Teen's Perspective: Fasting

So. You are a young person, like me, and you are trying to understand fasting. 

I thought I'd give some of you a hand because when I asked around about fasting. 

As a teenager, I heard a lot of "well, you have to be careful- you are young and it's not good to just stop eating," and "you don't have to fast food," and when I would ask how they suggest I fast, I'd get elusive answers basically saying "I don't know." 

While all these people honestly had good-intentions, I just wanted some answers.

Here's what I found so far, and I hope to add onto it as I practice the discipline of fasting and learn more along the way! Hope this helps!

FASTING

Our church has taught about fasting for the youth. As you may know, there are many types of fasting. Here are some examples:

• a social media fast
• water-only fast
• juicing fast
• Daniel's fast
• 24-hour fast
• fasting a meal or certain time of day
• 40-day fast

Those are just to name a few. The idea isn't just not eating food. Fasting is about pursuing God, denying the flesh, overcoming spiritual bondage, worship, prayer, and so much more that I hope to discover. 

Fasting is about you & God. Spending time focused on Him and His Presence. 

Below I'll share a few I have done thus far, and my experience with each. 

SOCIAL MEDIA FAST

I started about a year ago with a social media fast. Basically, I gave up the time I would have spent on Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram, or whatever social media you use, and I used that time for seeking God. I prayed and brought out my worship guitar or ukulele and did not go on social media for a set amount of time. You can do it for one day, two days, or even a week. It's up to you and what you feel like the Lord is leading you to do. I would say to start small, and work your way up. Like all things, you have to start somewhere; don't be discouraged and especially as teens, with a social media fast, tell some friends to hold you accountable. Let them know that this is your plan and let them know ahead of time so they know you didn't fall off the face of the Earth because you haven't answered or liked or commented on something.  

Personally, this was a great starting point. I'd have to admit I didn't fully understand fasting; I learn more and more as life progresses, but the social media fast was very practical. I didn't realize how much time we spend on social media! So, I would definitely recommend it to someone who is just learning about fasting and is maybe unable to do other types of fasting due to medical complications, medicine restrictions, or someone who just wants a place to start. :)

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DANIEL'S FAST

Another type of fasting is one that omits certain food groups. A common type is called the "Daniel's Fast." You can look it up online and read more about it. There are different levels of intensity for this fast, but as a teenager who likes to cook, I found it easy to get caught up in what I was making under the guidelines of this fast. There are a lot of can't eat this and should eat this rules. It's healthy, but I personally found it distracting as I tried to keep within the guidelines on this type of fast. 

I also made a truffle for people on this type of fast, so if you are interested and you do try this fast, check out the recipe! You know, different things work for different people, so let me know if this fast worked well for you and if you have learned anything else about it. There's certainly a lot to learn!

Some follow-up websites:

http://www.daniel-fast.com/aboutthefast/

http://danielfast.wordpress.com/daniel-fast-food-list/

http://nmi.nazarene.org/Stories/docs/Praying/PrayerFast/Fasting/Daniel_Fast_Recipe.pdf

*The last website listed above is a printable version of guidelines, instructions, food lists, and devotions.*

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FASTING A MEAL/TIME PERIOD

This was my most recent fast. On Monday, I fasted breakfast and lunch. So during that time period, I have lots of water on hand, and I dedicated the majority of the day to the Lord. First, I opened with thanksgiving and praise. I then made a list of things I wanted to pray for. These would be the needs I would bring before the Lord. 

I spent the day praying and singing and reading the Word. It sounds so simple, even as I write this, but it was a peaceful time of communion with the Lord. I called upon His name for Him to draw near to me as I was drawing near to Him. 

In the early morning, I didn't feel God. I wanted to feel Him, and am accustomed to have a feeling when I commune with the Lord. Although I don't always "feel Him," I know He is near. I prayed that I would feel Him, because I know it is special and that it means a lot to me. We know that if we ask, we will receive (Matthew 7:7).

By the end of the early evening, as my fast came to a close, my spirit was refreshed. The Lord had indeed drawn nearer to me, as I had asked of Him, and He gave me vision, peace, confidence, and assurance. He spoke to me about several things in my life, and brought relevant scripture to mind about personal circumstances. What can I say, God is faithful. 

While I still have much to learn about fasting and our Lord Jesus Christ, I adore the mercy God grants us. He sees the heart, and honors our efforts to learn more and draw close to Him. 

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I want to share a website I found this morning; it is a pretty useful and reliable source that helped me understand more about fasting.

http://www.cru.org/training-and-growth/devotional-life/personal-guide-to-fasting/01-message-from-bill-bright.htm

I encourage you to take some notes off of that website for the next time you fast!

I did and I am hoping to practice fasting on a regular basis. 

Also, here are some great verses for fasting:

• 2 Chronicles 7:14; This to me is the cry of a person going on a fast. I think it represents the heart of fasting; we first must be humbled, then pray, seek, and repent so that the Lord will hear from heaven, as He promises, and He'll forgive our sins, healing our lands.
• Matthew 6:16-18, 9:14-15
• 1 John 1:9
• Mark 11:25; 17:3-4
• Ephesians 5:18
• 1 John 5:14-15
• Romans 12:12
• Psalm 48:9-10; 103:1-8,11-13
• Hebrews 11:6
• Galatians 5:16-17
• Philippians 2:13
• John 14:21