Humbling the Soul

When I wept, [and chastened] my soul with fasting, that was to my reproach. (Psalm 69:10)

King David wept and chastened his soul with fasting. Chasten means “to instruct”, “to teach” and “to reprove.” The number one reason to fast is to humble the soul and break the flesh’s power to rule your life.

The soul is the self-conscious part of who we are. It is the part of us that says, “I wish,” “I want,” “I need,” “I feel”. It is the part of us that unless reproved, disciplined and rightly instructed will be self-centered, self-justifying and self-defending.

What you feed will flourish, what you starve will die. When you fast, lust begins to die, greed begins to die, covetousness begins to die, unbelief goes, and a rebellious and independent spirit will cease to exist. With fasting, everything outside the will of God loses its pull and attraction.

Have you ever heard anyone say, “Fasting just kills me?” Well, guess what? That’s exactly what it is supposed to do. It is supposed to kill, or put an end to, whatever is selfish, critical or carnal in you. Fasting will teach your soul who really is in control and your spirit by the Holy Spirit in you will rise to that preeminent position.

The Folly of an Uncontrolled Appetite

An uncontrolled appetite will lead to barrenness and spiritual disaster in your life.

Esau sold his birthright for one morsel of food

Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears (Hebrews 12:14-17)

For one morsel of food (some lentil stew) Esau gave up his birthright to his brother Jacob. (Genesis 25:34) Jacob wanted Esau’s birthright, and he got it because Esau placed more value on carnal things than he did on spiritual things. Because he couldn’t control his appetite he forfeited God’s blessings and purpose for his life and brought barrenness to his own soul.

The Scriptures could have read, “The God of Abraham, Isaac and Esau.” But Esau gave away his inheritance in exchange for a little instant fleshly gratification. An uncontrolled appetite will always lead to barrenness, poverty and spiritual disaster.
Hear, my son, and be wise; and guide your heart in the way. Do not mix with winebibbers, or with gluttonous eaters of meat; for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and drowsiness will clothe a man with rags. (Proverbs 23:19-21)

Adam and Eve gave up Paradise for one bite of fruit

In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve gave in to the temptations of the devil, and ate of the fruit God told them not to eat. They gave up their innocence, their intimate relationship with the Lord, and their God-given dominion in the earth because of “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.” (1 John 2:16)

The Bible says that because of Adam’s sin, sin and death entered the world. (Romans 5:12)

People Out of Control

 Some people are consumed with thoughts of food. The Bible speaks of people “whose god is their belly.” (Philippians 3:19) They spend half their lives thinking about what they’re going to eat. They eat breakfast and then think about what they’ll have for a snack. Then while they’re eating the snack, they think about what they’re going to have for lunch. At lunch they’re thinking about what they’re going to have for dinner. And after dinner, they’re thinking about what to have before they go to bed. They are bound by food. They are out of control.

Like a Broken Down City

Whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down, without walls. (Proverbs 25:28)

When a city’s walls are broken down, it means the enemy can come in and take it. At any given time, the enemy can take control of a person who has no control over his appetites, passions and lusts. These people are vulnerable and can be lured away from church, pulled away from the Word, from worship, and from God’s destiny for their lives, all because they lack self-control.

Victory through Christ

Jesus Christ, whom the Scriptures call the second Adam, was tempted in every way as we are, but without sin. After fasting forty days and nights in the wilderness Jesus was hungry. The devil came to Him and said, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” (Matthew 4:3) The devil tried to get Him to respond from His own will, independent of God.

But Jesus answered and said, “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4)
Jesus, by putting more value on spiritual things, won back for us everything that the first Adam lost. Everything was restored because he would not let his appetite or fleshly desires control his life.

For if by one man’s offence death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:17)

We have to restrain the flesh or it will dominate us. The apostle Paul said, “I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.” (1 Corinthians 9:27)

Fasting and prayer are designed to put the spirit man, which was created in righteousness and true holiness, back in control of your life. Fasting and prayer will shut the mouth of the flesh and open the ear of the spirit man to God.

There are some answers to problems in your life you will not receive until you fast and pray. There are some things that will never happen for you unless you fast and pray.

This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting. (Mark 9:29)
Adding fasting to your prayer will give you extra spiritual muscle to press through to your breakthrough.

Through fasting and prayer, we die to ourselves. As we die to ourselves, Jesus becomes more alive in us. The goal of chastening our souls through fasting is to be able to say with fresh conviction, “I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me.” (Galatians 2:20)