66 Bible verses about the power of Fasting

The power of fasting really lies in honestly opening your heart to the Lord. It's in that space where His love shines through and transforms every part of who you are. Fasting is something you do when you’re truly seeking Jesus, when you're willing to sacrifice physical needs to ask for a deeper connection with Him.

It strengthens your spirit, grows your faith, and draws you closer to God. By saying "no" to the physical demands of your body, you're saying "yes" to a deeper, more intimate relationship with Him. It's about prioritizing that connection above all else.

When you abstain from food or drink for a set time, it’s like a spiritual and physical cleanse. It helps to clear away anything that might be holding you back or weighing you down.

Remember what Matthew 6:16-17¹ says – it's not about showing off or seeking attention when you fast. It's about humility and sincerity before the Lord.

But the time will come when the groom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.

“Don’t be afraid, Daniel,” he said to me, “for from the first day that you purposed to understand and to humble yourself before your God, your prayers were heard. I have come because of your prayers.

Announce a sacred fast; proclaim an assembly! Gather the elders and all the residents of the land at the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord.

Cornelius replied, “Four days ago at this hour, at three in the afternoon, I was praying in my house. Just then a man in a dazzling robe stood before me

Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests be sad while the groom is with them? The time will come when the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.

Then He touched their eyes, saying, “Let it be done for you according to your faith! ”

Will the fast I choose be like this: A day for a person to deny himself, to bow his head like a reed, and to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast and a day acceptable to the Lord?

“Why have we fasted, but You have not seen? We have denied ourselves, but You haven’t noticed! ” “Look, you do as you please on the day of your fast, and oppress all your workers.

Even now — this is the Lord’s declaration — turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning.

“Whenever you fast, don’t be sad-faced like the hypocrites. For they make their faces unattractive so their fasting is obvious to people. I assure you: They’ve got their reward!But when you fast, put oil on your head, and wash your face,so that you don’t show your fasting to people but to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Isn’t the fast I choose: To break the chains of wickedness, to untie the ropes of the yoke, to set the oppressed free, and to tear off every yoke?Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your house, to clothe the naked when you see him, and not to ignore your own flesh and blood?

Even now — this is the Lord’s declaration — turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning.Tear your hearts, not just your clothes, and return to the Lord your God. For He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, rich in faithful love, and He relents from sending disaster.

Blow the horn in Zion! Announce a sacred fast; proclaim an assembly.

Isn’t the fast I choose: To break the chains of wickedness, to untie the ropes of the yoke, to set the oppressed free, and to tear off every yoke?

The men of Nineveh believed in God. They proclaimed a fast and dressed in sackcloth — from the greatest of them to the least.

As they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work I have called them to.”This all took about 450 years. After this, He gave them judges until Samuel the prophet.Then they asked for a king, so God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for 40 years.After removing him, He raised up David as their king and testified about him: ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man loyal to Me, who will carry out all My will.’“From this man’s descendants, according to the promise, God brought the Savior, Jesus, to Israel.Before He came to public attention, John had previously proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.Then as John was completing his life’s work, he said, ‘Who do you think I am? I am not the One. But look! Someone is coming after me, and I am not worthy to untie the sandals on His feet.’“Brothers, sons of Abraham’s race, and those among you who fear God, the message of this salvation has been sent to us.For the residents of Jerusalem and their rulers, since they did not recognize Him or the voices of the prophets that are read every Sabbath, have fulfilled their words by condemning Him.Though they found no grounds for the death penalty, they asked Pilate to have Him killed.When they had fulfilled all that had been written about Him, they took Him down from the tree and put Him in a tomb.Then after they had fasted, prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them off.

Moses was there with the Lord 40 days and 40 nights; he did not eat bread or drink water. He wrote the Ten Commandments, the words of the covenant, on the tablets.

Yet when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth; I humbled myself with fasting, and my prayer was genuine.

When they had appointed elders in every church and prayed with fasting, they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

I proclaimed a fast by the Ahava River, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask Him for a safe journey for us, our children, and all our possessions.I did this because I was ashamed to ask the king for infantry and cavalry to protect us from enemies during the journey, since we had told him, “The hand of our God is gracious to all who seek Him, but His great anger is against all who abandon Him.”So we fasted and pleaded with our God about this, and He granted our request.

Then Jesus returned from the Jordan, full of the Holy Spirit, and was led by the Spirit in the wildernessFor it is written: He will give His angels orders concerning you, to protect you,and they will support you with their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”And Jesus answered him, “It is said: Do not test the Lord your God.”After the Devil had finished every temptation, he departed from Him for a time.Then Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about Him spread throughout the entire vicinity.He was teaching in their synagogues, being acclaimed by everyone.He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. As usual, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read.The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to Him, and unrolling the scroll, He found the place where it was written:The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed,to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.for 40 days to be tempted by the Devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were over, He was hungry.

