Fasting Part 2

It has now been 5 1/2 days since I started fasting, which means that while I am hungry, the hardest part is behind me (I think). It takes your body some time to adjust to the fact that you are not feeding it anymore, and days 3 and 4 were really tough for me. Yesterday and today though, I felt a lot better, and was able to relax more and not worry so much about being hungry. Before I get into more physical effects, however, I would like to talk about what fasting is like for me in general.

I usually have one of two reasons for fasting. Sometimes I have something important, usually a big decision, and I fast so that I can focus on praying and seeking God's direction. Sometimes I fast because I need time to refocus on God and fasting gives me a chance to regain that focus. As I mentioned in the last post I am fasting for the second reason this time.

Whenever you start fasting you need to think carefully about what you are going to give up, how long you are going to give it up for, and especially what your goal is during that time. One of the biggest advantages I find from fasting is that you instantly have extra free time. If you are not eating, not preparing food, and not shopping (very much) there is a lot of extra time in your day. There are many different kinds of fasting from something as simple as giving up meat to something as intense as going without any food and water. What is really important when it comes to fasting is that your are expressing your devotion to God through giving up something that is a normal part of your life. For this particular fast in addition to giving up food I am also going on a partial technology fast, giving up video games, and minimizing my time on the internet. This is great for me because I have a chance to step back from somethings that I normally do almost every day and show God and myself that I don't rely on this temporal things, but instead place my reliance on God.

The Bible gives many examples of different kinds of fasts. Daniel and his friends decided to live on only vegetables and water for a time. David fasted from food for seven days while he was praying for God to spare the life of his first child by Bathsheba. He had a specific reason to pray to God and he did not want to be distracted from his supplication to God by food. Once God answered his prayer, (although not in the way he wanted) he happily started to eat again. Jesus fasted for forty days in the wilderness at the beginning of his ministry, and while the Bible says that he ate no food, we are to assume that he did drink water during that time. I believe that forty days is the longest period of time recorded for a fast in the Bible and that is also regarded as the longest period of time to safely go without food. The Bible also records that after Paul witnessed Jesus on the Damascus road he went three days without eating or drinking, and three days is probably the longest that it is safe to go without water. The Bible records the story of Elijah who ran in the strength of the Lord for forty days without food or drink, but this seems to be an act of God, and not something that humans can repeat. So if you are thinking of fasting I would recommend drinking at least water, and not going any longer than forty days.

Personally I like to follow the example of Bill Bright, and engage in a juice fast. This means that in addition to water I drink a variety of juices. Just water will keep you alive, but you have very little energy to use. I tried to fast while drinking only water one time, and after a few days I started drinking juice because felt so tired all of the time. Juice does not really satisfy you, and you will still feel the effects of going without food, but it is a great alternative for someone like me who likes to be active.