1. Water only

2. Liquids: juices, soy milk, protein powder, etc.

3. Daniel fast: a restricted diet for the fasting period.

Fasting is very healthy for your body and obviously it can be for your spirit as well.  It seems to increase self discipline and put one in a state of seeking God more intently.

A good Daniel fast: eat only raw vegetables and fruits. Very healthy, but a restriction of food pleasure none the less.

When doing a liquid fast: stay away from all coffee, soft drinks, drinks with excessive sugar, or any form of carbonation; only drink carrot juice, apple juice, etc. Use some type of protein powder during a liquid fast. It helps regulate blood sugar and provides protein for brain functioning.

Liquid fasting does not restrict activities, except for some occasional slowing down in the late afternoon hours.

It is recommended to take some kind of fiber/psyllium seed, which helps with elimination.  Actually, many natural health professionals suggest fasting periodically to help cleanse your body of toxins.

Guidelines for Fasting

1.  The central issue of fasting is not the voluntary abstinence from eating for a season of time but the heart hunger for the things of God that would see eating food, at least for a specified season, as a distraction.  Fasting is not starvation; we all have enough energy reserves to go weeks without eating.

2.  Thru fasting, we are willfully prioritizing the invisible Kingdom of God over the visible, physical world that we live in.  Like Jesus in the wilderness, we affirm that  “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” Matthew 4: 4.   In fasting, we actively seek to have God’s word be that which sustains us, instead of food. Imagine that God’s words and truths are filling the vacant areas caused by not eating.  Fasting helps to break our ‘addiction’ to the physical world and help us gain perception into the spiritual realms.

3.  Fasting without a heart seeking after God that prioritizes time spent in prayer, Bible study, meditation, and worship will fail to achieve the spiritual rewards that are sought.

4.  Fasting voluntarily weakens us and allows us to lean upon the Lord for sustenance and strength.  When you feel weakened, repeat this scripture to yourself: “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak...those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint” Isaiah 40: 29, 31.  Repeat it and believe it.

5.  Prior to fasting, prepare your body by not eating foods heavy with fats, creams, red meats.  Eat fruits and vegetables and carbohydrates.  Determine if you will be fasting on water alone or with fruit and vegetable juices.

6.  If you have low blood sugar, it is recommended to take protein supplement, to help regulate your blood sugar levels.

7.  For a juice fast, stay away from juices with high acid content: orange, grape, tomato. Try not to consume juice drinks containing sugar.  Pure apple juice is good for daytime consumption and carrot juice is good for evening consumption.  Some drink a clear vegetable broth at night.  Milk is considered a food substance and should not be consumed during a fast.

8.  Because your body will be purging itself of toxins and waste, consume large quantities of water.  Psyllium seed, a bulk fibrous cleanser, can be added to your morning juice to facilitate the cleansing of your intestines during your fast.  Health food stores sell this, (Down to Earth sells it in bulk form: one tablespoon is added to the juice and drunken quickly to avoid having the fiber clump up).

9.  Limit your physical activity during your fast and do not be alarmed if you get headaches or bad breath; your body is merely cleansing itself, even as you want your soul to be cleansed as your seek God.

10. Allow yourself time for quiet prayer and reflection. Write in a journal your thoughts and reflections as your spend time with God.  Be especially sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s conviction of sin.  Remember that spiritual toxins need to be purged as well as physical.  Often times, a person on a fast will discover emotions and thought patterns that were masked in the activity of eating.  Do not be alarmed but prayerfully meditate on what comes up.  God uses the fast to cleanse you both physically and spiritually.

11.  As you pray for the church, write out a short list of the topics you wish to pray about for the day: church leadership, worship team, set up ministries, prayer and prophecy, women’s and men’s ministries, etc.  Then be quiet for a moment and ask the Holy Spirit to guide your prayers for the specific areas: “We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us...because the Spirit intercedes in accordance with God’s will” (Romans 8: 26, 27).  Then pray, with faith, as you feel the Holy Spirit is leading you to.

12.  Break your fast slowly by consuming vegetables and fruits.  Try to ease into eating meats.  Do not gorge yourself.  Take time to reflect on what God has done in your life during the fasting time.  Do not be disappointed if no major ‘breakthroughs’ come during your fasting time.  Sometimes, what is accomplished in the fast is merely the planting of a spiritual seed that will sprout and bud in God’s timing.  Other times, our fasting merely adds water and fertilizer to existing ‘seeds’ in our lives.  By faith, we believe that God will accomplish all He desires through our acts of obedience.

Commit yourself to fast again in the near future!

By Mark Hsi, Senior Pastor Hope Chapel Manoa