as a way of intentionally quieting the flesh and turning attention back toward Him.
This matters because the world constantly teaches people to satisfy every desire immediately. Hunger, emotion, comfort, impulse — everything is answered quickly. But fasting interrupts that pattern. It reminds the heart that not every craving deserves control.
That is why fasting can become uncomfortable very quickly. It exposes how dependent people can become on comfort, routine, distraction, and instant satisfaction. In fasting, the struggle is often not only physical. It becomes spiritual. Irritation rises. Weakness is felt. Hidden dependence is revealed.
But those moments can also become places of deep honesty before God.
Before Jesus began His public ministry, He fasted in the wilderness.
Matthew 4:1-2 (ESV)
“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.”
Jesus understood hunger. He understood weakness. He understood temptation. Yet even in physical emptiness, He remained anchored in the truth of God.
But it is important to understand something clearly: Jesus fasting for forty days does not mean every believer is expected to do the same. Scripture shows different kinds of fasting throughout the Bible, and wisdom matters deeply here.
Some fasted for a day. Some for specific seasons. Some removed certain foods rather than all food completely.
Daniel, for example, entered a partial fast rather than a total one.
Daniel 10:2-3 (ESV)
“In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three weeks. I ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, for the full three weeks.”
The purpose of fasting is not to harm the body or prove spiritual strength. The purpose is to intentionally make room for God in a deeper way. For some people that may mean fasting meals for a period of time. For others it may mean stepping away from distractions, social media, entertainment, or comforts that have begun to control too much attention and affection.
I know in my own life there were years where I struggled deeply with giving in to whatever brought temporary comfort the quickest. Addiction trains the mind to constantly feed cravings immediately, whether physical, emotional, or mental. So learning to deny the flesh in any area can feel deeply uncomfortable at first because everything in you has been conditioned to seek relief instead of surrender.
That is one reason fasting can become so spiritually exposing.
It reveals how quickly people run toward comfort instead of toward God.
Fasting should always lead a person toward prayer, Scripture, humility, and dependence on God — not pride, comparison, or self-punishment.
For many believers, fasting may begin simply:
setting aside one meal to pray
dedicating focused time with God during that fast
removing distractions that constantly fill the mind
spending intentional time in Scripture instead of comfort or entertainment
The goal is not extreme performance.
The goal is learning dependence.
There will be moments during fasting where the flesh becomes loud. Moments where distractions suddenly seem more appealing. Moments where quitting feels easier than continuing. But often those very moments reveal how deeply people need God’s strength rather than their own.
Fasting does not make someone more loved by God. Christ has already secured that through the cross. But fasting can help realign a distracted heart. It creates room for prayer, reflection, repentance, and dependence in a world filled with noise.
Not every fast will feel powerful. Not every moment will feel deeply spiritual. But over time fasting teaches something valuable:
The flesh does not always need to be obeyed.
Sometimes spiritual growth begins when comfort is no longer leading every decision.
And often, in the quiet places where desire is surrendered, people begin to hear God more clearly again.