How does Fasting and Repentance work?

When you partake in a fast, you become open to areas of sin in your life. You become sin conscious or your spirit is so sensitive that it begins to reject the sinful nature, and thereby repentance comes forth very easy. Fasting will break down walls of hardness around your heart that will keep you from repenting. You realize what you did was wrong.  Doing things contrary to the will of God leads to the way of destruction; it also harms others, and it is harmful to you. To repent is to reject sin.  In other words, “You love what God loves and hate what he hates”. You turn from the things that are not pleasing unto him and you focus your attention on that which pleases the Father. Since fasting opens you up and make you more sensitive to God’s Holy Nature you begin to even “dislike” walking in sin.

The dangerous thing about (not) living a lifestyle of fasting and prayer is this… sometimes you may not be aware of the sin to which you have fallen prey. It is like someone who does something that is wrong and during the beginning stages they are aware of their wrong doing, they don’t like how it made them feel, they don’t want any parts of it and they even ask for forgiveness, but the “it” just continues to happen and then it becomes comfortable to them and they remain in that state not realizing they NOW are in sin.

Has this ever happened to you? I’m sure if we were all honest, we would say YES, this has happened at some point in time with our walk with The Lord. Just don’t stay there! That’s the danger.

That again, is another reason why fasting laced with prayer is so important to our souls because we don’t want to find ourselves going down the road to destruction and not even realize it.

So it is imperative that we stay in a place of repentance and confession before the Lord. Confession is very important as it relates to repentance. As God reveals the sin or iniquity of things that need to be repented from, be quick to do so! Remember fasting allows our spirit-man to “Wake Up” and our ears to “Perk Up” in the spirit realm, and we hear him a lot easier.  When we are fasting, many times God will bring things to our attention and areas of our life of which we have not repented and confessed.

Even when a person is born again, confession is an important part of the salvation process. With the heart man believes unto righteousness, but salvation is made through confession. Romans 10:10

8If we say that we have not sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.1 John 1:8-10

This scripture sheds light on the importance of Fasting and Repentance and you can’t partake in a fast unless you also go through Repentance. I personally believe if you are fasting and if repentance is not a part of that fast you have to check your motives concerning the fast. Moreover, I also don’t want to send a mixed message because every fast of which you partake is not specifically a fast of purity wherein you are intentionally fasting with a focus on getting clean before the Lord. My main point is this, when you fast make sure you are also bringing any sin before the Lord just as it is written in Isaiah 58!

Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins. 2 Yet they seek me daily,  and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God. 3 Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours.4 Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.5 Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD? 6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? 7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? 8 Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy reward. 9 Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity; 10 And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon day: 11 And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. 12 And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in. 13 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: 14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hat spoken it. Isaiah 58

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Lenika Scott

Author of Fasting for Breakthrough