Formed by Fasting

Jul 26, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Moses’ Empty Hands on Sinai’s Slope

Fasting begins not with deprivation but with surrender. Moses climbed Sinai twice, enduring 80 days without food or water, his empty hands symbolizing total dependence. This wasn’t about earning God’s favor but positioning himself to receive divine instruction. Like Moses, believers today are called to rhythms of emptying—not for spectacle, but to create space for God’s voice. Fasting as a lifestyle reshapes priorities, trading temporary satisfaction for eternal alignment. The struggle isn’t a burden; it’s the gateway to encountering the One who writes His law on hungry hearts. [16:15]

So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did not eat bread or drink water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.
(Exodus 34:28, NASB)

Reflection: What “full hands” do you cling to (routines, comforts, distractions) that might hinder you from receiving God’s fresh instruction? How could a rhythm of emptying create space for His voice?

Day 2: Whenever You Fast: A Rhythm, Not a Ritual

Jesus’ words “whenever you fast” assume it’s as natural as breathing for His followers. The early church didn’t schedule fasts around crises but wove them into daily discipleship. Fasting becomes formative when detached from desperation and anchored in devotion. It’s less about twisting God’s arm and more about tuning our hearts. Like daily bread, this discipline nourishes spiritual sensitivity, training believers to hunger for the Giver over gifts. Regular fasting rewires appetites, making room for sustained intimacy. [19:50]

Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face.
(Matthew 6:16-17, NASB)

Reflection: Is your current approach to fasting reactive (only in crisis) or rhythmic (part of ongoing formation)? What one adjustment could make fasting a regular “conversation starter” with God?

Day 3: Anointed Heads, Washed Faces

Religious performance parades deprivation; true fasting hides in holy secrecy. Jesus rebuked those who disfigured their faces to broadcast piety. Instead, He commanded fresh oil and clean faces—outward normalcy masking inward revolution. This isn’t deception but protection, safeguarding sacred communion from the corrosion of human approval. When fasting stays between you and God, it purifies motives, stripping away the need for spiritual applause. The real work happens where no Instagram story can reach. [33:39]

Do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.
(Matthew 6:5-6, NASB)

Reflection: Where have you unknowingly sought “credit” for spiritual disciplines? How might hidden fasting protect your heart from the addiction to others’ approval?

Day 4: Portion and Cup in the Secret Place

Fasting’s reward isn’t answered prayers but the Answerer Himself. The psalmist declared, “You alone are my portion”—not portion-giver, but the portion. When we fast, we don’t negotiate with God; we feast on His presence. Hunger pangs become altar calls, reminding us that man lives not by bread alone but by every word from His mouth. The Father’s reward often bypasses our wish lists to give us what we truly need: more of Him in the secret place. [41:27]

Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.
(Psalm 16:5-6, NASB)

Reflection: Have you ever fasted with a specific outcome in mind, only to receive something unexpected from God? How might seeking Him as the “portion” reshape your approach?

Day 5: Humbling Souls in Circuit City Silence

The world’s noise numbs; fasting amplifies. Like the pastor sickened by Circuit City’s clamor during a fast, we discover how accustomed we’ve become to life’s static. Fasting detoxifies our spiritual ears, teaching us to discern whispers over sirens. Humbling our souls isn’t self-punishment—it’s recalibrating our sensitivity to the frequencies of heaven. In the quiet, we realize our true hunger was never for food but for the Bread that quiets every craving. [42:22]

Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.
(Isaiah 65:24, NASB)

Reflection: What “noise” in your daily routine drowns out God’s voice? What practical step could you take this week to create space for silent listening?

Sermon Summary

Fasting stands at the center of spiritual formation as a regular way the soul gets driven toward Jesus. The old saying says, “If you don’t pray, you won’t stay, and if you don’t fast, you won’t last,” but fasting is not mainly about twisting God’s arm. Fasting is less about getting from God and more about getting to God.

Matthew 6 places Jesus on the mountain as the greater prophet than Moses. Moses went up Sinai forty days and forty nights without food or water, came down to a camp acting a fool around the golden calf, then went back up another forty days. Jesus now comes on the mount, not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it and write it on the heart. So when Jesus says, “whenever you fast,” fasting is not treated like some strange emergency button. Fasting is a rhythm, not an event.

Leviticus had already rooted fasting in the Day of Atonement, when the whole nation humbled their souls before God. That phrase, “humble your souls,” carries the weight. The soul is the seat of emotions, intellect, and will, the place of feeling, thinking, and doing. Fasting slows the soul down, quiets the sharp tongue, loosens the grip of self, and helps the heart “forget about yourself and concentrate on him.”

Jesus also makes clear that fasting belongs to the age of waiting. When the groom was with the disciples, it was time to feast. Now the groom has ascended, and the church waits for his return. This is the time to fast, to pray, to believe, to seek power now, healing now, souls now. God was never raising an audience. God was raising an army.

