This was written specifically for my church, where we are looking forward to our annual 21-day season of prayer and fasting in January.  However, it’s good encouragement for anyone thinking of incorporating fasting into their life.  Enjoy!

We’re less than a month away from our yearly “504” (21 days x 24 hours, seeking God in a special way).  So, I’m continuing this series to set our minds for this time. 

I’m by no means an expert on the topic of fasting.  However, I have attempted to make it a regular part of my lifestyle (with varying degrees of success and seriousness) for the last 15 years.  I believe in the power of it, and desire to continue to grow in this grace.  So, I’m hoping through these posts to encourage you and prepare you to engage in fasting in a meaningful and fruitful way.

The best advice I can give you is this: PLAN FOR IT:

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve entered into a fast (whether it was part of a day or many) and what unfortunately happened was, I simply didn’t eat.  There was nothing special about how I spent the time or sought God.  Those are very frustrating times that leave me thinking, “why didn’t I just eat??”.  The point is, if you’re going to fast, make the most of it!  To do so, you have to plan for it.  So, here are a few things to consider:

1. What kind of fast will you do?

      Before discussing specifics I have to say this: IT ALL COUNTS!  If all you do is give up sugar, if it’s unto the Lord, it counts!  He sees and He will bless it!  It’s not about how “hard” the fast is for you, it’s about your heart in the matter!  “Bigger” is not necessarily better.  If your heart is that it be “easy”, that’s all you’ll get – an easy fast.  If your heart is to encounter Jesus deeply — you will! 

      If you are not experienced with fasting, or if you have a very strenuous job, I DO encourage you take an “easy” fast.  However, you DO want it to be a challenge, because by pressing yourself, you are forced to lean into the Lord in a deeper way, and acknowledge your need for Him.  This is where you find Grace!  This is part of the beauty of fasting.

      That being said then, as we’re looking toward a 21-day period, there are a few ways you can approach it:

-A “complete” fast – i.e. no food at all, just water.  This can be a strenuous fast.  Do it only if you feel you have the freedom of lifestyle and grace from the Lord to do it, or if you specifically feel He is “calling” you to do it.

-A “juice” fast.  No food, just liquids.  This is considerably easier, still challenging and requires definitive lifestyle adjustments for the fast period.

-A “Daniel” fast.  A diet consisting mostly of fruits, vegetables and grains.  This is fairly doable for anyone.

-Create your own!  Fast completely three days each week.  Or fast two meals every day (only one meal a day).  Go with what you feel you will be able to stick with and/or what you feel the Spirit may be “calling” you to. 

-“Non-food” fasts.  There are great to do alone or in conjunction with a food fast.  Here you make a conscious decision to “give up” certain things for a season.  You may choose to do a media fast (no TV, movies, radio, etc.), a “word” fast (saying as little as possible, or refusing to talk about yourself, etc.), a “money” fast (stop spending in a certain area and give the money away in a way that honors the Lord).  The possibilities are endless.  Just think of it as a gift.  Whatever you give to your Father, He will enjoy!  So, be creative and have fun (yes, I said FUN in relation to fasting. For real.)

1. Do LESS activity.

      If your fast restricts food intake, this will happen naturally, since you may feel weak.  But, in a practical way, you should schedule LESS things to do, so that you have more time to give toward seeking the Lord in prayer, Scripture meditation, worship, listening, etc.  Spend your “eating” times in spiritual seeking.  Turn off that TV show you always watch.  Limit your computer time, etc.  We’ll be hosting weekly corporate meetings for worship, prayer and teaching as well, because want to all do this together, so make room for that, too.  Our church’s small groups will be on hiatus for these three weeks as well, to give priority to this.

1. Keep a journal- start now!

      It’s always great to be able to remember when the Lord speaks to you or answers a prayer (we forget so easily!).  You can also expect that He will be encountering and speaking to you in a deeper way as you are seeking Him deeper (that IS His promise, after all!).  Keeping a journal is a great way to make the most of this.  Write down everything that He says and special Scripture passages that stick out to.  Write down dreams that you have during this time and ask for their meaning.  Write down inspired words you hear from others as well.  You’ll be amazed, I’m sure of it!  You may even want to begin NOW, by writing down what you’d like to see as you seek Him, or special prayer requests you want to focus on during that time.  Have some expectation.  He WILL meet you.    

