Are you currently fasting or considering a time of fasting and prayer? Use these Christian quotes on fasting for your time of reflection and spiritual growth.
- Quotes on Prayer and Fasting
- 1. John Wesley – Storm the throne of grace
- 2. John Piper – Intensification of prayer
- 3. Jentezen Franklin – A duty of the Christian
- 4. Wesley Duewel – Fast to give yourself to prayer and meditation.
- 5. Gary Rohrmayer – Feed on the Word of God
- 6. D.L. Moody – Fast before God lays it on your heart.
- 7. Unknown – Fasting isn't required but is good.
- 7. Fulton J. Sheen – Fasting detaches you. Prayer reattaches you.
- 8. Jeffrey R. Holland – Fast with purpose and devotion.
- 9. Mahatma Gandhi – Injunctions in my religion.
- 10. Wayne Grudem – Fasting increases humility.
- 11. Matt Fradd – Fasting without prayer is dieting.
- 12. Joseph B. Wirthlin – Fasting is powerful.
- 13. Andrew Bonar – Abstain from what hinders prayer.
- 14. William Law – The greatest saint is not the one who fasts, but the one who is most thankful.
- 15. Fyodor Dostoyevsky – Fasting brings real true freedom.
- 16. Lailah Gifty Akita – We can accomplish a lot with fasting.
- 17. Dan Black – Fast when making a decision.
- 18. Monica Johnson – Through fasting, God will answer.
- 19. John Calvin – Fasting is undervalued.
- 20. Andrew Murray – With fasting you loose and cast away the visible.
- 21. William Secker – With fasting the body learns to obey the soul.
- 22. Marion G. Romney – Fast to solve personal problems.
- 23. Arthur Wallis – Fasting brings urgency to prayer.
- 24. Mahatama Gandhi – No prayer without fasting, no fasting without prayer.
- 25. Victor L. Brown – Fasting is a form of worship.
- 26. Milton R. Hunger – Observe the law of fasting.
- 27. Sheryl Condie Kempton – Fasting relieves suffering of those in bondage
- 28. Matthew Henry – Fasting increases Godly sorry and alters the temper of our minds.
- 29. Carl B. Pratt – Combine fasting with prayer.
- 30. Pope John Paul II – Jesus shows us his own example of fasting.
- 31. Andrew Murray – Fasting is letting go of all that is seen and temporal.
- 32. Tertullian – Feed prayer with fasting.
- 33. Hudson Taylor – Fasting is divinely appointed.
- 34. James B. Martino – Fasting allows spiritual promptings.
- 35. Joseph B. Wirthlin – Fasting is linked with prayer.
- Biblical Fasting Resources
Quotes on Prayer and Fasting
Use these quotes about spiritual fasting from Christian leaders and preachers to endure a fast, grow in faith, and develop a deeper understanding of how fasting and prayer can impact your spiritual growth.
1. John Wesley – Storm the throne of grace
“Have you any days of fasting and prayer? Storm the throne of grace and persevere therein, and mercy will come down.”
John Wesley
2. John Piper – Intensification of prayer
“That’s what I think fasting is at heart. It’s an intensification of prayer. It’s a physical explanation point at the end of the sentence, “We hunger for you to come in power.” It’s a cry with your body, “I really mean it, Lord! This much, I hunger for you.”
John Piper
3. Jentezen Franklin – A duty of the Christian
“Three duties of every Christian are giving, praying, and fasting.”
Jentezen Franklin
4. Wesley Duewel – Fast to give yourself to prayer and meditation.
“Fasting in the Biblical sense is choosing not to partake of food because your spiritual hunger is so deep, your determination in intercession so intense, or your spiritual warfare so demanding that you have temporarily set aside even fleshly needs to give yourself to prayer and meditation.”
Wesley Duewel
5. Gary Rohrmayer – Feed on the Word of God
“Fasting is more about replacing than it is about abstaining — replacing normal activities with focused times of prayer and feeding on the Word of God.”
Gary Rohrmayer
6. D.L. Moody – Fast before God lays it on your heart.
“If you say ‘I will fast when God lays it on my heart,’ you never will. You are too cold and
D.L. Moody
indifferent to take the yoke upon you.”
7. Unknown – Fasting isn’t required but is good.
“Scripture does not command Christians to fast. It is not something that God requires or demands of Christians. At the same time, the Bible presents fasting as something that is good, profitable, and expected. Fasting and prayer are often linked together.”
