FASTING

The discipline of fasting is an internal declaration that God is your source. Abstaining from food for a set amount of time can help sharpen your spiritual senses and grow your hunger for God.

learn about fasting:

• Fasting chapter -  from Spiritual Disciplines Handbook by Adele Calhoun

• Fasting - sermon by Pastor Denise Rhrissorrakrai

• Transforming Habits: Fasting - sermon by Worship Director Andrew Oliver

Additional READing:

• “A Celebration of Discipline – Chapter 4: Fasting” by Richard Foster [book]

• "Fasting" by Jentezen Franklin [book]

• “A Hunger for God” by John Piper [book]

• "Shaping History Through Prayer and Fasting" by Derek Prince [book]

General information on FASTING:

We believe that God wants to deepen our love for him and for our neighbor, but first our hearts must be softened in God’s presence. Biblically one of the greatest tools God uses to accomplish this is through the spiritual discipline of fasting. Seasons of fasting help us to eliminate the noise and distractions from our lives in order for us to seek God with greater intensity.

TYPES OF FASTS

Your personal fast should present a level of challenge, but it is very important to know your body, your options, and most importantly, to seek God in prayer and follow what the Holy Spirit leads you to do. Take time to pray and discern how God is leading you as well as a consult a physician if your health requires before you begin.

• COMPLETE FAST - In this type of fast, you drink only liquids, typically water with light juices as an option.

• SELECTIVE FAST- This type of fast involves removing certain elements from your diet. One example of a selective fast is the Daniel Fast, during which you remove meat, sweets, and bread from your diet and consume water and juice for fluids and fruits and vegetables for food.

• PARTIAL FAST - This fast is sometimes called the “Jewish Fast” and involves abstaining from eating any type of food in the morning and afternoon. This can either correlate to specific times of the day, such as 6:00 am to 3:00 pm, or from sunup to sundown.

• SOUL FAST - This fast is a great option if you do not have much experience fasting food, have health issues that prevent you from fasting food, or if you wish to refocus certain areas of your life that are out of balance. For example, you might choose to stop using social media or watching television for the duration of the fast and then carefully bring that element back into your life in healthy doses at the conclusion of the fast.