4.  Practice!

            We still have a couple of weeks before the “504”.  If you’re new to fasting, but want to make the most of this, try it smaller measures NOW.  Especially if you think you want to do a pretty “serious” fast in January, try a few days now.  Or if you’re very new to fasting, try a portion of a day several times and build up your “endurance”.  He will meet you, even if this!  As I said before, it all counts! J   

Next time, I’ll talk about the REWARDS of fasting.  Yes, there are rewards!   The, you’ll REALLY want to jump in. J

^{Zechariah 8:18} Again the word of the LORD Almighty came to me. ¹⁹ This is what the LORD Almighty says: “The fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth months will become joyful and glad occasions and happy festivals for Judah. Therefore love truth and peace.”

It’s become an annual tradition for our church to take a 21-day period in January as a special time of prayer and fasting, to set ourselves apart for the Lord, and launch us personally and corporately into a new year.  Sometimes we call it a time of “consecration”, to be more inclusive of the many ways that we can give ourselves to a time that is “holy to the Lord”.  Generally, those tools we use to give ourselves more fully to the Lord have been referred to as ”spiritual disciplines”, e.g. fasting, prayer, Bible study, worship, giving, serving, etc.  One of the most powerful of these, I believe, is fasting.  It is also probably the most under-utilized and perhaps misunderstood of these avenues to engage with God.  Sometimes I wonder if we’ve under-played the fasting aspect of this time, simply because it’s an oft-hated activity.  Those who have fasted will many times confess how much they dislike it, and those who have not ever actually fasted probably haven’t because they dislike the very idea of fasting.

See, actually I think that we should call them “self-disciplines” not “spiritual disciplines” because we are actually disciplining our self (aka “flesh”) so that our spirit can be free.  We have the Spirit of God in us, and He doesn’t need to be disciplined, WE do!  We have to put reigns on our self-indulgent tendencies (how we spend our time, money, energy and how we choose to gratify our appetites: physical, emotional, etc.) so that we can be freed to truly and deeply experience God.  Fasting (and the other disciplines) is uncomfortable because it challenges our selfish nature and our self-centeredness (what we feel we “need” and what we want) – this is probably what causes our dislike/hatred of it.  However, if we can apprehend grace to enter into it, fasting should be an extremely joyful experience!  Why?  Because it sensitizes us and opens us up to more of Jesus, and He is EXEEDINGLY joyful! 

I know, we are currently in a season of “feasting” (in the midst of the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays).  Feasting is also very Biblical, and I hope you enjoy this season to the fullest!  But, it helps to prepare yourself before a season of consecration, and that is why I’m putting this out now.  The dates of our “504” (21 days = 504 hours) are January 10^th-31^st (some of you reading this are not a part of SOCC, but you can definitely still set aside a season of seeking God – why not?).  So begin now to think about how you would like to take advantage of this time. 

As I alluded to in the title of this post, it was with JOY that Jesus was able to endure the Cross (Hebrews 12:2).  He knew what would be accomplished by going through the crucifixion.  And, though He didn’t enjoy the process, He knew it was worth it, and He knew that He would enjoy the results.  Similarly, we are told that we should take up our Cross (deny our self) and follow Him (Matthew 16:24)!  Denying self — in whatever choices it looks like — usually doesn’t “feel” good in the process, but what if we could look forward to the results (nearness to God and more of Him in our life) and have JOY??  That is His desire!!  That’s the whole point! 

Just as the verse at the top of this post states, the Lord wants our fasts to be “joyful and glad occasions and happy festivals”.  That may seem odd when in the natural, a fast can make you tired, irritable and weak.  But, if the result is that you are being drawn closer to the heart of God and walking nearer to Jesus, how could it NOT be a joyful, glad and happy occasion??  And I dare say, it WILL be!

Look forward to more thoughts on this in the weeks to come, and if you have questions or thoughts, please post them for discussion! 

This is all reposted from 2 posts last summer, but I wanted to put them up again.  For me, and for any who might find it helpful…

This is obvious, perhaps, but I will say it nonetheless:  to fast WELL, really requires a purposefulness, giving it priority, and shifting your lifestyle for a season.  See, anyone can skip a meal, or go without certain things, at least for a while.  Some people are probably naturally better at denying themselves than others.  But, really, that doesn’t mean a whole lot, except maybe learning some self-control and discipline. 

