Shane Idleman emphasizes the significance of fasting as a spiritual discipline that strengthens the spirit while diminishing the flesh's control over our lives. He encourages a corporate fast, suggesting practical starting points for individuals, and highlights the biblical foundation of fasting as a means to overcome addictions and draw closer to God. Idleman warns against the detrimental effects of unhealthy eating habits on our bodies and families, advocating for a lifestyle change that prioritizes spiritual nourishment over physical cravings. He shares personal experiences of fasting, illustrating the emotional and spiritual breakthroughs that can occur when one perseveres through the challenges of fasting. Ultimately, he asserts that true victory comes when the flesh is starved and the spirit is fed, leading to a deeper connection with God.

Fasting, we're going to start a corporate fast for those people who are interested. Now before you tune me out, tune this in. This is, I believe, one of the best ways to strengthen the spirit and starve the flesh. When you fast, you actually take away the fuel source of the flesh. The appetite, the bodily appetite, you starve it. That's what fasting does. We're starting on the first of this year. If you're thinking that sounds like a good idea, begin with one meal. Or do half a day. Or if you're a processed food junkie, try Daniel Fast. You're going to go through a lot of withdrawals. Just in that alone. And that's the reason most people can't fast, is because they're coming off addictions. They go into a fast, they're like, I can't do this. Of course not. You're addicted to caffeine, nicotine, aspartame, processed food, partially hydrogenated oils, monosodium glutamate. See, we're addicted to all these things, and we're going, I'm just going to stop everything. Well, be strategic. But I do, folks, I think this is an important message for our generation. Get off the junk that is killing our bodies, killing our families, killing our kids. The obesity rate now in children is skyrocketing. The president has meetings, they go, what are we going to do? I don't know, let's throw more money at the schools. If you're going to do that, get all the junk out of the cafeteria and serve what gives them life, not death. Remove these. I go into the hospital, I'm like, are you kidding me? Look at this thing, that's what put people here. Monster drinks, NOS drinks, caffeine related, coffee, Snickers bar, nothing, nothing gives life. That's all death, yet we sell it everywhere. Because the world often opposes God in all areas. Through fasting, the body becomes a servant instead of a master. Boy, excuses come in on this one all the time. Just this week I heard this. You should not tell people about fasting, that's not biblical. If anything is biblical, fasting is biblical. Where would you like to start? Nehemiah, Esther, Elisha, David, Moses, Jesus? When you pray, when you give and when you fast, Matthew 6. Somehow I forgot to erase that one out there. Paul said in much fasting, Peter was fasting. Cornelius was fasting when he heard from God. It's very biblical. If you look back at the earlier writings, like I talked about the didache, the didacte, however you pronounce it. They actually wouldn't baptize a person until they fasted for three days. But see, then the monks got crazy with it. Roman Catholicism, now it gets weird. It shouldn't be weird, it's biblical. To starve the flesh. And when you starve the flesh in this area, all bodily appetites begin to diminish. People start to, they tell me, I don't have a desire for cigarettes anymore. I don't have any lust, I don't even want to get on the computer. Because it kills the addictions. Because everything is rooted together in the flesh. And when you begin to starve the flesh at the fuel source, that's where you get victory. Oh, somebody by the name of Jesus fasted. Do you think that's just in there? Well, poor guy. He was baptized, the Holy Spirit descended upon him, he was led in the wilderness by the Holy Spirit. And the Bible says he didn't eat for 40 days and 40 nights. I don't think he did water because it didn't say he thirsted, it said he was hungry. I think he had water, personally. He fasted, he overcame the devil. He probably lost 40 pounds, he'd lose about a pound a day. And he comes out, this is something very... And Jesus came out weak and pathetic. The angels had to minister to him, he had to take a sabbatical. It said he came out in the fullness, the power, the filling, the anointing, the unction of the Spirit. He came out of that filled with the Spirit of God. Oh, I'd love to preach to you after a 40 day fast. You would... We'd probably all just end up on the altar just weeping in tears because the Spirit is groaning for that vessel that wants to devote themselves to prayer and fasting. They go together, you can't just fast. It has to be prayer and fasting because the idea is an exchange. I'm exchanging Carl's Jr. for God. I'm exchanging lunch for seeking God. And boy, oh boy, is it hard until that breakthrough comes. I'll never forget when I hit day two, I've done a couple. I was up at the Oaks. Oh, we were having a wrestling match. But fortunately, there's no food there and I'm driving a half hour to go get food. And emotions come out and you just let them out. Just, you fight and then I put on worship. I thought it was coming from heaven itself. I'm on the floor. I'm weeping. And I'm just weeping and weeping. Got up, worked on the sermon. It was Saturday evening. It started on Thursday, Friday. Came to preach on Saturday. And I think it was Paula. She's not here. You need to fast more often. She got to just see the anointing of God. And just people can... Because it's the Spirit being fed and the flesh being starved. But you give in. That's when you give in. Right? Forget it. Whatever is in there. Even an apple sounded good. You just, oh, forget it. The flesh is going to win. But if you prevail. If you... Once the flesh submits and says, uncle, and the Spirit floods your body, you feel like you feel the fullness of God. And again, this is all biblical. If anyone has an issue with it, it could be because you're convicted. Somebody else said, I can't do that. People die from fasting. No, people die from overeating. The problem with our medical system, the problem with... You think our life, medical insurance, you think this problem is getting better? If we could just have Obamacare. If we could just have Trumpcare. If we could have this care. You think this is getting better? It's getting... They don't even know what to do with it. They don't know where the social security money is coming from. Let alone Medicare, Medicaid, all these. Where is it going to come from? See, nobody looks at what we're putting in. Nobody looks at what is creating this mess, for the most part. Now, don't come up and lecture me when I'm saying this applies to everybody. Of course not. I know there's genuine sickness, and genuine things that happen to people that there's no control over. I've known people have died that have eaten better than I have. Died of cancer, at my age. I know that. I'm not naive. But for the love of God, what we're seeing is not a fasting problem. It's an appetite problem. Arthur Wallace said this. Often, pressure has to be maintained before there is a breakthrough in heavenly warfare. It appears that some demonic activity is not released until pressure is applied through prayer and fasting. The truth is, it's hard before the reward comes. There is pain before the blessing, and there are withdrawals before there is freedom.