How are you doing my darling friend?

Are you starting to feel spiritually renewed and refreshed?

Are you developing some good habits in scripture reading, memorizing, and reflecting?

Are you praying powerful life changing prayers?

Are you beginning to see life transformations happen?

And here is the most important question of all. Have you seen a change in your relationship with God?

As we move through these 8 spiritual disciplines I want to make sure that we keep our focus where it belongs.

On the relationship we are growing with our heavenly Father.

These disciplines are not just to serve as a check list on how to be an awesome Christian. These disciplines are to be practiced with the purpose of developing a strong and deeply personal relationship with our Father. Our Father desires us to know Him inside and out, to love Jesus with our whole hearts, and for the Holy Spirit within us to be nourished and thriving.  Only then can life transformation begin to take place.

My heart is that as we go through this journey together we not only develop amazing life long practices and habits in each of these spiritual disciplines, but that each and every one of us grow stronger and stronger in our faith. That we would become less like this world and more like our Savior.  My greatest desire is that we develop a relationship with our heavenly Father that is precious and intimate, uniquely beautiful, and irreplaceable.

If you missed the first three post in this series, don’t worry! You can still join along with us. Check out the posts below to start transforming your life and growing closer to God!

8 Spiritual Disciplines: What Are They & Why Are They Important?

8 Spiritual Disciplines: One-Scripture Reading, Memorizing, and Reflecting

8 Spiritual Disciplines: Two-Prayer

Next on our list?

FASTING!?

By definition, to fast means to abstain from all or some kinds of food or drink, especially as a religious observance.

Out of the spiritual disciplines we have already established, fasting is the one I personally don’t practice regularly. I enjoy studying scriptures and I pray randomly throughout the day. But when it comes to biblical fasting I shy away from it. Which honestly holds me back from developing a deep intimate relationship with God. By not practicing the spiritual discipline of fasting in my life, I miss an important and meaningful chance for spiritual development.

Fasting teaches self-control. Having strong self-control is essential, because it helps us break bad habits, and overcome sin in our lives. It also helps us to align our priorities in life, determining what is essential and what is not.

This isn’t a fun discipline… training in self-control is hard. At times it can feel impossible. Fasting takes effort and commitment to our Father.

But the Bible shows us it can be done.

Acts14:23          Esther 4:16          Exodus 34:28

Luke18:12         Nehemiah 1:4      Joel 2:12-:13

Daniel 9:3-5      Luke 4:2-4           Ezra 10:6

Luke 2:37          Mark 9:29

Fasting can be practiced when seeking God for forgiveness, guidance, favor, and protection.

Fasting allows us to fully embrace God at work in our lives. When we combine prayer and fasting together, along with scripture reading, we allow God to move us in a powerful way. Fasting allows us to realign our priorities. By replacing time spent preparing meals and eating, with scripture reading and prayer we open up the door for God to speak to us and move through us. When we fast in the Lord’s presence we are showing Him that above all else we desire Him. We are putting fleshly desires aside, practicing self-control, and placing our spiritual lives above even the most fundamental necessity of our existence: food. Fasting allows us to offer up our bodies as a living sacrifice to God, saying God I need you so much more than ANYTHING else.

Jesus answered, “it is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'”

Matthew 4:4

It’s not easy. I can feel my flesh cry out after only fasting for one meal. Fasting for full days at a time is crazy difficult for me, this is just pure honesty. I’m not going to lie to you to seem super spiritual because I’m not. I don’t jump up and down with joy when I’m called to fast.

BUT I HAVE DONE IT, because above all else, God comes first.

And I lived to tell you. I do believe that fasting takes our spiritual lives to the next level with God, and I have had personal break through during times of fasting and prayer. By placing Him in His rightful place in my life, everything else falls into place in the right order, and leading a righteous life becomes a bit easier. Never easy, but the closer to God I feel and the stronger my relationship is with Him, I begin to see good transformations happen within myself.

 

Why should we fast?

As we saw above, the Bible provides many examples when individuals fasted for forgiveness, guidance, favor, and protection against the enemy. The practice of fasting encourages us to become humble, dependent upon God, compassionate, thankful, and strengthens our self-control.  Ask yourself what you are hoping to achieve when fasting. Pray about it and let God lead you. It is important to enter into spiritual fasting with a clear-cut purpose. You can ask for wisdom in a particular situation, healing over an illness or a broken relationship, or protection and strength against the enemy. Have you been facing a problem you just can’t seem to get a hold on? Do you need a vision from God to lead you forward? Fasting, praying, and scripture reading can bring forth supernatural power. Prayer is powerful, combined with scripture reading it’s a dynamite duo. BUT add fasting to the mix and you get an exceedingly and abundantly strong trio that allows God to really communicate and move you. Fasting IS NOT ABOUT YOU MOVING GOD, instead it is practiced to allow God to move you.

Have you been struggling in your marriage, your career, with your children, with other relationships in your life, or maybe just with yourself over sin? Have you tried everything you know to do already, but find yourself not making any progress forward? Then fasting, praying, and feeding on God’s word may provide you with the break through you need.

Does the Bible actually command it?

Yes. Fasting is a spiritual discipline we are commanded to practice.

