Home InsightsWhat Is Spiritual Fasting

What Is Spiritual Fasting

10 Minutes

Medically reviewed by Dr. med. Sarah Boss

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CONTENTS

Spirituality and fasting are intrinsically intertwined, and fasting has been utilized as a technique of spiritual purification for centuries. Traditional fasting advice and detoxification products are readily available. What about spiritual fasting, though? What is spiritual fasting? What happens spiritually when you fast? What are the impacts of fasting on health?

There are numerous spiritual disciplines involving fasting, yet it is difficult to discover resources on spiritual fasting. We are here to aid you. We shall explain what spiritual and soul fasting meaning and the spiritual advantages of fasting. Learn everything you need to know about spiritual fast and how to implement it into your holistic wellness and health routine.

Spiritual fasting can have various meanings. Some individuals think that all fasts are inherently spiritual. Our concept of holistic wellness and health implies that our spirits and minds are interconnected with our bodies. The physical process of fasting, therefore, does not occur in isolation.

The purpose of spiritual fasting is to concentrate on one’s faith and spiritual well-being.

Soul fasting is merely a way of expressing a deliberate concentration on our spiritual health and vitality through physical fasting.

Typical Components of Spiritual Fasting

Due to the very individual nature of spirituality, there are no universal spiritual advantages of fasting. Out beyond religious orthodoxy, religious practices such as spiritual fasting aren’t mandated. You alone know what it means to be spiritual for you.

However, we can assist you in locating tools or motivation for your personal and spiritual fasting practice.

Fasting varies naturally based on one’s faith, level of comfort and experience, and individual goals. Spiritual fasting can be undertaken for overall health and well-being or for a particular reason or objective. Some practice fasting for spiritual reasons, while others do it for holistic healing.

There are no “one-size-fits-all” personal and spiritual fasting activities

Some individuals find a spiritual fast to be an effective means of coping with a difficult life circumstance, overcoming a test of faith, or reconnecting with nature. Common spiritual fast motivations include:

Mourning
Seeking salvation
Rebirth of faith
Wanting a feeling of direction or purpose
Struggle with a crucial life decision
Getting over addictions or a crisis
Care that takes the whole person into account

So you can select a spiritual fasting strategy based on your beliefs and objectives. If you decide to engage in spiritual fasting, keep the following general principles in mind:

Spiritual fasting is physical fasting.
Spiritual fasting includes spiritual concentration.
Spiritual fasting is a highly personal practice.
A spiritual fast is beneficial, not harmful.
The spiritual advantages of spirituality are interrelated.

We have compiled a list of fundamental measures to assist you in successfully preparing for prayer and fasting, breaking down the spiritual fast for a discovery:

Determine Your Requests For Prayer

Your fasting is focused on your spiritual development, thus it begins with your prayer life. Some individuals design a prayer guide for use throughout their prayer and fasting days. It might be as easy as outlining the fast’s aims and objectives. Contemplate why you are abstaining from yourself. Seek the Divinity in order to clarify the purpose of the fast.

Commitment To Your Fast

Pray about the type of fast you wish to undertake. Some individuals may pick a one-day fast, while others opt for a juice fast. Here is a straightforward method:

Determine the duration of your fast: one meal, one week, or one month.

What type of fast should you choose?

How much of your fasting will you devote to meditation and prayer on God’s word?

When the world tells you to quit your fast, writing down your commitments helps you stick with it.

Make Yourself Physically Ready

Starting a fast is not always simple. If you are a newbie, you may not want to immediately undertake a protracted fast. Please take the required measures, particularly if you have health concerns. Consult a doctor if you require expert assistance.

Start reducing your food intake days before beginning a fast.

Avoid eating foods heavy in sugar or fat before a fast.

Before beginning a fast, consume extra fruits, veggies, and water for 2 days.

Make A Spiritual Preparation

The purpose of fasting and prayer is to draw closer to God. Start by purifying yourself:

Consider your unrepentant transgressions.

Admit your sins to the Lord and beg His pardon.

Request God’s guidance.

Consider how you can become more religious or spiritual as you ponder.

Do not overlook the enemy’s attacks. As you fast, the struggle between the flesh and the soul might sometimes be tremendous.

Determination

When you begin fasting, adhere to the fasting commitment you made. Here are some useful guidelines:

Reduce physical exertion

Relax as much as your daily schedule permits.

Prepare yourself for bodily and mental distress. Headaches can result from caffeine, food, and sugar withdrawal. You may also experience fatigue or weakness during the day.

The initial 3 days of a fast are the most challenging. Both your spirit and body will be tested. Drink more water while fasting.

