What is spiritual fasting? Why should I practice it?
Before I get into the what, why, and how of spiritual fasting, I want to explore what spiritual fasting is not.
Spiritual fasting is not a way to earn anything (love, favor, acceptance, miracles…) from God.
Food will not make us acceptable to God (see 1 Corinthians 8:8).
Let me take you to the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector in Luke 18. This parable warns against trusting in yourself for righteousness. A Pharisee and a Tax Collector both go up to the temple to pray. The Pharisee takes a stand where all can see him, thanks God that he is not like other people, and boasts that he fasts twice a week and gives a tenth of everything he gets.
In contrast, “the tax collector, would not even raise his eyes to heaven but kept striking his chest and saying, ‘God turn your wrath from me- a sinner!’” Luke 18:14 tells us that the tax collector went back to his home justified whereas the Pharisee did not because “everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
With a right heart spiritual fasting is not and ascetic practice.
Spiritual fasting is not a weight loss tool
Research shows that intentional weight loss is unsustainable 95% of the time. Depriving yourself of needed energy (calories) starts a cascade of reactions that decrease your metabolism, increase your drive to eat, and decrease your desire to move. After your body has experienced this deprivation multiple times, it gets really good and gaining and holding onto weight in preparation for the next famine.
Straight and to the point, intentional weight loss doesn’t work. You don’t need to lose weight to be healthy. Learn more here. There will be no weigh-in at the pearly gates and I can guarantee that God’s purpose for your life is not to shrink yourself.
Therefore, if your goal of a spiritual fast is weight loss I’d encourage you to open yourself up to hear from the Holy Spirit. Ask Him to search your heart for your motivations for weight loss and help you work through them before you consider fasting from food.
What is Spiritual Fasting?
Food is not bad. It is a wonderful gift from God. 1 Timothy 4:3 states that “God created food to be received with gratitude by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing should be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving.”
We get into trouble when food, or any good gift from God, takes priority in our life over God. When we seek food for comfort above seeking God, when our desire for food is greater than our desire for God, when we try to control our life by controlling our food intake instead of surrendering control to God.
1 Corinthians 6:12 says “everything is permissible for me,” but not everything is helpful. “Everything is permissible for me,” but I will not be brought under the control of anything.” Being under the control of anything other than Christ is worshiping the creation instead of the creator. Philippians 3:19 says “Their end is destruction; their god is their stomach; their glory is in their shame. They are focused on earthly things…”
If the enemy is having desires for other things that are stronger than our desire for God than fasting is about preventing that and repenting for that.
The most common translation of “repent” is “turn” or “return”. Two requisites of repentance included in sub are “to turn from evil, and to turn to the good.” – Bible Study Tools
Repentance: Unconditional surrender to God as Sovereign. It is confession and a turning away from our sin.
David Mathis, the author of Habits of Grace, describes fasting as voluntarily going without food–or any other regularly enjoyed, good gift from God–for the sake of some spiritual purpose.
Why Should I Practice Spiritual Fasting?
Jesus assumed we would fast. In Matthew 6:16 Jesus says “when you fast…”. In Matthew 9:15 he says “…they will fast.”
“The weakness of our hunger for God is not because he is unsavory, but because we keep ourselves stuffed with “other” things. Perhaps, then, the denial of our stomach’s appetite for food might express, or even increase, our souls appetite for God.” – John Piper (A Hunger For God)
Fasting is a great way to free ourselves from being preoccupied with what we want. It allows us to concentrate on our relationship with God and what He wants.
How to decide if a traditional food fast is right for you
We don’t have to give up food for a fast. When you sit down with the Holy Spirit to consider your fast, He may lead you to give up some other gift that you enjoy. These might include television, computer, social media, or something else entirely. Especially if you have made an idol out of it.
Remember, the fast is choosing to abstain from a regular enjoyment in order to open up space to bend your heart to the greater enjoyment of Jesus. If you have struggled with disordered eating and feel a traditional food fast would be triggering for you, consider these other options.
Is Fasting from Food right for Me?
I am just starting to practice spiritual fasting and really had to spend time with the Lord to decide if fasting from food would be a good choice for me as I have struggled with disordered eating. I decided that if I said yes to any of these questions, I was not ready to fast from food and should fast from something else.
These are the questions I posed:
1- Is my motivation to fast any way related to a desire to change my body’s shape or size?
2- Is my motivation to fast any way related to a desire to be in control?
3- Does the thought of fasting making me feel the intense deprivation I felt when I was dieting?
4- Do I feel like I have to fast from food for God?
If I said yes to any of the above questions I decided I was not ready to fast from food and I would ask the Holy Spirit to transform me in that area and table a food fast until I could answer no to them all.
Once I knew where I stood with food as an option, I asked myself these three questions:
1- What do I fill myself up with?
2- What do I turn to for comfort?
3- What distracts me during my quiet time with the Lord?
Whatever comes up here is what you may want to consider fasting from.
* that may be fasting from dieting. Fasting from working out. Fasting from meal planning. Get honest here and truly recognize what is taking your focus off of Jesus.
How do I practice Spiritual Fasting?
These are the resources I am using to get started. I pray that they are helpful for you as well.
I’m not going to share what I am fasting from just yet because I don’t want to create an opportunity for comparison or an opportunity for shame to grow. I want you to know that it’s okay if you decide fasting from food is not safe for you. God knows your heart, and He is for you. He will show you what to fast from. Remember that you have a personal relationship with the Father, and your walk will look different than mine or anyone else’s.
I will share with you that I am trying my first spiritual fast this week! I am excited and a bit nervous. I am praying that the Lord will strengthen me to follow through and that He will change me through this experience. I am praying that I become a little more like Jesus, that is my purpose and prayer.
If you’ve struggled with disordered eating and are considering fasting, you may want to check out how others have worked through this topic. The following links can give you some ideas for how to approach fasting when you have a complicated relationship with food.
- The Connection Between Religious Fasting and Eating Disorders
- The Complexity of Religious Fasting When You have an Eating Disorder
- To Fast or Not To Fast
- Fasting Religious Holidays
Will you try a spiritual fast? Let me know in the comments!