Unknown
7. Fulton J. Sheen – Fasting detaches you. Prayer reattaches you.
“Fasting detaches you from this world. Prayer reattaches you to the next world.”
Fulton J. Sheen
8. Jeffrey R. Holland – Fast with purpose and devotion.
“Pray earnestly and fast with purpose and devotion. Some difficulties, like devils, do not come out save by fasting and by prayer. Ask in righteousness and you shall receive. Knock with conviction and it shall be opened unto you.”
Jeffrey R. Holland
9. Mahatma Gandhi – Injunctions in my religion.
“Fasting and prayer are common injunctions in my religion.”
Mahatma Gandhi
10. Wayne Grudem – Fasting increases humility.
“Fasting increases our sense of humility and dependence on the Lord (for our hunger and physical weakness continually remind us how we are not really strong in ourselves but need the Lord). Fasting allows us to give more attention to prayer. It is a continual reminder that, just as we sacrifice some personal comfort to the Lord by not eating, so we must continually sacrifice all of ourselves to Him. Therefore, in a symbolic way, fasting says to God that we are prepared to lay down our lives that the situation be changed rather than that it continue.”
Wayne Grudem
11. Matt Fradd – Fasting without prayer is dieting.
“You could say that prayer without fasting is like boxing with one hand tied behind your back, and that fasting without prayer is, well, dieting.”
Matt Fradd
12. Joseph B. Wirthlin – Fasting is powerful.
“Fasting, coupled with mighty prayer, is powerful. It can fill our minds with the revelations of the Spirit. Fasting in the proper spirit and in the Lord’s way will energize us spiritually, strengthen our self-discipline, fill our homes with peace, lighten our hearts with joy, fortify us against temptation, prepare us for times of adversity, and open the windows of heaven.”
Joseph B. Wirthlin
13. Andrew Bonar – Abstain from what hinders prayer.
“Fasting abstaining from anything that hinders prayer.”
Andrew Bonar
14. William Law – The greatest saint is not the one who fasts, but the one who is most thankful.
“The greatest saint in the world is not he who prays most or fasts most; it is not he who gives alms, or is most eminent for temperance, chastity or justice. It is he who is most thankful to God.”
William Law
15. Fyodor Dostoyevsky – Fasting brings real true freedom.
“Obedience, fasting, and prayer are laughed at, yet only through them lies the way to real true freedom. I cut off my superfluous and unnecessary desires, I subdue my proud and wanton will and chastise it with obedience, and with God’s help I attain freedom of spirit and with it spiritual joy.”
Fyodor Dostoyevsky
16. Lailah Gifty Akita – We can accomplish a lot with fasting.
“We can accomplish a lot with prayer and fasting.”
Lailah GIfty Akita
17. Dan Black – Fast when making a decision.
“If you’re having a difficult time making the best decision then consider fasting. Fasting is simply taking something you regularly do and replacing it with praying and seeking God. For example instead of eating a meal you can take that time to seek God and allow Him to speak to you about the decision.”
Dan Black
18. Monica Johnson – Through fasting, God will answer.
“Through prayer, fasting, and studying, God will answer.”
Monica Johnson
19. John Calvin – Fasting is undervalued.
“Let us say something about fasting, because many, for want of knowing its usefulness, undervalue its necessity, and some reject it as almost superfluous; while, on the other hand where the use of it is not well understood, it easily degenerates into superstition. Holy and legitimate fasting is directed to three ends; for we practice it either as a restraint on the flesh, to preserve it from licentiousness, or as a preparation for prayers and pious meditations, or as a testimony of our humiliation in the presence of God when we are desirous of confessing our guilt before him.”
John Calvin
20. Andrew Murray – With fasting you loose and cast away the visible.
“Prayer is the one hand with which we grasp the invisible; fasting, the other, with which we let loose and cast away the visible.”
Andrew Murray
21. William Secker – With fasting the body learns to obey the soul.
“By fasting, the body learns to obey the soul; by praying the soul learns to command the body.”
William Secker
22. Marion G. Romney – Fast to solve personal problems.
“We should all give some attention to the matter of fasting. We haven’t really called on the Lord so that we can reach him intimately if we don’t fast occasionally, and pray often. Many of our personal problems can be solved by so doing.”
