#STRask - Is Fasting Food Specific?

Episode Date: April 13, 2026

Questions about whether biblical fasting is food specific or could include things like social media, how the “faith” listed as a gift of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12:9 differs from the saving faith given to all believers, and whether it’s biblical for people with a prophetic gift to predict suffering and death.   Is it biblical to abstain from something like social media as a form of fasting to pray for a specific thing, or is fasting food specific? Is the “faith” listed as a gift of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12:9 somehow different from the saving faith given to all believers? Is it biblical for people with a prophetic gift to predict seasons of suffering or when a person will die?

Thank you for joining us today. We're going to get right down to business, Greg. All right. And this first question comes from Arian. Is it biblical to abstain from something like social media as a form of fasting to pray for a specific thing? Is fasting food specific? Would it be right to abstain from social media, for example, for a year and accompany that with prayer for a friend's salvation? Well, it wouldn't be wrong. The question is, is it biblical? And when the Bible refers to fast, It's talking about food and water. And I don't understand the whole thing about fasting, frankly.

I know that it's a biblical discipline. People in the Bible did it. Moses did it. Jesus did it, others. And there's a presumption that Christians will have seasons of fasting. And we see references to that. Jesus said, when you fast, for example, then behave this way. and that when the bridegroom's gone, then they will fast.

There's a comment, I think, at 1st Corinthians 7, where Paul says, don't separate yourself sexually, men, husbands from your wives, except for a period of fasting in prayer and then come back because of temptations, etc. So there is this presumption of fasting, but the fasting that we have in Scripture is always related to food. and liquids and water, whatever. And there are books you can get on fasting. God's chosen fast, I think, is a standard. I remember seeing it many, many years ago.

But I fast occasionally, but not very much. Some people make it a regular habit, and I think that's really good. I think they've chosen the wrong word to describe that discipline, though. They should call it a fast. They should call it a slow. because it seems like everything slows down like time as you're anticipating your next meal. Maybe as you get in a pattern, and I'll be curious what you have to say about this, if you have a pattern, then it changes the dynamic a little bit.

But there are, I don't think, I'm not sure about this, but I don't think that the idea of fasting food is merely to keep the distraction of meals away. I think there was actually something about the biological element there that somehow abets the significance of the experience. I'm not exactly sure. Maybe people who have studied this more could answer it, but this is kind of the sense that I have from reading a few things. So by saying no to meals, you are putting yourself in a dependent kind of position. It's also really good for your body. but that aside, you're putting yourself in a dependent position.

You're aware of dependency. I have this need, and I'm saying no to. And it creates, there's a craving that you are taking under control in order to focus on prayer. And so, and by the way, those go together, prayer and fasting, whenever we see the concept of fasting, it's usually coupled with prayer. So this is part of it. So what I'm saying is there may be a unique. element to fasting food that is not available in fasting other things like media or social media,

whatever. However, having said that, that's the biblical case, or the biblical element here, it doesn't mean there's anything wrong with putting a pause to anything that's distracting in your life for a season to focus on something spiritual. Roman Catholics and Lutherans do this, all the time during Lent. And so I was raised Roman Catholic, and so there was a sense, once Ash Wednesday comes, in anticipation of Easter, there's something that you, as we would put it, give up for Lent. What are you giving up for Lent? And it's something that you like, and you give it up for that period of time as a spiritual exercise.

Now, I think it can turn into a type of work where you think you're getting some merit for it. But I think for most people and the intention of that in both of those denominations is to focus more, focus in anticipation of Good Friday and Easter Sunday. And it's a reflective – it's meant to induce or to partner with a reflective time where you're thinking about our vulnerability with regards to sin and our guilt before God and all of those kinds of things. Kind of like a young Kapoor, I guess, is for the Jews. So that would be another type of fasting for a different purpose, I guess,

for a reflective kind of purpose. It may be that you're fasting from social media because that stuff is not really good for you. And if you get too much, it's like sugar, you know, you get too much of that stuff and bad things happen to your mind. And so that might just be a good idea to break free from that so your mind is freed up for other things, something like that. So the Bible characterizes fasting in a particular way. But that doesn't mean the principle of abstaining from something for a spiritual benefit, personal benefit, isn't a good idea when applied to other things. So I'm all for that.

