Tips For Fasting

How Much? How Long? How Healthy?  

Job 23:12 NKJ

I Have Not Departed From The Commandment Of His Lips; I Have Treasured The Words Of His Mouth More Than My Necessary Food.

 The Bible Records Many Different Circumstances, Types, And Lengths Of Fasts. Joshua Fasted 40 Days, Daniel Partially Fasted 21 Days And Often Fasted One Day At A Time. It Is Recorded That The Apostle Paul Was On At Least Two Fasts, One For 3 Days And One For 14 Days. Peter Fasted 3 Days, And Of Course, We Know That Jesus Fasted 40 Days In The Wilderness.

Types Of Fasts

The Three Types Of Fasts Found In Scripture Are The "Absolute Fast," The "Normal Fast," And The "Partial Fast."

Absolute Fast

Is Extreme, And Should Be Done Only For Very Short Periods Of Time. On An Absolute Fast, You Take In Nothing-No Food, No Water. Depending On Your Health, This Fast Should Be Attempted Only With Medical Consultation And Supervision.

Normal Fast

You Typically Go Without Food Of Any Kind For A Certain Number Of Days. You Do Drink Water, And Plenty Of It! Depending On The Length Of The Normal Fast, You May Also Choose To Take Clear Broth And Juices In Order To Maintain Your Strength.

Partial Fast

A Partial Fast Can Be Interpreted Many Ways. The Way It Cannot Be Interpreted Is To Include That Time Between About 11 P.M. And 6 A.M.-When You're Sleeping! A Partial Fast Usually Involves Giving Up Particular Foods And Drink For An Extended Period Of Time.

The Most Commonly Used Example Of A Partial Fast Is Found In The Book Of Daniel. In The Beginning Of His Captivity In Babylon, Daniel And Three Companions Refused To Eat The Choice Meats And Sweets From The King's Table, Asking Instead To Have Only Vegetables And Water.

They Did This For Ten Days To Prove That They Would Be Just As Healthy As The King's Men. Later, In Chapter 10, Grieved Over The Plight Of Israel, Daniel Began Another Partial Fast, Taking No Sweets, No Meat, And No Wine For Three Weeks, During Which Time He Was Focused In Prayer. At The End, His Prayer Was Answered By An Angel.

The Duration Of Fasts Can Vary. There Are Significant Numbers We Find In The Bible, Which Include 3 Days, 7 Days, 21 Days, And 40 Days. But There Are Also References To Half-­day Fasts, And 24-Hour Fasts.

There Is No Real "Formula" That I Can Give You To Help You Determine Which Type Or Length Of Fast Is Right For You. The Length Of Time That You Choose To Fast Should Depend On Your Circumstances, But Don't Get Bogged Down In The Details. Begin With One Day From Sun Up To Sun Down. You Will Be Amazed At The Difference Even A One-Day Partial Or Normal Fast Will Make In Your Life.

Don't Bite Off More Than You Can Handle. There Is No Need To Be Heroic And Attempt A 40-Day Fast If You Have Never Fasted A Day In Your Life. Just Start. Once You Discover The Benefits, You'll Be On Your Way To Making It A Life-Practice.

There Are Times When The Lord May Impress You To Go On A Longer Fast, (On Longer Fasts, I Drink Water, Juice, And Even Broth When I Feel I Need A Little Extra Strength.) But For Most Folks, A Three-Day Fast Is Very Practical. A "Daniel Fast," Eliminating Meat, Bread, And Sweets For 21 Days Is A Fast Just About Anyone Can Handle As Well.

Some May Think Eliminating Only Those Three Foods From Your Diet For Three Weeks Is No Big Deal. But If It Means Something To You, It Will Mean Something To God. After All, When Was The Last Time Angels Were Released To Speak Mysteries To You Like The Archangel Michael Spoke To Daniel?

Tips On Fasting

Whenever You Begin A Fast, Remember, If It Doesn't Mean Anything To You, It Won't Mean Anything To God. Without Being Combined With Prayer And The Word, Fasting Is Little More Than Dieting.

But I Want You To Realize Something Very Important: Fasting Itself Is A Continual Prayer Before God. There May Be Days When Heaven Opens And Your Heart Is Prompted To Deep Times Of Prayer. But There May Be Other Days When Your Energy Is Sapped And You Just Cannot Seem To Focus In Prayer At All. Don't Condemn Yourself. God Sees Your Sacrifice.

When You Are Fasting Is Not The Time To Sit In Front Of The TV. Why Would You Want To Torture Yourself With All Those Food Ads Anyway?

When You Begin Longer Fasts, It Is Not A Good Idea To Gorge Yourself The Days Before. You Should Actually Begin Tapering Off Your Food Intake In Preparation.

