Read about a 30 Day Fast.

A fast can be many things. Normally it is a plan to deny yourself some kind of food or something that is habitual. You want the lack of it to be noticed regularly by your body and/or your mind. And you want to experience a sort of hunger for it. It can be a good thing or a bad thing. A fast, by design, will turn your thoughts toward God when the moment comes that you say No. These posts will help you focus on how He will spiritually provide what you need, in the moment and beyond. There are a lot of reasons to commit to a fast. To identify your specific frame of mind, ask yourself …

How do I want to change up the way I hunger for God, for a short time?

What special aspect or new area of growth do I want to focus on in my walk with God?

What extraordinary prayer request might I want to lift up to God with more fervor?

What bad habit or unhealthy focus do I want to see God’s control over?

Write down a simple plan:

What will I fast from, exactly? (note if there will be an accepted replacement)

Which hours in the day will I fast from it? (put it in your schedule)

How will I support my fast with prayer and the Word? (write out prayers, get on my knees, designate a specific spot to pray, ask others to pray for me, identify Scripture to focus on, write Scripture on post-its, copy verses into my journal)

How could I capture my progress and my experience? (journal, note in your phone, or voice record)

Examples:

I will fast from all food from 6:00a until 10:00p, and will eat soup instead. I will write out a prayer to God about how I want to hunger more for Him, before and after each meal, in a small notebook.

I will fast from all sugary drinks, creamers and desserts for 30 days. Once a day, I may have a healthy, non-sugar smoothie instead. I want to pray more for others. I will stop what I am doing and pray for 5 minutes each hour I am awake.

I will fast from alcohol for 30 days. I will drink water or LaCroix instead. With my clearer mind, heart and soul, I will ask God whether I should [move back home to take care of my aging parents].

I will fast from all social media (except this fast!) for 30 days. Instead, I will spend an hour every morning at 6:00a being quiet with God, reading His word and writing in my journal, and 30 minutes every evening at 10:00p.

There is no need to share your plan with anyone, this is an intimacy between you and God. It is okay to adjust the plan as you get into it. If you stray, that is also okay! Remember that this fast is NOT a vow, but an intention to hunger more for God. Just hop back on as soon as you realize it.

Matthew 6:16, 18 When you fast, don’t make it obvious to others … you only want your Father in heaven to notice. Your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

Click on this link to Subscribe to receive a post each day from this blog and explore with us how God might use your intention, your prayers and renewed hunger in your life:

After reading these posts below, you might want to click on this link to view an additional 30 posts that can support you while you are seeking to fast and increase your hunger for God:

Happy Hunger series, 30 Day Fast.

If you want help or prayer, or just a conversation, please get in touch with me.

God’s Fast – Isaiah 58: 6-9

Is this not the fast that I choose?
To release the bonds of wickedness.
To undo the ropes of the yoke.
To let the oppressed go free and break every yoke.
Is it not to break your bread with the hungry
and bring the homeless poor into the house?
And when you see the naked, to cover him
and not to hide yourself from your own kin?

Then your light will break out like the dawn,
and your recovery will spring up quickly
and your righteousness will go before you,
because the glory of the LORD will be your
rear guard.
Then you will call and the LORD will answer.
You will cry for help and He will say,
“Here I am.”

What am I fasting for?

My post-COVID-19 journey led me to stop. God led me to meditate on Isaiah 58 often and it initiated an intimate dialogue with God about fasting and justice! I share my own fasting journey on this blog and hope you leave inspired and motivated for a specific vision and a plan for action for your life. God will do the rest!

One of the hardest spiritual disciplines is to fast or deny yourself. Fast from food. Fast from a bad habit. Fast from screen-time. As someone who has tried fasting during Lent or as part of a diet program or just because I’m desperate for a change, I can relate to the cries of the Israelites.

Israelites: Why have we fasted and You do not see us? Why have we humbled ourselves and You do not notice? (Isaiah 58:3a)
God: When you fast you look for answers for your own fleshly desires, not to get My attention. I do see you. You mistreat the people in your life. I want you to be gentle and respectful to everyone, always. I don’t want a show put on for others, with sackcloth and ashes.(Isaiah 58:3b-7)

When have you felt like fasting made no difference and God didn’t see or hear you?

In the Bible, fasting is often coupled with prayer. In Isaiah 58, God adds another dimension: Humble service. So, when you deny yourself, connect with God in private. But in public, continue to serve others.

How does fasting work?

We can learn a few things from Jesus’ experience in the wilderness to make our own fast successful:

Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, was led into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after He had fasted and eaten nothing for forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written: Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes out of the mouth of God.” From Matthew 4: 1-4, Luke 4: 1-4

He was full of the Spirit. Keep a serious mindset. Ask His Spirit to empower you to follow through.

He was physically hungry. Choose something that actually hurts to give up. Deny physical or emotional crutches the power to distract.

He was tempted but did not disobey God. He was perfect. You will experience temptation, but if you give in, just ask forgiveness and start again.

He had Scripture verses at the ready. Spend more time in the word than usual. Research Scripture verses that will apply to you and your situation.

He focused on being fed by the Word. When He was tempted, it was the Word of God and hearing His words that sustained Him.

So, prepare for your time of fasting with Scriptures, with a heart empty of self and full of the Spirit, and an anticipation of being sustained by God Himself.

How does fasting work? When we come up against the thing we are fasting, we will intentionally say “No, not today, I’m fasting.” We want to explore our hunger for this thing, and ask ourselves, “What does this feel like?” We will then actively turn our faces away from it and towards God. Let the hunger we feel for this thing be replaced by a hunger for God: “What might He say to me? What is He thinking? How is He feeling about me and my situation? What does the Bible say about it?” We will seek satisfaction in Him and His words instead of satisfaction in the thing.