You don't need a biblical justification for saying, you know, I'm just going to turn off my phone for an hour a day or one day a week or whatever, you know, because it's just good for me and I can focus on the Lord better or something like that. No problem there. Yeah, I don't know if I really have anything to add to that, Greg. I agree with you that there are certainly – when you fast from other things, you are certainly reminded to give more time to prayer and that sort of thing. And that's, of course, a good thing. But that there is another element with fasting from food that reminds you of your dependence. And there's something about having something that's central to your life and your survival. And giving that up, I think, creates a different sort of situation. But of course, it's not unbiblical to fast from something

else so you can pray and focus on prayer for some certain things. So, yeah. Do you food fast? You know, I used to do it much more, and I haven't as much recently. I should get back. This is reminding me, I should get back to that. I don't know how I got out of the habit, but, yeah, I used too much more than I do know. I mean, some people fast one day a week. Sometimes it's a 24-hour fast, so it's like you have dinner one night and you don't eat anything until dinner the next night. Other times, it's dinner one night until breakfast two days later, so the entire calendar day you're not eating.

I mean, when I think of fasting, that's where I think of it, but maybe I'm just too intense about things. And people can do it however they want if you want to do one meal. I mean, it's, I don't think there's a wrong way to do it. If you're withholding something from yourself in order to focus on God and to pray and to express your need for him, I don't see any problem with that. Yeah. Yeah. If I do fast for a day, though, I always drink a little coffee. No sugar. I just don't want to get headaches. So. Okay. Let's go to a question from Drew.

And here is his question. I understand that faith is a gift from God, which is given to all believers. But 1 Corinthians 129 lists, quote, faith as one of the gifts of the spirit, implying that it is given to only some believers. Is this faith from 1 Corinthians 12 somehow different than the saving faith given to all believers? And if so, how? Well, this is an interesting question because I had a discussion, a longest discussion about a week ago today, actually, as I was driving home from the studio with my brother Mark, retired pastor after 35 years, very profound biblical knowledge and understanding. We have these theological discussions, and he raised the question. This is just a scosh off topic, but since the gift of faith was mentioned in Ephesians 289, and I'm not sure what you think about this point.

As we are asking, is God, is that saying that the faith to believe is a gift of God, or is it saying that God, in a broader sense, that sovereign grace, which we both agree on that particular point, is God saving us by energizing the natural capability we have to trust in all kinds of things. And we do this all the time. exercise of faith that is a trust in, we're sitting on these chairs, for example. So there's an implicit faith in that capability of the chair. So, but it clearly, there does seem, however one caches that out, if the faith itself is given, or it's the gift of salvation that's given that God uses our native capacity to trust, and he motivates that or activates that, that may be just splitting hairs, I'm not sure, but certainly in the 1st Corinthians passage, there is an additional gift. It says that God has given each a measure of faith. So we have a couple of places,

Ephesians 2, 8, 9, this 1st Corinthians passage is talking about God giving faith in some sense and apportioning measures to different people, at least in this case, it's regarding spiritual gifts. My sense is there is that though faith is something that we all express, we have a capability of trusting in a whole host of different things, the ability to trust in God, in my view, is dependent on something that God, trusting God for salvation, is dependent on something God unilaterally does in our life and irresistibly does on the salvation issue, but we still can trust in other things and trust God during and have faith in God during our Christian life as our faith grows.

But I think there are some people who have, compared to us, an inordinate amount of that. And when they pray, their faith is so energized and so significant that it moves God in ways that certainly my faith is not going to move God, it seems. I mean, just thinking historically after more than half a century, I don't have that gift. But some do. Some seem to get their prayers answered and their ability to believe God. You know, out on the table there is a copy of God smuggler by Brother Andrew, which I reread about a year or two ago.

And it seemed like every single time that guy prayed a prayer, even if it was like flippant in passing one sentence, bang, there was the answer. And of course, the kinds of things that he accomplished required a tremendous amount of trusted God and not just general trust that God will do stuff, but trust that allowed him to take steps forward and put himself in a certain sense as risk as he's bringing Bibles in the 50s now behind the Aaron Curtain and then in the 60s and subsequent to that. He's gone now. But then he went into China and Cuba and all over the world doing this, but God just seemed

to open all these doors. It's frustrating to read a count like that because you kind of think, well, you're tempted to think that should be normal for every Christian and it's not. I think that's a special case, and it may be because he has a gift of faith. And of course, he's also not telling the other times. He's only telling the times that are interesting. Yeah, one wonders, yeah, about the failures. Maybe he just prays more than we do, and so he sees more answers.

