The “will” is your ability to make decisions and stick with them. Fasting is one of God’s ways of strengthening your will. Fasting is a decision, and fasting requires a series of decisions every time the thing you are fasting becomes available.
Fasting is an essential strategy to break addictive behaviors because addictions functions in the face of weak will-power, surrendered will, and a deceptive victimization. Fasting represents surrender.
Often, we fail to do things that help people strengthen their wills. In FreedomMinistry, we have observed this essential issue thousands of times. Simply put, getting people free is easy. Helping people walk in freedom requires that the people themselves receive, activate, and apply something more. During the preaching and ministry, God strengthens their wills to make surrender decisions.
Since they are surrendered to the wrong influences and control, surrender allows God to reset these areas of weakened will. Then, God strengthens the will of the individual through spiritual graces: faith, hope, and love – all requiring strong decisions for each of these are decisions issues.
Fasting strengthens the will, focuses the soul, and prioritizes the spirit. Jesus didn’t say, “If you fast” but “when you fast.” God began Jesus’ ministry with fasting and Jesus faced strong temptations during this season. He made the right decisions. If Father’s strategy for Jesus included fasting because He was facing hell’s efforts to influence and control, surely we can embrace fasting as preparation for strengthening the will and making good decisions that break off hell’s influences and, more, establishing our surrender and submission to God!