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Editor’s Note: This is an excerpt from my book called Break Through: 15 Keys to Supernatural Breakthrough, available at the Canberra Declaration bookshop. We are publishing this chapter as an article to encourage people to use this God-given tool for spiritual breakthrough. Bill Bright, the founder of Campus Crusade, said, “I believe the power of fasting as it relates to prayer is the spiritual atomic bomb that our Lord has given us to destroy the strongholds of evil and usher in a great revival and spiritual harvest around the world.”

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“You should look for the answers to corporate days of prayer and fasting in the headlines of secular newspapers.”
—Lou Engels

The One-In-120-Years Super Drought was the headline carried by Channel Nine in late July 2019. Some parts of eastern Australia had been in drought for seven years. Farmers were committing suicide in alarming numbers. Several towns in New South Wales had run out of water, and many others were about to. The Bureau of Meteorology’s predictions were grim. Australia needed a breakthrough.

Our leadership team at the Canberra Declaration felt led by God to call the nation to pray and fast for the month of October that year. Our rallying cry was 2 Chronicles 7:14—“If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”^[1] We even ran a national social media campaign so people knew we were praying for a miraculous end to the drought. Some people mocked us, but we persevered in calling Australia to pray and fast.

Sure enough, God was gracious, and significant rains fell in the last few days of our month of prayer and fasting. By late January and early February, more rains fell to quell the bushfires, and by that point, the drought was well and truly broken. Later, people joked about suing us for flood damage because of all the rains that fell!

Fasting is not a new idea. Jesus fasted for forty days in the wilderness. Moses, Elijah and Daniel also prayed and fasted. Throughout the Scriptures, we can see that fasting was a normal part of life for God’s people. Said Andrew Murray, “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.”^[2]

There are many different ways of fasting, but the concept is simple. Fasting is all about denying yourself and lifting up a greater cause—the cause of God’s purpose in your life, your family, your church or your nation. The greater cause is the cause of breakthrough. According to Wesley L. Duewel, a missionary to India and a respected Bible teacher:

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.^[3]

When I was in my twenties, a book that deeply inspired me was Shaping History Through Prayer and Fasting (1973) by Derek Prince. Reading this book changed my life. It set me on a course of lifelong prayer and fasting. If you are serious about breakthrough, I encourage you to buy this book and read it.

I’ll admit the first time I tried fasting, it was only for one day, and I thought I was going to die. But once I had overcome the challenge of a day-long fast, I progressed to a three-day fast, and then a seven-day fast. Each of these steps felt impossibly difficult, but they were actually achievable. Then I moved up to a twenty-one-day fast. And, though I never thought I would do so, I undertook my first forty-day stint of prayer and fasting. I have completed the same fast several times since then.

I used to do what I call the ‘Warwick Cheat Fast’. Rather than abstaining from all food and allowing myself just water—which is the biblical form of fasting—I would allow myself to drink juice. This keeps my body’s fluids and sugars up, so I don’t lose too much energy and can continue functioning in the work I do. These days, in my older age, I generally fast by cutting back to just one meal a day at night, like the Muslims do during Ramadan. A vegetarian ‘Daniel Fast’ is always an option too. It’s better to do something rather than nothing. As we will see, fasting is a very personal undertaking, and each of us must seek God as to how we should go about it.

As with prayer, we could say there are three basic types of fasting: personal, communal and national. Personal fasting is between you and God. It is when you seek the Lord for your particular issues or life situation, with the aim of growing closer to Him. Communal fasting takes place in the setting of the local church, when a church or denomination calls for a fast for a particular purpose. A national fast is a fast that is called for the entire nation, often by a Christian leader or a collection of Christian leaders in the nation.

Esther is a remarkable book. It never actually mentions God, so in some ways, it doesn’t seem like a very spiritual book. But it does talk about the power of fasting—and the implication is that prayer went hand-in-hand with fasting in that story. In Esther 4:16, the lead character, who becomes the heroine, says:

Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My attendants and I will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.[4]

In response, God worked a miracle. He reversed the judgment that had come upon the Jewish people, and spared them from genocide. In fact, the evil antagonist Haman ended up being hanged on the very gallows he anticipated using against Esther’s uncle, Mordecai.

Fasting is also common right through the book of Acts. As they preached the Gospel and planted churches, “Paul and Barnabas also appointed elders in every church. With prayer and fasting, they turned the elders over to the care of the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.” (Acts 14:23). Prayer and fasting were essential aspects of everyday life in the early church.

This continued in the following centuries. The early church fathers often taught and wrote about prayer and fasting. John Wesley would not ordain another minister in the service of God unless he had a habit of fasting at least two days a week. Wesley’s own personal practice was to fast every Wednesday and Friday in what became known as the ‘Wesley Fast’. I am certainly not John Wesley, but I like to pray and fast one day a week. My wife and I have followed this discipline for many years, and we can both attest to the power of consistent prayer and fasting in creating a life characterised by breakthrough.

Some people say to me, “Warwick, I could never fast for forty days.” But here’s a secret: if you fast just one day a week for a year—even allowing yourself up to twelve weeks off for holidays or other breaks—you will eventually have fasted for forty days.

“Bear up the hands that hang down, by faith and prayer; support the tottering knees,” said John Wesley. “Have you any days of fasting and prayer? Storm the throne of grace and persevere therein, and mercy will come down.”^[5] Wesley believed in the power of prayer and fasting, and as a result, he saw England turn around.

