Spiritual Fasting
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Spiritual Fast?
An opportunity to shift our focus from ME to HIM by giving up something as simple as a meal, watching a show/movie, or scrolling through social media and giving that time to spending time in prayer, reading the Bible, or worship.
Key Principle: A Spiritual Fast is sacrificing time spent doing something and giving that time to God.
How Do I Fast?
There is no "right way" to fast. The focus is not on "did I do it right?" or "did I do enough?". We encourage everyone to prayerfully approach some sort of sacrifice for the 21 days. If you hate broccoli and do not normally eat it, we encourage you to give up something other than broccoli over these 21 days.
Key Principle: This time should be a sacrifice and an inconvenience and that pushes you to shift that focus to time with God instead.
What Can I Eat or Not Eat?
Again, there is no specified "right way" for the items to eat or not eat. You take time to prayerfully decide what you will be fasting - it may not even be food! That being said, there are different "traditional" fasts that we can help you learn more about! One idea of fasting is called a Daniel Fast, which is based on what we see Daniel doing in the Old Testament. This would include only eating natural things like fruits, vegetable, nuts, and water, and abstaining from meat, dairy, and sugars.
Key Principle: Fasting is about a sacrifice that will bring you closer to God. There is no formulated "right way".
How Long Does a Fast Last?
Traditionally, most fasts last anywhere from 1-40 days. Our corporate fasts at RLC happen twice a year and last 21 days.
Key Principle: While there is a structured time to our corporate fasting, you can do a Spiritual Fast for any amount of time that you would like.
What Should I Expect During a Fast?
Honestly, you can expect to be pretty grumpy or agitated! When we sacrifice parts of our "norm", we often respond in frustration. However, removing the focus on what WE want and turning to what HE wants is the point of it all, so our agitation often means we chose something that was truly a sacrifice. We can expect to be challenged, as well as, encouraged in our faith and our walk with Christ. It is going to be challenging but when we stay committed to it we find that it is worth it! Our prayer is that we never approach the Spiritual Fasting of food as an opportunity for weight loss, or dieting, but as a sincere shift of our focus from food to God.
Key Principle: The goal is to take this time to pursue God, grow closer to Him, and hear from Him regarding the needs and wants in our lives.
What Will I Get From Fasting?
There are many spiritual, social, and physical benefits from Spiritual Fasting, as it is an opportunity to be intentional with our time, sometimes with our food intake, and most importantly with our relationship with God. Food fasts can cleanse your body of some toxins that our normal food intake has and we really hope you feel better physically after a fast! However, the greatest goal that to focus on during any fast is to gain a closer relationship with God, due to the increased amount of time spent with Him. When we spend more time with God, we gain a better understanding of WHO He is and a better understanding of WHO I AM through Him.
Key Principle: God reveals Himself to us in ways that we would never experience if not through a fast.
RESOURCES:
Fasting: Opening the door to a deeper, more intimate, more powerful relationship with God by Jentezen Franklin
Real Life Church PDF Resources