“Even now, declares the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning” Joel 2:12

       Fasting is mentioned over 70 times throughout Scripture. There are countless stories of fasts taking place, from Moses in Old Testament times, to Paul in the New Testament, and even Jesus Himself who fasted 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness. I remember reading about these fasts and wondering two things: 1. Was fasting just a practice meant for biblical times? 2. What exactly would fasting look like in my own walk? 

       My questions surrounding the practice of fasting left me intimidated and unsure of where to begin. However, I felt myself increasingly more convicted to step into this practice. And so I began in the only place where I knew I’d find answers apart from God Himself- my Hoboken Grace community. I reached out to the Godly women I was surrounded by and I asked them to walk alongside me during my first biblical fast. The morning of our fast, we gathered together in prayer and set intentions with God for our day. I then set off on my own to spend time with Him, doing my best to unplug from the outside world. I spent that day communing with God and dwelling in His presence through prayer, silence, worship and Scripture. We ended the day back together again, sharing our experiences with the Lord and breaking our fast with the body and blood of Christ. I have since done several fasts, each looking different than the next but here is a takeaway of what I’ve learned along the way.

1. I was initially so caught up in fasting as a call to give up food, that I lost the reason behind the call to practice it. I think, above all else, fasting is a way to diminish the noise of this world and simply spend more time in the presence of our Lord. We deny our flesh and we place God at the forefront. We remove food and our phones and we create an environment where we are more inclined to hear the gentle whisper of God. 

2. I surrendered the misconception that a fast had to result in a big revelation from God. I had to check my heart posture and ensure I wasn’t stepping into fasting with the intention of what I could get out of it. Of course, our God is a good and loving Father, and He always finds a way to communicate to us if we choose to listen but remember this- even if it feels like God doesn’t speak to you in a big way during your fast, know that you spent the day drawing closer to Him. And in doing that, your heart was molded regardless of if you felt the effect or not. You made the decision to put God first in everything that day and your muscle of obedience was strengthened. Don’t diminish the way God works behind the scenes. It may seem like you just spent the day hungry, doing your best to deny yourself some breakfast, but so much more was being shaped within you in the process. Simply saying no to a meal now, most likely helped contribute to a more confident no when faced with a future temptation. 

3. Fasting in community was a game changer. God blessed us all when He built this HG community and I’m willing to bet He wishes for us to utilize it to its fullest. Lean on each other. Walk through the hard things as one. Share in each others struggles and relish in each others wins. I can’t tell you how many blessings in my life are the result of my faithful and prayerful community around me.

So I leave you with a final thought, in the words of our wise Pastor Anthony, “We are in a constant battle of flesh vs. spirit…the one we feed, is the one that will win”