The Power of Fasting (Even When You Don’t Like It)
Our world is a tad upside down right now.
What can we do about that?
I’ve been praying.
I’ve been getting off my phone.
I’ve been doing good self-care.
What else can we do? Well, today I’m going to invite you to a sacred place, a holy place, a place that used to scare me: the longer fast.
(Note: If you have diabetes, hypoglycemia, or health concerns, please don’t fast without medical guidance.)
I’ll be honest: I never liked fasting. The problem with fasting is obvious—you don’t eat. And I love food. I’ve always eaten on a beautifully regular schedule.
Then a strong priest challenged me. He reminded me that as Christians, we must fast—because Jesus Himself asked it of us.
Not long after, a dear friend told me that she fasts for her people, and that she has seen miracles because of it. She’s one of my closest friends, and I never even knew she fasted!
Even with their witness, I still resisted. Then, in January, when I became a wellness coach, I discovered that intermittent fasting is a daily part of our program. By week four, we invite clients into a 24-hour fast.
Today is that day for my clients—which is why I thought I’d extend the invitation to you, too. (The more the merrier!)
So what is a fast? It’s simply refraining from food while hydrating. (There are other forms of fasting, including a bread and water fast, but we do a full fast.)
Why We Do a 24-Hour Fast in The FASTer Way to Fat Loss:
Accelerated Fat Loss – Extended fasting helps your body tap into fat stores more effectively.
Muscle Preservation – Growth hormone increases during fasting, helping protect muscle mass.
Improved Insulin Sensitivity & Blood Sugar Stability – Fewer energy crashes and more steady energy throughout the day.
Cellular Repair & Gut Healing – Fasting allows your body to rest, repair cells, reduce inflammation, and support immune function.
Those are awesome, wonderful reasons to fast. But the goal for me is closeness with God the Father and with Jesus. That’s why I’ll also fast from social media during these 24 hours.
And I’ll carry intentions with me:
For my 16-year-old son David, who is on a Kairos retreat—that God would reveal Himself in powerful, real ways.
For every person in our world to experience the Father’s intimate love.
When we feel loved, we operate out of a place of goodness and kindness. I need to be reminded of my own belovedness, so I am going to unabashedly put my own name on the top of the list. “Fill me, help me, nourish me. Help me see me as you see me.”
If you decide to fast, set your own intentions. Is there an UNMET need in your life? Is there a need that is beyond YOUR resources? Is there a situation which you have been praying for and yet it remains unchanged? If you have been praying for someone and they have remained unaffected, that need has been unmet!
Jesus Christ is the King of the Unmet Need.
He says clearly that some demonic problems do not go out except by prayer and fasting.
Establish a place and a time when you will pray. Pairing fasting with prayer changed me — I didn’t understand its power until I tried it.
In Fasting, Fr. Slavko explains that fasting makes prayer carnal. When I first read that, I stopped. And yes, I had to look up the word. Carnal means: relating to the body.
During a fast, our prayer turns carnal—not just thoughts or words, but a prayer that involves our whole body.
Without realizing it, we grow attached to this world’s comforts—especially food.
We start thinking the Next Amazing Drink or Fun New Recipe will fix all our problems. But only God can fill eternal holes.
Pastor Jentezen Franklin once wrote, “Jesus went through cities where He could do no miracles because there was no hunger.” That struck me hard. He could do no miracles because no one needed him!
Fasting puts everything back into perspective. Quickly. Painfully. Beautifully.
We are not self-sufficient. We are not our own gods. And food—no matter how pretty it looks or how great it tastes—cannot satisfy our hungry hearts.
A full stomach doesn’t feel the need for God. But an empty one? Oh, my.
If you’ve been disoriented lately, I invite you to try it. Let tonight’s dinner be your last meal for 24 hours. Tomorrow, hydrate well. Drink some black coffee. Pray. And watch as your prayers deepen, even take on flesh.
If this is your first fast, then simply see how long you can go. The first time I fasted, I went 12 hours. Then 14. Eventually I could go 20 and finally 24. It was a process.
Mary, our mother, has asked us to fast so that we may grow strong—dynamically strong. She is forming us into apostles of love, bringing Christ to the world with boldness, beauty, and peace. At first that dynamic strength feels like dynamic hunger. But over time, I’ve learned to embrace the ache, to offer it, to let it become a prayer of the body.
So as your stomach grumbles, don’t run from it. Let it lead you back to the only One who can truly fill you.
You were made for more than this world. You were made for Him.
“Fasting frees us from becoming our own god. It puts things in perspective—very quickly.” – Fr. Slavko.
And one last thought from the Benedictine monk Anselm Grün:
“Fasting is the cry of our body which is seeking God, the cry of our innermost heart, our deepest deep, where, in our extreme powerlessness, we encounter our vulnerability and our nothingness, to throw ourselves totally into the abyss of God’s incommensurability.”
(Incommensurability means “impossible to compare.”)
With you in body and spirit,
Lori
P.S. On Monday, September 22, I begin my last six-week wellness round of the year. If you’ve been craving structure, support, and a faith-filled community, click here to find out more.