Ash Wednesday is correct across the corner. With the season of Lent comes the inevitable conversation of fasting and the query, “What will you surrender for Lent this 12 months?”
I used to be nineteen once I fasted for spiritual purposes for the primary time. I drank only water for nine days and broke my fast with communion. The body of Christ, given for me.
During that nine-day fast, I heard God’s voice more clearly than I ever had prior. I actually have fasted every January 1-3 every 12 months since, excluding the years I used to be pregnant or nursing.
Most people misunderstand the aim of fasting and its potential advantages—each physical and spiritual. But Jesus doesn’t say in Matthew 6, “in case you fast.” He says, “if you fast.” The premise of his teaching about fasting is that the disciples have fasted before. “When you fast.”
What Are the Physical Benefits of Fasting?
Alan Cott MD, in his book Fasting is a Way of Life, writes, “there are those whose attitudes toward going without food for even someday are frozen in fear and ignorance.”
“The Edwin Smith papyrus, estimated to be 3,700 years old, quotes an ancient Egyptian doctor: “Man eats an excessive amount of. Thus he lives only on one fourth of what he consumes. The doctors, nevertheless, live to tell the tale the remaining three-fourths.” And that was 3,700 years ago!
Bing Wall, in a lecture at Bethel seminary, said, “One doctor estimates that 80 percent of diseases are related to food consumption.” Even if that percentage is off, it’s statistically proven that a whole bunch of diseases are attributed to poor food consumption. Poor diets, high in processed foods, sugar, unhealthy fats, and an excessive amount of salt contribute to chronic diseases comparable to heart disease, stroke, and hypertension, type 2 diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis, and certain cancers. Ultra-processed foods are linked to over 30 conditions, including gastrointestinal, respiratory, and mental health issues.
Doctor Buchinger, a German specialist on the healing fast, talks about how the dead and sick cells are the primary to go when someone fasts. He uses the analogy of a farmer caught in a winter snowstorm who must determine what to burn first to maintain warm. “The first things to go are spare lumber broken furniture old magazines and books,” from essentially the most expendable to essentially the most obligatory, “the pores of the skin the mouth the lungs the kidneys the liver and after all the bowels are involved on this physical spring cleansing.”
Franklin Hall tells a story about doctor Tanner, a Christian by devotion and a physician by trade. Hall writes that Doctor Tanner lived to be 92 years of age and gave credit to fasting for his longevity of life… His first fast was so glorious that he took on additional fasts of over 40 days. After his last fast, a crop of black hair appeared instead of the Gray hair. This story aligns with Thomas Ryan’s view that fasting has the potential to slow the aging process.
In Fasting: The Ultimate Diet by Alan Knott MD, he lists the reason why fasting is helpful. “Fasting leads to raised eating habits, reduces tension, helps you are feeling higher mentally and physically, lowers blood pressure and cholesterol level levels, improves sleep, helps end dependence on smoking drinking and other addictions, heightens spiritual awareness, and saves food money and time.”
But, after all, the Bible is not primarily concerned with the health advantages of fasting, which should not be viewed as a cure-all (and should not be undertaken if you could have certain health considerations). Even more noteworthy are the spiritual advantages, which we are going to take a look at below.
What Are the Spiritual Benefits of Fasting?
No matter what variety of fast you undergo, the motive behind the fast is what determines the correct or the improper of it. God reveals anger toward priests within the Old Testament when He says,
“When you fasted and mourned within the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, was it really for me that you just fasted?” Zechariah 7:5
God desires to be first. When we fast, we provide our bodies to God as living sacrifices. We are spiritually kneeling in humility to listen for His will.
In 2 Chronicles 7:14, God calls religious leaders to fast within the case of a national crisis. And he guarantees them, “if my people, who’re called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and switch from their wicked ways, then I’ll hear from heaven and can forgive their sin and heal the land.”
Nehemiah fasted and God gave him direction.
They said to me, “Things usually are not going well for many who returned to the province of Judah. They are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem has been torn down, and the gates have been destroyed by fire.”
When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven.” Nehemiah 1:3-4
This proverb describes fasting with acute precision.
An old Cherokee said to his grandson, “A terrible fight is happening inside me between two wolves.
“One wolf is evil – he’s anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.”
He continued, “The other is nice – he’s joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.”
The grandson asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”
“The one I feed,” the elder replied.
