LIVING WORD DEVOTIONAL
By Pastor Mensa Otabil
Monday 23rd June 2025
AN INTENTIONAL FAST
Scripture Reading: Matthew 4:1-11
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterwards He was hungry. Matthew 4:1-2
Our Lord started His ministry with prayer and fasting. During Jesus’ baptism in the river Jordan, the Father and the Holy Spirit publicly testified of Him. For those who were present at the Jordan, including John the Baptist, they knew that Jesus was a special person.
They did not fully understand who Jesus was or His mission, but they were convinced He had been sent by God. After such a major spiritual endorsement, Jesus could have started His ministry. Yet, He didn’t. He had to go through a final preparation for His mission.
Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness. There in the wilderness, He fasted for forty days and nights. Although one would assume that Jesus became hungry during the forty days of his fast, our passage stresses His hunger after it. Our Lord might have been so absorbed in prayer during fasting that He only felt hungry after the forty days of His waiting.
Fasting is simply abstinence from food for some time. In the Bible, we see many instances of fasting for various days. Some fast for a day, three days, a week or a lot longer. No matter the number of days we choose to fast, our priority should be to spend time in the presence of the Lord.
After the period of fasting and prayer, Jesus overcame all the temptations that the enemy threw at Him. The Father did not permit Satan to tempt Jesus to learn anything about His Son. He had already given His divine approval to Jesus during His baptism. Jesus overcame temptation so that every creature in heaven, on earth, or under the earth might know that Jesus Christ is the Conqueror.
Jesus exposed Satan and his tactics and defeated Him. Because of His victory, we can have victory over the tempter. As we fast before the Lord, may He give us victory over all the wiles of the wicked one.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, lead me into a deeper relationship with you. Give me the strength to wait on you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
