My Biblical Fasting Testimony
Biblical fasting is a very personal part of our life as a Christian. God doesn't demand it of us. He gives fasting to us as a gift that we have to determine in our hearts and minds to step forward and accept.
It doesn't matter if you have been fasting for years or if you just decided to begin fasting; fasting in a way that is pleasing to God is not easy. It's a struggle to push down the flesh because it goes against our nature. But we don't have to make fasting harder on ourselves than it is either. We have the Holy Spirit who, when asked, won't hesitate to step in to help us.
A TIME OF LEARNING AND GROWING
When I first learned about biblical fasting, the whole concept was pretty odd. The only thing I knew about fasting as a child was that we fasted something (usually meat and chocolate) for lent every year. For some reason I will never understand, we took the lack of meat way more seriously than the lack of chocolate.
After giving my life to Christ, God brought a badly needed friend into my life. We were both baby Christians and eager to learn how to make "it" work to be good Christian momma's. During one of our conversations, we decided to try fasting while our husbands were at work. It's been over 25 years and I still remember that first fast was torture.
My friend and I didn't prepare in any way. Instead of spending time with God during our fasts, we would be on the phone complaining and giggling about how hungry we were while planning our post-fast meal in detail. When the fast ended, we met to celebrate with hot fudge sundaes and lots of patting each other on the back for making it through.
Because we didn't know any better, our focus was entirely on the food and not on God.
Fasting was HARD and took a lot of effort away from our "real" duties as wives and mommas. Surely God didn’t intend fasting to be for us but maybe for someone who did something so terrible that they needed a time of serious repenting. Not us though, right?!?
For Additional Reading: Making Christian friends you can learn and grow with.
Oddly enough, it seemed like fasting was this big secret nobody wanted to talk about. It bothered me that the church spoke more about giving than they did fasting. With my limited knowledge, it seemed that both tithing and fasting were things God expected of his children. One was mentioned in every service while the other barely managed a passing comment.
If we asked someone about their fasting experience they would clam up. These were folks we considered super-Christians. They had to know more than my friend and I did! What was the deal?
I can’t speak for my friend but I was pretty confused. Keep in mind this was before the advent of the internet where anything and everything can be instantly researched. I finally reached a point that I wanted to know what God thought of fasting. I no longer cared what others thought about it. I wanted God’s point of view. Because if it didn’t matter to God one way or the other, I was not doing it!
Looking back, it was a blessing that people refused to discuss biblical fasting. I may have just believed fasting wasn’t important or for today and not gone on this discovery journey for myself.
THE JOURNEY BEGAN
I decided God had given me all I needed to learn about fasting; a renewed mind, a notebook, a Bible, and the Holy Spirit who promised to teach me.
In my mind, if fasting were important, God would have something to say about it (but I had my doubts). To my surprise, God did; fasting and prayer are very prevalent in the entire Bible.
Some things I learned felt like they finally made sense. However, some of the things I heard (like fasting should start at this time and end at that time, you can only eat this and not that, or a fast that is not a complete fast is just a waste of time), I could not find a basis for in the Bible no matter how much I searched. Those ideas got tossed out of the window.
Over the years, I adjusted how I conducted a biblical fast. As I found suggestions on biblical fasting, I give it a try. Some things worked, some things did not. Below you will see what worked for me throughout the years. As you pray and fast, you will develop your own tips that work for you. Although Biblical fasting has become a lifestyle for me, please remember, I am certainly no expert. I take it fast by fast and trust the Holy Spirit to teach me just as I encourage you to do.
BEFORE MY BIBLICAL FAST
1. I make a list in my fasting and prayer journal about what I feel led to fast for. Then I meditate on it asking God what (if anything) on my list is of him and what is not.
2. I shop for anything I might need for my fast. I know myself well enough to know I can't step a foot into a grocery store (or the gas station, or a carry-out, or anywhere that has my trigger foods) while fasting. I have to take care of shopping beforehand or I go without.
3. It helps if all food is put away and nothing is left in my eyesight during my fast. If I can't put it away, I throw a towel over it. That helps me tremendously. Out of sight, out of mind, right?
4. I am unable to think about food while fasting so I either preplan dinner so that everything can be quickly thrown together after ending my fast, my husband might cook, or grab take-out for us. The point is I either pre-plan dinner or we eat canned soup. ;)
DURING MY BIBLICAL FAST
1. I spend a good part of my fast with my prayer and fasting journal recording what I am praying about. It helps me to have a prayer focus so that my mind wanders less. If I get sidetracked, the journal isn't far from my sight and it reminds me to get back on track.
I also record what God speaks to me during the fast and his answered prayers. It's not needed but I know that in many places in the Bible God tells his people to write down what he has done. I practice this. When I look back on the detailed accounts of God answering prayer it helps my faith tremendously. The bad days always get better when I can see his many blessings.
As much as I promise myself I won't forget God's miracles, I do. Getting the chance to read over God's faithfulness is like getting blessed twice. I highly recommend it!
2. I find that if I don't put myself on a schedule, I lose track of time and forget to read God's Word. I choose not to use a devotional while fasting. I'm sure there is nothing wrong with it. But for me, I just want it to be me, God, my Bible, and my fasting journal.
3. When hunger hits, I do my best to turn to God for my comfort and help. I grab a big glass of water, hunker down, and use that moment to dig with my prayers and praise. I still do this while around others. I can sing praise and worship songs in my thoughts. Since God knows our every thought, there is no reason to think he would disregard that type of worship just because it isn't out loud.
4. I normally drink water with flavor packets in it but when I fast I find I only want plain water. However, if I have been feeling poorly I might drink a Propel or a Gatorade but not usually.