Many historians—even secular historians—suggest that were it not for Wesley’s six-decade ministry, there would likely have been a horrible, bloody revolution in England as there was in France. Prayer, fasting and the preaching of the Gospel averted that outcome. Likewise, during its formational years, the nation of Australia benefited greatly from Wesley’s prayer and fasting, as my friend Kurt Mahlburg and I document in our book Great Southland Revival (2022).

In Joel 2:12, we read, “‘Even now,’ declares the Lord, ‘return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.’”^[6] When Jesus taught His disciples about fasting, He didn’t say if we do it, but rather when. “When you fast, do not look sombre as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.” (Matthew 6:16).

The primary reason we should practice fasting is that there is biblical injunction to do so. But it also comes with many benefits, not the least of which is breakthrough. Accompanied by prayer, fasting can restore or strengthen your intimacy with God. It can help you humble yourself in the sight of God.^[7] Fasting can also help you hear the Lord more clearly. It is a surefire way to tune out of the world and tune into God.

Moreover, fasting enables the Holy Spirit to reveal your true spiritual condition. When you see your own brokenness more clearly, you’re able to move towards repentance. And repentance is a gift from heaven. Finally, when you experience revival in your own life through fasting, the grace and love of God can shine through you into the lives of others. This is when the breakthrough comes.

I have seen amazing things take place when I’ve prayed and fasted. For many years in the 1980s, I went to the bush in the mountains above Wollongong to pray and fast. Sometimes it would be for just a day. Other times, I went for three or seven days at a time. I did this when my work as a carpenter was slow. I sought God, and prayed, “God, raise up evangelists in Australia to share the good news of Jesus Christ—to take the good news of Jesus not only to Australia but to the world. Raise them up and thrust them out.” You may have guessed it: I became an answer to my own prayer. It’s dangerous when you pray and fast because God will listen to you and answer your prayers. And more often than not, you will become the answer to your own prayers!

In 1946, a book called Atomic Power with God Through Fasting and Prayer was written by a little-known evangelist called Franklin Hall. Today, that book is credited with a major rebirth of fasting in the Western world and with the healing revival that took place in the United States in 1948. The title of that book alone is worth the purchase price. Trust me: fasting has atomic spiritual power.

In 2 Chronicles 7:14, which we have considered in prior chapters, God’s people are called to humble themselves. The Hebrew word translated ‘humble’ is kana. It means to be brought down; to be low or under; to be brought into subjection. It carries the idea of bending the knee. This word also appears in 1 Kings 21:27-29, when Elijah confronts Ahab about the evil things he has done, warning him that God’s judgment is coming. In response, Ahab does something quite radical for an evil king:

When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and fasted. He lay in sackcloth and went around meekly. Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite: “Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself, I will not bring this disaster in his day, but I will bring it on his house in the days of his son.”^[8]

In this passage, humility and fasting are explicitly linked. Therefore, returning to 2 Chronicles 7:14, I believe the idea of fasting is implied. Fasting is part of the equation of what it means for us to truly humble ourselves before God, and to pray, seek His face, and turn from our wicked ways.

Australian prayer leader Bruce Lindley calls fasting “aggressive humility”. This might sound like an oxymoron or a strange juxtaposition of words. But it is an accurate description. To fast is to be aggressive in our humility. It is to lay down our lives and give ourselves up for God. Lindley has also said that “corporate prayer and fasting shifts nations”. He is right.

When Scott Morrison shocked Australia by winning the 2019 federal election, he opened his victory speech by declaring, “I have always believed in miracles.” All the polls said that Morrison should not have won that election. Two months before that May election, Pastor Margaret Court rang me to say, “Warwick, we have to pray and fast.” She explained God was telling her to pray and fast for twenty-one days in advance of the election. At the Canberra Declaration, we supported her prayer call. Tens of thousands of Christians prayed and fasted, asking God to raise up a Christian leader at that time. The number of people praying and fasting may have reached into the hundreds of thousands. I believe that election result was a miracle of prayer and fasting.

Editor’s Note: You could say this was a miracle of the God-given atomic power of prayer and fasting.

When we pray and fast, God brings about major shifts in our hearts, lives, families, communities and nations. Fasting is a powerful key for breakthrough. Why not put it into practice?

Prayer

Father, You are holy forever. I come to You, confessing that Your command to fast is intimidating. I really like my food and cannot do without it. Yet Moses, Elijah and Jesus Himself fasted for forty days, and I acknowledge that I am not greater than these men. Lord, help me to fast more than I do because I want to see Your kingdom come and Your will done on this earth. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Fasting

Study Guide

Scripture

“‘Even now,’ declares the Lord, ‘return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.’”
—Joel 2:12

QUESTIONS

1. What is your reaction to the idea of fasting as “aggressive humility”?
2. Which biblical account of fasting do you find most encouraging?
3. Can you recount any modern-day examples of fasting that led to breakthrough?
4. In what way has this chapter challenged you to take fasting more seriously?

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[1] NIV.

^[2] Stovall Weems, Awakening: A New Approach to Faith, Fasting, and Spiritual Freedom (New York: Crown Publishing Group, 2010), 176.

^[3] Jon Tyson, Beautiful Resistance: The Joy of Conviction in a Culture of Compromise (New York: Crown Publishing Group, 2020), 61.

[4] NIV.

^[5] E. M. Bounds, The Works of E. M. Bounds (Michigan: Reformed Church Publications, 2015), 185.

[6] NIV.

^[7] Psalm 35:13; Ezra 8:21; Psalm 69:10.

[8] NIV.

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