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April 1st – April 6th:
Preparing for the fast is just as important as the fast itself. Your body and mind must be prepared to take on this awesome spiritual journey. No two individuals are the same. Each person must take personal inventory of their body. Medical challenges, as well as physical challenges, will impact your approach and your desired outcome. Make sure you understand your limitations. A successful fast is well planned take time to plan a daily menu and do your research. When entering into a fast there are two critical factors that are extremely important. You must be physically able and spiritually willing for the challenge. If you are not sure of your physical limitations, you should seek medical advice and spiritual guidance. Begin praying and seeking divine wisdom. A successful fast requires two factors: commitment and discipline. Discipline and commitment means sacrificing time and energy to focus on things that are meaningful, fruitful and productive. As you begin to confront every issue, (problems, people, issues, there will be a transformation. The Lord will begin to rearrange your spiritual perspective on the issue(s) you have identified for your fast. During this process you are going to experience the magnificence of God in ways you have never imagined. The Lord will do His part by enhancing your spiritual life, if you remain disciplined and committed to the process. Even Jesus, when in the wilderness for forty days He ate nothing. In every case we read in the Bible where the fast was spiritually motivated, the results of the fast–provided godly wisdom and divine guidance.
You will also need to be mentally prepared if you want to win the battles of life. You cannot and will not win if you are not prepared to do so. Your training requires due diligence and discipline. The Word must become food when you’re hungry and water when you’re thirsty. Spiritual and mental preparation is viewing your problem from every direction. You need to know the depth, the length, and magnitude of what it is that you are up against. Every battle is different, and every enemy is not the same. Some obstacles you must go around; some you have to go right through; and others you must attack from above. It’s all about preparing yourself in advance and the Lord will show you what to do.
Types of Fasting:
The Bible describes four major types of fasting:
A Regular Fast:
Traditionally, a regular fast means refraining from eating all food. Most people still drink water or juice during a regular fast. When Jesus fasted in the desert, the Bible says, "After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry." This verse does not mention Jesus being thirsty. The regular fast is done by abstaining from all food, both solid and liquid, except for water. This is the type of fasting Judah’s King Jehoshaphat called for when his country was confronted with invasion (2 Chronicles 20:3). The Lord defeated their enemies, and the men of Judah blessed the Lord (2 Chronicles 20:24–27). After the Babylonian Captivity, the people returning to Jerusalem prayed and fasted, asking God for His protection on their journey (Ezra 8:21). The Lord Jesus fasted during His forty days in the wilderness being tempted by Satan (Luke 4:2). When Jesus was hungry, Satan tempted Him to turn the stones into bread, to which Jesus replied, “Man shall not live by bread alone” (Luke 4:4).
A Partial Fast:
Another type of biblical fasting is the partial fast. The prophet Daniel spent three weeks fasting from certain foods. In Daniel 10, the prophet says, “I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks. In Daniel 1:12, they restricted their diet to vegetables and water: “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink.” I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over” (Daniel 10:2–3). Today, many Christians follow this example and abstain from certain foods or activities for a short time, looking to the Lord for their comfort and strength. This type of fast generally refers to omitting a specific meal from your diet or refraining from certain types of foods.
A Full Fast:
Also mentioned in the Bible is the absolute fast, or the full fast, where no food or water is consumed. When Esther discovered the plan for all the Jews to be killed in Persia, she and her fellow Jews fasted from food and water for three days before she entered the king’s courts to ask for his mercy (Esther 4:16). Another example of an absolute fast is found in the story of Saul’s conversion. The murderous Saul encountered Jesus in His glory on the road to Damascus. “For three days he was blind and did not eat or drink anything” (Acts 9:9). Immediately following that time of blindness and fasting, Saul dedicated his life to preaching Jesus Christ. In the cases of Esther and Saul, the absolute fast only lasted three days. However, Moses and Elijah took part in miraculous, forty–day absolute fasts. When Moses met God on the mountaintop to receive the tablets of stone, he ate no bread and drank no water (Deuteronomy 9:9).
And, after Elijah defeated the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel, infuriating Queen Jezebel, Elijah fled for his life and spent forty days of fasting in the wilderness (1 Kings 19). These fasts are complete - no food and no drink. Acts 9:9 describes when Paul went on a full fast for three days following his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus: "For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything. “Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai: “Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish” (Esther 4:15–16 NKJV)! It is recommended that this type of fast be done with extreme caution and not for extended periods of time. The purpose of fasting is not to get God to respond as a genie in a bottle to grant our every wish. Fasting, whether it is regular, partial, absolute, or sexual, is a seeking after God’s heart, all other blessings and benefits being secondary to God Himself. This is what sets apart biblical fasting from other religious and cultural practices around the world. Invest time in your fast and take charge over your life. Do not wait for anyone to motivate and encourage you, never underestimate what you can do when you put your trust in God. As you are fasting and tearing down strongholds of adversity, depression, bad relationships, unhealthy eating, and spending habits, healing and transformation will begin to change your life. You will discover the power and the anointing of the Holy Spirit working within you. Both your prayer life and time you spend with the Lord will become enriched with a newness and freshness of peace that will surpass even your own understanding. Although not mentioned in the Bible, Christians today commit to fasting from other activities as well. Some give up entertainment such as TV or movies to concentrate on prayer. Others fast from sleep or another activity for a specified period of time.