Devotion And Meditation

It is the most crucial component of the fast. Focus on strengthening your connection with God throughout this period. Here are some suggestions on how to accomplish this:

Commence each day with praise and meditation

Read the scripture.

Allow the Divinity to direct you throughout the day.

Request wisdom from God regarding His will for you, your family, and your community.

Consider His plan for your life in your prayers.

Avoid diversions such as YouTube and television

The End Of Your Fast

Now that your fast has over, you may resume nourishing your body. But proceed slowly! Consider beginning with smaller snacks or meals before consuming solid foods. Here are some tips:

Try salads and fruits on the first day.

Start introducing rice and carbohydrates on day two

Start returning to your regular diet on the third day.

Reflection Questions

What do you do when you feel incomplete or fidgety to attempt to fill the void?
What does this indicate concerning your heart?
How do you feel about fasting and self-denial?
In what aspects do you deny yourself presently?
When has self-restraint resulted in something positive?
What has your experience with fasting been like?
Where do you perform with a sense of entitlement? How can you transition away from this lifestyle?

Today, it appears that poisonous food is not the only factor stressing our body systems. Modern living necessitates the direct application of nail paint, lotions, soap, shampoos, and countless more personal care products to our greatest organ, the skin.

We breathe a variety of contaminants via our respiratory system, whether we reside in a rural or urban setting. How does our system react to the multitude of wireless impulses that permeate the atmosphere via Wi-Fi, radio, cordless phones, satellite, and who knows what else?

Time will tell, but right now we can continue to do a great deal to alleviate the physical burdens of contemporary life. Even temporary abstinence from a modern diet can be beneficial, as the long-term advantages of the periodic spiritual fast and cleansing are well-established.

The modern way of life influences more than simply our bodies. Information overload, modern life’s stress, and hectic pace are also damaging our intellect. There is an abundance of digital stimuli. We don’t get enough time to calm our thoughts or even sleep. And our leisure time is frequently packed with more interruptions and noise.

All of these factors can result in severe abnormalities in our lives. Because the physical effects of these aberrations are the easiest to observe, we frequently neglect other facets of our being. Specifically, spiritual health.

A spiritual fast is a deliberate decision to refrain from eating modern foods. This has the benefit of helping your body eliminate pollutants. But it’s not only about avoiding poisons. The advantages of spiritual fasting emerge from a heightened awareness of our connections. This is done to enhance and deepen our spirituality.

Our surroundings, bodies, and souls are interwoven with our interactions. Therefore, when performing a spiritual fast, you must evaluate all aspects of your life. To this aim, we have compiled some expert advice to assist you on your journey. Here are some guidelines for a productive spiritual fast:

Permit yourself plenty to unwind and relax.
Incorporate reading, meditation, and more sleep into your practice.
Devote some time to investigating your spirituality
Seek out quiet and solitary moments
Spend some time outdoors
Don’t be hesitant to express your thoughts, goals, and emotions on paper or in a notebook.

According to many authorities, spiritual fasting is a “moderate” fasting program. It permits a restricted diet consisting mostly of soup and a few fruits and vegetables. Depending on your selections, you may or may not taper as you advance through the program.

There are no strict guidelines on the duration of fasting for spiritual growth as long as it is not injurious to health. Some of the biblical spiritual disciplines of fasting are as under:

A one-day fast (sunrise to sunset) to seek the Lord’s guidance. Muslims fast in the month of Ramadan from sunrise to sunset for a whole month every year. This fasting is purely spiritual.

A three-day fast without food or water to attain wisdom, judgment, protection, and direction.

A seven-day fast for knowledge, grief consolation, and guidance.

A 1-day vegetable-only and water-only fast. Fasting for favor, strength, discernment, and wisdom.

A fourteen-day fast. Acts 27:33-34. Paul and the other men on board the ship fasted for safety and enlightenment.

A 21-day fast. Daniel 10:3, for affliction and mourning. No meat, booze, luxurious or delicious meals, and no oils. Fruit, veggies, water, and nuts instead. This is a famous fast in modern times (and diet).

A forty-day fast. Only three 40-day fasts are mentioned in the Bible. Each individual was divinely designated and touched for this type of fast.

Exodus 34:28 and Deut. 9:9 and 9:18 Moses did not consume food or water.

According to 1 Kings 19:8, Elijah drank and ate before beginning his 40-day fast.

According to Matthew 4:1-2, Jesus fasted for forty days. Satan tries to entice him with food, not water, because the Bible does not describe his being thirsty and because he is tempted with food, not water.

