Fasting is one of the spiritual disciplines we need to develop if we want to grow deeper in our relationship with God. It’s also a way of awakening our spiritual zeal, which we ought to have if we follow the Lord who is alive and always at work around us. 

Fasting is abstaining from a meal, a specific food, a specific drink, or a specific activity so that we can disconnect from regular patterns or habits for a while and focus more on God. It’s like getting a spiritual reboot!

NEXT 40-DAY FAST: OCTOBER 19 TO NOVEMBER 27, 2024

Please join us on our 40-Day Fast.

SUGGESTED KINDS OF FASTS:

  • SPECIFIC-FOOD FAST: Choosing to abstain from specific foods like meat, processed or fast foods, desserts, coffee, alcohol, and soda, to name a few.

  • SPECIFIC-ACTIVITY FAST: Choosing to abstain from a regular activity or habit (like engaging in social media and watching TV), or perhaps even abstaining from a negative attitude (like cynicism or constant complaining), and, instead, devoting the time to prayer, solitude in order to listen to God, and the reading of His Word.

  • JUICE FAST: Consuming vegetable and fruit juices and water, instead of solid food. Even if you choose not to make your entire fast liquids-only, substituting liquids for one or two meals is another alternative.

  • DANIEL FAST: Consuming only the food that the prophet Daniel (in the Bible) ate while he fasted. According to the book of Daniel chapter 1, Daniel fasted by having only vegetables and water. In another time that he fasted, Daniel abstained from meat, wine, and rich foods, according to Daniel chapter 10.

PRAYER:

Fasting will lead us closer to the Lord if combined with daily prayer time and the daily reading of the Bible. When praying, let’s make our primary goal to know Jesus more and experience Him more. Simply talk to Him. Choose a place and time where we can seek Him daily. Schedule it in, if that will help.

READING THE BIBLE:

There are many free tools available to help us get started on reading passages of the Bible every day. Here are a few of them:

FASTING TIPS 

Here are other ideas that can help make your fasting experience more pleasant and meaningful:

  • Choose a fast that will work for you. The fast will need to present some level of difficulty for you, but be realistic and commit to that fast.

  • If fasting from specific food, please consult with your physician first, especially if you have health concerns, if you’re pregnant, or if you’re nursing a baby.

  • If fasting from specific food or drink, make a fasting calendar that fits your plan so you can see what each day looks like.

  • Stock on items you need so you don’t easily give in to temptation to break your fast.

  • Make it a priority to be around other believers during the fast. This will encourage you to keep on going when the fasting gets difficult.

  • If you mess up, don’t get discouraged. Just get right back on and continue your fast as planned. The Lord will give you the grace and the strength to finish the fast.

  • Let’s not let what we’re fasting from be the focus of our fast. The main thing is to draw closer to God while we’re fasting.