True Biblical Fasting and the Reason Why You Ought to Do It As Part of Your Walk of Faith

Is your walk of faith missing something? Or do you feel led to do a fast? Your connection with God may be weak. You may be in need of a breakthrough. What can you do? No need to look any further. Here I’ll tell you the basics of fasting and what true biblical fasting is.

Fasting strengthens your relationship with the LORD. You will also see a breakthrough if done right.

There may be different ways to do a fast. Christians may call a diet a fast but it’s not true biblical fasting. This may lead to some confusion. The purpose of your fasting plays a significant role. You don’t want to do it for the wrong reasons.

True biblical fasting also requires commitment and self-discipline. Even if this is a challenge to you, God understands. There is grace because you have set your mind to do it. It’s about the motive.

What is Fasting

To fast is to abstain from food and/or sometimes water. There are three types of fasts: full fast (normal fast), liquid fast, and partial fast (also seen as intermittent fasting).

The Daniel “fast” is not on the fasting list. And that is because it is not considered a biblical fast. A true biblical fast is complete abstinence from food. Daniel abstained from certain food, but not all food. This was a result of his mourning. The way to fast is to not consume solid food. Not by abstaining from some foods.

Don’t get me wrong I will say that it is a fine place to start. I’ve done the Daniel Fast in the past. But I felt convicted to step up my spiritual game. So if you want to level up you should do a full fast.

The human body can last weeks without food but it can’t be said the same for water. The body needs water more than food. So drink lots of water.

Some people will go as far as 40 days with no food and only drink water. This is a top-tier Christian. You should, of course, consult with your primary physician before taking a big step like this.

It’s important to know nothing big will happen while you fast. You will see the fruit of it afterward. So don’t feel discouraged but be patient.

The Purpose of Fasting

There are various reasons why you ought to fast. The first reason is that it is biblical and encourages you to do so. Jesus said, “when you fast” not if you fast (Matthew 6:16).

When you fast your connection with God is stronger, if you are doing it with the right motives. Growing your relationship with God is the best reason to do it.

The right motives fall under wanting to get closer to God and/or see a breakthrough. If your focus is not on the LORD you are not likely to see any change.

If you are doing it with the intention of losing weight or improving your health you’ve already messed up. Losing some weight while doing a full fast is a natural side effect. Even more so when it’s done for many days. The point is to pursue the LORD and disengage with the world.

Deprive the body and feed the soul. We don’t survive on bread alone but by the Word of God. Don’t forget you need to feed your spirit too by reading Scripture. Let the Holy Spirit lead you and be wise about it.

Commitment and Grace

If you feel you can’t go many days without eating for honorable reasons like because of the work you do. Or if you’re a mom breastfeeding or you are underage. You can do a partial fast or abstain, for example, from TV or eating candy for a period of time. Work with what you can, God understands.

But if you are able to do a full fast you should do it. Start off small. Skip a meal one day then two another and so on. Before you know it you’ll be able to do a full fast for a day or 40 days like one of the pros. Again, you should consult a doctor about this.

Stay committed. If you do the full fast and you eat something by accident or you gave in to temptation don’t let it deter you. There is grace found in God. Don’t be hard on yourself but please take value in commitment. Don’t be afraid to try it again the next day. You can do it.

If you go more than three consecutive days without eating be careful with your first meal. Do not eat solid foods yet, especially meat. Start with a broth, then super soft food, and then slowly add solid food the next day. Remember your stomach has taken time off from breaking down food. You don’t want to shock it. You will get sick if you’re not careful or worse…

Conclusion

One could call a diet a fast. But true biblical fasting requires total abstinence from food for a period of time. Of course, you can make exceptions depending on who you are and what you do. At the end of the day, use discernment and do what God leads you to do.

The Daniel fast is a good place to start. But you will want to step up your fasting game. You do want to grow in your faith, after all.

If you mess up or fail. Don’t let it stop you from continuing. Pick up where you left off and start again the next day if you'd like to. But also remember to stay committed and have self-discipline.

The purpose of fasting is to pursue and connect with the LORD. For obvious reasons, this is important to your walk of faith.

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In a previous post, I wrote about how to prepare for fast as a beginner. If you feel you are not ready to do a normal fast this is a great place to start. You can click here for the post.

Also, to know more about fasting you can watch this YouTube video that gave me a clear understanding (and heavily influenced this post).

Did you learn anything new about fasting? Let me know in the comment section below.