Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: Before the fast
• Method 2 of 3: While fasting
• Method 3 of 3: End the fast
• Tips
• Warnings
• Necessities

Lent is a sacred time when Christians abstain from food and other pleasures and take time to focus on God. If you'd like to focus on God while feeding the poor and strengthening your faith, read on to learn how! For non-religious fasting, see the Fasting page.

To step

Method 1 of 3: Before the fast

1. Provide the right motivation. Fasting as a Christian means submitting yourself to God. Fasting is a way of honoring Him. Keep this in mind while you're fasting and don't confuse it with other reasons for fasting, such as losing weight. It must revolve around Jesus.
2. Pray before you begin to fast. Confess all your sins and ask the Holy Ghost to guide you. Let Jesus know that you want to get to know him. Recognize that He lived without sin, died on the cross for our sins, and rose again three days later and redeemed us, giving us eternal life. Humblely ask forgiveness from anyone you have hurt, ask forgiveness from God. Forgive those who hurt you. You don't want to start fasting with resentment in your heart or carry jealousy, pride, anger, or pain. The enemy will try to use these things to distract you from the fast.
3. Think about the gospel and the sacred attributes of God. That could be the power of forgiveness, his strength and wisdom, his peace, unconditional love, etc. Praise him for these attributes! Surrender and thank Him for everything He has done for you!
4. Determine the length of your fast, whether it is once, one day, three days, or a whole week. (Jesus and Moses fasted for 40 days, but that doesn't mean anyone else can just do that). If you've never fasted before, you may want to start with a short fast and build up slowly. You can also pray and ask the Holy Ghost how long you should fast.
5. Observe what type of fast you are called to. You may feel the Holy Ghost calling you to a specific type of fast. Partial fasting means giving up only certain types of food. Juice fasting means refraining from the joys of chewing solid foods, but fruit and vegetable juices are allowed.
6. Drink enough water to stay alive. This is allowed, as water is not food. Full fasting abstains from solid and liquid foods, counting fruit juice as food, but water is essential for survival, as is breathing. Without water, your brain can go into a foggy state, followed by coma, and after 2 or 3 days without water, you can even die of dehydration.

Method 2 of 3: While fasting

1. Have a morning shift. Honor Him and praise Him for His attributes. Read God's Word and remember that God will give you His Wisdom so that you can bring His Word into your life and get a better understanding of it. Pray for God's Will to be done and pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Ask God to guide you in spreading His Glory in the world we live in.
2. Take a prayer walk. Walk outside, hand in hand with nature, and behold God's wonderful creation. Thank Him for everything He has created on your walk. Ask Him to give you a spirit of gratitude and appreciation.
3. Pray for the welfare of others. Pray for Church leaders to preach His Word as He intended so that your friends and family will draw closer to Him and welcome Him into their lives. Pray for political leaders to draw closer to Him and ask for His Will.

Method 3 of 3: End the fast

1. Do not overeat in an attempt to return to a normal diet after a fast.
2. Add a raw salad to your diet gradually on the first day after fasting.
3. On the second day, add a baked potato to your diet, without extra salt or fat.
4. On the third day you can eat cooked vegetables with it. After that, keep adding new foods to your meal gradually.

Tips

• Take time for a personal prayer. Tell Him all your concerns. Pray about everything and don't worry about anything.
• If you do accidentally eat something, repent and continue the fast. That can happen, we often eat purely out of habit.
• At the beginning, you can also try eating smaller meals for about one week and refraining from sugary foods and caffeine to prepare for the full fast. On the two days prior to the actual fast, it may help to eat only fruits and vegetables and drink only water. This prepares your body and mind to be without your favorite foods.
• If you drink juice during a fast: fresh watermelon, grapes, apple, cabbage, beets, carrots, celery and leafy green vegetables are very healthy. Avoid citrus fruits and other acidic juices.
  • When you get up in the morning, have a glass of freshly squeezed juice or fresh frozen, non-acidic fruit juice.
  • Drink a cup of fresh vegetable juice around noon.
  • Have a glass of herbal tea around 3:00 PM. Make sure it doesn't contain caffeine.
  • In the evening, have a vegetable stock and let someone else eat the vegetables. To make the stock, heat a few carrots or a vegetable mix in boiling water. Do not add salt or oil.
• Post scriptures from the Bible in your home to remind you that you are fasting and why you are fasting. Replace meals and snacks with prayer that can help you improve yourself.
• If you have children, explain to them what fasting is. It is an important part of every Christian's life!

Warnings

• Make sure you get enough rest.
• Fasting should not be used as a weight loss method. In that way it loses its spiritual meaning and reward.
• When you stop fasting, avoid overeating or even gobbling.
• Fasting can make you dizzy, even if you fast on juice.
• If you have an eating disorder of any kind, you should not fast.
• Watch out for tissue breakdown and loss of electrolyte. Follow the doctor's advice while fasting.
• Don't advertise that you're stuck. Matthew 6:18 do not let anyone see that you are fasting, only your Father, who is in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you for it.

Necessities

• The Bible
• Psalm book
• Prayer
• Time for God