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Bible Dictionaries
Fasting
Holman Bible Dictionary
Fasting is the laying aside of food for a period of time when the believer is seeking to know God in a deeper experience. It is to be done as an act before God in the privacy of one's own pursuit of God (Exodus 34:28; 1 Samuel 7:6; 1 Kings 19:8; Matthew 6:17 ).
Fasting is to be done with the object of seeking to know God in a deeper experience (Isaiah 58:1; Zechariah 7:5 ). Fasting relates to a time of confession (Psalm 69:10 ). Fasting can be a time of seeking a deeper prayer experience and drawing near to God in prevailing prayer (Ezra 8:23; Joel 2:12 ). The early church often fasted in seeking God's will for leadership in the local church (Acts 13:2 ). When the early church wanted to know the mind of God, there was a time of prayer and fasting.
C. Robert Marsh
These dictionary topics are from the Holman Bible Dictionary, published by Broadman & Holman, 1991. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Broadman & Holman.
Butler, Trent C. Editor. Entry for 'Fasting'. Holman Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/​dictionaries/​eng/​hbd/​f/fasting.html. 1991.