The Big, Fat Baby’s Guide to Fasting

“And (Jesus) said to them, ‘This kind (of demon) cannot be driven out by anything but prayer and fasting.‘ “

Mark 9:29

Intermittent fasting is all the rage right now, but it is rare to find the people touting its praises on the internet to be approaching fasting from a religious perspective

Fasting, in the public sphere, is often boiled down to a great way to lose weight, regain energy and increase focus — and though those things might be nice side effects of fasting, they are truly the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the powerful benefits of fasting, from a faith perspective.

True, intermittent fasting has become a religion of sorts for some, which is problematic — but just maybe it’s also presenting Christians an opportunity to recover something that has been lost in their own lives.

I mean, if all those people — motivated by predominately superficial motivations — can stop eating for an entire day or even days in their week, why can’t we do it for love of God?

It’s a great question and one that requires a good look at our own human weakness and frailty — for most of us, our desire to be comfortable often wins out over our desire to sacrifice for God and gain spiritual benefit.

Guilty as charged!

I have to admit that, in recent years, I have become mostly a big, fat baby when it comes to fasting.

I have found myself rationalizing away why I really need to have small meals every few hours and why fasting would be bad for my health.

Like many Christian out there, I almost entirely abandoned the practice of fasting on a regular basis.

Even giving up meat on Fridays became negotiable for me.

Did you know that current Church discipline requires abstinence from meat on Fridays or another equivalent sacrifice in its place? It’s true.

Even being vaguely familiar with that fact, I must admit that many a Friday in recent years, I found my desire for meat quickly overcome my desire to fast and I honestly never replaced it with any proper equivalent sacrifice.

I rationalized that the sacrifices of motherhood were enough to cover the gap, and I regret doing so, because I was missing out on a lot of grace on those days.

Which is why, I have recently begun to take baby steps towards making fasting a regular part of my week again.

Our recent family pilgrimage included a few days in Medjugorje — a place where Mary is reported to have appeared to 6 young children (now grown) with a message of peace and a call to fasting and greater conversion.

If I were to say the big takeaway for myself and our time in Medjugorje, it was that I need to begin to take seriously again the call to fast — and to offer my fast for John and my kids and the people that I know need it most.

This is a big resolution for me, because as already stated, I really, really love being comfortable.

Rare are the moments I have felt the pains of hunger. Very rare. Rare are the occasions in which I push myself that extra mile for God or the people that need me to push for them.

But I know that, if I really love Jesus, I need to take seriously the way He is asking me to live — through the precepts of His Church and through the calls He has personally placed on my heart in prayer.

One of those calls is to pray and to fast, and so, darn it, I’m going to try to take this call more seriously in my life.

At the very least, we should make it easy on ourselves and go meatless on Fridays — personally, trying to figure out other sacrifices takes too much thought and preparation for me.

If you choose to replace that with an extra sacrifice, then go for it. I, however, have found giving up meat is the simplest way to make Friday a day of sacrifice, so I’m sticking with it.

So that’s the minimal, but let’s look at taking it up a notch, shall we?

Beyond simple abstinence from meat, is a call to dive deeper into the more sacrificial practice of fasting.

Fasting can look different for different people — but, at the heart of it, a fast that somehow mortifies the desires of the flesh is an invaluable practice in learning to overcome greater temptations that will come our way.

We live in a world where there are spirits, called demons, that are prowling about seeking our ruin and the ruin of the people that we know and love — and, quite often, the way they begin their work on us is through the flesh, the body.

We are physical beings, and the first line of defense is the flesh.

Actually, it might even be considered the most important line of defense, because if you can get that in check, you will find yourself stronger in other areas of your life as well.

It’s amazing what fasting can do for the battles of the mind, as well.

That clarity of mind that intermittent fasting fans talk about — it can be a huge benefit from a spiritual perspective as well.

Fasting can clear the confusion of the mind when it comes to discerning God’s will and prioritizing what is truly important.

There is also the extra energy one experiences when their digestive system is not bogged down with digesting carbs and meat and the overabundance of food most of us consume weekly.

To give your body a break — once or twice a week — will likely help you to be more physically prepared to face the challenges of a busy life with many responsibilities.

But let’s also look at the spirit for a minute.

Jesus recognized the spiritual reality of demons and the attack that we are under, and He made it clear that some demons can only be cast out by prayer and fasting.

For that reason, alone, we should begin to practice fasting in our own lives.

Lord knows, we are up against principalities that are stronger and smarter than us — but fasting is a weapon that can overcome them.

Pretty darn kick butt, if you ask me.

I don’t know exactly what is it about fasting that makes our prayer more efficacious, but the Bible makes it clear that fasting is incredibly powerful.

Perhaps it’s because love involves sacrifice — and fasting is a great way to sacrifice and to grow in love for God and others.

Maybe it’s even as simple as the fact that God blesses obedience and fasting is something that those who love God — from the ancient Jew to the modern Christian — have been asked to do for millennia now.

Whatever the reasons are that make fasting such a powerful weapon in our arsenal, I think the consensus is clear: fasting is good for a person, not just physically but also spiritually, and we should work to bring it back into a regular practice in our own lives.

Here are a few suggestions to make it work for you. First of all, start off with meatless Fridays. It’s an easy entry into saying “no” to yourself.

Friday is also the perfect day to begin to restrict your food intake. (If you are pregnant or nursing, I would suggest fasting from things that are “tasty” or satisfying rather than cutting out food for the day. Those sacrifices can be just as efficacious).

Let’s talk about bread for a minute. For some people bread and water is the only way they envision a fast.

For me, bread makes me extremely tired and shaky — so I’ve adapted a Friday fast to be a normal meatless dinner and during the day I trying to eat a handful of nuts, one glass of protein water (collagen is a natural protein source that doesn’t taste very good), coffee and that’s it till dinner.

Baby steps, people.

The most important element of fasting, is to make prayer a priority on fasting days. Also, I think, taking on an intercessory role for the needs of others is very important.

For me, John and the kids is always on the list and then I just add whomever else comes to mind on that day.

That’s it, the “Big, Fat, Baby’s Guide to Fasting”. Ta da! Hope it was helpful.

Don’t underestimate the power of this simple prayer.

Be prepared to be surprised by how God will take your meager little efforts, your little sacrifices and do amazing things with them.

Godspeed, good people!

Sharing over at Kelly’s