The Discipline of Fasting
Food hasn’t always been an issue for me. In fact, early on in my teenage years, my brother and I learned the benefit of putting food in its place (more on that later). Our church was doing their yearly fast and my brother suggested we fast the same things together. He suggested we do the Daniel’s Fast. At the time, I had no idea what this was. My brother explained it was eating foods that came from the ground, nothing processed, whole and clean foods. This was early 2000s so trends like “veganism”, “paleo-diet”, “gluten-free” were not common terms. Our local giant, had like one full shelf categorized as “organic” and our local Wegmans would later become our “Daniel’s Fast heaven” with a whopping 3 shelves of whole foods.
Nevertheless, I committed to 21 days of fasting with my brother. On day one, I mourned the death of white enriched rice and pastelillos and said hello to “brown rice with a side of black beans please”.
We suffered y’all. I remember going grocery shopping with my brother, him with his list of prohibited ingredients and me crying in the background “wait, I don’t get it! Why can’t we have yeast?! That’s from the ground, no”? (Cue: more whining and moping)
However, after week one we began to find our rhythm and lived off of things like flaxseed tortillas with no sugar, no preservatives, no yeast, gluten-free PB&J (HEAVEN, Y’ALL, Heaven…). It is fun thinking back to that time now. No one understood what we were doing and our mom never knew how to cook for us, but this was our thing. It was bringing us closer as siblings, closer to God and we were gaining a new appreciation for these bodies referred to as our temples.
We had this incredible shift. We started losing weight. We both had more energy and motivation to exercise. We committed to giving up fast food after this fast (except for chinese takeout and chick-fil-a cuz’ y’all already know we are all good there, haha) and soda was being escorted out of our lives. After the 21 days, we had this new awareness of our bodies and the food we were putting into it. We knew we couldn’t go back to our old lifestyle, we felt way too good to do something like that.
Since that first Daniel fast, I developed a healthy relationship with fasting. It became a regular rhythm in my life. My friends started to joke that I was on a new fast every month and they never knew what they could serve me. I was hooked. I loved how I was feeling physically, emotionally and spiritually. Things felt clearer when I fasted. I could think better, process information better, run longer, connect with God easily. I was less angry, less frustrated and more of who I thought I was created to be.
Our bodies long to fast. We just might not know it yet.
The cool thing is that fasting is no longer a thing “spiritual” people do. People all over, from health magazines to medical journals have stated the many benefits of fasting regularly.
Fat loss
Improve cognitive function
Lower inflammation
Lower blood pressure
Blood sugar control
Longevity
No wonder Daniel looked better and was stronger than all his other peers after fasting. (Daniel 1; Daniel 10:3)
But here is the thing, even though it is really tempting to fast solely for the physical benefits we have to understand that these benefits are just “the cherry on top of the sundae”. Fasting was designed for so much more than our physical being. It was largely designed for our spiritual being-the part of us that is eternal.
We live in a world that often neglects our spiritual well-being. The discipline of fasting is beneficial for the physical, but necessary for the spirit.
Matthew 6:16 starts off with Jesus saying, “when you fast…” Jesus said this because He sees fasting as a necessary discipline and rhythm of our faith, not just a modern day health trend or a thing we do once a year with our church.
Jesus fasted.
Fasting was apart of His life here on earth. Fasting was how He began His 3 year ministry on earth. Fasting is another discipline Jesus invites us to practice (Matt. 6:16;17:21).
Scripture doesn’t tell us exactly why Jesus went off to fast for 40 days and 40 nights, but we can gather a few things from the passages before and after.
Jesus had just been baptized by John the Baptist. The Spirit of God had just descended on Him and declared Jesus His son.
Jesus was then led by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil.
After the 40 days, He left in the power of the Spirit and began to preach, called His first disciples, healed the sick and brought that bomb sermon on the mount (aka the Beatitudes).
Reason #2 is enough for me to throw down a 40 day fast, but here is what we can gather from the above:
We can fast in preparation for a new season.
Jesus knew fasting would be the best way to start off His ministry because fasting helps us put first things first. It is a detox for our mind, body and spirit. It helps align our thought life with God’s thought life. The fact that Jesus chose to fast before starting His ministry shows us that He was submitting His humanity before God. Jesus was ensuring that all of Him was submitted to the will of the Father before starting this new ministry.
Personally, preparing for a new season can be a tough transition. Transitions can lead to feelings of anxiety and stress. When I am stressed, my thought life is out of whack and I begin to run to food. Overeating is a clear indicator for me that I need to fast. Abstaining from certain foods reminds that I run to Jesus when I am stressed. Fasting puts food back in its place (food is fuel) and Jesus in His place, the #1 spot. (I talk more about overcoming food fixation here.) I know I need Jesus in His rightful place for me to experience abundant success.
We can fast when facing challenges or spiritual attacks.
Jesus withdrew and fasted when facing a spiritual attack. He retreated and during that time His focus was on the Father and His words. The word of God was Jesus’ bread, His sustenance and weapon of choice. Jesus’ ability to retreat, fast, and zero in on the word of God made Him effective in fighting off the enemy.
Whenever we are facing challenges or spiritual attacks, we too can reduce the noise by fasting and increase the time in His word (our real weapon).
Fasting helps clear out noise and distractions. We all need to eat everyday, so food takes up a lot of space in our minds. We think about what we will eat and even dedicate entire pinterest boards to yummy recipes to try. When we fast, we simplify or eliminate our options, giving us more time to focus on connection with the Father. When we are facing challenges or spiritual attacks connection is what we ultimately need.
We can fast on behalf of others.
Fasting not only benefits us, but also those around us. After Jesus fasted fast for 40 days, He began to serve the people. Preaching, empowering, equipping, healing and ministering to the people around Him. Jesus’ time spent fasting directly benefited the people He served. Filled with the Spirit, refreshed and aligned with the Father’s heart, He was able to fulfill the work that was predestined for Him to complete. His work on earth made a difference then and continues to make a difference today for us.
When we fast we are given the same ability to partner with God in His plan for us and the people around us. We can fast on behalf of someone else and see the fruit of it. This may be through healing, deliverance, a word of encouragement or a renewed sense of comradery and community.
Now, this is no magic power. We can’t magically change people because we fasted for them, but we can align ourselves with the will of the Father through fasting. Understanding His heart and His will for others can influence the way we engage with those we are fasting for. This can then lead others to experience God’s heart and plans for them.
Fasting, like other disciplines, is a gift. Fasting reminds us of our proximity to Jesus and the unlimited access we have to Him as sons and daughters. Fasting is not just something we do once a year, but a rhythm we exercise to reset and align ourselves with our Father.
Whether it is a day of giving up carbs for fruits and vegetables or giving up a meal for 21 days, I encourage you to make fasting a regular discipline in your life. Find a fasting rhythm and ask Jesus what it should look like. Recruit some friends or a spouse to join you. You won’t regret the experience.
Until Next Time,
We Are Ecclesia