When I starve my selfish self, the a part of me that makes demands to God like a spoiled child begging for dessert, I hear the quieter, spiritual frequencies. Fasting taught me that God doesn’t shout for our attention, nor should He must. He is within the wind and the whisper (1 Kings 19).
God wants our hearts. Joel 2:12-13, paired with Hosea 6:6, are two of my favorite verses.
“Even now,” declares the Lord,
“return to me with all of your heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning.”Rend your heart
and never your garments.
Return to the Lord your God,
for he’s gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
and he relents from sending calamity.Joel 2:12-13
For I desire mercy, not sacrifice,
and acknowledgment of God moderately than burnt offerings.Hosea 6:6
The practice of tearing clothing was often related to mourning, in addition to fasting. The “rending” of clothes was an outward demonstration for what must have been a secret sacrifice. The act of the sacrifice was never the purpose.
Fasting is a terrible weight-loss plan because at the tip of the fast, your body will hoard every calorie you intake. When I fast, I gain all my weight back, pound for pound. Some years I even gained more weight afterward.
“I’m giving up chocolate for Lent!” is an amazing food plan strategy, however the declaration falls in need of fasting’s true intent. As the creator of God’s Plan for Prayer and Fasting wrote, “Fasting is just not designed to get the attention of man, however the ear of God.”
As Lent approaches this 12 months, moderately than asking yourself, “What unhealthy dependency can I break by utilizing fasting as a springboard,” ask yourself, “What does God require of me?” Pray about what it’s best to fast. God will honor the ask.
Fasting is just not an activity we enroll for. It is a sanctuary we enter into. It is a spot where we meet with God one on one. The fast changes the faster. On the morning of day 4 or day eight, once I break my fast, I’m at all times sad to go away our space. And each time, God laughs. You can bring me with you, He seems to say. That’s the entire point.
Types of Biblical Fasts
If this has spoken to you, but you might be latest to fasting, it’s possible you’ll wonder, “How do I fast?” or “What forms of fasts are there?”
In the Bible, there are three forms of fasting:
- an entire fast
- a partial fast
- a scientific fast.
1. A Complete Fast:
An entire fast, also known as an absolute fast, means abstaining from food and water. This variety of fast needs to be done not more than three days as a result of our need for water to survive. Some books recommend only someday. Esther asking the Israelites to fast for 3 days is an example of an entire fast.
“Go and gather together all of the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for 3 days, night or day. My maids and I’ll do the identical. And then, though it’s against the law, I’ll go in to see the king. If I have to die, I have to die.” Esther 4:16
Esther was the mediator between the king of Persia and the Israelites. She believed a lot within the divine power of fasting that she commanded all of Israel to abstain from food and water for 3 days in order that they could dedicate their time in prayer to God. As stated above, an entire fast should only be done for 3 days maximum, since the human body will die without water for 3 to 5 days. So, when the Israelites underwent an entire fast for 3 days, they were using their bodies to inform God “We will die without you. We imagine you might be the just one who can save us.”
2. A Partial Fast:
There are several ways to undergo a partial fast, comparable to abstaining from various foods or skipping one meal to meditate as an alternative. Daniel 1, when Daniel and his friends eat only vegetables and drink only water, is an example of a partial fast.
“Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” Daniel 1:12-13
3. A Systematic Fast:
Systematic fasting is a period of fasting for a selected day, time, or portion of the 12 months. My alternative to fast the primary three days of every latest 12 months is a scientific fast.
The Israelites’ Day of Atonement was a scientific fast.
“On the tenth day of the appointed month in early autumn, you need to deny yourselves. Neither native-born Israelites nor foreigners living amongst it’s possible you’ll do any type of work. This is a everlasting law for you. On that day offerings of purification will likely be made for you, and also you will likely be purified within the Lord’s presence from all of your sins.” Leviticus 16:29-30.
Fasting can seem daunting, especially in case you’ve never done it before. It’s okay to begin small and, as you experience more of God’s provision and your trust grows, to lean more into this spiritual practice.
Alternatives to a Water-Only Fast
Here are some ways I’ve adapted my water-only fast with time:
- Tea
- Coffee with zero-calorie sweetener
- A chicken bouillon cube in water for dinner
- Zero-sugar water flavorings comparable to Crystal Light
Fasting isn’t about impressing God or punishing ourselves—it’s about quieting every other voice so we will hear His, offering our hearts in give up, and creating space to walk more closely with the One who gave every little thing for us. This season of Lent, I encourage you to be open as to if God could also be talking to you about not only giving something up, but about how fasting can draw your heart into greater communion with him.
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