Christian fasting is a powerful tool God has given us to discipline our physical bodies so that we can allow Him to work in and through us more. Fasting is not easy or fun, but it can produce great results. It can be hard to know where to begin with fasting though. So below are some answers to some practical and frequently asked questions about fasting. *Note: For answers on why to fast, check out last week’s blog.
Who Should Fast?
During Jesus’ popularly called “Sermon on the Mount,” He basically laid out what He was looking for in His disciples or followers (that’s us!). During this sermon, Jesus gave us instructions on giving to the poor, praying (this is where the famous Lord’s Prayer was given), and fasting. Jesus talked about fasting right there in line with everything else a Christian should do on a regular basis. Jesus said, “When you give to the poor…,” “When you pray…,” and “When you fast…” Jesus gave every indication that fasting was something he expected all Christians to do on a regular basis.
When Should I Fast?
Like I mentioned above, fasting is just another element of regular Christian life. However, just like there are times in our lives when we really need to spend more time in worship or prayer, there can also be special times when we need to set aside time for fasting. Here are some examples:
- When you are experiencing a lack of unity with your church family (or even your real family), such as disagreements, unforgiveness, or arguments (Wallis, p. 37)
- If you are finding it hard to maintain a healthy walk with God or you notice your desire for God is dimming (Wallis, p. 37)
- When stepping into a new level of spiritual authority or a new season (Prince, ch. 6)
- When you need direction or power from the Holy Spirit for important decisions or tasks (Prince, ch. 6)
- When you are praying for breakthrough for yourself or others (Wallis, ch. 10,12, and 13)
How Should I Fast?
Completely going without food for a long period of time isn’t something you should just jump into (unless you really feel like God specifically directed you to do so). It’s important to be wise in how you fast. You can do this by training your body to fast, just like you would train your body to run a marathon by running a little each week rather than just running a 10K after spending years sitting on the couch.
Where should I start?
If you’ve never fasted before, or haven’t fasted very often (only a couple times per year or less), it is probably easiest to start with a partial fast (Wallis, p. 24). As time goes by, you can work yourself up to a normal fast or absolute fast. It is important to have spiritual direction from God if you are undertaking a more intense fast. It’s also important if you have physical issues or illnesses, or you work at a job that requires a lot of manual labor, to be wise in how you fast. Consult your doctor to make sure you are choosing to fast in a way that is healthy and safe for your body.
Are there different ways to fast?
Depending on direction God gives you or why you are fasting, you may do different types of fasts at different times. Below I’ve explained some types of fasts to help you know what fast might be right for you:
Partial Fast: The point of a partial fast is to sacrifice or give up something you enjoy eating, rather than just going without food completely. There are a few ways to do this. Some people skip one meal each day (be careful to not substitute bigger meals before and after, or lots of snacks, to make up for the meal you are skipping… the point is to feel that you are missing out on something). Another way to do a partial fast is to eat only one type of food the whole time you are fasting (like crackers or bread) or to do what some people call a Daniel Fast, which is where you give up sweets, meat, etc. while you are fasting (Wallis, ch. 4).- Normal Fast: This involves not eating any food and not drinking any liquid besides water. This is the type of fast you see most often in the Bible. For example, this is how Jesus fasted for 40 days in the desert (Matthew 4).
- Absolute Fast: An absolute fast means going without any food, water, or liquid of any kind. In the Bible, you see Esther ask the Jewish nation to do an absolute fast (Esther 4:16), and another example was when Paul fasted directly after his Damascus road experience (Acts 9:9). You generally never see this happening for longer than 3 days unless the person was supernaturally sustained (like when Moses received the Ten Commandments in Deut. 9: 9, 18).
- Private Fast: This is how we are called to fast most often. Jesus told us in Matthew 5 to keep fasting private and not make a big deal about it. Fasting is self-discipline and it is usually something between you and God.
- Public Fast: There are times however, when we are called to a public fast. An example of this would be when the leaders of the church call the whole church to fast. Or when Esther called the entire Jewish nation to fast together (Esther 4:16).
Fasting is incredibly powerful and it is a great tool God has given us to master the physical part of ourselves so that we can open our spirits up to Him. Don’t be surprised if you feel discouraged while you are fasting. Fasting involves spiritual warfare, and discouragement is a common weapon the devil uses against us. It’s also important to not judge the success of a fast based on how you feel while you are fasting. Fasting is hard. Fasting is warfare and wrestling. It’s not uncommon to feel less than stellar when you are in the middle of spiritual warfare. It’s often when we feel the worst that the most is happening in the spiritual realm. Just remember that you have the weapons to win (Wallis, p. 109). As Lou Engle encourages us, pray to win.
Resources on fasting that I highly recommend (and have quoted or otherwise used in this article):
- God’s Chosen Fast by Arthur Wallis (Wallis, Arthur. God’s Chosen Fast. Fort Washington: Christian Literature Crusade, 1997. Print.)
- Shaping History through Prayer and Fasting by Derek Prince (Prince, Derek. Shaping History through Prayer and Fasting. New Kensington: Whitaker House, 1973. Kindle file.)
- Nazarite DNA/A House that Contends, Sermon by Lou Engle (Engle, Lou. Nazarite DNA/A House that Contends. Luke 18 Project, 2011. MP3)