Matthew 6 also exposes fake religion. The hypocrites distorted their faces, dressed disheveled, and turned intimacy with God into a performance. Jesus says to wash the face, anoint the head, and keep the secret place secret. Fasting is an inside job. Cultural Christianity learns the dance, the talk, the look, even the bathroom finger, but committed Christianity gets before God with a pure heart.

The Father sees in secret and rewards in secret, but God gets to choose the reward. Fasting petitions God, but it does not create entitlement. Fasting does not move God. Fasting moves the one who fasts. Sometimes the reward is not the requested answer, but more of God, quiet from the world, and grace for a battle that was not even on the agenda. The call is simple: pick a day, make it holy, humble the soul, and let fasting become a weekly rhythm.

Key Takeaways

1. Fasting moves the soul Godward Fasting is not a spiritual vending machine where hunger purchases the desired outcome. Fasting clears the noise, lowers the ego, and turns attention toward the God who is already beckoning the soul closer. The deepest gift is not control over the reward, but nearness to the Rewarder himself. [13:27]
2. Rhythm forms deeper than events Jesus says “whenever you fast,” not “if an emergency comes.” Fasting becomes formative when it enters the normal pattern of life, shaping the soul before crisis demands it. A weekly rhythm of humbling the soul teaches the body and heart that God is not an interruption, but the center. [19:50]
3. Secret hunger exposes real motives Public religion can learn the clothes, the language, the dance, and the look without ever surrendering the heart. Jesus sends fasting away from the stage and into the secret place, where applause cannot feed the ego. The hidden fast asks whether God himself is enough when nobody else knows. [33:22]
4. God chooses the reward Fasting petitions God, but it does not make God obligated. The Father sees, hears, responds, and rewards, yet the reward may be grace for a different battle, quiet from the world, or simply more of himself. That kind of reward humbles entitlement and restores trust in God’s sovereignty. [39:48]
5. The army must humble souls The Bay Area assignment is too big for spectatorship and too weighty for casual faith. Souls, strongholds, and cultural darkness require prayer and fasting, not complaint dressed up as concern. A church that learns to fast becomes a people prepared for harvest and ready for the Bridegroom’s return. [43:12]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[06:32] - Books That Shaped Spiritual Formation
[07:59] - Learning What Fasting Means
[11:06] - Cultural Christianity Versus Commitment
[13:27] - Fasting Gets To God
[15:19] - Matthew 6 And The Sermon On The Mount
[16:02] - Moses, Sinai, And Forty Days
[19:50] - Fasting Is A Rhythm
[21:13] - The Day Of Atonement
[26:10] - The Groom Is Coming Back
[30:19] - Apostolic Power And Practice
[33:22] - Fasting Is An Inside Job
[39:26] - God Chooses The Reward
[43:12] - The Bay Area Assignment
[44:51] - Pick A Day To Fast

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Matthew 6:16-18
“Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” [19:14]

Leviticus 16:29-31
“This shall be a permanent statute for you: in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall humble your souls and not do any work, whether the native, or the alien who sojourns among you; for it is on this day that atonement shall be made for you to cleanse you; you will be clean from all your sins before the LORD. It is to be a sabbath of solemn rest for you, that you may humble your souls; it is a permanent statute.” [20:32]

Matthew 9:14-15
“Then the disciples of John *came to Him, asking, ‘Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?’ 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.’” [26:04]

Observation questions

In Matthew 6:16-18, what contrast does Jesus make between the hypocrites and the person who fasts rightly?
In Leviticus 16:29-31, what repeated phrase shows the heart posture connected to fasting, and what other practices went with it on the Day of Atonement? [21:13]
In Matthew 9:14-15, why does Jesus say his disciples were not fasting at that moment, and when does he say they will fast?
What are some outward behaviors Jesus warns against when fasting, and what are some simple outward actions he tells people to do instead? [33:39]

Interpretation questions

Jesus says “whenever you fast,” not “if you fast.” What does that suggest about whether fasting is meant to be rare and emergency-only, or part of an ongoing life with God? [19:50]
Leviticus connects fasting with humbling the soul. If the soul is the place of feeling, thinking, and choosing, what does it mean for fasting to humble the soul rather than just skip a meal? [24:11]
Jesus says the Father who sees in secret will reward. Why is it important that God chooses the reward, instead of the person fasting deciding what God must do? [39:48]
Jesus connects fasting to the time when the bridegroom is away. How does that help explain why fasting fits the church’s present season of waiting, praying, and longing? [27:32]

