Over the season of Lent, I have been fasting. It has not always gone according to plan, I hasten to add, but it has been an enriching experience in many ways.
This Sunday, why not give it a try yourself? Be sure to do it sensibly and wisely if you have never done it before. For instance, if you have any medical conditions which may be affected by it, then give it more thought and seek some advice if you need to.
There are different ways to fast, and it does not necessarily mean giving up all food altogether. You may choose to limit what food you eat, or to only eat certain foods. You may decide to miss a particular meal, or you may decide not to eat anything at all for a period. Pray about it before you begin, and follow the Lord’s lead. Start off slowly, and build yourself up.
Most importantly, fast with a purpose. Do not do it merely to appear spiritual to others. Instead, use the time you would have spent eating or preparing food to talk to the Lord or read your Bible. When you feel that sense of hunger, use it as a prompt to thank God for all the good He is doing in your life. Let this disciplining of your body remind you that we are not merely physical, but rather spiritual beings, and the spiritual needs to be primary, not the physical.
Remember, Jesus said:
“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Matthew 6:16-18 (NIV)
Jesus wants us to fast for our spiritual good and to draw nearer to God, not to look good in front of others. If we talk about our fasting, or worse fish for compliments, then we have already received any reward we may get from the exercise.
Use the experience to strengthen your relationship to God, and praise Him for the plenty you have.
Andy Brown 
I’ve been experimenting with fast a bit lately, Andy. Sometime during the pandemic I started stress eating when I wasn’t even hungry. Soon, I was twenty pounds over weight. I’m back to eating more healthy foods and not snacking between meals. I like your thought about using a little hunger as fuel for prayer. God Bless!
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Thank you David. Like you, I think the pandemic has shifted a lot of peoples attitudes towards food.
On myself find it all too easy to grab food out of habit while working at home or worse, out of boredom!
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I try to do a 3 day Daniel fast once a month and it has made a huge difference in my prayer and my waistline!
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This is a good inspiration to think about fasting, something I have thought about and never done yet. Incidentally sister Manette Kay wrote an excellent study series on fasting not that long ago which you may find useful.
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Thanks. I will see if I can find that series
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Manette wrote three wonderful posts about fasting starting in late February and continuing until mid March. Her site is Musingsofmanettekay.com. She also made an excellent study guide and will email it to you at your request.
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Thanks that’s great. I will definitely check it out
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Here is the first post by Manette
https://musingsofmanettekay.com/2022/02/08/wildfire-contagion/
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Oops, make that early February.☺️
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😄 I am impressed you got the month right brother!
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David, thank you for the kind recommendation. The free printable Biblical Fasting study guide is available to anyone with the click of a button. Can be found on my “Free Gifts” page.
https://musingsofmanettekay.com/free-gifts/
It can be downloaded and printed for individual use or as a small group study.
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PRactical
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Thanks
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You’re welcome Andy
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