As I was reading this morning, a question was asked? How can you hear God’s voice? How do we know if we are in God’s will? The obvious answer is fasting. In Acts 9:7-9 while Paul was fasting, God called him out of his old life to teach the world about Jesus. I think, most of us can agree, that Paul was one of the biggest influencers in Christianity! Peter was fasting on a rooftop when God presented an assignment and he would ultimately spread the gospel to the Gentiles in Acts 10. It is fair to say that fasting prepares a clear path for God to give you direction, revelation and purpose for your life. Fasting allows you to rely on the Lord, enabling the Holy Spirit to guide your life in ways you may have never imagined!

There are many different types of fast. Absolute, Normal and Partial Fasts. The Absolute Fast is what Jesus did when he walked in the wilderness. He drank no water and ate no food. This is not recommended unless you are supervised by a trained professional who can walk you through this and monitor your progress. However, some people have experienced incredible breakthroughs by completing an absolute fast.

The Normal Fast is limited to water, broth or juice. This also is challenging, however can be done and some churches participate in this type of fasting yearly. One church has talked with their local Chick-fil-A and they actually strain their Chicken Noodle Soup for their fasting customers to make it compliant. You just gotta love a good Chick-fil-A!

The final fast is a partial fast, which I am doing. It is what the Daniel Fast follows and restricts certain foods and all drinks except water. There are many versions of the Daniel Fast but the most popular one is limiting what you consume to fruits, vegetables, non-refined grains, nuts and seeds. I also read Rick Warren’s “Daniel Plan” and this incorporates lean proteins. Rick Warren’s plan is based around healthy living and spiritual growth. He had a team of prominent doctors that helped define a healthy lifestyle, including exercise, meditation and community, something that both Rick and his congregation could apply. It proved successful and has been followed by thousands yearly.

As you can tell, there are many options to fasting. It is not an all or nothing approach, but rather fasting is an individual choice. The most important component is that fasting is combined with prayer and reading the word of God. Without the last two elements, then fasting is merely nothing more than a diet!

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭58‬:‭6‬ ‭