To fast “well”, as I say, means: to truly engage your heart at a deeper level with God (which is why  God has given us the wonderful gift of fasting).  It’s easy to just go on with life as “usual”, even while fasting.  I’m shocked how often I find myself not really praying in a more concentrated way, and I’m just going through life . . . but, I fool myself into thinking I’m more spiritual because I’m “fasting”.  But, do I feel closer to God, am I seeking Him more, am I turning my heart toward Him every time I think of what I’m “missing out” on?  That’s what should be happening.  And, really, it has to be very intentional, I find.  It doesn’t happen on accident.  You won’t pray if you don’t SET ASIDE the time for that purpose only.  In a season of fasting, you want to pray more frequently and more intensely.  You want to dedicate MORE time to personal Bible study and worship.  You have to plan on it.  And, if you’re fasting seriously, you’ll need to slow your life down, actually do LESS.  This is HARD!  We don’t like to slow life down, because then we feel like we’re accomplishing less. 

Fasting can make you tired, irritable, weak.  And, I think that’s why it’s such a good thing.  We see that we are weak (physically, emotionally, and spiritually), and seeing our need causes us to CALL OUT TO GOD and realize that we can’t do it on our own.  This is the true state of being for us every day; we are IN NEED OF GOD for every breath, everything!  But, we have so many “props” that keep us running on empty and without God—food, entertainment, busy-ness, caffeine, etc. – that we end up living a very empty, weak, lifeless, powerless existence, void of the power and presence of God, but we don’t see it or feel it because we are full, distracted, entertained, and high on sugar and caffeine. 

I’m not trying to be condemning.  I just keep looking at my life and praying, “I don’t WANT to be empty and powerless and dead on the inside!  I want real life, God!”  and I’m crying out, “God, send revival to our nation!!  We are so Godless!!!!  Even those who call themselves “Christians” may be more “having a form of godliness but denying it’s power”, and that’s a scary thought!!  

Either way, here’s the thought in a nutshell:  It’s not about what you “let go” of or “give up” during a fast, it’s about what you EMBRACE. 

Add to that this thought: Whatever you embrace during fasting is what you will bind your heart and soul to.

Interesting thought, huh?

It goes like this.  It’s not so important if you’re giving up meat, sugar, all foods, various types of entertainment, words, etc. during a fast.  Whatever you are willing to do and give is your gift to the Lord.  One is not better than another or somehow more special or holy.  It’s what you, out of a sincere heart desire to give to Him.  And, what you feel that He is giving you the strength and grace to follow through with.  It’s giving up things that are good, legitimate, God-given as an act of saying, “I want the highest, best pleasures of God, not just the lower, lesser ones.  So, I will say “no” to the good, so that I might apprehend the “best”.  This can be for a season, or for a lifetime (within reason).

I think of it like this:  when a child makes a little card or drawing or craft for their parents, the parents ALWAYS love and appreciate that gift (if they are good, loving parents), it is their favorite thing.  They treasure it and remember it, perhaps post in on the fridge or keep it in a scrapbook.  That gift from the heart and hands is a precious thing.  The parent does NOT say, “well, I would have liked it MORE if you would have done this, instead of that….”  No!  It’s not the type of gift, it’s that it is true and from the heart. 

I believe that’s how our Good Heavenly Father feels about our fasting.  Whatever we give out of a true heart of love, touches His heart deeply. 

So, it’s not so much about “what kind of fast” but about WHY, and who is it for, really?

There are many things that you can be embracing in a fast, that may not get you closer to God and may get you further away.  For example, you may in your zealousness and fasting “embrace” spiritual pride, thinking that you are better than others because you are willing to “sacrifice” and fast.  Or, you may “embrace” weight loss as what you desire in your fast.  Weight loss can be good for some, but don’t let yourself get attached to appearances, this an idol!

Some good things you could “embrace” in a season of fasting:  Getting closer to the heart of God;  Seeing breakthrough/revival/etc.; personal breakthrough/deliverance; deeper encounter with the Holy Spirit.  These are all good and will be wonderful things to have your soul and life attached to during a fast.  It will change you and affect you positively far beyond the “season” of the fast!!

I want to embrace Jesus.  I want to feel what He feels, think what He thinks, see what He sees and do what He does.  I embrace the need for revival in my, in those around me and in our nation.  God, have Your way, and let us NOT be content with things the way they are!! 

Thoughts?