Help Beginning Your Fast
A few notes:
During Lent, Sundays are days of celebration. And thus, the Lenten fasts are not observed; we get a foretaste of the coming Easter celebration!
If you have struggled with an eating disorder or have a medical condition, you should always consult your physician and a spiritual mentor before beginning a food fast. If you have a medical condition, are pregnant or nursing, or are recovering from illness, you can still practice fasting. Consider what things you run to most often for comfort, pleasure and entertainment and now in their absence, run to Jesus.
As you fast, fill the space by seeking Jesus through…
Prayer
Prayer walk
Keep a prayer journal (Piercing Heaven Prayer Journal, Prayer Journal for Women, ACTS prayer guide for kids)
Read scripture (Lent reading plans for the Gospels, the Psalms of Ascent)
Read a devotional book or one of the resources listed below
Meditate on and memorize a passage of scripture
(How to Memorize Scripture for Life)
Practical Guide to Fasting
Dr. Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ (Cru), was well known for a life marked by fasting and prayer. Below is his insightful and practical guide to successful fasting and prayer.
Resources on Fasting & Prayer
Hunger for God by John Piper
Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster
Celebration of Discipline Study Guide by Richard Foster
The Digital Fast by Darren Whitehead
Prayer by Tim Keller
A Praying Life by Paul Miller
The Power of Prayer in a Believer’s Life by Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Praying the Bible by Donald Whitney
Praying the Scriptures for Your Children by Jodie Berndt