Hey you!
I hope you’ve had a blessed week.
Today I wanted to share about my 40-day fasting experience. I started it the last 40 days before I turned 22. The reason why I started this fast is because I wanted to refocus and try and be the best self I could be walking into my 22nd year of life. I wanted to be where God had planned for me to be.
There were a couple of things that I needed to clear my mind of before I turned 22.
- The type of fast I did and how I prepared for it
- The things I wanted to overcome during this fast
- The prayer requests of this fast
- The things I did to work towards who I am today
- Mistakes I made during the fast
- The results of the fast
- Tips and tricks for 40-day fasts
- The things I did to work towards who I am today
- Mistakes I made during the fast
- The results of the fast
- Tips and tricks for 40-day fasts
The type of fast and how I prepared for it
As a 40-day fast, I chose an intermittent water fast: I fasted from midnight to 18:30 in the evening. During that time I only drank water.
Before doing this 40-day fast I did pray about it. It’s important to take it to the Lord and not just start fasting without any spiritual conformation and preparation. The reason why that was really important for me personally is because I wanted to make sure that I had a right heart-set while fasting or else it would’ve been completely pointless.
So it actually took a couple of weeks before God really had my heart and mind set on the right things for this fast. The day before the 40 days began; I took some time to pray for the 40 days.
I had a conversation with God about the fast and what I was specifically going to do. I also told 2 good friends about the idea and that they would help me stay accountable. One of those friends ended up joining me in the fast.
If you have any health issues or have to take daily medication make sure to check with your doctor as well!
The things I wanted to overcome during this fast
This fast was a spiritual detox for me. There were a couple of things that I needed to detox from to regain focus on my assignment. I had to refocus on what was within and the vision that I already had and seemed far from becoming a reality rather that focus on what was going on around me.
I had to remove distractions from my dream and pursue the things that would lead me towards the person I wanted to become.
I wanted to overcome the limiting mindsets and the negative thoughts by only speaking positive about the things that I wanted in my life. This is the season where you simply have to believe what He’s said, stay steadfast in faith, continue the good works consistently and have dominion over your fear.
I wanted my mind to be my safe place. A place I which I could feel at peace with myself. There are already enough situations and people telling you what to do or not to do. There are enough external forces trying to put you into a box with labels on your capacity, but God says that with Him there is no limit as to what you can do.
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
~ Philippians 4:13
When you abide in Him you will find protection, peace, courage, strength, victory and freedom, this is what God says to us in Psalm 91:
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”
3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler
And from the perilous pestilence.
4 He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
And ten thousand at your right hand;
But it shall not come near you.
8 Only with your eyes shall you look,
And see the reward of the wicked.
9 Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
10 No evil shall befall you,
Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
11 For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways.
12 In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
13 You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.
14 “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honour him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him,
And show him My salvation.”
~ Psalm 91
The prayer requests of this fast
My main and first prayer request was that after this fast my relationship with Him would be stronger and more intimate.
The specifics of how I needed to renew my mind to be that way was by walking by faith and not by sight. Which meant that I had to practice not allowing my feelings to lead my decisions, like ever. Yes, emotions are very important and in all that you do, you need to take them into consideration, but NEVER allow them to take the lead. That was something that I was doing without even realizing it all.
Another prayer request is that I would find my comfort in Him rather than in my environment. It’s so easy sometimes to try and find safety and comfort in your circumstances rather than in Him. Your circumstances keep changing regardless; your job is temporary, even if your contract states otherwise, your relationships have ups and downs, your looks are ever changing and your character is evolving.
There are so many conscious and unconscious changes happening, that is why you need a steadfast constant source of peace and comfort.
The things I did to work towards who I am today
Food was a distraction for me, because it was also one of my coping mechanisms, so removing food from most of my day would make me face what was going on within more. It would make me realize the why behind my every meal/ snack.
Another distraction that I had to remove was aimlessly watching shows out of boredom or because I didn’t want to deal with what was happening in the moment. Removing that forced me to deal with what was happening head on. I’d watch only I also limited my social media consumption. I didn’t have a specific amount of hours for that, but I chose to remain cautious. No social media after bedtime.
Mistakes I made during the 40-day fast
No, not every day of the 40-day fast went smoothly. There were a couple of days in which I struggled hard and made it through and others where I gave into my flesh completely.
Some of the mistakes I made was not removing all the temptation that I could. When it came to food I had a very limited supply that was only good for one meal a day for about 3 days at a time. I never ate earlier than 18:30, but at times I’d struggle with overeating (which I would feel about 30 mins after eating lol)
To stop myself from overeating during the one meal a day I made sure that I’d drink a ton of water before and during my meals and talk to my body about what I was eating. For example I’d remind myself of the portion that I wanted to eat before I started and what I had already eaten, I’d stop eating mid-meal to listen to my body to see if I was full already or not. These were things that I had to stay conscious about, that’s why I had to really talk to myself, mostly in my mind lol, but sometimes I had to voice it as well.
I also made sure to avoid certain foods that would make me want to eat more like drinks with a lot of sugar, rice, I don’t know why, but I can eat so much rice without realizing, so I’d limit how much rice I’d make at a time. Avoid drinking alcohol because that will also make you more hungry.
When it came to shows I thought that the decision would make me stick to it (it worked for food to be honest), but it didn’t. One week into the fast I had started watching series again. I hated the fact that I couldn’t just say no at times. Then I realized that I hadn’t set up the right habits and rules to ease myself into stopping binge watching and filling up my time in a wise way.
So I had to consciously schedule in and have a rule of max 2 episodes an evening and if I wanted to watch something else I’d binge church messages or listen to the YouVersion audio Bible while reading it. In that way I would direct my focus back to the why.
That way I was able to do the things that I always said that I wanted to do, but didn’t do. Which also made me take steps in faith.
The results of the 40-day fast
It was a successful 40-day fast. I renewed my mind a lot. A lot of habits that I used to struggle with in the dark are now habits I’m struggling with in the light. Bringing all the hidden things out, really helped me to take baby steps to changing habits. Those changed habits have turned into a lifestyle. Right now, I’m embracing the discomfort of change and finding peace in becoming the person I was created to be with Him.
In changing a lot of my mindset, the Word made more sense to me. I understand who God is and how He works way better than before. Making time to get to know Him and better and just spending time with Him daily, makes you more confident in who He is.
Tips and tricks for 40-day fast
Before the 40-day fast
- Pray about the fast, make sure your heart is in the right place
- Make sure that you have a clear why for the fast, write it down!
During the 40-day fast
- Be intentional: in all the things you do, consider your why
- Remove anything that could lead to a temptation, not just the main temptation itself
- Read your why daily and proclaim the qualities over yourself
- Keep record of which steps you took in faith, I wrote mine all down on a paper, it helps you to stay motivated
- Meditate on the word often
- If you make a mistake, run towards His grace and not away from Him
- Move in silence: don’t tell every single person what you’re up to. A fast is a very vulnerable time, so watch what you say and to who
- Have an accountability and prayer partner: it can be one or two people
After the 40-day fast
- Stay close to Him; that way your hunger for Him will continue to grow.
- Keep the good habits
- Continue to be conscious of the triggers and avoid sin
- Lean into His grace
- Have dominion over fear
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Have a blessed week!
Big love,
Joy
