We often don’t even realize how far we in the Western world have drifted from God and His standards. Many say that for some years now we have been experiencing a spiritual desert that can only be compared to a condition that the Bible calls "judgment".
We Christians are partly to blame for the desolate state of our nation. In recent years, we have been inundated not only by antisemitism, but also by every form of perversion, blasphemy and idolatry. Our faith in the living God has been replaced by an ideology formed by the spirit of this age that has shaped our values, standards, and our understanding of good and evil.
The enemy laughs when we try to improve our environment by our own efforts, but he trembles when believers get down on their knees and earnestly seek God in fasting and prayer.
My First Time of Fasting
I remember praying in 1998 and telling the Lord that I could not continue serving Him like this. I was in a state of spiritual despair in which I no longer had faith and no perspective to break through the spiritual siege in our city of Tübingen. During this time, the Lord asked me if I was willing to fast for 40 days. 40 days without proper food seemed too long to me. I wasn't sure if I would be able to do it. But God's call grew stronger and stronger, and He promised to help me. I was to have enough time for prayer during these 40 days, therefore I realigned my calendar to make room for that.
Why was fasting for such a long time important to God? I am convinced that we, as the people of God, have forgotten the most important key to the revival and transformation of our nation. It is so easy to complain about the circumstances and to mock and laugh at the government of one's country. We have forgotten that the key to changing a nation is in the hands of the church. We can pray, testify, go to church and do things that honor God with all our heart. All of this is important. But the most important key to bringing about transformation and revival is earnest prayer and fasting.
We find the conditions for this in 2 Chronicles 7:14: "If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves to pray and seek my face, and turn from their evil ways, I will hear from heaven, and forgive their sins, and heal their land."
I had an amazing experience during my first 40-day fast. Instead of my hunger increasing and feeling bad, my joy and strength grew with each passing day. I remember withdrawing for the last 3 days of the 40 days to spend them in prayer. I was studying a
book by Bill Bright about the coming revival during this time. I have taken some instructions and tips from this book. It is well worth the read.1
The following year, my wife Charlotte and the leaders of TOS Church, as well as the entire TOS Ministries, joined the 40-day fast at the beginning of the year. For 25 years, we have been starting every year with our 40-day fast. In total, so far I have fasted for more than 2 1/2 years, with my wife Charlotte it is at least 3 years. I am convinced that the spiritual mandate and blessing of TOS Ministries are due to fasting.
We fast for our nation
Fasting and prayer can become a religious exercise when they lose their spiritual purpose. I think that we need to discover and release the power of fasting afresh. It is more important now than ever before to take up fasting in faith and to use it anew as a spiritual weapon.
Let's take a look at some areas where we need God's grace and transformation more than ever:
Ø The secularization of public life
Ø The dissolution of the traditional family
Ø The ideologization of a liberal spirit of the age
Ø The perversion of gender and sexuality
Ø The self-orientation and individualization in society
Ø The reinterpretation of Christian values
Each of these points has an impact on the most diverse areas of a nation. I will give you just a few here:
1. state and federal governments
2. public service and administration
3. education
4. culture
5. media
6. economy
7. the Church
Most Christians in the Western world have lost the knowledge of a holy God. The presence of God seems to be far removed from everyday life. God's intervention and his power have been pushed aside by a secular Christianity. When more than half a million Christians leave the churches every year in Germany alone, it is a clear statement that people no longer seek the answer to the pressing questions of our time from Christians.
The Church has become powerless because she has ceased to seriously seek God with fasting and prayer. Christians become complicit in the state of their nation if they do not assume their responsibility and ignore God's call to fast and pray.
Fasting and Revival
I am convinced that with serious fasting, the Holy Spirit will plant a fresh longing for revival into our hearts and minds. We should not be surprised when revival begins with ourselves. A revival has different characteristics. It is a) a sovereign act of God, b) a time of personal repentance, humbling ourselves, reconciliation and restoration by the Holy Spirit, c) a time in which the Church proclaims the gospel without fear of man, d) a time of the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit.
Why should we combine our prayer with fasting? Here are some points that can help us see the biblical necessity of fasting:
Ø Fasting means that we battle our flesh.
Ø Fasting is a biblical way of humbling oneself before God.
Ø Fasting leads to the revelation of our spiritual condition, which leads to repentance and renewal.
Ø Fasting opens ways for the Holy Spirit to work on us in an unusual and powerful way.
Ø Fasting opens the revelation of the Word of God.
Ø Fasting draws from God's unlimited sources of strength.
I have added ten biblical references to why we should fast:
1. Because Jesus is our example, and we are to do the same things He did. (Lk 4:2)
2. Because Jesus expects us to. (Mt 6:16-17)
3. Because we prove ourselves to be servants of God. (2 Cor 6:4-6)
4. Because we humble ourselves before God and make ourselves dependent on Him. (Jam 4:10)
5. Because it enables you triumph over darkness. (2 Cor 10:3-6)
6. Because it is the position in which God lifts you up. (1 Pe 5:5-6)
7. Because it is the key to a greater anointing and release of the power of God. (Mt 17:14-21)
8. Because it gives us revelation and guidance from God. (Ezra 8:21-23)
9. Because it opens the way for God's glory and releases the apostolic anointing of the Church. (Acts 13:1-4)
10. Because it unleashes healing for our nation in a new way. (Isa 58:11-12)
I highly recommend reading Mahesh Chavda's books on the hidden power of fasting and prayer and Derek Prince's classic on the weapon of prayer and fasting.2
Those who fast and pray earnestly can change a nation!
In 2 Chronicles 20:3 we read how fasting and prayer can change the fate of a nation for the better. The existence of Israel was massively threatened by the Ammonites and Moabites. We read how King Jehoshaphat "was afraid, and set his face to seek the Lord; and he proclaimed a fast in all of Judah." When he and his people began "to give thanks and praise, the Lord set an ambush" (v22). And the Lord blessed the land: "So the kingdom of Jehoshaphat had peace, and his God gave him rest all around" (v30).
How do we fast? Here are some practical hints:
Determine a set period of time in which you will go without solid food.
Set special prayer times during your time of fasting.
Please get medical advice about fasting.
Fasting and foregoing food are voluntary.
In addition to abstaining from food, there are a number of other ways to fast:
Intermittent fasting (e.g. 16/8 fasting means: between 12 noon and 8 pm moderate and healthy food intake at noon and in the evening), followed by 16 hours of fasting with liquids.
Media fasting (e.g. abstaining from television, movies, social media such as Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, etc.).
Abstaining from alcohol.
Abstaining from sweets.
Daniel fasting.
For married couples: Consensual abstaining from sexual relations. (1 Cor 7:5)
Certainly, there are many other ways to fast. Everyone should think about it and ask themselves what your personal fast can look like. Find out how you can best prepare for fasting physically. Be ready and commit to fasting!
I am convinced that these 6 weeks will be your best investment in 2025!
For more information visit www.jobstbittner.com/en