There are so many wonderful things that fasting can bring about. There are different types of fasts. There is intermittent fasting where you only eat from 6-8 hours in a day that boasts health benefits. There is a Daniel Fast which usually is a high concentration of veggies, legumes, nuts and fruits, and there is a water fast where you give up food for a certain amount of time. Each of those things, and the other forms of fasting like from social media have benefits to your spirit, soul and body. Some use fasting to ensure they are not mastered by anything including food, while others fast to “reset” their life in certain ways. Some mistakenly fast to move God to action. It turns into a subtle or not so subtle form of manipulation. It’s as if God owes us something because we are giving up food or certain foods for Him. Nonsense.
There are a lot of reasons to fast, chief of which is, God told you to. The question you have to ask yourself is first, “did God tell me to fast?” Second, (which should come first) is, “did I ask Him”? So much of me doesn’t like fasting at all. It means that I can’t have what I want when I crave it. I crave mostly healthy things. However in this season a bigger part of me is saying, “you need to do this!” Why? That is a question we all need to answer. I want a total reset. I want to see my life turned it up a notch. I want to deny myself. My cravings. My immediate desires. Not because they are evil, but because I am the captain of my ship. The Lord is my Admiral. Fasting is for us. It is for us to move towards Him. I want to ensure that God is Lord of me – even my food consumption. So enjoy it. Thank Him for it. Draw closer to Him through it.