What is fasting?  Matthew 4:1-11 says that Jesus was basically starving.  Jesus had entered into a complete fast of food (and relationships) by existing in the wilderness by himself for 40 days.

Fasting can be a powerful practice for a Christian.  However, many Christians today avoid fasting altogether.  Jesus taught on fasting in the Sermon On The Mount.  At the beginning of his teaching on fasting, he declared, “When you fast…” (Matt 6:16).  This means that Jesus expected us to fast from time to time.  So, fasting is something that should be practiced by believers. 

Another error many Christians make with fasting is to misunderstand the purpose and practice of fasting.  So, Jesus goes on to teach about making sure we fast with a proper understanding of how to fast well (Matt 6:16-18).  So, he wanted to give us instructions on how we should fast in a way to receive the most benefit from it.  Jesus says we should fast with proper motives that view the practice as an intimate, personal devotional time with God (and not to show everyone around us how spiritually elite we are).  So, there should be a secrecy and privacy to fasting because it is really an intimate, personal act of devotion.  That is what Lent is all about.  The church enters into a personal, intimate devotion with God, together.

Lent is a great time for a Christian to experiment with fasting.  However, it is important to understand what you are getting yourself into. So, this guide was written to help you fast biblically and effectively.

First, let’s talk about what Christian fasting is NOT:

• Fasting is not a spiritual practice that demonstrates how pious or devout you are.  Jesus warned us about using spiritual practices to boost our pride and use them to “one up” each other.  If our fasting is for show, we lose the benefit.  It isn’t a competition.  Honestly, God will take whatever commitment His children are willing to make.  It isn’t about the level of fasting, it is about the core motivation of seeking devotion and intimacy with Him through it.
• Fasting is not a way of trying really hard spiritually to impress God so that God will accept you or forgive you.  Christians are already fully approved and loved by God (once and for all) because of what Jesus did for us and our entering into Christ at salvation.  Fasting is not a practice of building our resume for God.  Fasting is a practice that Christians do because we are already in God’s family and are already experiencing His love, forgiveness and mercy.
• Fasting is not a “magic formula” for us to get what we want from God.  Although fasting does increase our intimacy with God and our prayer times do seem to have a greater level of connectedness, the main motive of fasting is intense focus for greater intimacy.

Instead, Christian fasting is intentionally withholding something we’d normally partake in (normally food) for the purpose of feasting at a greater level of intimacy with Jesus in our lives.

So, Christian fasting is:

• Intense focus – The method Jesus was referring to in Matthew 6 was a routine practice of fasting that was intended to be a time where someone denied themselves a comfort or enjoyable thing in life to focus more intently on God.  In this sense the practice was like someone saying, “God, this is how hungry I am for you.”
• Testing – Jesus’ wilderness experience was something He entered into to be tested before He began his ministry.  So, fasting can be a time period where we are seeking to grow in discipline and become more focused and stronger in our usefulness in the Kingdom.
• Training in holiness – Fasting creates hunger pangs that can be quite intense at times and when we deny those natural urges, it can create levels of discomfort.  The temptation is strong to satisfy the cravings.  The battle of the Christian life is to keep in step with the Spirit of God and as we do, we are called to deny strong fleshy urges within us.  When we deny our hunger pangs and pray in the practice of fasting, it is as if we are practicing fighting the flesh through a simulation type experience.  We are learning dynamics of saying “yes” to the spirit and “no” to the flesh through this practice.
• Desperation – In the Bible, fasting is often used as a response that someone has to a grave situation where they are going to God with their burden in a particular situation.  Esther asked the Israelites to fast for three days before she approached the King with her request that could result in her being executed.  In her sense of the incredible risk of the action she was being asked to take, she asked for everyone to fast.  Fasting is an appropriate response for us to enter into when we feel situational desperation in life.  It is communicating to God by basically saying, “God, I need special attention and special help.”
• Grieving – when we experience severe hardships or grieving in this world, one natural response is that we are so heavy of spirit that we just aren’t hungry. In our grief, we fast and go to God in our grief and seek His comfort and care.

The Lent season falls into the first category of the usage of fasting.

Simply put: Lent is a time of fasting where we commit to withdraw ourselves from comforts we rely upon and seeking to feast to a greater degree on God through intense focus, personal intimacy and devotion.

• It should be pointed out that a whole fast isn’t for everyone. Small children, the elderly, pregnant or nursing mothers, and those with relevant health issues should be very careful in attempting a whole fast. If you’re concerned about fasting, talk with a medical professional about it before trying it.
• But if you decide to try a whole fast during Lent, consider starting with a 24-hour fast once a week.  Traditionally, Christians would fast either Wednesday (commemorating the betrayal of Jesus) or Friday (commemorating the death of Jesus on the Cross).  A 24 hour fast starts the night before by skipping dinner, then skipping breakfast and lunch and then having dinner that night.
• Other traditional days to practice a whole fast are Ash Wednesday, and some people will fast all the way from Maundy Thursday to Holy Saturday, breaking their 3-day fast on Easter morning.