Fasting
Fasting is not eating food in order to feast on the Lord—saying no to self to say yes to God.
Why do we fast?
To Trust Fully
When we fast, we are trusting that despite consuming food to energise our bodies, He will sustain not only our bodies, but our Spirit. (Matthew 4:4)
To Silence the Noise
While we can’t escape the noise of the city, we can escape the noise in our soul. Fasting helps us to quiet our spirits so they are centered solely on God. (Acts 13:2)
To Sharpen Prayer
When we fast, it gives us more time for prayer, but it also sharpens the purpose, power and effectiveness of our prayers because we are putting aside earthly desires to seek God. (Isaiah 58:6)
To Discipline Desires
Through the Spirit of God, we have been given a greater measure of self-control than we live out. Fasting helps us to rightly feed on our desire for God more than the desire for things of this world. (Romans 12:1-2)
To Repent
When we truly repent, it’s not just an external action but an internal one. Fasting demonstrates a deep desire to turn from our sin not just in word, but in deed. (Joel 2:12)
To Lament
Fasting can also be a way to process our pain. When we fast, we are lamenting with our bodies, that which is happening in our spirit and it provides a healthy way to process pain in God’s presence. (2 Samuel 1:12)
How do we fast?
Pick a rhythm of fasting.
You could choose to fast for 7-days straight, or for several days a week or every Wednesday and Friday of the week.
Choose the duration of your fast.
You could fast continually, eating no food the entire day, or you could abstain from one or more meals or choose not to eat for a window of time. Traditionally, Christians have fasted during the day and broken their fast at 3pm. Another popular fasting window is to not eat from sunrise to sunset.
Maximise your fast.
When you get hungry, use that moment to either recite a short prayer or read a portion of Scripture.
During times where you’d be grocery shopping or prepping meals, use that time to seek God in prayer, silence and biblical meditation or scripture reading
On your lunch or coffee break, read Scripture and/or go for a prayer walk around your workplace or neighbourhood if you work from home
The time that we spend not eating is meant to be time spent feasting on God’s presence. The focus in fasting is not honing in on what we are refraining from, but rather what we are leaning in to!
Biblical fasting is not a diet but a prayer with your entire body, so we recommend a true food fast, if that is available to you. If it’s not an option, choosing to step into a new discipline with alcohol, caffeine or screen time is a valuable way to grow in faith and engage in a season of renewed repentance, prayer and intimacy with God.