Yeah, but I do think that there is a special measure that's described there as a spiritual gift that is different than average, just like other spiritual gifts, are proportioned out according to the spirit's desires as he wills for the purpose of building up the body of Christ. But I don't have that give, to tell you right now. And it could be people, well, you know, in that situation, he particularly needed that gift. So God is giving these gifts in the situations where they will build up the body, as you noted. Because remember, the gifts are for maturing the whole body. They're not just for our enjoyment personally. They're actually there to serve the body.

So if you're in a situation where this is needed. then the spirit will provide that to someone. But think how encouraging that is to us to see that and how inspiring and what a great example that is to us to see someone who has that kind of faith as they're praying and they're stepping out to do things that God has told us we should do in situations where it's dangerous and they have that faith given to them by God. I pray all the time, Lord, if I am in a situation like that, you're going to have to give me what I need. Yeah, right, right. And the disciples prayed that their faith would be increased. And now, Jesus, this is one of those things where there are question marks are in the margin of

my Bibles because there are mysterious things about this. So, Lord, increase our faith. He said, look, and if you have the faith of a grain of a mustard seed, you can move mountains. Now, the point of that observation or that instruction that Jesus was given, it isn't the strength of the faith that matters. It's the strength of the one you put your faith in, your trust in. So that's one side. And the other side, the demon couldn't be cast out in this one occasion. Why? Because that takes fasting and prayer, you know, and Jesus is abrading them for the people for their lack of faith, you know, as he comes down from the mountain of the transfiguration.

And the poor man whose son is demon possessed, he says, I believe, help my unbelieve. You know, so, and so there are these, and Jesus went to one city. I don't know if it's Copernum or whatever. He says he could do very little, few miracles because of the lack of faith. So on the one hand, there is a sense in which our faith isn't, the amount of faith is not the factor. It's the one we put our faith in. But then there's another, on the other hand, there is this other.

message about faith, the amount of our faith, the strength of our faith, the durability, the persistence of our... Given as a gift from God, by the way. Yeah. So we're talking about a gift of the spirit. That would be another thing. I'm just thinking in the normal Christian life that that does seem to make a difference. I think then the gift that we read about in First Corinthians, that is another kind of thing entirely

than what I'm discussing. I'm just thinking among the multitudes you have people of lesser faith and greater faith, and there are times when Jesus is abrading them, oh, ye of little faith, you know. Why did you doubt? Here's Peter who's walking in water and then, you know, gets a little loose on him. He starts to sink. Why did you doubt? So there's a, in my view, kind of a mysterious, faith is mysterious in the way it's talked about in the Bible.

and parsing out all these distinctions is a task. But definitely there are some people who seem to have been gifted with a superabundance of ability to trust and confidence that God will, not that he might or he's capable, but God will do something. And then God does. Cool. You like to have those for friends, right? You want to be on their prayer list. Or we can pray also for that kind of faith, you know, eagerly desire the spiritual gifts, right?

Yeah. Do you think we can pray for gifts and that God takes that into account? Or what do you think? No, I think the spirit, well, the way it's described in what Corinthians, the spirit distributes those things as he wills for the good of the body. And I think it's part of the package of regeneration, the gifts that you get. I could be mistaken on that, but that's my sense. All right, let's get another question in here. This one comes from Keisha. Is it biblical for people with a prophetic gift to predict seasons of suffering or when a person will die? I know someone who is prophetic dreams, but I'm skeptical because most of our interpretations are negative and quite scary. What's an appropriate way to respond to these kinds of claims? Well, I'm going to presume here that this is a bona fide spiritual gift, a prophetic gift. And given a bona fide prophet, gift, all kinds of things could be said. The prophets in the Old Testament prophesied all kinds of doom and clum on Israel. And then you also have Agabist in the Book of Acts, who is prophesying that Paul would experience bonds and afflictions in Jerusalem. And Paul says, yeah, I know,

because the spirit in every city is testifying this to me. So there was a series of prophetic words, apparently that Paul experienced that related to his future suffering. In fact, even Anonias, who was instructed by God to go to Paul when he was blinded there on the road to the Damascus Road, Emmaus was a different guy, he was told to tell Paul how much Paul would suffer for Christ's sake. That was part of it. So the idea of doom and gloom and suffering and pain being prophesied is certainly there are biblical examples of that. And anything that God wants to communicate through a bona fide prophet, he can communicate.

