How to Fast

Okay. So I’m just supposed to go without something for a specified period of time?

Yep. It’s pretty much that simple. YET. As you may know, it’s not. As I have incorporated the discipline of fasting into my life on a regular basis, there are things I have learned that have made it more enjoyable and fruitful.

As I’ve mentioned, intermittent fasting is all the rage right now in the health sphere. But what we’re talking about is fasting to commune with God. There’s a difference.

When I first started fasting, I just went without food. At the most basic level, that is fasting. But to reap the fruit of spiritually-minded fasting, there is some planning that needs to take place until it becomes more second-nature for you. The below are some things I have found helpful, and are in no way a new law.

First of all, you can just go whole hog and cut out food for 24 hours. But be ready to be groggy and hangry—which can prove counter-productive to to why you’re fasting! So I recommend that you don’t try to do an extended fast first thing. Try to simply eat a meal later than you normally do. Get used to how the hunger pangs feel. See that you’re able to manage the pain. See how you respond to others when you’re experiencing those hunger pangs. Become more aware of how you respond.

Second, try to fast one meal. Then add in fasting two meals and so on.

Third. Now that your time is freed up from thinking and warming up your food and eating it, plan what you will do with the extra time. Invest in a good journal. I recommend Rhoda or Moleskin journals. In the beginning, just read a psalm slowly. Ask God how he would use this time without food to focus on your spiritual vitality. Plan on spending at least 30 minutes in reading, prayer, and journaling. As you get more comfortable with fasting, seek to spend more time (60-90 minutes at a time).

Fourth, black coffee is a friend of mine. Call it cheating if you will. I would simply rebut that there is no cheating in fasting. Fasting is not a new law for you. That is, you are doing this as coerced by anyone except by the parameters you give for yourself. The Desert Father Pachomius encouraged people to not overdo their fasting. This is due to the pride that could creep in because of your ability to practice the discipline. It is also due to someone’s tendency to be more carnal in anger and sensitivity. What we do not want are a whole bunch of Redeemer folks walking around irritable because they are fasting together! That would be the opposite of the fruit that we are after.

Fifth. Akin to the above, we do not fast to earn anything from God. We do not fast to prove ourselves to be on another level of spiritual maturity. As Jesus said, make sure you do no practice your righteousness so people will praise you. That is wicked. To use the spiritual disciplines to puff ourselves up is the opposite of the humility Christ calls us to. Therefore.

Sixth. Wash your face. Get breath mints. Take a toothbrush with you. Make sure you are only telling people you are fasting if you must (as in, “Hey, would you like to grab lunch together?” “Sure. But i’ll just get some water if that’s alright with you.”) or as an encouragement to them to join you.

Seventh. Remember you are subtracting things from your life to make room for the Spirit to inhabit that space. When we are weak from fasting, we become more receptive and attune to God’s overtures of love and his presence in conversations and the wind that blows where it will. This discipline can free you from the many good things you have in your life to make room for the better things. Cry out to God to fill you when you feel weak. Use this time as a very tangible way to exhibit your earnestness to be filled with the Spirit. Use this time as a way to demonstrate your heart’s desire to experience more of God.

I am so grateful to God for this gift of self-sacrifice. It has proven a boon in times when I have felt self-sufficient. I have found that in times of spiritual dryness, I have learned to be watered by God’s Spirit. In times of brittleness and brokenness, he has made me more receptive and pliable in the Potter’s hands. May you find this to be true for you as well.