Do this for at least 30 days and see a new habit of spiritual hunger start to take place!

Reasons to Fast

There isn’t just one reason to fast. The Bible is full of situations where fasting takes place for personal, family and national reasons. And God probably doesn’t care what our reason is, just that we set aside special time to fast and be with Him. Intentionality will keep our focus strong! Here are a few questions to ask yourself and help you determine why joining this 30 day fast right now might be a good thing for you to do :

How do I want to change up the way I hunger for God, for a short time? Maybe your quiet time with Him is getting stale and without clear direction. Maybe lately you are just going through the motions.

What special aspect or new area of growth do I want to focus on in my walk with God? You really want to see God’s change in a certain way this year and want to focus on it.

What extraordinary prayer request might I want to lift up to God with more fervor? You might have a really tough situation in your life or a strong desire for God to do something specific.

What bad habit or unhealthy focus do I want to see God’s control over? There could be something in your life that you are finding you idolize more than God and want to see that turned on its head.

Choose one focus for your 30 Day Fast and be prepared to be amazed by Him!

A Simple Fasting Plan

Write down a simple plan in a journal:

What will I fast from, exactly? (note if there will be an accepted replacement)

Which hours in the day will I fast from it? (put it in your schedule)

How will I support my fast with prayer and the Word? (write out prayers, get on my knees, designate a specific spot to pray, ask others to pray for me, identify Scripture to focus on, write Scripture on post-its, copy verses into my journal)

How could I capture my progress and my experience? (journal, note in your phone, or voice record)

Examples:

I will fast from all food from 6:00a until 10:00p, and will eat soup instead. I will write out a prayer to God about how I want to hunger more for Him, before and after each meal, in a small notebook.

I will fast from all sugary drinks, creamers and desserts for 30 days. Once a day, I may have a healthy, non-sugar smoothie instead. I want to pray more for others. I will stop what I am doing and pray for 5 minutes each hour I am awake.

I will fast from alcohol for 30 days. I will drink water or LaCroix instead. With my clearer mind, heart and soul, I will ask God daily whether I should [move back home to take care of my aging parents].

I will fast from all social media (except this fast!) for 30 days. Instead, I will spend an hour every morning at 6:00a being quiet with God, reading His word and writing in my journal, and 30 minutes every evening at 10:00p.

There is no need to share your plan with anyone, this is an intimacy between you and God. It is okay to adjust the plan as you get into it. If you stray, that is also okay! Remember that this fast is NOT a vow, but an intention to hunger more for God. Just hop back on as soon as you realize it.

How Not to Fast

You say, “Why have we fasted and You have not been impressed? Why have we been hard on ourselves and You have not even noticed?” I, the LORD, say, “Because you are fasting to please yourselves and even while you are fasting, you oppress your workers. What good is fasting if it ends in quarreling and strife and hitting each other with your fists? You cannot fast like this and expect your voice to be heard by Me.” Isaiah 58: 3-4

Jesus said, “Whenever you fast, do not make a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they make their faces sad so that they will be noticed by people. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But as for you, when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face, so that your fasting will not be noticed by people but by your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. Matthew 6: 16-18

These worldly rules may appear to be wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person’s evil desires. Colossians 2:23

How not to fast:

Don’t fast to impress God.

Don’t fast as a magic formula to get what you want.

Don’t ignore humble service while you are fasting.

Don’t look miserable, gloomy or disheveled.

Don’t try to be noticed or appear super-spiritual.

Don’t think that fasting as a discipline is an end in itself.

God promises that while we humble ourselves, in private, during our fast, He will hear us and He will reward us! What could that reward be? Probably not a Porsche! But one reward will certainly be space to experience a more intimate relationship with Him. Another reward will be more clarity to understand your journey. And an additional reward could be an update on His next direction for your life.

Developing a habit of spiritual hunger through fasting and prayer will keep your eyes more firmly on Him as you continue to move through the life He has planned for you.

What reward are you looking for during your fast?

All-seeing Father, I always want to hunger for You and find You in my daily prayer and quiet time. But I ask that in this special time of focus on fasting and seeking You, I experience more of You. Spill over into my daily tasks and relationship encounters. I want a firmer heart for Your path as You begin to show me more. Amen.

Get Ready to Fast

1. Know why you are fasting. See my January 3 post, What Am I Fasting For?
2. Know what spiritual fasting looks like. See my January 4 post, What Could My Fast Look Like?
3. Know why fasting is a spiritual discipline for all Christians. See my January 5 post, How Does Fasting Work?
4. Know specifically why God is leading you to fast. See my January 6 post, Reasons to Fast.
5. Confirm your fasting plan. See my January 7 post, A Simple Fasting Plan.
6. Know what to avoid while fasting. See my January 8 post, How Not to Fast.

Successfully entering into your time of fasting will come from paying attention to the details mentioned above, so make sure you are prepared. This preparation time is also an opportunity for you to seek God and make sure He is on board.

Your time of fasting, as I am leading this 30 Day Fast, is not a diet plan, but a way to increase spiritual hunger and experience Happy Hunger! Of course, any time you are more disciplined about what you are putting in your mouth (if your fast has to do with food), you may see some changes in your body. That’s not a bad thing! But, not the main thing! So please don’t confuse them.

Fasting can also become an ongoing part of your whole spiritual journey. I have found that adding this discipline to my daily life, in different ways, is beginning to have profound effects on my spiritual walk. This is not a new discipline. Many, many spiritual men and women over the ages have developed this as a habit in their lives. And many of those men and women have walked more firmly into the good works and gifts that God has planned for them.

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works or a reward, so that no one may boast and take credit for it. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared long ago so that we could do them. Ephesians 2: 8-10

Get ready to meet God in a new way!