Fasting For Spiritual Victory-Pastor Johnny Marten Mattew 6:17-18

Fasting is presented as a vital, scripture-rooted spiritual discipline that belongs to the life of believers. The practice is defined simply—as abstaining from food—with several recognized forms: total fasts (food and water, with biblical examples limited), food-only fasts of varying lengths, and partial or Daniel-style dietary fasts. Fasting is not optional conjecture but portrayed in the same vein as giving and prayer—introduced in Matthew 6 with the same wording, “when you…,” indicating expectation and regularity. The discipline is to be pursued privately and sincerely, not as public show; the posture should be humility before God rather than a means of self-exaltation.

Practical contours are emphasized: fasting must be personal in motive, not a religious system of checkbox behaviors; it must be practiced in faith and paired with earnest prayer when seeking spiritual outcomes; and pastoral guidance about length and bodily care is given to avoid harm. The teaching highlights specific spiritual effects—weakening the flesh to make room for the Spirit, creating a focused environment for repentance, intercession, and seeking God’s direction. A concrete testimony of breakthrough over bitterness demonstrates how extended, prayerful fasting can dislodge hardened attitudes when combined with Scripture and persistent petition. Practical cautions close the treatment: do not convert fasting into rote ritual, expect no simple formula, and reintroduce food slowly after longer fasts to protect the body.

Resources are suggested for further study, and the urgency of learning a largely neglected discipline is underscored for the present age. The overall tone is pastoral, urgent, and pastoral-practical: fasting is both accessible and demanding, a tool for spiritual warfare, repentance, and growth when undertaken with humility, faith, and prayerful dependence on God.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Fasting is a regular spiritual discipline Fasting sits alongside giving and prayer in Scripture as something expected, not merely optional. Treating fasting as a regular discipline reframes it from an emergency tactic to an ongoing means of spiritual formation that cultivates hunger for God more than for food. Viewed this way, periodic fasting disciplines the appetites that otherwise shape decisions and affections. [36:50]
• 2. Keep fasting private and personal The ethical core of fasting is inward integrity: God examines motives, not public displays. True fasting reorients the heart toward God’s priorities rather than human applause, stripping away performative piety. When secrecy becomes the norm, the fast is more likely to produce inner transformation rather than external reputation management. [41:39]
• 3. Pair fasting with faith and prayer Fasting without prayer reduces the practice to a physical act; prayer anchors fasting in dependence. Faith frames fasting as a spiritual petition rather than a self-help technique, inviting God to engage and answer. Persistent, prayerful fasting opens a channel for discernment and spiritual breakthrough that mere diet cannot. [48:03]
• 4. Use fasting for focused spiritual victories Fasting weakens bodily cravings to expose spiritual roots of sin—bitterness, fear, or control. Combined with Scripture and repeated petition, it creates a concentrated season to confront and dislodge entrenched attitudes. The breakthrough that follows tends to be durable when fasting is accompanied by repentance and ongoing spiritual habits. [50:08]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [23:11] - January fasting initiative introduced
• [29:08] - What fasting is: types explained
• [32:28] - Reasons people fast
• [36:50] - Matthew 6: “When you fast”
• [41:12] - Make fasting personal, not public
• [48:03] - Fasting with faith and prayer
• [50:08] - Testimony: fasting for victory
• [55:03] - How to break a long fast
• [57:39] - Resources, prayer, and closing

Bible reading

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.”

Luke 5:34–35 (ESV)
“And Jesus said to them, ‘Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.’”

Isaiah 29:13 (ESV)
“And the Lord said: ‘Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men...’”

Observation questions

1. In Matthew 6, what specific instructions are given regarding a person's physical appearance and hygiene while they are fasting?
2. According to the words of Jesus in Luke 5, what is the specific reason or timing for why His disciples would eventually practice fasting?
3. What are the different forms fasting can take, ranging from a "total fast" to a "partial" or "Daniel" style fast? [29:08]
4. In Matthew 6, how does the wording "when you fast" compare to the way the Bible introduces the practices of giving to the needy and praying? [36:50]

Interpretation questions

1. Jesus warns that those who fast to be seen by others "have received their reward." What is the difference between a reward from people and the reward from the Father who is "unseen"? [41:39]
2. It is possible to honor God with our lips while our hearts remain far away. How does turning a spiritual discipline into a "systematic behavior" or a "religious system" risk distancing the heart from God? [42:52]
3. Fasting is a spiritual and supernatural act that must be done in faith. Why is it insufficient to simply abstain from food without pairing that sacrifice with active, earnest prayer? [48:03]
4. Jesus uses the imagery of a bridegroom and a wedding feast to describe His presence. Why is fasting described as an inappropriate activity for a time of celebration, but a necessary one for the time we live in now? [39:18]

Application questions

1. Fasting is often viewed as an "emergency tactic" for a crisis rather than a regular part of spiritual life. How would your daily walk change if you viewed it as a normal discipline alongside prayer and giving? [36:50]
2. There is often a temptation to let others know when we are making a spiritual sacrifice. What are some practical ways you can "wash your face" and keep your fast personal between you and God so it doesn't become a performance for others? [42:12]
3. Fasting weakens the "flesh," which makes the temptations it throws at us weaker. If you are struggling with a specific "root of sin"—like bitterness, fear, or a need for control—how might a focused season of fasting help you confront that attitude? [51:03]
4. Fasting doesn't make one person "better" or "more holy" than another, but it is meant to make us better than we were. In what specific areas of your character do you most desire to see growth through this discipline? [44:12]
5. For those who are new to this, starting with a 24-hour fast or a partial dietary fast is a way to begin. What is one specific spiritual "victory" or "guidance" you need from God right now that you could commit to fasting for this week? [32:28]
6. When practicing a longer fast, the first twenty-four hours are often a physical and mental struggle against hunger. How can you prepare your mind to push past that initial "wrestle with the flesh" to reach a place of spiritual focus? [52:26]
7. Taking care of the body is important when ending a fast, especially a longer one. How does being mindful of how we "break" a fast and reintroduce food reflect a healthy stewardship of the body God gave us? [55:03]