Fasting is widely recognised as an important spiritual discipline in the Christian faith. However, many believers understand it primarily as abstaining from food, without appreciating the deeper spiritual transformation it is intended to produce. The teaching on the three dimensions of fasting, presents fasting as more than physical self-denial. It describes it as a spiritual process through which believers learn to surrender their bodies, souls, and entire selves to God, allowing Christ to take the rightful place of leadership in their lives.
The central argument is that genuine spiritual growth requires more than religious activities, knowledge of Scripture, or personal determination. It requires a deeper surrender to God and a willingness to allow the life of Christ to be expressed through the believer.
Drawing from the biblical teachings of Jesus and the Apostle Paul, as well as the experiences associated with Watchman Nee’s understanding of the spiritual life, the teaching identifies three dimensions of fasting: the physical fast, the fast of the soul, and the fast of self.
1. The First Dimension: Fasting at the Physical Level
The first dimension of fasting involves abstaining from food. It is the most familiar form of fasting among Christians and is often practised as a way of seeking God, strengthening spiritual discipline, and demonstrating dependence on Him.
In Matthew 4:4, Jesus declared that human beings do not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. This teaching demonstrates that spiritual nourishment is more important than physical satisfaction.
The teaching explains that physical fasting helps believers recognise that their bodies should not control their spiritual lives. By temporarily denying themselves food, they are reminded that their dependence should be on God rather than physical provision.
However, physical abstinence is presented as only the beginning of a deeper spiritual journey. It should not become an isolated religious activity or a means of impressing God or earning His favour. Rather, it should lead to a deeper surrender of the soul and self.
The experience of imprisonment and persecution associated with Watchman Nee illustrates this principle. During his imprisonment, when he was deprived of freedom, comfort, and adequate food, he reportedly discovered a deeper spiritual freedom. Although his body was confined, he understood that his spirit could experience freedom and greater dependence on God.
This experience is used to demonstrate that physical weakness and the loss of personal comfort can become opportunities for believers to depend more completely on Christ.
2. The Second Dimension: Fasting at the Level of the Soul
The second dimension involves denying the desires and preferences of the soul. In this teaching, the soul is understood to involve the mind, emotions, and will.
While physical fasting deals with the body’s desire for food, fasting at the level of the soul requires believers to surrender their opinions, preferences, ambitions, emotional demands, and personal desires whenever these compete with God’s direction.
The teaching argues that many Christians practise physical fasting while continuing to allow their emotions, thoughts, and personal preferences to dominate their decisions. Consequently, their spiritual development remains limited because they have not surrendered the deeper areas of their lives to God.
In 1 Corinthians 9:27, Paul explains how he disciplined his body and brought it under control so that he would not become disqualified after preaching to others. This passage is used to illustrate the importance of spiritual discipline and the need to bring one’s natural desires under control.
Fasting at the level of the soul therefore involves learning to depend on God rather than being controlled by emotions, personal opinions, or the desire for particular experiences.
For example, a believer who constantly seeks emotional excitement during worship may become dependent on feelings rather than developing a consistent relationship with God. The teaching recounts the experience of a Christian woman who struggled because she believed she could only experience God’s presence through intense emotional experiences.
She was encouraged to move beyond dependence on feelings and learn to seek God through a deeper spiritual relationship. This involved beginning with physical fasting, surrendering the desire for emotional experiences, and ultimately giving her entire life to Christ.
According to the account, she later experienced a deeper sense of communion with God and became less dependent on emotional experiences as evidence of His presence.
John 4:24 teaches that God is Spirit and that those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. The teaching uses this Scripture to emphasise that genuine worship should not depend solely on physical expressions or emotional experiences but should arise from a sincere relationship with God.
The second dimension of fasting also involves surrendering the desire to defend oneself, seek recognition, or demand vindication.
The account of persecution and false accusations illustrates this point. During a period of suffering, the teacher reportedly struggled with the desire to defend his reputation and prove his innocence. Through fasting, he came to understand that his desire for vindication was rooted in the soul’s need for recognition and acceptance.
He understood that God was calling him to surrender not only food but also his need to be understood and approved by others. His identity was to be established in Christ rather than in people’s opinions.
Colossians 3:3 reinforces this understanding by teaching that the believer’s life is hidden with Christ in God.
3. The Third Dimension: Fasting at the Level of Self
The third and deepest dimension of fasting is the denial of self. It involves surrendering one’s identity, ambitions, personal achievements, natural abilities, and desire for control so that Christ may become the centre of one’s life.
Galatians 2:20 provides the foundation for this dimension. Paul explains that he had been crucified with Christ and that it was no longer he who lived, but Christ who lived in him.
The teaching emphasises that the Christian life is not simply about attempting to live for Christ through personal strength. Rather, it is about allowing Christ to live and express His life through the believer.
This understanding changes the believer’s approach to Christian service, ministry, personal ambitions, and spiritual growth. Instead of relying on personal abilities and achievements, the believer learns to depend entirely on Christ.