“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.

But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face,

so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Matthew 6:17-18

These verses clearly indicate Jesus telling us when you fast, not if you fast. It’s a command. Our Father expects us to fast routinely to strengthen our self-discipline and our relationship with Him.

Are there different types of fast?

Yes, and it is important that you seek God through prayer to help you pick which one He is calling you towards. I’m going to share three different ones with you below.

From All Food: This is when an individual abstains from eating all food and drinks plenty of water and liquids. Actual meal times are replaced with prayer and Bible reading. Please note the importance of prayer and Bible reading when fasting, if you neglect these things you are not doing a spiritual fast and will receive no reward from God.

The Daniel Fast: This fast is based on the prophet Daniel. During this fast an individual abstains from all meat and animal products, sweeteners, and any liquid other than water. Fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are allowed. If you would like to learn more about the Daniel Fast click here.

I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over.

Daniel 10:3

Electronic and Media Fast: You could combine this with one of the types of fast above, or on its own. It’s pretty self-explanatory, but during this fast an individual would abstain from all social media, television, computers, smart phones, and any other electronic devices that God is calling them away from. Most often we think of fasting as abstaining from food, but I honestly think this is a great fast. I personally have never attempted it, but after thinking about how dependent I have become on these items it’s kind of scary. My smart phone is always in my hand and social media sucks up way to much of my time. Instead of checking out your news feeds or vegging out to Netflix, you would replace this time with prayer and Bible reading.  Imagine how strong your relationship could become if you replaced God with FB, Instagram, and Pinterest for a day or two… maybe even a week? Dare I say a 40 days. This type of fast would be great for a whole family to practice together.

How long should my fast be?

I bet you’re starting to see a pattern. It is important that we seek God through prayer for this answer as well. The Holy Spirit will lead us. There is no magic number of hours or days. It’s strictly between you and God. Be smart, and I say this with love. If you have never fasted before start slow, maybe replacing one meal a day with Bible reading and prayer, once you’ve been able to achieve smaller goals, move up to a day or two. Fasting for 2-3 days should be a very attainable goal when doing an all food fast (I did not say easy). The Daniel Fast can still be difficult, but achieving a long-term fast is a bit easier. Follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance and let Him lead you, He will give you the strength you need.

If you feel  like the Holy Spirit is calling you towards a long-term all food fast, more than just a few days,  I would encourage you to make sure your health will allow it. Letting your family physician know your plan is a good idea, especially if you have any type of medical condition. Also seeking advice from your church council may be a good idea as well.

Here are some helpful tips!  

Prepare: Enter into your fast with a clear heart, surrendering fully to Jesus, asking for forgiveness of your sins, and making sure you have forgiven all those that have offended you, and that you may have offended. Having a Bible reading plan is helpful. Have praise and worship music, and a variety of sermons available to listen to, this will help you continuously fill your atmosphere with the presence of God. Have a pen and paper ready to record your prayers and what you feel like God is communicating to you.

Make sure you are prepared with the proper food items for the Daniel fast, or liquids for the all food fast. This shouldn’t be a stressful process, but a time for you to relax in the presence of God. Get your mind right, this is for God! Look at Matthew 6:17-18 again. We are to appear humble before God, but also happy! Wash your face, comb your hair, brush your teeth, and smile for the Lord. I would encourage you to lighten your schedule, and give yourself time to rest. And remember this is only between you and God, NO ONE else should know. Spread love and kindness. This is a time to focus on doing things that would glorify God, so try to do one random act of kindness each day during your fast.

First, let [fasting] be done unto the Lord with our eye singly fixed on Him. Let our intention herein be this, and this alone, to glorify our Father which is in heaven.

-John Wesley

Start Slow & End Slow: Begin by fasting from food for a short period of time, and build up your fasting from there. At the same time, end your fast slow. If you have been fasting for several days, end your fast with a snack first, then small meals.  A media/electronic fast shouldn’t be that hard to maintain for a day to several days right away.

Expect: You may notice headaches and irritability as your body eliminates certain substances, like caffeine and sugar. Hunger pains will defiantly be present, especially if you are fasting for longer than a meal or two. Refocus your hunger into adoration for God. Each time my stomach growls or my hunger becomes intense it helps me to recite: God I love you, I desire your presence in my life above everything else, and I am fasting for you. You maybe a little fatigued and a bit weaker than usual, or shaky, which is why you should keep your activity limited and your schedule light.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Matthew 5:6

Fasting may not be something you personally practice, or like me you have done it occasionally and sporadically, but God intended us to fast on a regular basis. By fasting we push ourselves further into His presence, truly relying on Him to nourish our souls and strengthen our spirits. By fully embracing the presence of God, we allow ourselves to be filled with the knowledge and wisdom we need to move forward. By fasting, praying, and feeding on the Word of God, we allow the supernatural to manifest within our lives.

Do you need a break through in your current circumstances?

Do you need to see the supernatural take place within your life?

Are you ready to make the spiritual discipline of fasting a routine practice?

Do you know someone who would be encouraged by this Blog Post? Please share! By doing so you are helping spread His Light to others 🙂

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As always your thoughts and comments are welcome!! Connecting is so important in forming Godly relationships!