Does Fasting Guarantee Spiritual Power?
Q: If someone fasts for 21 or 40 days and still isn’t filled with the Holy Spirit or hasn’t received power, what do you think is wrong with them?
A: First of all, please understand that everyone who is born again by God’s Spirit has the Holy Spirit. Paul wrote that if someone does not have the Spirit of Christ, He does not belong to Him (see Romans 8:9). The gift of the Holy Spirit belongs to everyone who is a believer. Now, I do believe that there are continuing, repeated, beautiful and powerful subsequent outpourings of the Holy Spirit upon a person’s life. Maybe that’s what you’re talking about. In either case, the key to receiving these things is faith.
If someone says, “I fasted for 21 days and I’m still not filled with the Holy Spirit,” it makes me wonder if they are trying to earn God’s power by their own efforts or accomplishments. It’s as though they think they could wave that accomplishment before God and say, “Look at how much I fasted, God. Now You owe me something.”
The people I’ve known who have been most accomplished in the practice of fasting haven’t had that attitude at all. They didn’t do it to twist God’s arm and say, “Now You’ve got to give me something.”
Fasting does not obligate God to give me what I want. Faith is the key. Now, it is true that fasting can be a great partner to faith, but it doesn’t operate independently of faith.