Fasting: How Much? How Long? How Healthy?
God’s Word is full of marvelous testimonies of those who succeeded in fasting.
It was during a 40-day fast that Moses received the Ten Commandments (Ex. 34:27–28). When Haman ordered the annihilation and plunder of all Jews, Esther called for all the Jews of her city to join her on a three-day fast from all food and water. As a result, the Jews were spared, Haman’s vile plan was exposed, and he was hanged on the very gallows he built! (See Esther 4–7.) Hannah, greatly distressed over not being able to bear a child, “wept and did not eat,” as recorded in 1 Samuel 1:7. God heard her plea, and the prophet Samuel was soon born. Judah, Ezra, the people of Nineveh, Nehemiah, David and Anna are also among those whose fasts are noted in the Word.
Types of Fasts
The three types of fasts found in Scripture are the absolute fast, the normal fast and the partial fast. First, an absolute fast is extreme and should be done only for very short periods of time. On an absolute fast, you take in nothing—no food, no water. Depending on your health, this fast should be attempted only with medical consultation and supervision.
On a normal fast, you typically go without food of any kind for a certain number of days. You do drink water, and plenty of it! Depending on the length of the normal fast, you may also choose to take clear broth and juices in order to maintain your strength.
And then there is the partial fast. A partial fast can be interpreted many ways. The way it cannot be interpreted is to include that time between about 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.—when you’re sleeping! A partial fast usually involves giving up particular foods and drink for an extended period of time.
The duration of fasts can vary. There are significant numbers we find in the Bible, which include three days, seven days, 21 days and 40 days. But there are also references to half-day fasts and 24-hour fasts.
There is no real formula that I can give you to help you determine which type or length of fast is right for you. The length of time that you choose to fast should depend on your circumstances, but don’t get bogged down in the details. Begin with one day from sunrise to sunset. You will be amazed at the difference even a one-day partial or normal fast will make in your life. As a teenager, I would fast all day on Sunday until after church. It made me so much more sensitive to the Lord. I would be so spiritually tuned in that it didn’t matter if anyone else got a blessing that day or not—I sure did!
Don’t bite off more than you can handle. There is no need to be heroic and attempt a 40-day fast if you have never fasted a day in your life. Just start. Once you discover the benefits, you’ll be on your way to making it a life practice.
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There are times when the Lord may impress you to go on a longer fast, but for most folks, a three-day fast is very practical. A “Daniel fast,” eliminating meat, bread and sweets for 21 days, is a fast just about anyone can handle as well. Some may think eliminating only those three foods from your diet for three weeks is no big deal. But if it means something to you, it will mean something to God. After all, when was the last time angels were released to speak mysteries to you like the archangel Michael spoke to Daniel?
I want to give you a few tips on fasting that I believe you will find helpful. Whenever you begin a fast, remember, if it doesn’t mean anything to you, it won’t mean anything to God. Without being combined with prayer and the Word, fasting is little more than dieting. But I want you to realize something very important: fasting itself is a continual prayer before God. There may be days when heaven opens and your heart is prompted to deep times of prayer. But there may be other days when your energy is sapped and you just cannot seem to focus in prayer at all. Don’t condemn yourself. God sees your sacrifice. When you are fasting is not the time to sit in front of the TV. Why would you want to torture yourself with all those food advertisements anyway?
When you begin longer fasts, it is not a good idea to gorge yourself the days before. You should actually begin tapering off your food intake in preparation. Regardless of the length of your fast, when you begin, you should try to drink at least one gallon of purified water throughout the first day. I don’t recommend tap water because of the impurities it can contain. Purified or distilled water flushes the toxins and the poison out of your system, which will help you get off to a good start. It also makes you feel full! Water is the faster’s best friend, so continue to drink plenty throughout the fast.{eoa}
To learn more about the spiritual impact fasting has on your life, click here!
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