5. I begin my fast with praise and worship music but that is the only "outside influence" I allow myself. Living in the country, I tend to listen to music fairly loud and usually on repeat. Yes, you might find me walking around my house with arms raised praising God for all that he has blessed me with. I have a box of tissues at hand during this time. It is not unusual during my praise and worship time that God will impress something on me, more so than any other time during a fast. As mentioned, I always try to record this in my prayer and fasting journal.
6. Since my job is my blog ministry, I spend a good part of my time writing blog posts about God. Sometimes I will work on the endless behind the scenes website details. Life doesn't stop and this is my job just as if I worked outside of the home.
7. I deal with a few medical issues so I can't go without food for long without getting sick. I typically start my fast one night after dinner and continue through to the next day ending my fast before dinner. If I do a multi-day fast, I stop for dinner then begin again right after.
Because I start most fasts after dinner, I don't have anything but water when I begin. The next day for breakfast, I start with a glass of 50/50 juice and water plus a cup of broth; the same for lunch. I stick to this schedule and drink water between my "meal" times.
ENDING MY BIBLICAL FAST
I end my fasts with a time of praise and reading my Bible. Then I will eat anything I can grab quickly like a granola bar or a piece of fruit. Or a cookie if no one is around. :)
I then like to have a nice meal with my husband. Over the next few days, it's not uncommon for me to grab my prayer and fasting journal to record more blessings that result from my fast. God never fails me!
TESTIMONIES OF MY BIBLICAL FASTS
When I was first learning about fasting, I would have been thrilled to find an example of someone’s fasting experience. We learn from the examples of those who have “gone before” us, which is one of the reasons we are to share our testimonies. For that reason alone, I felt it was important to “pass the plate” and share. Please take my examples below for what they are.
As you will see, each fasting experience is different but all will be a progression from where we were prior. And transformation to being more Christ-like is our goal, right?
THE GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE INCIDENT
One day I was fasting and needed to prepare my husband's lunch for work. Without thinking, I took a bite of the German chocolate cake as I was packing. Immediately, the Holy Spirit brought to mind the fact that I was fasting. Quick as that I turned to the trashcan and spit it out. Yes, I was tempted to just swallow it but I didn't.
Did that make my fast a failure? Absolutely not. I apologized to God for acting on autopilot and asked for his renewed strength because now that I had a taste of that cake, I really wanted cake! Instead, I grabbed a towel to throw over the remaining cake, clutched my glass of water, and scurried out of the kitchen and away from temptation.
How do I know it was God encouraging me to get back to my fast and get rid of the cake? Because spitting out that cake was not a thought that I would naturally have. Ever. In case you have not noticed, I love sweets, especially cake. But I knew that voice and I knew I was making a decision far beyond what was in the physical.
My Lesson: The Holy Spirit is present, paying attention, and provides help and/or correction as needed.
EGG ON MY FACE
For this particular fast, I had determined I would fast my usual time. But I woke up really, really hungry. As I was fixing my husband's breakfast, my hunger increased. Without giving it much thought, I put 2 more eggs in the pan and told myself I would fast from 9 am-3 pm instead. I remember thinking God wouldn't care as long as I was still fasting.
Suddenly I heard a soft but firm voice very clearly say, "no".
"But God, I haven't even started my fast yet. What are you doing listening and watching already?" (yep, I said that. Not my proudest moment.)
"Your fast has begun."
"But God, I'm really hungry."
"Hungry for me or for the food?"
"But God, I've already got it cooked. I don't want to waste it" (cause you know, an egg is like, what, 30 cents each? I'm the person who has been known to leave half a steak on her plate but I was "worried" about 60 cents in eggs??).
God must have thought my argument was silly too because he didn't respond but I could feel him smiling. So I tried again. "But God..." I whined.
"Give the food to the dog."
"But..."
"Let your yes be yes and your no be no."
I looked around and sure enough, my dog had gotten out of bed early (which he never did) and was sitting at my feet waiting for eggs that he had never tasted before. He has happily eaten eggs ever since.
The ironic thing is, I didn't even like eggs!
So yes, the Holy Spirit is near. He doesn't miss anything and cares about every detail of our lives. He wasn't angry with me but he wasn't going to let me get away with something either. God didn't care about the food. He cared about me. He expected me to stick with my word and not alter what I had said I would do.
My Lesson: God takes fasting and our promises very seriously even when we don’t.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I don't enjoy fasting, but I love it! That doesn’t make sense, does it? Things of God are often like that. See, I dislike the uncomfortable physical and emotional symptoms that rise up during a fast. But I dislike the constant struggling in my carnal mind even more. Biblical fasting proves to me time and again that nothing of this world has a hold on me because nothing is more powerful than God.
For Additional Reading: Our God is an awesome God!
Have you been feeling the Holy Spirit tugging on your heart to begin the spiritual discipline of fasting? Has He been calling you to fast for a situation, person, or simply to draw closer to him? Give God the chance to show you his love in a way you may not have experienced before.
We all have the desire to grow and be stronger in our faith but before deciding to move forward with fasting, please spend time with God in prayer about it. As you can see from the examples of my life above, God takes fasting seriously. Because He does, shouldn’t we?
DISCLAIMER
I'm not a physician or medical professional of any kind. This information is based on my research and personal experience. Take responsibility for your own life. If you feel you need to see a doctor before fasting, do it. You know your body and health needs. If you feel you should fast things other than food, that's between you and God.
I will not be the one to tell you what to do with your life, spiritual or physical. God has given each of us free will. Since God respects our free will, we need to respect it in each other.
Remember, no matter what you decide to do in your walk with Christ, you do not walk alone. God is always, always, always at your side.