Fasting for Faith and Fitness

IS IT NORMAL FOR A BELIEVER TO FAST?

Jumping into working for Christ, it seemed natural to begin my journey with a fast. I'm not a stranger to fasting. I strongly believe the Lord has expectations for Christians (believers) to fast regularly.  In fact, there are a number of scriptures that suggest we should fast regularly. Matthew 6:16 says, "WHEN you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But WHEN you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father who is unseen; and your Father sees what is done in secret, will reward you. This also suggests to keep fasting between you and God. To be honest, this isn't as easy as you think. If you're not eating regularly people around you (especially if you're into fitness) start looking at you sideways. Before they start diagnosing you, I will admit to saying after multiple offers to get lunch and declining, I will reveal to some of my closest friends that I am partaking in a spiritual fast without getting into too much detail. Before I start any fast I also discuss it with my husband. I tell him what I will be doing so he doesn't have expectations of me that I can't meet during the fast. This may not be the suggested way but it's what I found works for me.

The 21 Day New Year Fast

After God put it on my heart to initiate Faith Based Personal Training I fasted for forty days to begin the year "I knew" the company would develop.  I put the "I knew" in quotes because relatively speaking, I didn't know. I only knew what He placed on my heart. I prayed and prayed for God to reveal what my walk was to be. I asked that He take the lead and walk before me, on the side of me and guard me from behind. When the year began, 2017, I just asked that God show me the way. I got the idea to start the year with a fast from my aunt. She's been an amazing part of my journey. Anyway, she talked about her church taking part in a 21-day Daniel Fast every year in the new year. She promised that if I needed guidance, starting the year off with a spiritual fast was the way to go. She instructed that I could give up whatever I wanted, but that her and my uncle usually give up meat. After discussing it with my husband, we too also decide to fast from meat during our 21-day fast. This time was challenging (for my husband more than myself). I had a great time finding vegetarian meals to make for us, and we explored new foods. The result of the fast was that we were both successful. We completed 21-days without waiver and I'm pretty sure God answered everything I had prayed intentionally for during this period. I also felt closer to Him and that He was taking the lead and speaking to my heart. I turned my ear to Him and went to work.

The 3 Day Fast

After doing the 21-day fast, at various times during the year, I made the choice to abstain from a few things and continue to fast sporadically. Are you wondering when to fast and for how long? Well, to be honest, I usually fast when I'm trying to grow closer to God and hear from Him. The time is all different. I try to hear from God before beginning a fast. However, I do it based on what is in my heart at the time. Before running any "official" boot camps or training anyone under the guise of Faith Based Personal Training (other than my mother) I decided to partake in a three day fast. This one consisted of no solid food. Only liquids. It's not easy to do this at the level of calories I normally burn in a day (anywhere from 600-1,000). So, in this case, I only participated in fasting for three days. I also backed off my normal workouts. I still burned over 600 calories a day training and with daily activity. However, I also was sure to drink at least 800 calories per day. Protein powder works wonders for this type of fast (so does Smoothie King). By no means, am I saying this is the fast you should participate in, or for how long I'm simply giving you an example and telling you to try to hear from God. 

No matter what type of fasting I've done in the past each one has resulted in the same outcome. I've felt closer to God and like my path was clearer. If you're looking to detox or cleanse try the 10 Day Master Cleanse complete with a salt water flush. I'm also a HUGE believer in doing aloe flushes.

Good luck with your future fast.