Samuel Daniels

Fasting Types

Welcome back, Friends!

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Fasting is one of the greatest weapons a believer could ever have. Tragically, it is also one of the frequently misunderstood and underutilised subjects in the Church today. Contemporary men and women are largely ignorant of the practical aspects of fasting. I began a series on this amazing arsenal.

Nearly every Christian I have talked with has had some questions and misconceptions about fasting. I think it is safe to say that fasting is one of the most misunderstood subjects in the Bible. That is sad when you begin to discover the incredible benefits you receive through fasting according to God’s word [1].

In my previous blog I dealt with the discipline of fasting. I would like to continue in this blog by discussing the types of fasting. Before you decide on which fasting adventure you want to embark on, it is imperative for you to curtail your eating. This will prepare your body and start to shrink your stomach. It is advisable to start cutting back on the liquids from which you are going to abstain, such as caffeine drinks. This will help you avoid not-so-fun second day headaches [2]. There are various biblical examples we can glean from when it comes to choosing what type of fasting journey to embark on.

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The list of biblical personages who fasted reads like a “Who’s Who” of Scripture: Moses the lawgiver, David the king, Elijah the prophet, Esther the queen, Daniel the seer, Anna the prophetess, Paul the apostle, Jesus Christ the incarnate Son [3].

Based upon the fasting these and other great biblical figures did throughout the bible, we can enumerate five types of fasting:

1. Partial Fast
2. Regular Fast
3. Normal Fast
4. Absolute Fast
5. Supernatural Absolute Fast

Partial Fast

This is a fast in which there is a restriction of diet but not total abstention. Daniel 10:3 (NKJV) says,

I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.

Here, Prophet Daniel afflicted his soul [4], by not eating desirable foods. Some people eat vegetables, fruits, or take non-acidic/non-alcoholic drinks. Citrus fruits, pineapples, and other acidic products are generally not recommended to be taken during a fast. This fasting, however, is recommended for beginners. It is a basic principle of life to learn to walk well before trying to run. People with some health conditions as well as expectant mothers can do this fast, but not advisable to do it for long. They may consult their doctors for medical advice.

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Regular Fast

Throughout history what could be called regular fasts also developed. By the time of Zechariah, four regular fasts were held [5]. Also, the boast of the Pharisee in Jesus’ parable evidently described a common practice of the day, “I fast twice a week” [6]. The early Church was known to fast twice every week, specifically Wednesdays and Fridays, as prescribed by the Didache [7].

John Wesley sought to revive the teaching of the Didache and urged early Methodists to fast on Wednesdays and Fridays. He felt so strongly about this matter, in fact, that he refused to ordain anyone to the Methodist ministry who did not fast on those two days [8].

Normal Fast​

Normal fast involves the abstinence from all food, solid or liquid, with the exception of water. What this entails is plain from the first mention of fasting in the New Testament; Jesus fasted…and afterwards He was hungry [9]. It meant abstaining from all food, solid or liquid, but not from water. It seems clear from the details given that our Lord’s fast was of this type. 

We are told that “he ate nothing” (Luke 4:2), but not that He drank nothing. Afterward, the Bible says, “he was hungry”, but not that He was thirsty. Though thirst pangs are more intense than those of hunger, Satan tempted Him to eat, but not to drink. This suggests that the fast was on abstaining from food, but not from water [10]. Once led by God, this fast could be done for quite a number of days.

God is light

God is light [10a] and the longer time we spend with him in fasting and prayer, the more His glory permeates us. The same way the moon is illuminated by the sun, we begin to shine and illuminate His glory. Moses spent 40 days and nights with God in fasting and prayer. Scripture says when he came back, the people of Israel could not watch his face because the light of glory that emanated from his face was too much for the eye to bear, he had to cover his face with a veil [11]. This was so because, like the moon, he illuminated the light from God. When we spend more time with God in fasting and prayer, His glory permeates us and we better reflect His image.

However, it is worth mentioning that if we are going to embark on a long fast, we need to exercise a lot of wisdom in order to fast responsibly. Like driving a manual car, we need to start with first gear, and them gradually change to higher gears.

