In last week’s article, I explained why fasting is important for Christian discipleship. While it is not commanded (and thus not required), fasting can be a helpful tool for overcoming temptation and recognizing one’s own frailty and dependency on God. In this article, I hope to present you with some guidance in order to help you begin this spiritual
discipline.

First, some people should not fast due to health concerns. Some medical conditions require you to eat frequently, especially if you struggle with low blood sugar. If you have health concerns about fasting, you should consult your doctor before trying to skip meals.

Secondly, fasting does not guarantee instantaneous success. Most of the time, it takes much practice before gaining the spiritual benefits of fasting. Fasting is, after all, a discipline that requires consistency and training. Therefore, when you fast, you will probably not feel any more spiritual. If anything, you will likely become irritable and tired.

This leads to my third tip, namely, that there are different lengths of fasts. One does not have to fast forty days in the wilderness like Jesus to benefit from fasting. In fact, I would not recommend doing this your first time fasting! Rather, I recommend starting small by skipping one meal that you normally eat. If this is easy, then you can move on to two meals, then a 24-hour fast, and so on.

Fourth, fasting is a principle that can be applied to many things or just a few things. For instance, instead of abstaining from all food, try only abstaining from sweets or soda or things that you normally treat yourself with. Likewise, you can refrain from things other than food, such as TV, video games, or social media. Many of the benefits will be the same and it can function as a good substitute for food if you find yourself gravitating to these commodities on a daily basis.

Finally, the hunger pangs you feel should prompt your mind to think about spiritual realities. Fasting helps us to be more mindful of our behavior and our actions. It is up to us whether these pangs will goad us toward better behavior, or whether we will consciously choose to give in to what our body desires. Thus, every time you feel a hunger pang, you should pray or read/memorize scripture or meditate. On particular occasions, you may want to dedicate a fast to praying about a particular decision (e.g., when choosing new elders) or a particular outcome (e.g., that your wife will make it through surgery).

I hope that as you practice fasting over a period of time, you will find yourself growing closer to God and gaining more self-awareness and self-control in the process.