A Guide to Fasting Table of Contents
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Be Love Company A Guide to Fasting Table of Contents • Why Fast? • What is Fasting? • What Happens When We Fast? • Types of Fasts • Tips for Fasting Well • Resource • Te 22 Day Fast WHY FAST? In simplicity, it’s biblical. Scripture contains numerous accounts of people fasting, including Jesus Himself. But the Word not only records stories of fasting, Jesus, the Word Himself, teaches us to do so. In Matthew 6:16, we find Jesus teaching many through the famous, Sermon on the Mount, & He shares these words, “When you fast…” Jesus does not say, “If you fast,” but, “When you fast,” signifying that there is an expectation for those who follow Christ to participate in the practice of fasting. WHAT IS FASTING? Practically speaking, fasting is to abstain from food or drink for a specific period of time. However, fasting is much more than abstinence from food & drink, it is an act of humility. It is a denial of the flesh for the refining of the spirit. In the words of David Mathis, “Fasting is a means of God’s grace to strengthen & sharpen our Godward affections.” David wrote in Psalm 35:13, “I humbled myself with fasting.” In simplicity, fasting is… • Purifying • Refining • Transforming • Humbling It is important to note that it is not fasting that moves the heart of God, but humility. Fasting is simply an expression of humility. It is important we make this distinction, or we run the risk of turning fasting into something it was never intended to be. And what is that? What is fasting not? • Fasting is not a hunger strike. It is not resisting food until the Lord answers our demands. The Lord is not hostage to us. • Fasting is not a performance, for God or for man. God is not a legalist. The act of fasting will not stir God to love you more, but it will stir Him to action. • Fasting is not a diet. It is not a weight-loss system. Although there are many physical benefits to fasting, including weight loss, these are byproducts of fasting, not the goal, not the motive. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE FAST? ***We will be answering this question strictly from a spiritual point of view, although much happens physically & physiologically as well. For more information regarding the science of fasting we encourage you to check out the resource section of the manual. To answer the question, “What happens when we fast,” we must also ask, “What happens when we humble ourselves?” Why? Because fasting is an act of humility. Therefore, when we fast… • Grace is given (James 4:6) • We are exalted (Matthew 23:12) • God takes note of us (Psalm 138:6) • We are shown favor (Proverbs 3:34) • We gain honor (Proverbs 29:23) • The Father rewards us (Matthew 6:18) • Chains of injustice are loosened, the oppressed are set free, & yokes are untied & broken (Isaiah 58:6) TYPES OF FASTS As times of fasting draw near, the question will naturally arise, “What type of fast should I do?” Our primary encouragement to you is threefold: 1. Let the Spirit lead you. If He’s leading you into a fast, He will also lead you to know what type of fast to partake in. Simply ask & He will answer. 2. Consider humility. Do not choose a fast because it would be the least challenging, but consider what would cause you to come to the end of yourself & to a place where you must rely on the Spirit of God. 3. Please consult a medical professional if you have any pre-existing health conditions or challenges that may need to be taken into consideration. Some common fasts that we recommend considering are… THE JESUS FAST (WATER-ONLY) This fast involves abstaining from all food & consuming only water. This is a biblical fast, found in the life of Jesus, & recorded in the books of Matthew, Mark, & Luke. It is advised that water-only fasts lasting more than several days be undertaken with wisdom, rest, & with medical supervision because of the danger of over-toxification, breakdown of vital body tissues, & loss of electrolytes. JUICE FAST This fast involves abstaining from all solid foods, & drinking only juice & water (primarily water). This type of fast will provide you with more energy than a water-only fast. On a juice fast, we recommend drinking only fresh-pressed juices, which you can make at home with a juicer, or, if you don’t have a juicer, cold-pressed juices which you can buy at your local grocery store. You want to avoid juices with high acidic content, added sugars, & pulp. Drinking juices with pulp causes your metabolism to start back up, bringing back all of those difficult-to-deal-with hunger pangs. LIQUIDS-ONLY