How To Prepare For A Christian Fast

How can you prepare if you’re going to fast?

Talk to your Doctor

It’s not a good idea to start off on a fast without first talking to your doctor. He may know something about your medical history that you’ve forgotten about or you’re on medication and you’re supposed to take it with food on your stomach. There are other reasons too like diabetes and those who have low blood pressure. It wouldn’t hurt to ask your doctor about it before you proceed to fast either from food, water, or both.

Why Fast?

Isaiah chapter 58 gives us a good reason to fast, but also shows us a bad reason for fasting. It seems Isaiah writes in the hopes that they wouldn’t be fasting for the wrong reasons which makes it useless to God. Israel complained to God, “Why have we fasted, and you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it” (Isaiah 58:3), but God answers, “you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with a wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high” (Isaiah 58:4). That’s the wrong reason to fast. Here’s the right, “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free” (Isaiah 58:6). When we humble ourselves before God, we’ll see the poor who can’t take care of themselves (Isaiah 58:7). A lot of people fast in trying to break an addiction or overcome a major sin, just as many testify that it helped them overcome a major stumbling block in their life.

Food only Fast

There are some instances where they fasted in the Bible but some didn’t fast from water and some abstained from both food and water. Does it make any difference if you don’t fast from water too? The Bible makes no such distinction in fasting from food but not water. That’s a personal choice for you to make. Whatever you’re able to do. If you’re a beginner at fasting, you might want to start off slowly, like skipping lunch and supper or breakfast and lunch on a weekend day. It’s strictly up to you. There is nothing about fasting from water that makes that much difference. A lot of people fast without even thinking about it like with the loss of a loved one where we naturally don’t want anything to eat or drink; like some of the Old Testament prophets did who were grieved over the nation’s sins and knowing they were about to be taken into captive and their city destroyed. Nehemiah fasted and wept after hearing that the walls of Jerusalem were fallen and Queen Esther asked for fasting as she risked her life going before the king to save the Jews from annihilation. As you can see, there are numerous reasons we can fast and it doesn’t have to be food and water.

Other Fasts

A pastor I know of suggests we take a “media fast,” at least once a month, sometimes two days straight. This means no electronic media of any kind, and that means the cell phone (save for 911). It seems people are ready to panic if they can’t get a signal, yet getting away from this wireless world can bring you lots of peace and quiet. This is much harder than it sounds. I tried it and about went stir crazy…until I picked up and read a real book; I went fishing and catch nothing; I watched almost all of the sunset, I listened to the outdoor life; and, oh yes, for a time, I did nothing. That’s okay. Everyone needs some solitary time once in a while; time to just do nothing. With fewer distractions, reading and studying the Bible becomes much easier. When you dive back into the world and the media blitz, you’ll find yourself a bit overwhelmed. For most people, it doesn’t matter. They’re convinced of the value of a media fast and see it as good for their soul; therefore they take one on a regular basis.

Preparing for a Fast

Make sure you’ve been eating a well-balanced meal before starting a fast so you’re not already hungry when you begin one. Also, make certain your fasting at a convenient time. Some jobs are of such a strenuous nature that it’s hard to fast. A weekend day or half a Saturday until noon Sunday could be a start. It’s much easier to fast when you don’t have to work so it’s best to plan ahead for a time where you can really focus on fasting, prayer, and reading the Word of God. Prepare a list of things you want to pray about before you start your fast. It may be some huge trial that brought you to fast in the first place. Either way, it’s best to start off a fast after a good night’s rest or at least when you’re well rested. Starting a fast when you’re tired and hungry is going to make it doubly hard.

Conclusion

I’ve seen animals fast, and not just those who are sick. We had a cat that was a twin brother of the other and when his brother died, he died a little, at least inside. He’d just lay around, going back to the box he used to lay in, and then going back to sleep. She knew he was gone and because she may have sensed his not coming back, she had no interest in food. Fasting is a natural response to grief, loss, and mourning, but some have used it to break the bonds of addictions and felt that they couldn’t have done it without God and without humbling themselves before Him in fasting and prayer, which is just what fasting is there for.

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren Church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.