Application questions

Fasting is less about getting from God and more about getting to God. When thinking about fasting, is the heart more drawn to getting an answer, fixing a problem, or simply drawing near to God? What does that reveal? [13:27]
Fasting is meant to be a rhythm, not an event. What would it look like to choose one regular day or time to fast in a way that is realistic and faithful in this season of life? What obstacles might need to be worked through? [44:51]
Fasting is an inside job. Are there ways religious life can become more about appearance than intimacy with God? Where might there be a temptation to look spiritual rather than be surrendered? [35:01]
Jesus says to keep fasting out of the spotlight. What would it look like practically to fast in secret during a normal workday, school day, or family day without making it a performance? [38:45]
Fasting humbles the soul and helps a person forget about self and concentrate on God. When life gets noisy, rushed, or emotionally sharp, how might fasting help slow things down and bring the heart back to God? [24:25]
God may answer a fast differently than expected, sometimes giving grace for a different battle. Has there been a time when God did not give the expected answer but did give peace, strength, clarity, or more of himself? [40:58]
There are souls to be reached and battles that cannot be met by casual faith. Who or what feels especially heavy right now—an unsaved loved one, a personal struggle, a burden for the church, or something in the culture—and how might prayer and fasting become part of that burden instead of only talking about it? [44:17]

Sermon Clips

37s

#FastingTransformsYou

“``Fasting is our opportunity and honor to take off our shoes because the place we're standing is holy ground. Hear me, church. Fasting doesn't move God. Fasting moves you. Sometimes you fast for an answer to problem a, God gives you grace for problem b. Because God chooses the reward. And you know what the reward often is? More of God.”

48s

#GodChoosesTheReward

“The father rewards you. Notice he says, the father will reward you. God gets to choose the reward, not us. And we live in an on demand world, but god is not an on demand vendor. refuses to fall into that category. Hear me. Watch this. Write this down. Fasting petitions god, but it doesn't create entitlement. Yeah. Fasting petitions god, but it doesn't create entitlement. We, in fasting, are reminded of God's sovereignty. We are reminded that we're not doing him a favor because you turned your plate down three days.”

33s

#RiseUpChurchArmy

“Don't be California casual now. We need souls now. We need to be fasting now. We need to be pressing in now. Now is not the time to be retired. Now is the time to be refired. Now is the time when we need to go for god more than we've ever gone for god. Amen. Hallelujah. God was never raising an audience. He was raising an army, and we need to forcefully advance the kingdom of god. Amen.”

46s

#FastingToGetToGod

“But for the rest of you, I wanna introduce you to the practice and to the power of fasting. Fasting is an essential aspect of your spiritual formation. And when we look at what Jesus says about it, you're gonna see that it shouldn't be seen as something that's only relegated to special occasions or when you get a special word from heaven or when you're really in trouble. No. It should be a regular part of your life rhythm. So here's my key point. Fasting is less about getting from god and more about getting to god. Amen.”

56s

#HumbleYourSoulDaily

“Church, that phrase ought to grab you just like it grabbed the ancients. Humble your souls. And our souls, please understand, that's the seat of our emotions, our intellects, and our wills. That's the place where we are feelers, thinkers, and doers. And when we fast, when we aren't eating, it causes us to slow down a bit. Amen. I don't know about you but when I'm fasting, I'm not as sharp tongued. Amen. I'm not as quick in terms of my road rage because I'm hungry. I'm a little weak. Our souls get humble. I'm not as fixated on normal things. It forces me to focus on god more and think about myself less.”

62s

#TakeFastingSeriously

“Let him take care of the reward. I promise you. I promise you. Whatever he comes up with is so much better than whatever you imagined. here's the conclusion. Here's my call to action. Family, please hear me. The assignment that god has given us in the Bay Area is huge. It's huge. There are souls to be saved, demons to be slain, and a whole culture to be shifted. And we don't need to treat fasting like some awkward teenager who woke up late on a Saturday morning. We don't need to treat it that way anymore. It's time for us to get serious and humble our souls.”

47s

#PickYourFastingDay

“Humble your souls. Church, the world that we have been given to steward, it needs us to know how to pray and to fast. And so here's the call to action. I'm a give you one guess what it is. Pick a day. Pick a day. Pick a day. One day. My wife and I, we've chosen what ours is. I want you, if you got a spice or a spouse, pick your day. One day a week, make that your day. Make it holy. That one day where you gonna humble your soul.”

49s

#PrivateFastingMatters

“But when you make fasting an inside job, when your motives are pure, when your heart's desire is simply to get close to god, you'll keep this fasting thing between you and him. You'll get dressed. You'll put some lotion on instead of ashes. And during your lunch hour, when you leave your colleagues, rather than hitting the table the lunch table like a normal day, and they ask, how come you ain't joining them today? Why aren't you hooding them? You just you don't preach a sermon on holy sacrifice. just say, y'all go ahead. I got a personal meeting today. Yeah. And they don't need to know you went to the park instead of hitting your normal Subway sandwich and Doritos. You took a walk with Jesus. Yeah. And you heard from heaven's throne. Why? Because fasting is about your inner life and not your outer look.”

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Should fasting be a regular spiritual rhythm?

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