On Starting to Fast

Christian fasting is a normal, voluntary abstinence from food for spiritual purposes. Like anything in the Christian life, fasting is an invitation, not an obligation, and we need to learn to walk in it before we can run. Consider the following as you take a step into the deeper waters of faith by practicing fasting.

Start Simple

One of the most important things to remember about starting a spiritual discipline like fasting is to start simple. Don’t try to be a hero on your first attempt. To use a completely equal and opposite example, if you wanted to win The Big Texan Challenge (which is a challenge in Amarillo, TX that involves eating a 72 oz. steak, baked potato, salad, and rolls) and you weren’t a big steak eater already, you wouldn’t walk in and just attempt the feat. You may want to work your way up.

Weird example I know but hopefully you get it. Just remember that fasting is a pathway for you to become more like Christ and experience His power and presence. And, like anything, for fasting to be consistent and sustainable in your life, it must be done regularly and appropriately.

So try this.

When starting to fast, consider picking one day a week in which to practice and just skip breakfast and lunch. Eat again at dinner time as you normally would. In fact, for the first three to four weeks of doing this, don’t even go entirely without food during breakfast and lunch—simply shrink your meals down to something light and simple. Eat something like a piece of fruit, a granola bar, a smoothie, or just a glass of juice.

Know Your Purpose

In the time that you would normally spend eating, fill the time praying or reading and meditating on Scripture. However, it is important to pick a specific focus that ties these practices together — a purpose for which you are praying and to which Scripture speaks. After all, fasting is abstaining from food for a spiritual purpose. Without a spiritual purpose for your fast it’s just a diet and weight-loss program. Having something specific in mind helps focus during a fast.

Think about it.

When the hunger pangs arrive, not having to think about what you’re praying for helps. That’s why having a biblical purpose for your fast may be the single most important component of fasting. Because when your head aches or your stomach growls and you think, “Man, I’m hungry!”, your next thought is likely to be something like, “Ah yes, I’m hungry because I’m fasting today. And I’m fasting for this purpose: _____________________.”

So pick something specific, and the more specific the better.

Don’t just pray for your spouse. Rather, pray for some specific situation they are dealing with or a specific aspect of godliness in which you want to see them grow. Don’t just pray for the church. Rather, pray for the specific people in your church. Pray for the people by name or even your pastor! Remember that consistency and stability is the aim so know (and even plan) your purpose strategically. If you do this once a week, you can pray intently for fifty-two people, ministries, or needs a year.

Remember that Hunger is Normal

This is obvious, but fasting means that you’ll be hungry. Although the physical discomfort is hard, it is necessary to feel some degree of hunger because it serves as a continual reminder of your spiritual purpose. For instance, if your purpose in fasting is to pray for your spouse, then every time growl of the stomach reminds you that you’re fasting. This in turn reminds you that you are fasting for the purpose of praying for your spouse — and then you pray. Accordingly, the feeling of hunger serves almost like an alarm clock to remind you to pray for your spouse, which is exactly what you wanted to do.

Stretch and Experiment

Once you have made a particular day of the week a fast day and your body begins to adjust to going for a longer period with less food, you can begin to stretch your fasting into multiple days. There are two ways to stretch and experiment with going deeper into the discipline of fasting:

The first way has to do with modifying food intake. Decrease the amount of food that you consume in your time of fasting, shrinking down to just water or just liquids.

The second way has to do with extending time and skipping more meals. If you extend time however, always consider nutritional and health considerations. You might try stretching in both directions over time to see how your mind and body react and what feels like the best way to intensify your focus on prayer.