Marion G. Romney
23. Arthur Wallis – Fasting brings urgency to prayer.
“Fasting is calculated to bring a note of urgency and importunity into our praying, and to give force to our pleading in the court of heaven. The man who prays with fasting is giving heaven notice that he is truly in earnest… Not only so, but he is expressing his earnestness in a divinely-appointed way. He is using a means that God has chosen to make his voice to be
Arthur Wallis
heard on high.”
24. Mahatama Gandhi – No prayer without fasting, no fasting without prayer.
“I believe that there is no prayer without fasting and there is no real fast without prayer.”
Mahatma Gandhi
25. Victor L. Brown – Fasting is a form of worship.
“Fasting and prayer is a positive experience. It is a form of worship especially commended by the Lord. As we fast with prayer, we demonstrate our deep purpose, commit that we will do all in our power, and consign the outcome to the Lord.”
Victor L. Brown
26. Milton R. Hunger – Observe the law of fasting.
“The law of the fast is probably as old as the human family. … In ancient times, leaders repeatedly gave to church members the commandment to observe the law of fasting and praying.”
Milton R. Hunter
27. Sheryl Condie Kempton – Fasting relieves suffering of those in bondage
“Fasting and prayer have been used for relieving the suffering of those in bondage, for asking guidance in war, and in conjunction with mourning. People fasted to receive deliverance from their enemies, to heal the sick, to receive revelation, and for the souls of those who do not have the gospel.”
Sheryl Condie Kempton
28. Matthew Henry – Fasting increases Godly sorry and alters the temper of our minds.
“If the solemnities of our fasting, though frequent, long, and severe, do not serve to put an edge upon devout affections, to quicken prayer, to increase Godly sorrow, and to alter the temper of our minds, and the course of our lives, for the better, they do not at all answer the intention, and God will not accept them as performed to Him.”
Matthew Henry
29. Carl B. Pratt – Combine fasting with prayer.
“Throughout the scriptures, the term fasting is usually combined with prayer. “Ye shall continue in prayer and fasting from this time forth” is the Lord’s counsel. Fasting without prayer is just going hungry for 24 hours. But fasting combined with prayer brings increased spiritual power.”
Carl B. Pratt
30. Pope John Paul II – Jesus shows us his own example of fasting.
“Jesus himself has shown us by his own example that prayer and fasting are the first and most effective weapons against the forces of evil.”
Pope John Paul II
31. Andrew Murray – Fasting is letting go of all that is seen and temporal.
“Prayer is reaching out after the unseen; fasting is letting go of all that is seen and temporal. Fasting helps express, deepen, confirm the resolution that we are ready to sacrifice anything, even ourselves to attain what we seek for the kingdom of God”
Andrew Murray
32. Tertullian – Feed prayer with fasting.
“Feed prayers on fasting.”
Tertullian
33. Hudson Taylor – Fasting is divinely appointed.
“In Shansi I found Chinese Christians who were accustomed to spend time in fasting and prayer. They recognized that this fasting, which so many dislike, which requires faith in God, since it makes one feel weak and poorly, is really a divinely appointed means of grace.”
Hudson Taylor
34. James B. Martino – Fasting allows spiritual promptings.
“Prayer and fasting will allow us to be susceptible to spiritual promptings. Communicating with Heavenly Father while purposefully abstaining from food and drink allows us to “loose the bands of wickedness [and] to undo the heavy burdens.” Prayer, combined with fasting, will provide so that when we “call, … the Lord shall answer; … [and when we] cry, … he shall say, Here I am.”
James B. Martino
35. Joseph B. Wirthlin – Fasting is linked with prayer.
“We observe that in the scriptures, fasting almost always is linked with prayer. Without prayer, fasting is not complete fasting; it’s simply going hungry.”
Joseph B. Wirthlin
Biblical Fasting Resources
The Bible is clear that fasting is an important task for Christians.
While we most often think of fasting from food, there are other types of spiritual fasts. As someone who is personally in recovery from binge eating disorder and is maintaining a 130 pound weight loss, I do not fast from food, even for spiritual reasons. I do other types of fasts, however, and they are equally meaningful.
Use these 5 prayers before, during, and after a fast and click here for a free fasting prayers PDF printable. Click here to learn more about Intermittent Fasting (IF) and why it is rising in popularity in 2022.
Click here for ideas of what to fast from and learn more about why Christians fast during Lent.
How has spiritual fasting impacted your life? Share about it in the comments.
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