40 Days is fast upon us

   So the question no longer is, “Do I need to fast?’ but rather “How long should I fast?’ and ‘How should I fast?’  There are three types of fasts found in Scripture.  There is an absolute fast.  With this type of fast, you don’t have any food or water.  Esther called the Jews to this type of fast before she approached the King about Haman’s plan to annihilate the Jews. (Esther 4-7)  This type of fast should only be done with the approval of your doctor and with supervision.
    A normal fast is when you go without any food for a length of time.  Depending on the length of the fast, you can choose to add juice or broth to your water intake for more energy.  We know that Paul fasted for three days and fourteen days.  Peter fasted three days.  These may have been normal fasts.
   We know that Daniel did a partial fast twice.  The first was ten days (Daniel 1).  Daniel and his three friends did not eat the choice meats and sweets from the king’s table.  They had only vegetables and water.  Daniel did a second fast (Daniel 10), where once again he ate no sweets, no meat and no wine for three weeks.  During this time he prayed.  After the three weeks, his prayer was answered by an angel.  There will be more information on the Daniel fast next time.
    As you can see, the length of the fasts varied.  There is no right or wrong length of time.  Start with a fast from the time you get up until sunset or bedtime.  Remember, the intent of the fast is what is important.  Without prayer and reading the Bible, a fast is really just a low-cal diet.       
    The purpose of fasting with the 40 Days for Life vigil is to combine fasting with prayer to better focus on God.  Think about how much time you can focus on God if you spend your lunch and dinner times praying instead of eating.  Embrace this opportunity to seek God’s favor to turn hearts and minds from a culture of death to a culture of life.
Franklin, Jentezen.  “Fasting.” Charisma House, 2008.  Chapter 3.