Jehoshaphat was afraid, and he resolved to seek the Lord. Then he proclaimed a fast for all Judah,Then Jehoshaphat’s kingdom was quiet, for his God gave him rest on every side.Jehoshaphat became king over Judah. He was 35 years old when he became king and reigned 25 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Azubah daughter of Shilhi.He walked in the way of Asa his father; he did not turn away from it but did what was right in the Lord’s sight.However, the high places were not taken away; the people had not yet set their hearts on the God of their ancestors.The rest of the events of Jehoshaphat’s reign from beginning to end are written in the Events of Jehu son of Hanani, which is recorded in the Book of Israel’s Kings.After this, Judah’s King Jehoshaphat made an alliance with Israel’s King Ahaziah, who was guilty of wrongdoing.Jehoshaphat formed an alliance with him to make ships to go to Tarshish, and they made the ships in Ezion-geber.Then Eliezer son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, “Because you formed an alliance with Ahaziah, the Lord has broken up what you have made.” So the ships were wrecked and were not able to go to Tarshish.who gathered to seek the Lord. They even came from all the cities of Judah to seek Him.

I mourned and fasted, but it brought me insults.

The whole Israelite army went to Bethel where they wept and sat before the Lord. They fasted that day until evening and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to the Lord.

Do not deprive one another sexually — except when you agree for a time, to devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again; otherwise, Satan may tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

When they gathered at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out in the Lord’s presence. They fasted that day, and there they confessed, “We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel judged the Israelites at Mizpah.

After He had fasted 40 days and 40 nights, He was hungry.

Then they said to Him, “John’s disciples fast often and say prayers, and those of the Pharisees do the same, but Yours eat and drink.”Jesus said to them, “You can’t make the wedding guests fast while the groom is with them, can you?But the time will come when the groom will be taken away from them — then they will fast in those days.”

“Ask all the people of the land and the priests: When you fasted and lamented in the fifth and in the seventh months for these 70 years, did you really fast for Me?

When I heard these words, I sat down and wept. I mourned for a number of days, fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

Jehoshaphat was afraid, and he resolved to seek the Lord. Then he proclaimed a fast for all Judah,

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.

“Ask all the people of the land and the priests: When you fasted and lamented in the fifth and in the seventh months for these 70 years, did you really fast for Me?When you eat and drink, don’t you eat and drink simply for yourselves?

During those days He went out to the mountain to pray and spent all night in prayer to God.

What should I bring before the Lord when I come to bow before God on high? Should I come before Him with burnt offerings, with year-old calves?Would the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams or with ten thousand streams of oil? Should I give my firstborn for my transgression, the child of my body for my own sin?Mankind, He has told you what is good and what it is the Lord requires of you: to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God.

Then John’s disciples came to Him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast? ”Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests be sad while the groom is with them? The time will come when the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.

For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t do what you want.

Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship.Show family affection to one another with brotherly love. Outdo one another in showing honor.Do not lack diligence; be fervent in spirit; serve the Lord.Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer.Share with the saints in their needs; pursue hospitality.Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.Be in agreement with one another. Do not be proud; instead, associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own estimation.Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Try to do what is honorable in everyone’s eyes.If possible, on your part, live at peace with everyone.Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for His wrath. For it is written: Vengeance belongs to Me; I will repay, says the Lord.Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

but those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not faint.

Stay awake and pray, so that you won’t enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Yet when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth; I humbled myself with fasting, and my prayer was genuine.I went about grieving as if for my friend or brother; I was bowed down with grief, like one mourning a mother.

Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship.

I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of everything I get.’

since the weapons of our warfare are not worldly, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish argumentsand every high-minded thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, taking every thought captive to obey Christ.

As a deer longs for streams of water, so I long for You, God.My adversaries taunt me, as if crushing my bones, while all day long they say to me, “Where is your God? ”Why am I so depressed? Why this turmoil within me? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise Him, my Savior and my God.I thirst for God, the living God. When can I come and appear before God?

My knees are weak from fasting, and my body is emaciated.

Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us,

In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three full weeks.He said, “Do you know why I’ve come to you? I must return at once to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I leave, the prince of Greece will come.No one has the courage to support me against them except Michael, your prince. However, I will tell you what is recorded in the book of truth.I didn’t eat any rich food, no meat or wine entered my mouth, and I didn’t put any oil on my body until the three weeks were over.

For I have often told you, and now say again with tears, that many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.Their end is destruction; their god is their stomach; their glory is in their shame. They are focused on earthly things,

But be alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place and to stand before the Son of Man.”

May He give you what your heart desires and fulfill your whole purpose.

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.

God, create a clean heart for me and renew a steadfast spirit within me.Do not banish me from Your presence or take Your Holy Spirit from me.Restore the joy of Your salvation to me, and give me a willing spirit.

I say then, walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t do what you want.

So we fasted and pleaded with our God about this, and He granted our request.

And He told them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting .”

I proclaimed a fast by the Ahava River, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask Him for a safe journey for us, our children, and all our possessions.

But when you fast, put oil on your head, and wash your face,so that you don’t show your fasting to people but to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

However, this kind does not come out except by prayer and fasting. ”

“Whenever you fast, don’t be sad-faced like the hypocrites. For they make their faces unattractive so their fasting is obvious to people. I assure you: They’ve got their reward!

Now everyone who competes exercises self-control in everything. However, they do it to receive a crown that will fade away, but we a crown that will never fade away.Therefore I do not run like one who runs aimlessly or box like one beating the air.Instead, I discipline my body and bring it under strict control, so that after preaching to others, I myself will not be disqualified.

So I turned my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and petitions, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.

Prayer