Help! The Church Is Fasting and I Don’t Know Where to Start.

**Disclaimer: We recognize that for some, restricting food would be an unfaithful/unhelpful way to fast because of some kind of disordered eating. There is no hierarchy of holiness for the type of fasting you choose. We encourage you to pick a path that makes the most sense for your overall health, spiritual and otherwise.**

Why Should I Fast?

One of the most powerful spiritual disciplines available to us as followers of Jesus is fasting. Biblical fasting is an intentional act of abstaining from something (most often food or a type of food) for a specific period of time to focus more on the Lord. We want to equip you to do this well. Here are a few tips to maximize your fast as an individual or with others.

Common Questions

• How can I participate? Fasting often exposes our misshapen cravings–our longing for comfort and peace connected to food, drink, entertainment, and social media. Here are a few ways you can structure your fast:
  • Option 1 (Varied): A varied approach allows you to choose from different categories throughout your fast. An example could be starting with a commitment to fast from all food except water, juice, and other broths for entire 24-hour periods. The second part could be a commitment to social media and entertainment. The final portion of the fast could consist of a commitment to fast for one meal out of the day or a particular type of food.
  • Option 2 (All Meals): This will be a commitment to fast from all food except for water, juice, and other broths for the duration of the fast.
  • Option 3 (Some Meals/Altered Diet): This will be a commitment to fast for a significant portion of your day, incorporating only 1-2 meals into your schedule (ex. fasting all day until 6:00 PM). Or, due to medical and other considerations, it may be necessary to participate by altering your diet for the duration of the fast. (This may be with vegetables only, also known as the Daniel Fast.)

• What can I expect when I fast?

  Fasting uniquely places our physical, emotional, and spiritual capacities under the same burden. This means that the effects of fasting will affect each of these areas. As a disclaimer, please contact your physician before attempting a food-based fast if you have a medical condition. Here are some common effects fasting may have on you:

  Physical

  Changing your food intake, especially completely abstaining from meals, will challenge your body. It is likely that you will feel fatigued and intensified hunger. Headaches are another common symptom.

  Emotional

  Eating is connected to our emotions, so we should not be surprised that fasting will expose some negative emotions. Be prepared for heightened emotional sensitivity and responses like anger and irritability.

  Spiritual

  Fasting is an earnest act of submission to and dependence on the Lord. Positively, it positions us to be more sensitive to the conviction and leading of the Spirit. Times of fasting are often marked by repentance.

  Also, be mindful of the enemy’s schemes–you will experience heightened temptation and discouragement if you aren’t clearly seeing answers to your devotion and prayer.

   

• How do I prepare?

  Again, please be sure to consult your physician before participating. Here are a few tips to prepare.

  1. Choose the type of fasting- varied, complete, or some meals/altered (see How can I participate? to learn more).
  2. Invite someone to be your prayer partner. Set a consistent rhythm for accountability with this person.
  3. Ask the Lord to reveal any sin that may be hindering you during the fast. Confess and repent those things to him.
  4. Have a plan for how you will spend the time normally reserved for eating.
  5. You may want to consider how you will respond when an invitation to an event or meal hinders your fast.
  6. Pray, pray, pray.

   

• What should I be praying for?

  At the time of this writing (January 2024), we have invited the church to pray for healing. Our specific prayer requests pertain to our friend, Dave Ludwig, who recently received a diagnosis of ALS, and Ben Constable, who recently had a biopsy of a mass on his neck. Ben is a recent cancer survivor. You can read more of his story here.