In Zechariah 7 we see that the Lord warns against fasting for the wrong reasons… so should we fast at all? I think if we look at the scripture we see that the Lord does not say, “don’t fast”. He says, “don’t fast for the wrong reasons”. The people had been observing fasts that were not required by law. As always, they began to worship the man made tradition, rather than the God given purpose. The Lord also makes it clear that if we live for ourselves 364 days a year, fasting for 1 day makes no difference. However, if we are living for the Lord year round, a fast can be spiritually beneficial. The case can be made that Jesus expects us to fast. In Matthew 6 (read verses 16-18), Jesus says “when” you fast. He does not say “if” you fast. As always, I would suggest we seek the whole counsel of God and search the scriptures for a balanced view on fasting. I would, however, suggest that the words of Zechariah be taken seriously that we do not fast out of obligation or to uphold the traditions of man. Also, the occasional fast means nothing if we do not live for the Lord the rest of the year. (Some general fasting information.)