Welcome to our Lent series, where we're exploring what it could look like to practice different spiritual disciplines this Lenten season.

Our first practice is FASTING.

What is fasting?

Biblically, fasting most often means abstaining from food for a spiritual purpose. However, the heart of fasting is voluntarily giving up something good to make space for God. That can include food, but it can also include media, comforts, habits, or distractions.

Is fasting required for Christians?

No. We are saved by grace and it is for freedom we have been set free! But Jesus speaks about fasting with some assumption that his disciples are engaging in it, which leads us to believe that fasting was common and perhaps expected from his followers (Matthew 6:16-18). There is no command for fasting, but there are centuries of evidence that fasting changes us in ways other disciplines do not. Richard Foster tells us, “More than any other Discipline, fasting reveals the things that control us.”

Why do we fast?

Biblically, we fast to

- Humble ourselves

- Repent and return to God’s ways

- Seek guidance

- Prepare for spiritual battle

- Express grief and longing

- Grow in dependence

- Cultivate justice and compassion

Whenever I fast, I am astonished at what bubbles to the surface of my heart and my life. Impatience? Yep. Irritation? There it is! Laziness? Lurking there all the while. All of the things I am so talented at hiding suddenly have no where to go but out. If you are eager for transformation, aching for nearness to your Father, and ready for a fresh awareness of His Love, try a fast this Lenten season. Let God fill your empty spaces and see what happens.

How long should I fast?

A simple and effective beginning practice is the 24 hour fast, or two meals. You would eat dinner, and then not eat again until dinner the next night.

What should I do while I’m fasting?

First of all, be normal. Jesus says, “But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.” (Matt 6:17-18)

Second of all, replace what you remove! If you skip a meal, use that time to pray or read Scripture. If you fast from social media, use that time to sit quietly before the Lord. Let hunger (or the absence of your habit) become a prompt to pay attention to the Holy Spirit. What is God saying? Where is God making changes in you?

Should everyone fast from food?

No. If you are pregnant, nursing, managing diabetes, have medical conditions, are under 18, or have a history of disordered eating, do not fast from food.

Let us know how your fasting practice goes this week!