Regardless Of The Length Of Your Fast, When You Begin, You Should Try To Drink At Least One Gallon Of Purified Water Throughout The First Day. I Don't Recommend Tap Water Because Of The Impurities It Can Contain. Purified Or Distilled Water Flushes The Toxins And The Poison Out Of Your System, Which Will Help You Get Off To A Good Start. It Also Makes You Feel Full! Water Is The Faster's Best Friend, So Continue To Drink Plenty Throughout The Fast.

When I Go On A Fast, I Often Get A Headache The First Day Or Two. I've Had A Lot Of People Tell Me That The Devil Gave Them A Headache. But, More Likely, It Is Simply Your Body Getting Rid Of The Toxins That Have Built Up Over A Period Of Time.

Fasting Is Like "Spring Cleaning" For Your Body! It Gives Your Whole Digestive System A Break, And Medically Speaking, That Is Very Healthy. The Headache Generally Felt While Fasting Is A Sure Indication That You Should Fast.

If You Experience A Headache While Fasting, It Is A Sign That You Needed To Fast. The Headaches Are The Result Of The Impurities And Poisons The Body Is Burning For Energy. After Three Days, The Headaches Usually Disappear.

Whenever You Fast For At Least Three Days, Your Digestive System Shuts Down. I'll Be Honest With You, It Is Not Always Pleasant. Some Feel Sluggish, Have Headaches, Can't Sleep, And Let's Face It... You Are Going To Get Hungry! But I Want To Assure You That Once You Get Through Those First Couple Of Days, If You Will Keep Drinking Plenty Of Water And Juice, Those Toxins That Poison Your Body Will Get Flushed Out And You Will Find What Can Only Be Described As A "Sweet Place" In The Fast!

Benefits Of Fasting

Solomon Said, "That Which Has Been Is What Will Be, That Which Is Done Is What Will Be Done, And There Is Nothing New Under The Sun" (Ecclesiastes 1:9 NKJ).

Though Men And Women Of God Have Fasted Since Ancient Times, Today We Have Many New Books On The Shelves Touting The Healthy Physical Benefits Of The Practice.

Even The Greek Physician Hippocrates (Approximately 460-377 BC), Known As The "Father Of Modern Medicine," Whose Concepts Have Influenced The Development Of Medical Practices For Centuries, Believed Fasting Was Very Healthy For The Body.

In His Book, 101 Reasons To Fast, Pastor Bob Rodgers Sites Many Statements From Hippocrates And Others Who Discovered The Many Medical Benefits Fasting Can Have On The Body. Fasting Cleans Your Body.

As You Begin A Fast, You Will Notice A Sort Of Coating On Your Tongue For A Few Days. It Is A Sign The Fast Is Helping Your Body Eliminate Toxins. Tests Have Proven The Average American Consumes And Assimilates 4 lbs. Of Chemical Preservatives, Coloring, Stabilizers, Flavorings, And Other Additives Each Year. These Build Up In Our Bodies And Cause Illness And Disease. Periodic Fasts Are Necessary To Flush Out The Poisons. Fasting Gives Your Body Time To Heal Itself.

It Relieves Nervousness And Tension And Gives Your Digestive System A Rest. Fasting Lowers Your Blood Pressure And Can Lower Your Cholesterol.

Don Colbert, M.D., Is A Medical Doctor Who Has Researched And Studied The Body's Need To Rid Itself Of Toxins Which Cause Illness, Disease, Fatigue, And Many Other Ailments.

Dr. Oda H. F. Birchinger, Who Supervised More Than 70,000 Fasts, Stated, "Fasting Is A Royal Road To Healing, For Anyone Who Agrees To Take It, For Recovery And Regeneration Of The Body, Mind, And Spirit." He Went On To Say, "Fasting Can Heal And Help Rheumatism In The Joints And Muscles, Diseases Of The Heart, Circulation, Blood Vessels, Stress-Related Exhaustion, Skin Diseases­ Including Pimples And Complexion Problems, Irregular Menstrual Cycles And Hot Flashes, Disease Of Respiratory Organs, Allergies Such As Hay Fever And Other Eye Diseases."

Fasting Slows Your Aging Process. Moses Fasted Often, Including Two Forty-Day Fasts, And The Bible Says In' Deuteronomy 34:7, "Moses Was 120 Years Old When He Died And His Eyes Were Not Dim, Nor His Natural Vigor Abated Than Normal When You're Fasting.

It Is Also Proven That Fasting Sharpens Your Mental Process, Aids And Improves Your Sight, Hearing, Taste, Touch, Smell, And All Sense Faculties.

 Fasting Breaks The Addiction To Junk Food. Fasting Can Break The Power Of An Uncontrollable Appetite. Some Are Bound By Nicotine, Alcohol, Drugs, But Fasting Can Help Break Those Addictions.

Recommended Books On Fasting

Bob Rodgers, 101. Reasons To Fast, (Louisville, KY, 1995)

Don Colbert, MD (Lake Mary, FL: Siloam Press, 2003)

Jentezen Franklin, Fasting (PO Box 315, Gainsville, GA 30503, 2004)