First, we must ask: Do you see the need for your spirit? Or why do we have one?
The answer is this: Our spirit-man is what connects us to our heavenly Father. We are all spiritual beings living in a body and dwelling in the earth realm, but because of sin, we were separated from our Father. However, our heavenly Father loves us so much that even in our sinful state, He predestined His only Son, Jesus Christ, to come into the world to redeem us from the bondage of sin and bridge the relationship between us and Him.
Jesus Christ is the bridge that connects us back to the Father. The thing is, even when we accept Jesus Christ into our hearts as Lord and Savior, we still need to build our spirit-man for the intimate relationship with our Father to be restored. The reason for this is that we are still living in a world full of sin, and without having that relationship restored with the Father, we can still fall victim to sin and end up in hell with everyone who rejects the heavenly Father.
Fasting is a great way to build your spirit-man and deepen your relationship with your heavenly Father; it's not just about making requests
A Personal Experience
Some months ago, I decided I needed to do a 3-day dry fast—that means no food or drink for the entire 3 days. It was during this time I learned something very important about our spirit-man and the dangers of not feeding it.
I had done a 3-day dry fast once before, a few years ago, and had no problems. This time, however, I prayed and asked the Lord to help me get through it one day at a time. I did my usual praying, reading the Word, and singing worship songs during the day. But at about 9 p.m. on the second day, I felt really weak—my throat was dry, and I had a headache. Although I really wanted to finish that day, I failed and broke the fast.
I felt really bad about my inability to complete the three days when I had done it before. That night, I stood in front of my mirror and asked God this question:
"If I don’t eat for a day and my body feels like this, how does my spirit feel when I fail to feed it?"
What Happens When We Neglect Our Spirit?
Headaches, sore throat, dizziness, and tiredness are some of the symptoms one usually feels when fasting. But what are the symptoms we experience when we fail to feed our spirit?
To better understand this, I compared our spirit-man to a tree since the Bible sometimes refers to man as a tree.
Trees need water to flourish.
They need water to bear fruit.
Without water, they dry up, and no fruit can come forth.
Our spirit man needs the Word of God just as trees need water to flourish and bear fruit. It is the Word that helps us mature as Christians, full of knowledge, wisdom, and understanding, and it also allows us to produce fruit.
Galatians 5:22–23 lists these fruits as: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance.
When we fail to feed our spirit, we see the evidence in the lack of these fruits in our lives. How we deal with problems, hardships, and struggles—through the knowledge of the Word and our actions—reveals whether or not we are producing fruit.
If you can’t see any of the above fruits reflecting in your life, that alone should tell you that your spirit is underfed.
3 Ways to Feed Your Spirit
If you want to have a healthy spiritual life, here are three steps I’ve started following since learning this lesson from my failed fasting:
Read the Word more and spend time meditating on what you read. Always pray first, asking God to give you understanding.
Remember how you feel when your body goes without food for any period of time and remind yourself that your spirit experiences the same.
Recognize the importance of your spirit-man. Our enemies are not carnal, so it’s in your best interest not to starve your spirit. It’s the part of you that connects you to God, and you need that intimacy with Him to have victory over your enemies.
God doesn’t expect us to cry when problems come. He expects us to stand strong, armed with His Word, knowing what to expect and how to prevail.
Crying and falling into desperation are results of depriving our spirit-man of proper nourishment. Some say it’s hard to read the Word of God daily, but consider this: Is it worth starving the part of you that connects you most to God?
If you struggle to read the Word, you may need to go through deliverance. You might be under the influence of witchcraft or a serpent spirit.
Fasting and My Books
Fasting is a major theme in three of my books: The Path of the Chosen Warriors, A Shattered Life Restored, and Life’s Journey: Our Greatest Test—all of which contain many elements of spiritual warfare. In each book, the main characters had to employ fasting to achieve major breakthroughs in tough situations. The prayers they used are all scriptural warfare prayers that I use in my own life as well.
Want a Sneak Peek?
Download the first five chapters of The Path of the Chosen Warriors and A Shattered Life Restored and the first three of Life’s Journey: Our Greatest Test below to see how fasting and spiritual warfare play a significant role in these powerful stories. These books are packed with scriptural insights, practical lessons, and inspiring testimonies that will encourage and equip you in your faith journey.
In The Path of the Chosen Warriors, the Lord showed me some of the manifestations that occur when we fast. I recorded all of these experiences in the book as part of what the characters went through during their fasting and deliverance. It will be an eye-opener for you to know what to expect when you are fasting and experiencing certain things.
In A Shattered Life Restored, the Lord gave me the scriptures that I used to create the deliverance prayers for the couple who went on fasting for their son. So, if you have kids and need help there, this book would be for you.
In Life’s Journey: Our Greatest Test, two of the main characters went on fasting for another of their friends who was struggling with a sexual perversion spirit.
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