How To Get Started on Your Fast

Having a successful fast starts with the right preparation. It is important to choose ahead of time what type of fast, or what combination you will pursue. Not only will this help with making the necessary preparations to implement your plan, but as you commit to a specific fast ahead of time and know how you’re going to do it, you will position yourself to finish strong.

Here are a few easy steps to get you started:

1.) Set Your Objective

Begin by deciding why you are fasting. Is it for spiritual renewal, for healing, for wisdom in a particular area, or the resolution of a specific issue? Pick the top 1-3 prayer requests or things you would like to seek God on. Don't overwhelm yourself and make a laundry list of items. Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you in deciding and clarifying your goals for fasting.

2.) Choose Your Plan

We are all at different places in our walk with God. Likewise our jobs, daily schedules, and health conditions are all different and place various levels of demand on our energy. So most importantly, whether you’ve fasted before, or this will be your first time, prayerfully consider what your fast will look like.

Your personal fast should have a level of challenge to it, but it’s very important to know your own body, know your options, and most importantly, seek God in prayer and follow what the Holy Spirit leads you to do. Remember, the goal of fasting is not just to do without food. The goal is to draw nearer to God.

3.) Choose Your Fasting Schedule

You may choose to fast all or several days out of the 21 days, such as, 3 or 4 days a week or specifically on Sundays and Wednesdays. Maybe you will do that, and end with 3 to 7 consecutive days at the end. This is your personal decision, and again, should be prayerfully considered as it applies to your circumstances. Just plan ahead.

 

Types of Fasts

While preparing for your fast, it is important to choose ahead of time what type of fast you will participate in. Not only will this help with making the necessary preparations to implement your plan, but as you commit to a specific fast ahead of time, and know how you’re going to do it, you will position yourself to finish strong. Choosing your fasting plan is a very personal decision. We are all at different places in our walk with God and our spirituality should never be a cause for comparison or competition.  There is nothing more “inherently spiritual” about one type of fast as opposed to another. Your personal fast should present a level of challenge to it, but know your body, know your options, and most importantly, seek God in prayer about this and follow what the Holy Spirit leads you to do.  It’s also important to not let what you eat or do not eat become the focus of your fast.  This is a time to disconnect enough with your regular patterns and habits in order to connect closer to God.

 

Listed below, are some options and variations of different types of fasts you can choose to engage in.

 

Specific Food or Activity Fast-

This type of fast refers to omitting a specific item(s), activity or habit from your time of prayer and fasting.  For example, you may choose to eliminate red meat, processed or fast food, or sweets.  It could also involve fasting from an activity or habit, such as television watching, or social media.

 

Daniel Fast-

The Daniel fast is a great model to follow that proves to be extremely effective for spiritual focus, bodily discipline and purification in the body and soul.  It is probably one of the most commonly referred to types of fasts, however within the term “Daniel Fast”, there is room for broad interpretation.  In the book of Daniel, we find two different times where Daniel fasted, once in Daniel 1 and again in Daniel 10.  Daniel 1 states that he ate vegetables and water, and in Daniel 10, while the passage does not give a specific list of foods that Daniel ate, it does state that Daniel ate no rich (or choice) foods as well as no meat or wine.  So based on these two verses, we can see that either of these, or any variations in between constitutes a fast.  Again, there is nothing “inherently spiritual” about one type of fast as opposed to another.  It is important to seek God in prayer and follow what the Holy Spirit leads you to do.

 

Juice Fast-

A juice fast is when no solid food is consumed and instead involves the intake of vegetable juices, fruit juices and water.

 

Water Fast-

A water fast is eating no foods and drinking no liquids except water for a period of time.  Extreme precautions should be taken with a water fast and should be done under the direction, supervision and monitoring of your physician.

Total Fast

A total fast is where nothing – neither liquid, solid food nor even water is consumed for a period of time.  We do not recommend total fasting as this can be very dangerous to your health.  Attempting to go without water especially, for any period of time can be extremely harmful to the body.

 

*Important Note: Fasting requires reasonable precautions. If you have any health concerns, please consult your physician prior to beginning your fast, especially if you are taking medications, have a chronic condition, or are pregnant or nursing a baby.*

How to Explain Fasting to Kids

An easy way to explain the benefits of prayer and fasting to kids is to compare it to cleaning out old toys that might no longer work, or that they might have outgrown, to make room for new ones. As we clean out our bodies and make time to connect closer to God and His Word, we make room to receive new gifts from Him.

 

Kids Fasting How-To’s

• We do not recommend that children skip meals or drastically reduce their food intake, but a modification of their diet might prove to be an easy place to start. For example, fasting from specific items such as sweets, red meats, fried foods or even introducing a form of the Daniel fast which includes legumes, nuts and whole grains is a great way for children to participate in a safe and healthy way.*

•  Another great way to fast is by reducing some of the time and energy spent watching TV, playing video games, using the computer or phone, and instead choosing to spend time praying, reading their Bible or serving others.

• ·The main thing is for them to recognize the value behind setting aside special times to disconnect from some of the extra-curricular activities and treats they enjoy on a regular basis and learn how to connect to God in a closer way. Write down a few prayer requests and pray together for those things throughout the fast.

 

 

*Please note, you should always check with your child’s pediatrician before your child(ren) begin any type of fasting.