Five Practical Tips for Fasting

Fasting is a key spiritual discipline that has various spiritual benefits (check out this article on four spiritual benefits of fasting). But if you’ve never fasted before, it can feel daunting to take on this practice. One of the lessons in my new Rooted Discipleship Manual is on fasting. After teaching some biblical foundations, I listed some tips on how to incorporate fasting into your regular walk. See an excerpt below with five practical tips.

Five Practical Tips for Fasting

Believers have various experiences with fasting. Some have powerful encounters with God during times of fasting. Others see the fruit after the fast is complete. Sometimes we may not know what the result of our fasting is. But we can be sure of this: any time we fast with pure motives, we are drawing near to God, obeying Him, and impacting our spiritual life and those around us.

Maybe you have never fasted before or perhaps you are a veteran. Here are some practical points to help you on your fasting journey.

1. If you have never fasted before, start small and work towards longer fasts.

• • Think of fasting like exercise. If you have never gone running before, you wouldn’t start with running a marathon on your first day! Be led by the Holy Spirit, but generally it is good to start small and build up to longer periods of fasting.

2. If you have health issues that would limit your ability to fast, don’t disregard them.

• • Certain health conditions can impact a person’s ability to fast. Also, nursing or pregnant mothers are not able to fast in a normal way. If you fall into one of these categories, you can still fast in creative ways (e.g., partial fast or fasting one meal). Use wisdom and caution in these matters.

3. If you are coming off of a long fast, ease yourself back in to regular eating.

• • When you fast for an extended period of time, your digestive system shuts down and your stomach shrinks. It can be tempting to break a long fast with a large meal, but your body will not respond well to this! Ease back in to eating slowly with foods that are easy to digest.

4. Make fasting a regular part of your Christian walk.

• • Like any other spiritual discipline, consistency is key. Make fasting a regular practice. This can look different in different seasons, but here are some different possibilities.
    • Fast one day per week
  • Do a three-day fast each month
  • Fast a certain number of meals each week
  • Do a 21-day fast once a year

5. Give yourself grace!

• • As you grow in the discipline of fasting, make sure to give yourself plenty of grace. Remember, spiritual disciplines are not meant to be legalistic burdens or ritualistic routines. Ask God to give you a greater grace to fast and step out into this important spiritual practice!

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The Rooted Discipleship Manual is all about spiritual growth. Being saved and set free should be seen as a beginning, not an end. We are born again into God’s Kingdom, and now we are called to know God intimately, mature in Christ, and produce the fruit that He desires. In order for this to happen, we must be rooted.

This discipleship manual will help equip you with foundational truths and spiritual disciplines necessary to grow in your relationship with God. Each lesson contains biblical teaching combined with sections for reflection and personal application. Rooted can be used for personal study and growth, small group teaching and discussion, or as a tool for discipling others.