“Does anyone need to fast?” some Christians wonder. They know some people should not do a completely food-free fast, such as young children, pregnant and lactating women. Some people have either hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) or diabetes (high blood sugar), and they need to be careful and work with a doctor before fasting from all food. But what about healthy people who have no constraints about not eating for a short time? Should they fast? The Bible talks about fasting, and Jesus never said, “If you fast.” He said, “When you fast,” (the beginning of Matt. 6:16). Jesus assumed people would fast.
So the question is not if (healthy) Christians should fast, but why do we fast, and how do we fast. First, we should address people with health conditions that preclude a full fast. God (and their doctor) might permit them to skip one meal, such as dinner (last meal of the day). But if they cannot go without any food, some people go on what some call the “Daniel fast,” in which they eat but limit the food, such as no sweetener added to anything (beverages), no desert, no choice meat, and they do not use personal lotions. (Daniel 10:3, “I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over.”) Some people might balk at not using lotions (excluding any medicine you need to use as a lotion—still use those), especially deodorant, but remember that going for a day without deodorant will not kill you. This is a modified fast for those who cannot go without any food.
People have different ideas of how to fast. Some only fast for 24 hours, so if they finished eating dinner on Friday at 5pm, by Saturday at 5:01pm, they get to eat again. This is a shorter “day” fast. Others do not want to eat any food during an entire day, so they finish dinner on Friday and do not eat again until breakfast on Sunday morning. Thus they leave the full day of Saturday free of food. Some people are so strong, they can fast for three days in a row. Some have even done 7 day fasts. But when a person goes for more than one day of fasting, it is so important to drink water. Esther and her maids did fast for three full days without water, but this can be risky.
Do I fast? I do. Several years ago, I realized my husband needed my support and prayer alone was not enough. I remembered Jesus’ words, “This kind only comes out with prayer and fasting,” (Matt. 17:21), where Jesus explained why the disciples could not cast out a demon from a boy. I sensed the troubles my husband had (I did not think there was a demon—just troubles) needed stronger prayer. So initially I fasted every other month. Oh the first fast was so hard. I was cold, head achy, and my back ached. I was so exhausted! But by the end of that year, I realized I could fast each month.
Some people say they develop head aches that distract them from fasting, so I want to give you some encouragement in this area. If you are accustomed to caffeine, you might suffer this kind of head ache. This head ache may distract you from your prayers. At least I was concerned about this, so I give myself permission to drink up to 2 black cups of tea—no calories, nothing to make it creamy, just the tea and water, enough to fight off any caffeine withdrawal I might have otherwise experienced. Second, I drink profuse amounts of water. It is hard for me to retain fluids, when I am not eating, so I also salt my water (I use pink sea salt which has no calories and does not taste good—I do it to retain fluids—not for flavor). I shake salt once or twice in at least 3 or 4 of my cups of water. This really helps me better retain the fluids, and now I never suffer a head ache when I fast. As for the back ache, I do wear a posture brace. It really helps me keep my shoulders back, since I droop so much when I am fasting and so tired. Rather than list it as an item you can buy, you can see the brace, where I posted a link for you to buy it in my post “Identifying Patterns in Injuries.” This helps me so I no longer suffer the back ache while fasting.
Yes, we suffer while we fast, but I don’t want anything in my head to distract my prayers. My goal for the fasting day is to pray and seek God and praise him effectively. Do I feel hunger? Oh, yes! Do I get tired? I get very tired. So fasting, even though I drink plenty of water, is still hard. I am emptying myself of my flesh, so the spirit can speak to me. I have found some amazing spiritual insights on fasting days. At times my fasts have been very humble, and I have simply met God, faithfully, reading my Bible and prayer guides (little journals where there are verses and some guided writing and then blank spaces for me to write a prayer, based upon the readings), and praying for all the people who need me. Not all of my fasts have been “amazing,” yet they have all been faithful. I always feel God’s joy over my day, even if I simply “show up” and pray and read.
Do I prepare food for others? Some people cannot stand preparing food for others while they are not eating. You need to let God guide you in this area. I have prepared so much food for my family, food I cannot eat, that I am no longer tempted by preparing food for others, even on fasting days. If you cannot do this, please either prepare food the day before, or ask another family member to prepare the food for your family for that day. Give this to God. He knows your heart, your strengths and weaknesses.
I have fasted for so long, eating that day is not tempting for me anymore. I can easily resist food on my fasting day. I think of fasting as a gift to God, and I want to stay away from that food. Fasting is still tiring, but my body is well adapted to this today. I share this to let you know this is a “No guilt” place. If you cannot stand giving up food and can only give up sugar for a day, do so. There is grace here. Work with your body and with the Lord to determine what you can do (again, do not fast without making sure your doctor says it is ok). Like me, you may find that over the years, you can increase the frequency of your fasts, the length of time, and other factors.
Why did Christians fast in the New Testament? They did it to help them choose their leaders (Acts 14:23, Acts13:2 ). Jesus fasted before his public ministry (Luke 4:2-4). Some even fasted to show off. A Pharisee in Luke 18:12 bragged “I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.” That is the worst reason to fast, and Jesus warned, “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.” (Matt. 6:16). Jesus promised that if a person hides her fasting, then the Father will reward her (verse 18).
Do you only fast and pray all day long? I cannot do that. I do save tons of time by not eating and not needing to clean up my food preparation. So I get to give a big chunk of time to read my Bible, pray and prayer-journal. I get to pore over my prayer list and linger over each name for much longer than I can normally do. But I am still a mom with a family which needs me. So I do have some chores I still do. I also fast on the day I go to church, so I also attend church during my fast (and really feel close to God when we sing those praise songs). This works for me. Each gal needs to determine when she will fast and how she will fast. God understands your heart. He knows your weaknesses and limitations. Perhaps you cannot do a full fast, for health reasons, or the full fast is too hard, at least if you are new to fasting. The Lord understands. God will guide you. He guided me. Many years ago, before I first began to habitually fast, I only gave up sweet foods. Later I began to add longer fasting times. I did not rush into a longer fast. I still only do “one day” fasts (perhaps 40 hours) of no food. I have done 3-day fasts, perhaps twice in my life, but I was very, very young then and did not have the responsibilities I have now. The Lord understands this too.
Do whatever your heart calls you to do. Yes, fast if you can. But let God guide you and never feel guilty for doing “less.” The Lord honors the sincerity of your sacrifice. God already loves you dearly! He is already pleased with you. I don’t fast to “please” God, but to crucify my flesh, so my prayers will be more effective to help my family (and now my many friends who are on my prayer lists). I seek answers, which God may not give that day, but they will be given. This is just a loving sacrifice I make and God rewards it.
May God bless you this week! Thanks for joining us in this post.