Good news, bad news, neutral news, whatever. That's up to him. He can say what he likes. Now, I'm stipulating here genuine prophetic gift. I don't know whether that individual has this. And to be honest with you, I don't think in 50, almost 53 years as a Christian and being raised in the Jesus movement and going to a charismatic church and a whole range of experiences, I don't know that I ever heard a genuine, authentic prophecy. In this particular case, somebody's prophesying, all right, well, you kind of wonder what the track record is with that person, because there's a lot of people who say their prophets and they don't have a good track record. And the track record is not difference.

This is a theological point that sometimes made. Even by, you know, well-known people, I think that... Wayne Grudham. Wayne Grudeham. Thank you. It's good. I can read your mind. Well, look and mind meld here.

Wayne Grudham thinks that prophecy in the New Testament is different than the Old Testament. But as reasons, pardon me, Wayne, are just completely specious, and they're very good responses to them. But if a person is speaking for God in the power of the Holy Spirit, they're not going to get it half right. Because it is the spirit that secures the accuracy. And if it's not accurate, then the spirit's not involved. And this is why in Deuteronomy, what, 18 or whatever it is, one of the tests of the prophet is perfect accuracy. Because God doesn't get it wrong. And he is not limited by the limitations of human beings.

And if he is limited by the limitations of human beings, and that's the approach we're taking to this issue, then we've lost our arguments for anerrancy. They're gone. So I think there has to be 100% accuracy. And there are other things that are involved, too. So with regards to what do I do about this, there are one of two possibilities. Either the prophetic word is instructing you to do something, if that's directed at you, or it is telling us something that God is going to do. Now, if the second, which just seems to me that's the case here, that's the easiest thing to deal with.

You wait and see if, in fact, that takes place. there's nothing to do. There's something for God to do, allegedly. If the question is, or the prophetic word is regarding something you are supposed to do, then I'm very, very, very skeptical. A person who claims to be a prophet and is giving you directions from God, I think it's always fair to ask the question, why didn't God tell me instead of you? And this applies to a much more general sense where people say, well, I feel the Holy Spirit is telling me to tell you this. Or I have a word from God for you. Maybe not a prophet, although that would be a kind of a prophetic claim.

Maybe they don't see themselves. But there's a lot of this casual stuff going on in the body of Christ. And it's abusive. It turns out to be, I think, in most cases, completely frivolous and unwarranted and, in fact, dangerous because people think they hear from God and they're telling you what God telling them that you ought to do. And I heard one guy say something to the effect of, okay, I will take this as a word from God if you take all of the risk that I face by following your advice, whatever that risk is, financial, whatever. I mean, advice is cheap, right? They can say,

oh, God said blah, blah, blah, but the person who's getting the alleged instruction from God, now they've got to act in a way that puts their lives on the line in some fashion. That's huge. And that's why I would not follow anybody who said there speak for God unless I had very, very good reason to be convinced that they had the authority to speak for God. Like I said, 53 years through an incredible range of spiritual experiences all over the world, I have no reason to believe I have ever heard a real prophecy in that sense. So I'm not a cessationist. Right. Thank you, Eam.

I almost beat you there. That was cessationist. That is, I don't have theological objections to the idea of prophecy itself. Like, that's gifted died. Like, a lot of people think that those are cessationists. But I don't have any reason to believe it's active, or at least I've ever seen any examples of that. And the dangers abound in that. So that would be my advice.

Yeah, I think it's a pretty simple thing. You find out if her predictions are true or false. I mean, that's the bottom line here. If they're true, they're true. If they're false, then you don't have to listen to her anymore. And I would, I think if she has proven herself to be false, it's worth saying to her, you know what? The standard for prophets in the Bible is very high and you have not met that standard. So I, I don't think you should be telling people things that you think if they're not really coming from God. I mean, that depends on how close you are to her. There is so much abuse on this right now. I just think of the NAR, the New Apostolic Reformation, the Bethel crowd up in Northern California and Bill Johnson, and that entire whole movement is grounded, excuse me, in this notion. So danger ahead. Excuse me.

All right. Well, that's all we have time for today. And we would love to hear your question. So if you have a question, all you have to do is just go to our website at STR.org and look for our hashtag STRask page. Or you can go to X and use the hashtag STR Ask. We look forward to hearing from you. This is Amy Hall and Greg Kokel for Stand to Reason.