Try fasting - All The Word for Today Daily Devotionals for 2026

Isaiah 58:6 NKJV

God gave His people the following reasons for fasting: "To loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke" (v. 6 NKJV). Fasting is one of the best ways to break the power of the flesh. If you can say no to food, you can say no to just about anything. No matter what addiction you struggle with, fasting is the way to break the yoke of bondage. No matter what cause you care about, fasting invites the favour of God. When you abstain from food to seek God, it shows Him you're serious. And He takes you seriously if the cause honours Him.

Some spiritual breakthroughs are possible only with the combination of prayer and fasting. When you fast and pray, the synergy is more than the sum of its parts. If you feel like your dream is in a holding pattern, try fasting. If your marriage is in trouble and you need things to turn around, try fasting. If your heart is breaking for your kids, try fasting. If you need a breakthrough, try fasting. If you need to make a big decision, try fasting. Fasting breaks strongholds and yields breakthroughs. It's the way we declare to God that we need Him and want Him more than food itself.

It takes tremendous discipline to give up food, but doing so cultivates discipline in other areas of our lives. The best way to kill sinful desires is by starving them to death. That's precisely what fasting does. It doesn't just weaken your physical body; it also weakens your sinful flesh and simultaneously strengthens your spirit.

Soul food: Gal 4-6; Matt 13:36-46; Ps 108; Prov 13:24-25