How Should I Fast?

Austin Scott   -   December 28, 2023

Fasting is deeply a spiritual practice that serves as a declaration to God, and to ourselves that we are serious about growing in our relationship with Him. The purpose of a fast is to take our eyes off of the physical and reorient ourselves toward what is spiritual. Through fasting we gain new vision, new perspective, and new reliance on God and it prepares our hearts for all the good things God desires to bring into our lives.

But how should we fast? I want to give you a quick and simple guide to starting your fast.

1. Pray about the goal of your fast.

The most important part of a fruitful fast is understanding why you are fasting? What do you want to see as a result of your fast? Your why will be what keeps you faithful to your fast when things get hard.

But what are some good reasons to fast? The Bible gives us many great reasons, here are a few:

  • Wisdom: Nehemiah fasted for wisdom before he approached kings.
  • Understanding: Daniel fasted for understanding concerning dreams and prophecy.
  • Protection: The church fasted for Barnabas and Paul before they sent them on the mission field.
  • Spiritual Power: Jesus fasted to overcome temptation and prepare himself for ministry.
  • Worship: Anna fasted to grow in her worship for God. That her hunger for God was greater than that of her hunger for physical food. That her soul needs nourishment.

To pinpoint your why, ask God to reveal where you need to reconnect with Him. What situations in your life do you want to see God move in? What do you need to hear from Him? What areas of your faith do you want to grow in. Above all, the ultimate goal of your fast should be to draw you closer to God.

2. Pray about what you will fast.

Fasting is about disconnecting from a craving or comfort in the physical for the sake of reconnecting in the spiritual. A typical biblical fast is a fast from food because our stomach is a physical voice we are constantly listening to. Fasting is a declaration that we are not listening to this voice in our flesh, but we are longing to hear the voice of God. We disconnect from the physical and connect in the spiritual.

Remember, fasting is a matter of the Spirit’s work inside of you; ask Him what He would have you disconnect from then simply listen and obey. Keep in mind that God will never ask you to do something that would risk or damage your health. Be cautious and consult with a doctor if you have any health concerns about your fast.

Types of Fasts

Selective Fast

This type of fast involves removing certain elements from your diet. One example of a selective fast is the Daniel Fast, during which you remove meat, sweets, and bread from your diet and consume water and juice for fluids and fruits and vegetables for food. (Daniel 10:3)

Partial Fast

This fast is sometimes called the “Jewish Fast” and involves abstaining from eating any type of food in the morning and afternoon. This can either correlate to specific times of the day, such as 6:00 am to 3:00 pm, or from sunup to sundown. One example of a partial fast is to fast one meal you would have in a typical day (breakfast/lunch/dinner).

Complete Fast

In this type of fast, you drink only liquids, typically water with juices as an option.

Soul Fast

This fast is a great option if you do not have much experience fasting food, have health issues that prevent you from fasting food, or if you wish to refocus certain areas of your life that are out of balance. For example, you might choose to stop using social media or watching television for the duration of the fast and then carefully bring that element back into your life in healthy doses at the conclusion of the fast.

3. Fast with faith and expectation.

When you fast, expect God to do great things in your life. In Isaiah 58 we see the result of a time of fasting:

“Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.”

Isaiah 58:8-9 NIV

Isaiah shows us 3 things we can expect to see as a result of our fast:

  1. Healing: During our fast we will begin to see healing in areas of our soul, spirit, and body.
  2. Holiness: Our holiness comes from God, but as we fast we will begin to see the reality of righteousness playing out in the things we say and do.
  3. Help: He will hear our cries for help and He will respond with what we need in this season.