Fasting is a spiritual exercise and can be likened to physical exertion. Just as a person needs to gradually build up their muscular strength, so they should do the same in preparation for a fast…Begin with baby steps – starting with one meal or one day fast, and then, as the Lord leads, build up to a longer fast. In His grace, I do not believe God would call a person to a forty-day fast, as a rule, if they have never fasted a day in their life! [12]

Absolute fast

This is the complete abstinence from both food and water. There are several Scriptural examples of this type of fast. It appears to be a desperate measure to meet a dire emergency. Upon learning that execution awaited herself and her people, Esther instructed Mordecai, “Go, gather all the Jews…and hold a fast on my behalf, and neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will also fast as you do” (Esther 4:16). 

Paul engaged in a three-day absolute fast following his encounter with the living Christ (Acts 9:9). It must be underscored that the absolute fast is the exception and should never be engaged in unless one has a very clear command from God, and then for no more than three days [13]. Since the human body cannot go without water for much more than three days, both Moses and Elijah engaged in what must be considered supernatural absolute fasts of forty days (Deut. 9:9; 1 Kings 19:8). 

Supernatural Absolute Fast

There are examples in Scripture of absolute fasts which must have been supernatural in character because of their very long duration. For two separate periods of forty days and forty nights, Moses was in the presence of God, neither eating nor drinking (Deut. 9:9, 18; Exod. 34:28). The first occasion was when he received the Ten Commandments from God. The second was immediately following, after discovering the people were worshipping the golden calf and so had broken the law even before they would formally receive it. These two fasts were undertaken virtually without intermission and taken together constitute what is certainly the longest fast in the Bible, eighty days without food or water.

Then the journey of Elijah to Horeb appears to have been undertaken during an absolute fast. If so, it must have been supernatural. Under the juniper tree, where he was sleeping after escaping from Jezebel, he was awakened by an angel who provided him with a freshly baked cake and a cruse of water. Twice he was told to eat and drink, and then he “went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God” (1 Kings 19:8).

A journey of such duration through the burning desert, if it was completed, as the Scripture implies, without further nourishment, constitutes an absolute fast quite as supernatural as those of Moses. If so, it is another striking parallel between these two leading representatives of the old covenant, Moses the giver of the Law and Elijah, its restorer (Mal. 4:4–6; Mark 9:12), for both had a supernatural ending to their earthly course as well as a supernatural reappearance with Christ on the holy mount [14].

​​How to break a fast

It is extremely important to break a fast gradually. I personally know people who became quite ill from eating a normal meal after a long fast. An extended fast should be broken with fruit or vegetable juice, with small amounts taken at first. Remember that by the end of a fast, the stomach would have shrunk considerably and the entire digestive system would have gone into a kind of hibernation. By the second day, you should be able to eat fruits and then milk or yogurt. It is very important to eat watery foods on the first day of breaking the fast. Next, you can eat fresh salads and cooked vegetables. Avoid all salad dressing, grease, starch, and acidic foods. Extreme care should be taken not to overeat [15]. 

Watch out for my next blog in this series. Subscribe to my newsletter from below, and get notified. You may also drop a comment if you feel blessed by this. 

References

[1] Mahesh, Chavda, The Hidden Power of Prayer and Fasting: Releasing the Awesome Power of the Praying Church, (Shippensburg: Destiny Image, Publisher, Inc, 1998), 31

[2] Cindy, Jacobs, The Power of Persistent Prayer: Praying with Greater Purpose and Passion, (Kaduna, Nigeria: Evangel Publishers Ltd. 2010), 94-95

[3] Richard, J. Foster, Celebration of Discipline: The Path To Spiritual Growth, (International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions, 1983), 48

[4] Psalm 35:13

[5] Zechariah 8:19

[6] Luke 18:12

[7] A document containing teachings from the apostles. Also known as “The Lord’s Teaching Through the Twelve Apostles to the Nations”

[8] Richard, Celebration of Discipline: The Path To Spiritual Growth, 51

[9] Matthew 4:2

[10] Arthur, Wallis, God’s Chosen Fast: A Spiritual and Practical Guide to Fasting, (Washington: CLC Publications, 1968), 10

[10a] 1 John 1:5

[11] Exodus 34:29-35

[12] Cindy, The Power of Persistent Prayer: Praying with Greater Purpose and Passion, 93

[13] Arthur, God’s Chosen Fast: A Spiritual and Practical Guide to Fasting, 12

[14] Arthur, God’s Chosen Fast: A Spiritual and Practical Guide to Fasting, 13

[15] Richard, Celebration of Discipline: The Path To Spiritual Growth, 60

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