The goal of fasting is to draw nearer to God. Biblical
fasting always has to do with eliminating distractions for a spiritual purpose;
it hits the reset button of our soul and renews us from the inside out. It also
enables us to celebrate the goodness and mercy of God and prepares our hearts
for all the good things God desires to bring into our lives. Remember, your
personal fast should present a level of challenge, but it is very important to
know your body, your options, and, most importantly, to seek God in prayer and
follow what the Holy Spirit leads you to do.
Types of Fasts
Complete Fast - In this type of fast, you drink only liquids, typically
water with light juices as an option.
Selective Fast - This type of fast involves removing certain elements from
your diet. One example of a selective fast is the Daniel Fast, during which you
remove meat, sweets, and bread from your diet and consume water and juice for
fluids and fruits and vegetables for food.
Partial Fast - This fast is sometimes called the “Jewish Fast” and involves
abstaining from eating any type of food in the morning and afternoon. This can
either correlate to specific times of the day, such as 6:00 am to 3:00 pm, or
from sunup to sundown.
Soul Fast - This fast is a great option if you do not have much
experience fasting food, have health issues that prevent you from fasting food,
or if you wish to refocus certain areas of your life that are out of balance.
For example, you might choose to stop using social media or watching television
for the duration of the fast and then carefully bring that element back into your
life in healthy doses at the conclusion of the fast.