Fasting 101

Have you ever? 

Have you ever been a part of church fast? This is also known as community fasting. Have you seen people fast with just water, but not with God? Do you know the habits and benefits of fasting? Have you ever felt like you were fasting wrong? Here are some facts about fasting you may or may not have heard of: 

With/without 

Without fasting on a regular basis, I’m stuffy, bloated, and not hearing from God as clearly as I should. I’m losing my mind, not sure which direction to take. 

When I fast on a regular basis, I have a piece of certainty with where I am and where I’m going. I hear and see God clearer. I usually do intermediate fasting so I don’t eat within a few hours after waking up.  

Picture This… 

I have done individual fasting where I would have specific foods, certain prayers, and bible reading with just myself. My purpose of fasting was searching for guidance, or simply denying my flesh of the worldly things to get closer to God. I have done corporate fasting, which is a body of people fasting together to achieve a goal. Usually, this is with a church, and we would fast once a month out of the year. We were given a platform on what to eat, what to pray about, and what scripture of the day was. Prayers and daily morning prayer calls kept us all accountable. Some people think fasting is just depriving yourself of food. Fasting without God is not fasting. Seeking Him and His wonders while rearranging your daily activities is fasting. It is recommended to avoid working out while fasting. The purpose is to strengthen your spirit man. Exercise your spiritual muscles like a holy boot camp.  

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Prayer

Matthew 4:1-2

“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.” (NIV)

Prayer

Now that I have gained a little more understanding about the way you fast, Lord, let me be like you. You sat before God and received direction; you denied your body of what it wants so your spirit can be recalibrated with God’s presence. Give me the strength to do the same during my time of fasting. In Jesus name, Amen.