Fasting can be done hand-in-hand with praying.Fasting is a Christian practice, but it is not exclusive to Christianity, and people of any faith can fast and pray as they please.Continue reading for instructions and tips on how to fast and pray effectively.
Step 1: Please pray for guidance on which type of fast to perform.
A traditional fast involves fasting from food, but you can also fast from media or other habits.A water fast requires you to abstain from all liquids.A liquid fast requires you to abstain from all solid food, but you can still drink any liquid you want.A partial fast requires you to abstain from certain foods during a portion of the day.Catholics fast during Lent.A partial fast is a traditional Lent fast.You should not eat meat on Ash Wednesday and Fridays.On Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, you should only eat one full meal and two smaller meals that are not large enough to equal a standard meal.Drinks are acceptable.A bread and water fast allows you to eat bread but not much else.You have to abstain from media during a media fast.All media can be included, or it can include a certain form of media, such as television or the internet.A habit fast requires you to stop doing certain things.This could be anything from raising your voice to playing cards.This is a fast practiced during Lent.
Step 2: How long to fast should be asked.
You can fast from one day to several weeks.There is a length of time that is both healthy and spiritual.It is recommended that you fast for no more than 24 to 36 hours if you have never done so before.Don't fast from fluids for more than three days.Allow yourself to be in an absolute fast.Fast from one meal for several days.Fast from the next meal, and then from all meals after your body has adjusted.
Step 3: Why do you feel like you need to fast?
Ask God for guidance on what you should do during your fast.Your prayers will be given focus and direction as you fast.If you want guidance, patience, or healing, you can also fast.You can fast for a cause that goes beyond your spiritual needs.If there is a natural disaster, you could fast and pray for those affected.Fasting can be done as an expression of gratitude.
Step 4: Ask for forgiveness.
Repentance is important to successful praying and fasting.Make a list of your sins.The list should be comprehensive.Seek and accept forgiveness for these sins.You should be willing to forgive those who have hurt you.Ask God how to make up for your wrongs.
Step 5: Please pray who to tell.
The point of a fast is lost if you seek public approval.You can tell who will provide spiritual support during your fast.It's usually good to have a pastor, significant others, or spiritual partner.Ask God to tell you who to go to.
Step 6: Accept help with physical preparation.
You need to prepare physically as well.If you are new to fast, start slow.Before you fast, eat small meals.If you want to avoid headaches, avoid a full 24 hours in advance.Since people who consume large amounts of sugar find it difficult to fast, it's a good idea to remove sugar from your diet a week or so before an extended fast.It's a good idea to eat a strict diet of raw foods several days before a fast.
Step 7: The reason for your fast should be your focus.
While you can pray for anything during a fast, determining an objective for your fast ahead provides you with a focal point to center the majority of your prayers around.You should be open to a change in focus.It is possible that God wants you to meditate instead of fasting for one reason.
Step 8: Meditate over the Bible.
You can either follow a Bible study guide or read your Bible in a variety of ways.Take notes on what you read and pray for a better understanding of the scriptures.If you are not a Christian, you should meditate over any holy text in your faith.During your fast, you can meditate over spiritual books that you are reading.
Step 9: Personal prayers and scripted prayers can be prayed.
Most of your prayers will be in your own words.You should switch to a scripted prayer when you are lost for words.The Lord's Prayer, also called the Our Father, is one of the most common scripted prayers.
Step 10: Use prayer aides.
The use of prayer aides can be controversial, but they are acceptable for many other faiths.rosaries, saint medals, and crucifixes are common prayer aides associated with Catholicism.You could use non-rosary prayer beads or listen to instrumental versions of common hymns.
Step 11: Please pray with others.
While most of your prayers will be done on a personal, individual level, you can consider praying with others during your fast.Group prayer is thought to petition God to be with you, making it a powerful tool.You can pray silently or aloud.Don't compare your own prayers with those of the people around you if you are praying aloud.People who are informed about your fast and anyone who is with you during a fast are usually good prayer partners.
Step 12: There is a quiet spot.
Regardless of where you are or what is happening around you, you can still pray.It is important to spend time with God in a one-on-one manner during a time of focused prayer.There is a quiet spot inside.A bedroom is a good place, but any quiet corner of your home or office is appropriate.When you're alone in your car, you can pray.You can pray outdoors as well.A quiet spot in the woods is where you can spend time praying and admiring God's creation.
Step 13: There is a balance between scheduled and impromptu prayer.
Making a prayer schedule can be useful, especially for extended fasts, but you should not follow it so closely that you prevent yourself from praying spontaneously.Pray for your well-being.If you decided to fast from eating, watching television, or performing a habit, you can use the time to pray.Start and end your day with a time of prayer.
Step 14: Don't forget your personal hygiene.
During an extended, absolute fast, your body will excrete a lot of toxic waste.During the first three days, shower or bathe every day.You should brush your teeth more often during the first three days.
Step 15: Do not look at suffering.
Fasting is a time of personal communion with God.It is difficult to approach God in a state of humility if you appear to others as though you are suffering.
Step 16: Continue to drink.
You shouldn't go for more than three days without water.During the majority of an extended fast, you should drink water, even if you don't drink juice or milk.You run the risk of causing serious dehydration, which is likely to result in severe health problems.
Step 17: Make sure you check your emotions.
People who don't eat tend to be grumpy.It is expected that skipping many meals will make you grumpier.If you don't mind your emotional state, you can find a solitary space to pray and reflect.
Step 18: You should limit your activity.
Fasting depletes you of a lot of energy, so you need to rest as often as you can.You should also avoid vigorous exercise.
Step 19: Do not use drugs.
Side effects like nausea, fatigue, dizziness, and headaches can be caused by drugs and remedies.You should not stop your prescriptions without your doctor's approval.
Step 20: Ask God for help after the experience.
You may have learned a lot during your fast, but there are other lessons you can take away from it.You can make the most of your fast if you ask God to guide you as you reflect and move forward.If you commit to a partial fast or media fast, focus on your successes rather than your failures.Many people fail on these fasts if they are not used to it.Instead of seeing the experience as a failure because of your weak points, focus on the lessons learned and spiritual strength gained during your strong points.Express your gratitude.The move forward should be reflected in a spirit of thanksgiving.Thanks to God for the completion of a successful fast and for any spiritual direction you received during your time of fast.
Step 21: After a brief fast, eat as usual.
You can return to a normal eating schedule the following day if you only fast for 24 hours.If you only fast from a certain type of food, you can eat it again without taking any precautions.
Step 22: The water should be broken fast with fruit.
If you fasted from all food and liquid aside from water, you should gradually reintroduce food to your diet.Watermelon and other fruits have high water content.Fruit juices can be used to re-accustom your body to food other than water.
Step 23: When breaking a liquid, slowly introduce vegetables.
Break your fast with a slow, steady intake of vegetables if you continued drinking fruit and vegetable juices.On the first day, eat a salad.You can add a baked or boiled potato to your diet for the second day.Don't use butter or seasoning.You can add a steamed vegetable to your diet during the third day.Again, don't use butter or seasoning.In a way that feels convenient and comfortable for your body, you can reintroduce your normal diet from the fourth day onward.
Step 24: To return to regular eating, eat snacks.
If you return to regular eating, you should eat a few small snacks and meals for the first few days.