Ever thought about fasting, but wasn’t quite sure how to? Or maybe you weren’t sure what exactly it is. Or perhaps you didn’t quite understand the meaning behind it.
As we participated in our corporate Prayer & Fasting at the beginning of January, I likened it to a mountain-like shape of an experience. It felt like this fast was a glimpse or an example of our spiritual walk, the journey we take with God.
There are many benefits to Fasting-develop a closer, more in depth relationship with Our Creator; pray for and cover those who are lost; seek God for guidance and direction; tear down spiritual strongholds; break the chains of bondage; break generational curses; divine healing; and breakthroughs. Aside from these, there are also the physical and health benefits of Fasting as well- a purification, cleansing process.
Before beginning a Fast, I recommend that you have a clear purpose in mind-a focus. It doesn’t have to be one thing, it can be several. If I should be totally honest, I had several. I actually had a list of items written down in my journal. I have quite a few areas of my life that needed clarity in. Whatever you feel uncertain about or an area you feel you need more direction in, you can fast and pray about it. It should also include others around you. For example, you have friends and/or loved ones that aren’t saved-they should be a part of your focus during your time of Fasting. Our world as a whole-can be broken down from your local mayor, governors, our President, etc. This affects us all in some way.
Next, you want to research and gather scriptures targeting the topics you’re focusing on. Nothing shuts down the enemy like THE WORD of God! These are scriptures that you’re gonna read and meditate on throughout your time. Depending on the type of fast you’re doing, you may replace your normal meal time(s) with prayer and/or reading scripture. This will help to strengthen you and renew your focus. Be intentional about scheduling time throughout your day(s) for prayer, reading, meditating on The Word. If it’s a Corporate Fast, your church will likely have scheduled times of corporate prayer. If you’re going it alone, still Awesome! You’ve got this! Schedule it, put it in your Calendar, and stick to it!
Once again, be intentional! Don’t go through your days of Fasting like any old regular-degular days…NO! Be still, listen, ask God what He wants you to do with each day. Before your day begins, have one-on-one alone time with God. I cherish these days! It’s like I’m hungry, thirsty, desperate to hear from Him. Be still long enough to hear what He has to say. He might show you the person you need to speak to today-someone you may have been passing by for months, without any interaction. He will lead you. All I’m saying here is do not be on auto-pilot during this time. It’s a time to be open to what He’s saying and doing.
Here’s a bit of my actual experience. This was a 5-day (Mon-Fri) Complete Fast-NO foods, only water.
I’ll briefly describe each day’s experience, then compare it to our actual Christian walk.
Day One-I felt great, very strong! I drank plenty of water throughout the day. I came home from work and made a delicious spaghetti dinner for my children. Cooking wasn’t as difficult as you think it may be. If you’re a parent, you know there’s still breakfast for our children, lunches, snacks, so we still have to be around food a lot. You get past it, though. We attended corporate prayer each evening.
In our Christian walk, when we first make a decision to begin our walk with Christ we may start out feeling good, pumped-up, excited, and strong! We are on fire! We are moving, going, and doing for God’s Kingdom. We are feeling strong and empowered. We are reading and studying, which keeps our Spirit awake, alert, and powerful.
Day Two– I began to experience a little nausea, but kept hydrating with plenty of water. I’ll continue emphasizing plenty of water because in the past, I’ve not drank enough water and began to feel more weak and sluggish. This time, being more intentional with my water intake, my experience was a little better. We attended corporate prayer each evening.
When life’s trials and situations start to negatively affect us, we may begin to feel defeated, feel as if we’re not worthy, or as if we cannot make it. Remember! You silence the enemy with The Word! It’s our weapon! Ever heard the song, “This is How I Fight my Battles”? It’s true! As children of God, prayer IS how we fight! When you feel discouragement begin to set in, start speaking scripture. Begin declaring The Word of GOD ALOUD! Saying it in your heart and in your mind Is okay, but something more powerful happens (I’ll have to explain in a later post 😉) when you speak God’s Word ALOUD over your life and circumstances. Here is when we must lean back into the Word of God. Remember our 1st Love. Get back into our prayer and study time, so we may fortify our strength.
Days Three and Four– These two days felt a lot alike-nausea, mouth watering. One difference was that on Day 3 I developed a very bad stomach ache-while at work. We attended corporate prayer each evening. (Sidenote: On Day 3, I literally sat through a faculty meeting while everyone ate chicken wings, publix sub sandwiches, potato chips, and cookies. Yep! Stayed strong!) Day 4 was somewhat unforgettable-As I pulled into the parking lot at work, I was feeling very nauseous and my mouth was producing extreme amounts of saliva :-/ I entered my classroom to find….uhhh! (we’ll talk about it in a later post…) I’ll just say that this day was extremely frustrating! It made me stop and say, “Okay Lord! What is it you want me to get out of this day? What am I supposed to learn here? What’s the lesson in this all?”
In life, there are seasons when difficult circumstances will arise. Depending on the severity, it could become more difficult for us to remain focused. It could feel like a struggle to hold on to God’s word. We may even place more of our focus on the situation, as if our God is not bigger than it. We may begin to question whether or not God is listening or if He’s actually going to answer our Prayers. This puts me in mind of a song, “I Don’t Mind Waiting”. What do we do while we feel like we’re ‘waiting’ on God. LOL! He’s likely waiting on us! So, do you just stop moving and let hopelessness settle in? Or do we hold tightly to God’s Word, keep believing, and keep pursuing our Kingdom purpose? As you move through the situation in Faith, solely depending on God’s strength, it becomes a little lighter. You can begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Day Five-I felt much better, no nausea, the excessive saliva seemed to dissipate, but I did have a stomach ache that morning. It felt like I hit the ‘sweet spot’, though. Disclaimer: I took the day off from work on Day 5-the Friday. I just felt like I needed some (more) alone time with God. I’d been having it in the mornings before my morning routine (which for me, is roughly 4am-ish). After work, there’s homework, dinner, etc., so I may have had a little time before we’d leave for church (for corporate prayer). But, I just felt the urge to slowdown and have some uninterrupted, no alarm-clock, no time-limits alone time with God…and it was SO sweet <3!
When God has kept us and brought us through difficulties, it feels like you’re coming down on the other side of a mountain. You know what Psalm 30:5 says? It says, “…weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning”. What ‘morning’ really feels like is that the daylight has come. His light brings with it a sense of calm, peace, and clarity. It’s as if The Father comes to save us, rescues us in the midst of the storm.
Synopsis: Fasting forces us to slow down, to become more intent with our thoughts, to listen more closely for God’s voice. It allows us to hear more clearly what He is saying. Starting off your year with a fast covers you for your year ahead.
It started off pretty easy, feeling well. But, as the days went on it became a little more difficult. The physical components of it-dealing with the hunger can make it a bit difficult to focus, to keep your mind on praying and what you are seeking God for. You must constantly remind yourself to stay close to him-keep praying and meditating on scripture. The difficulty of hunger you experience during the days of Fasting is nothing, in comparison to the power, breakthrough, clarity, and strength you gain by enduring. It’s SO worth the Sacrifice!
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