The Spiritual Discipline of Fasting
The spiritual discipline of fasting is described throughout Scripture, in the Old Testament and the New Testament. Jesus fasted. The early church fasted. David fasted. Daniel fasted. Job fasted. Many of the kings of Israel, Judah, and even Babylon fasted.
Fasting is an action and opportunity that God’s people are invited into as an act of worship. It is part of God’s design to sanctify believers and shape them further into the image of Jesus. In fact, when Jesus teaches on fasting, He does not say, “If you fast…”, but rather, “When you fast…” (Matthew 6 & 9).
So, as followers of Jesus Christ, how do we understand and enter into this opportunity of fasting?
What is fasting?
In simple terms, fasting is the practice of temporarily abstaining from food or some other good gift given by God to increase and intensify a desire for what is better - namely God Himself and His work in our lives. By going without something enjoyable that we give time and attention to regularly, we have an opportunity to use that time and attention to focus on God. Fasting helps us remember our need for and dependence on God. Our need for God is greater than any other need we have.
Why Are We Encouraging Fasting at RSC in 2022?
Our desire to grow in practicing the spiritual discipline of fasting has two goals. First, we want to continually be growing in maturity as believers. To grow in maturity, we must continually be seeking the Lord as we put our sin to death and grow in righteousness. Fasting is a practice that helps us in this area. Fasting gives us the opportunity to carve out time to seek the Lord in prayer, meditation, Scripture memorization, Bible reading, and personal worship. It also provides an opportunity for us to confess sins and intentionally seek wisdom and the help of the Spirit to identify and put specific sin to death. As we do these things, the Spirit is generous to grow our faith and help shape us into the image of Jesus, from one degree to the next.
Second, fasting gives us, as a church, an opportunity to seek the Lord as we put our sin to death and grow in righteousness together. We are a young church, developing our identity and learning how to function as a family of faith. We recognize our great need for God to shape us and lead us, knowing that what we do in and of ourselves will fail but what we do under the guidance of the Spirit and the Scriptures will be pleasing to God. So, we want to seek God’s will for our church together. We want the Spirit to help us identify sin and put it to death together. We want to help one another grow in maturity and righteousness together. In doing these things together, we believe we can be an encouragement to one another as we follow Jesus humbly and faithfully.
How Can I Practice Fasting?
There are so many ways and options to practice fasting! If you’ve never practiced the spiritual discipline of fasting before, you may find yourself anxious or overwhelmed. Please don’t be! God has given His followers the good gift of fasting. That means it is for our good!
Start by Identifying what you will fast from. The most common type of fasting we see in Scripture is abstaining from food. If abstaining from food, some people with health conditions may not fast from all food, but choose to fast from certain types of food. You can also fast from activities that you participate in frequently/daily (like social media, television, video games, or listening to music in the car). Other types of fasts might include fasting from sleep or physical intimacy with your spouse.
Identify a time frame that you want to fast within. If you are abstaining from food during your fast, your time frame can range anywhere from abstaining from one meal to abstaining from food for 24-48 hours. If you are abstaining from an activity (social media, television), you may choose to extend the timeframe of your fast from a full day to several weeks.
Make a plan for how you will spend your time during your fast. The goal of fasting is not simply to abstain. The goal is to abstain with the hope of increasing your desire for God and His work in your life. So, we want to be intentional with how we spend the time we would normally be eating or engaging in an activity to focus on God. You can use your fasting time to pray, meditate, read Scripture, or worship through singing. The goal is not to distract yourself from what you are giving up, but rather to focus on God and trust that He is better than everything else you desire or need.
Plan ahead for any standing obligations you typically have while you fast. While you fast, you still have obligations in your daily life. We will still go to work/school, engage with family/friends/co-workers, and carry out normal tasks. We want to fast with responsibility, joy, and consideration of others who are not fasting with us. If you’re a parent, plan how you will feed your children and answer questions about why you are not eating. If you normally have lunch with coworkers, make sure to let them know if you will not be joining them. Think through and be prepared to still faithfully undertake daily tasks with responsibility and joy.
Consider health implications before you fast. For a healthy adult, fasting for a meal or a 24 hour period is typically healthy and fine. However, if you have any health conditions, speak with your doctor before fasting. Your doctor can help you assess if fasting is a good option for you or offer alternatives to consider. Women who are pregnant or nursing can ask their doctors for alternatives that are safe for them and their child. If you struggle with an eating disorder or your relationship with food, please seek counsel on ways you can fast that are healthy and safe for your specific needs.
Fasting as a Church Family
To help us as a church family begin practicing the spiritual discipline of fasting, we will be practicing a corporate fast on the Monday following Prayer Night each month. Most Prayer Nights fall on the first Sunday of each month. We will send out push notifications through our RSC app to remind you of the days we will be practicing fasting together as a body.
When you fast on these days, be encouraged that you are not fasting and seeking the Lord alone, but rather with your family of faith! We would love for you to take time to pray for our church and seek wisdom with us as we continue to grow and mature together.
As we practice the spiritual discipline of fasting, may our temporarily abstaining from something enjoyable significantly increase our affections for what is best - God Himself. One day, Christ will return and we will be fully united with Him. On that day, He will call us not to fast, but to feast and rejoice in all that He has done to reconcile sinners to Himself. Until that day, may we strive to ready our hearts for His return.