The example of a pastor who struggled with the effectiveness of his ministry illustrates this principle. Despite possessing extensive biblical knowledge, eloquence, leadership abilities, and strong communication skills, he felt that his ministry lacked the power of the Holy Spirit.
He was challenged to examine whether he was serving God through his natural abilities rather than allowing the Spirit of God to work through him.
The suggested response was to practise fasting at all three levels. This involved physical abstinence, surrendering dependence on natural talents and abilities, and abandoning the need to derive personal identity from his position as a pastor.
He was encouraged to approach ministry with humility, weakness, and complete dependence on the Holy Spirit.
According to the account, he later reported a transformation in his ministry. He had come to understand that Christian service was not primarily about what a person could accomplish for God, but about allowing God to work through the individual.
Paul’s teaching in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 supports this principle by explaining that God’s grace is sufficient and that His power is made perfect in weakness.
The third dimension therefore calls believers to surrender their personal strength, achievements, status, and ambitions so that the power of Christ may be manifested through them.
4. Understanding the Divine Order: Spirit, Soul and Body
An important foundation of the teaching is the relationship between the spirit, soul, and body.
In 1 Thessalonians 5:23, Paul refers to the spirit, soul, and body, praying that God would sanctify believers completely and preserve them blameless until the coming of Jesus Christ.
The teaching interprets this order as an illustration of God’s intended arrangement for human life, in which the spirit should lead, the soul should be submitted to God’s direction, and the body should remain under appropriate control.
However, it argues that many people live according to the reverse order. Their physical desires influence their emotions and decisions, while their spiritual lives receive little attention.
The body demands satisfaction, the soul responds by amplifying those demands through thoughts, emotions, and personal desires, and the spirit becomes neglected.
Fasting is therefore presented as a means of restoring the proper order by helping believers surrender bodily desires, emotional demands, and personal ambitions to God.
The temptation of Jesus in the wilderness provides an important illustration. After fasting for forty days, Jesus was tempted by Satan in three ways.
First, He was tempted to turn stones into bread, which represented the physical temptation to satisfy hunger.
Second, He was tempted to throw Himself from the pinnacle of the temple, which would have involved seeking a spectacular demonstration of divine protection.
Third, He was offered the kingdoms of the world in exchange for worshipping Satan, which represented the temptation to gain worldly authority and glory without following the Father’s will.
Jesus resisted all three temptations and remained obedient to the Father. The teaching presents His response as a pattern for believers, demonstrating the importance of resisting physical desires, the demands of the soul, and the ambitions of self.
5. Fasting and the Transformation of Spiritual Life
The teaching argues that some Christians experience significant spiritual growth initially but eventually reach a point where they struggle to progress further.
Despite praying, studying Scripture, attending church services, and participating in Christian activities, they may continue to experience spiritual emptiness or a lack of intimacy with God.
The problem, according to the teaching, is not necessarily a lack of religious activity. Rather, it may be that these activities are being performed through natural abilities, intellectual understanding, and emotional effort without deeper surrender to God.
The experience of a Christian who struggled with persistent spiritual emptiness illustrates this concern. Although he regularly prayed, studied Scripture, attended services, and served in church, he felt that something was missing from his spiritual life.
He was challenged to consider whether religious activities alone could produce genuine spiritual communion with God. The distinction was made between performing religious activities at the level of the soul and allowing the spirit to experience a deeper relationship with God.
He was encouraged to move beyond dependence on religious routines and personal methods, surrender his preconceived ideas about spirituality, and allow Christ to work through him.
Philippians 3:7-8 provides further support for this understanding. Paul explains that the things he once considered valuable, including his achievements and religious credentials, had become insignificant compared with the surpassing value of knowing Christ.
This is presented as the third dimension of fasting: the willingness to surrender even personal achievements and spiritual identity in order to gain Christ.
Similarly, Luke 9:23-24 records Jesus’ teaching that anyone who desires to follow Him must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Him.
The teaching explains that denying self is not simply an exercise in personal determination. It requires a continual willingness to surrender one’s life to Christ and allow Him to take control.
6. Fasting and the Development of a Deeper Prayer Life
The three dimensions of fasting are also presented as important in developing a deeper prayer life.
The account of a Christian woman who struggled with prayer illustrates this point. Although she understood various prayer methods, techniques, and formulas, she felt that her prayers were not producing the spiritual intimacy she desired.
She was encouraged to consider whether she had become dependent on intellectual, emotional, and personal methods of prayer instead of allowing her spirit to commune with God.
The suggested approach involved fasting not only from food but also from dependence on prayer techniques, formulas, and predetermined methods.
She was encouraged to approach God in silence, humility, and surrender, without always relying on a prepared list of requests or a particular method of prayer.
Although changing long-established prayer habits was initially difficult, she gradually began to experience what she described as a deeper form of communion with God.
Romans 8:26-27 explains that the Holy Spirit helps believers in their weakness and intercedes for them according to the will of God.
The teaching uses this passage to emphasise that prayer is not merely the result of carefully formulated words, intellectual understanding, or emotional expression. It also involves dependence on the Holy Spirit, who helps believers pray according to God’s will.