A liquids-only fast, also called a smoothie or shake fast, involves abstinence from eating solid foods, yet allows you to still get all the necessary nutrients you need to function, just in liquid form. You still deprive yourself the pleasure of chewing & eating, but you are able to get plenty of fruits, vegetables, protein powders, etc. DANIEL FAST The Daniel Fast follows the pattern revealed in Daniel 1:12 & Daniel 10:2-3. • Daniel 1:12, “Give us nothing but vegetables to eat & water to drink.” • Daniel 10:2-3, “I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips.” A Daniel Fast is essentially a vegan eating plan with more restrictions. It is a plant- based diet where the only beverage is water. It may help to think of it this way; No meats, sweets, wheats, treats, or alcohol. INTERMITTENT FASTING Intermittent fasting could also be called “time-restricted fasting,” where you only eat during certain windows of time throughout the day, & abstain from food during all other times. Intermittent fasting can be done many different ways, but some common practices include… • 8 on, 16 off: This method of fasting allows you to eat during an 8 hour window throughout the day, but the remaining 16 hours you abstain from all food & beverage. An example would be eating between 12:00 pm & 8:00 pm, but abstaining from 8:00 pm - 12:00 pm. • 6 on, 18 off: Similarly to the method mentioned above, this involves eating & drinking during a 6 hour period of time, but abstaining from food & beverage the remaining 18 hours. • Skip-a-meal: This form of fasting involves skipping one or two meals a day. It’s similar to the methods mentioned above, but rather than thinking in terms of time, you think in terms of meals. • Warrior Fasting: Warrior Fasting involves eating only fruits & veggies throughout the day, but allowing yourself to eat a larger, more well-rounded meal once in the evenings. MEDIA FAST If you are unable, or do not feel led by the Lord, to do any of the food-related fasts, consider participating in a social media, video game, television, &/or movie fast. This type of fasting involves abstinence from either all or some forms of media, & that time is replaced with Jesus-centric activity. TIPS FOR FASTING WELL As previously stated, there are incredible benefits to fasting, both spiritually & physically, but there are great challenges as well. The tips provided below are intended to help you in the practice & lifestyle of fasting. 1. Fill meal times with worship, prayer, & scripture. Remember, fasting is not simply abstaining from food, it is seeking the Lord. Do not empty your time of food simply to fill it with distraction & busyness. Allow the times that are being emptied of food & activity to be filled with Jesus-centric activity. 2. Pursue fasting as an act of humility & purification. In fasting, we are not trying to get something from God. Rather, we are seeking to realign our hearts’ affections with His. We do holy violence to the “pleasures which wage war against the soul,” which in turn, open the way for a greater submission to the Holy Spirit. It is the submitted life that moves, acts, sounds, & looks like Jesus’. 3. Pray with focused intentionality & goals. Setting a clear, prophetic prayer goal empowers you to stay focused & dedicated to the task at hand. In terms of church-led or leader-led fasts, prayer points & purpose are often provided, but in the case of a personal fast, ask the Lord what to be intentional about in terms of prayer, declaration, & meditation. 4. Fast unnoticeably. Matthew 6:16-18 instructs us to fast in such a way that we do not draw attention to ourselves. The purpose of fasting is not to put on a show or “holy presentation” for others, but to live life unto the Lord. Fasting is not for boasting, but it is also not necessary to go to extraordinary lengths to mask it if/ when people inquire. If others ask, just simply let them know you will not be eating. The bigger deal you make of it, the more attention you draw. Be discreet, be transparent, then move humbly along. 5. Fast with a friend. Although we are not to brag, boast, or flaunt the fasting & praying life in front of others, it is helpful & encouraged to fast with a friend/ spouse/ family member so that you may help encourage & uplift one another along the way. Families in particular are encouraged to fast together & create a space for open dialogue between parent & child. 6. Determine the type of fast & length of fast in advance, not after you start. Beginning with the end in mind helps you stay the course. 7. Husbands & wives, consider sexual abstinence for the sake of prayer.