Whatever you put into a spiritual fast is exactly what you will gain from it.

Your practice is guided by your religion and your objectives. Consequently, the spiritual advantages of fasting are also individual. However, we have compiled a list of fundamental spiritual fasting benefits which should give you a decent indication of what to anticipate from your fast. Generally, spiritual fasting can have the following benefits:

Spiritual Clarity

Spiritual fasting is a means of gaining self-awareness. After a proper spiritual fast, you will gain a clearer understanding of your spirituality and beliefs. This confrontation with your faith should not be viewed as “good” or “evil,” but rather as clarity. The fruit of your labor is the truth. Truth has a significant role in growing closer to God. Even if this truth is rather unsettling. On the other hand, you may find this clarity to be really empowering. Among the spiritual advantages of fasting is gaining clarity regarding one’s faith. Enhanced clarity is also an effective tool for making crucial decisions.

Spiritual fasting is not intended to provide you with all the answers, but rather to clear the path for you to embrace the truth. Or, as Rilke said in Letters to a Young Poet, “…live the questions…”

A Soul Purge

The spiritual advantages of spiritual fasting are often comparable to those of nutritional fasting. Abstention from food and pausing digestion allows the body to recuperate and repair. When you grant yourself this break, your soul is purified. A mental fast will alert you of the relationship between your physical vessel and your soul.

Your soul will profit from the consequences of spiritual fasting if it is not distracted by your physical wants. You will be able to get rid of your unhealthy possessions. You can release the soul-heavy ideas and matters that have been dragging you down.

Renewed Faith

Spiritual fasting is a means of reviving one’s faith. It might reignite your drive to connect your life with your beliefs and begin living according to your faith. Fasting creates space for the strengthening of one’s relationship with a higher power. When you fast, you will find – or be reminded of – ways to live your conviction through your physical activities more effectively.

More Energy

When your body isn’t straining to digest food or telling you that you’re hungry, you’ll be able to focus on other tasks. Throughout a spiritual fast, you will be using your newly discovered energy to investigate your spirituality and faith. One of the advantages of a spiritual fast is that this new vitality persists after the fast is completed.

Through healthy fasting, you will nurture spiritual growth that will manifest in your physical life. The mind, body, and spirit relationship is bidirectional. Consequently, if your spirit is more robust, so will your body and mind. You will feel invigorated.

More in tune with the world

Spiritual fasting improves concentration and awareness. Consequently, one of the spiritual advantages of healthy fasting is a greater sense of one’s connection to the universe. Spiritual fasting reduces egocentricity. It is a method to escape the constraints of what you want or believe you need.

Spiritual fasting, on the other hand, employs your interior spiritual focus to direct your attention toward something larger. Your transient physical demands and requirements will weigh you down less frequently. You will become more conscious of your surroundings. Your viewpoint will be one of interconnection. You will be more intent on serving your higher authority, your mission, and the interests of others.

Transcendent Empowerment

The ability to transcend the needs and desires of the flesh is one of the biggest spiritual benefits of good fasting. We should not disregard the requirements of our bodies or underestimate the significance of physical health to our total health. However, spiritual fasting will remind you that your body is temporary, while your soul is immortal.

Spiritual fasting hones one’s capacity to discover strength in things that exist beyond the physical body. You will discover how to achieve fulfillment in things apart from your bodily needs and desires. You will create a better relationship with your spiritual being. You will be capable of overcoming these ephemeral physical urges if you do so.

Hunger fades away, but spiritual strength is a gift that lasts a lifetime.

FAQs

How To Prepare For Spiritual Fasting?

Initially, you start preparing your heart through prayer and reflection. You could begin your fast by skipping lunch. You will consume food normally until the specified date. Consume a typical breakfast. (Hot spicy foods should be avoided at the last meal.) Throughout the day, you should consume no solid foods and drink more fluids than usual to prevent dehydration. In the evening, you would consume your usual dinner. This is not that difficult! Some may prefer the one-day fast to start with the previous evening’s dinner and continue until the next evening’s dinner. Observe the term “breakfast.” We fast while sleeping and “break the fast” with breakfast. You determine the duration of your fast.

Will Fasting Negatively Affect My Health?

If you are in good health, fasting will not harm you. If you have unique medical needs, you must consult a physician before fasting for an extended period of time.

What Do I Do During My Usual Mealtime?

Pray! Without prayer, fasting is merely dieting. Also, we must read the religious scripture. God talks via His Word, and then when we fast, we are typically more receptive to recognizing and responding to His Word. Besides prayer and scripture study, we should engage in our regular activities.

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What Is Spiritual Fasting