Fasting at the three levels is therefore presented as a means of encouraging believers to move beyond dependence on natural abilities and develop a deeper relationship with God through the Spirit.
7. Fasting and the Battle Within
Another important dimension of the teaching concerns spiritual warfare.
While Christians often understand spiritual warfare as a struggle against external spiritual forces, the teaching argues that an important part of this battle takes place within the believer.
The internal struggle involves the conflict between the desires of the soul and the need for the spirit to take its rightful place under God’s direction.
In 1 Peter 2:11, Peter urges believers to abstain from sinful desires that wage war against the soul. This passage is used to illustrate the reality of internal spiritual conflict.
The teaching further explains that believers must recognise how their thoughts, emotions, and personal desires can interfere with their spiritual development.
Fasting at the three levels is presented as a strategy for addressing this internal struggle.
At the physical level, believers learn to bring bodily desires under control. At the soul level, they surrender thoughts, emotions, preferences, and personal ambitions. At the level of self, they surrender their identity and desire for control to Christ.
The experience of an African missionary provides an illustration of this principle. The missionary had entered the mission field with great passion, determination, and a desire to serve Christ. However, after several years, he became exhausted and discouraged because his efforts appeared to produce little fruit.
He was encouraged to examine whether he was relying excessively on his own mind, emotions, strategies, and determination rather than allowing God to work through him.
The proposed approach involved fasting from food, surrendering dependence on personal methods and strategies, and giving up the need to establish his identity through his missionary role.
According to the account, he later reported that his ministry had changed because he had learned to depend more completely on Christ rather than relying on his own efforts.
John 15:5 provides the biblical foundation for this understanding. Jesus describes Himself as the vine and His followers as the branches, explaining that those who abide in Him will bear much fruit, but apart from Him they can do nothing.
This passage emphasises that genuine spiritual fruitfulness comes from abiding in Christ rather than relying on human strength and ability.
8. Fasting and Entering God’s Rest
The teaching further explains that the Christian life should not be characterised by constant striving, anxiety, and dependence on personal effort.
Instead, it should be a life of surrender, trust, obedience, and dependence on God.
Hebrews 4:10-11 speaks about entering God’s rest and encourages believers to make every effort to enter that rest.
The teaching highlights the apparent paradox in this passage: believers are called to make an effort to enter a state of rest.
Fasting at the three levels is presented as part of this process. It requires believers to stop depending on their own strength, surrender their natural abilities and ambitions, and become available for God to work through them.
This does not mean abandoning responsibility or Christian service. Rather, it means carrying out these responsibilities from a position of dependence on Christ instead of relying exclusively on personal ability.
The example of Watchman Nee is again used to illustrate how imprisonment, persecution, and physical weakness can become opportunities for deeper dependence on God.
His experience is presented as evidence of the spiritual principle that human weakness can create an opportunity for the power of Christ to be manifested.
9. The Ultimate Purpose of Fasting: Spiritual Freedom
The ultimate purpose of fasting, according to the teaching, is spiritual freedom and liberation from the things that prevent believers from living in complete surrender to God.
Isaiah 58:6 describes the fast that God desires as one that breaks the chains of wickedness, removes the burdens of oppression, sets the oppressed free, and breaks every yoke.
This passage is used to demonstrate that fasting should produce more than physical discomfort or outward religious activity. It should lead to genuine transformation and freedom.
The teaching identifies one of the greatest obstacles to spiritual growth as the dominance of personal desires, emotions, ambitions, and self-reliance over a believer’s relationship with God.
Fasting at the three levels is therefore presented as a means of addressing these internal obstacles.
The first dimension requires the believer to surrender the desires of the body.
The second dimension requires the surrender of the desires, preferences, emotions, and opinions of the soul.
The third dimension requires the surrender of self, including personal ambitions, identity, achievements, and the desire to remain in control.
Through this process, believers are encouraged to move away from a self-centred approach to Christianity and develop a life that is completely dependent on Christ.
Conclusion: Moving Beyond Physical Fasting
The teaching on the three dimensions of fasting challenges Christians to reconsider their understanding of this important spiritual discipline.
Fasting is not presented as merely abstaining from food, seeking blessings, or demonstrating religious commitment. It is presented as a process of surrender through which believers learn to place their bodies, souls, and entire selves under the authority of Christ.
The physical fast is the beginning of the process. The fast of the soul involves surrendering thoughts, emotions, preferences, and personal desires. The fast of self goes even deeper by calling believers to surrender their identity, ambitions, achievements, and personal control to Christ.
The central message is that genuine Christian living is not primarily about what believers can accomplish for God through their natural abilities. It is about allowing Christ to live and work through them.
As Galatians 2:20 teaches, the believer’s life is no longer centred on self, but on Christ living within.
The challenge, therefore, is for every Christian to move beyond the outward practice of fasting and embrace the deeper spiritual surrender it represents.
By practising fasting at all three dimensions, believers are encouraged to develop a life characterised by humility, dependence on God, spiritual freedom, and a deeper communion with Him.
The ultimate goal is not simply to become more disciplined religious people, but to become vessels through whom the life and power of Christ are manifested.