Do's and Don’ts Before,
During, and After Fasting
Before the Fast
Understand the purpose of the fast.
Begin saying fasting confessions every day.
Pray daily for a spirit of fasting.
Make a list of personal prayer requests.
Designate a specific time every day for prayer.
Begin to repent and ask God to give you a spirit of repentance.
Allow God to convict you of areas you need to change.
Start forgiving people you have held a grudge toward, and ask God to forgive you.
Repent to people you have wronged or had an offense with.
Gather up reading and study materials specifically for the fast.
Set aside a booklet for a fasting journal.
Read something about fasting every day – benefits, famous people who fast, accounts of fasting in the Bible.
Learn about fasting and its effects on your emotions, so you know what to expect.
Clear your calendar of unnecessary activities scheduled for the time of the fast.
Cut back on television, social media, computer games, socializing on the phone.
Stop being available to people who are not supportive of a consecrated lifestyle.
Replace secular music and entertainment with Christian music, books, TV, and preaching and teaching.
Clean your house, car and work environment.
Put fresh linens on your bed and create a peaceful environment for sleep and resting.
Before the fast, get caught up on any physically demanding work – yard work, laundry, and other routine tasks.
Plan ahead and prepare in advance things that will need to be done during the fast.
Gather ahead of time the foods and items you will need for the fast.
Allow yourself to feel hungry for a while each day.
Taper off foods/activities that are habitual where a sudden deprivation of them would cause difficulty.
Begin to reduce salt and introduce herbs and spices instead. Cayenne is exceptionally beneficial.
Begin eliminating sugar, caffeine and chemical additives.
Reduce your meat and dairy intake.
Switch from empty carbohydrates (pasta, white rice, white flour products, baked goods) to whole grain foods.
Include live foods daily (salads, fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, live grains).
Eliminate fried or fatty foods.
Water down juices before you drink them.
If possible, begin purchasing organically grown foods.
Start taking vitamins.
Detox your body.
Eliminate soda pop and sugary drinks.
Hydrate! Most of the unpleasantness associated with a fast comes from a lack of fluid. The solution is to drink as much water as possible before the fast.
Eat lots of fruit which contains water in a time-released form and will help hydrate you for the fast.
Exercise or walk every day.
Practice deep breathing several times throughout each day.
Remove any items that will cause you to be distracted or weakened during the fast.
Choose a scripture daily and meditate on it all day.
Verbally – out loud – praise the Lord throughout the day.
Daily thank the Lord for the designated fast that He is leading you into.
Consider what habits the Lord would have you to fast from in addition to food.
Prophesy the answers to your prayers, watch for miracles, expect victory over your appetite.
Feel joy in the midst of the fast, watch for healings to occur.
Intentionally adjust your thoughts and statements about fasting so that nothing negative is rehearsed.
Prepare your family, especially if they are not fasting with you.
Start going to bed earlier and getting more sleep.
Practice generosity toward others to get your mind off of yourself and the discipline you are about to embrace.
Attend every service prior to the fast to foster a corporate mentality and spirit regarding the fast.
Sow a seed, an offering, designated for a successful fast.
Consult your doctor about how and if you should fast.
During the Fast
Attend every service held during the fast. Being in the company of others who are fasting strengthens you.
Tell only those who need to know, and who will be supportive of you. Look and act normally.
Read, read, read, read, read!
Pray without ceasing, doing natural activities with a constant “listen” for God’s promptings.
Concentrate on developing a deeper, closer relationship with God with the added time of different habits.
Allow the Lord to assign you to a person to pray for every single day – someone other than a family member.
Send a greeting card to 2 or 3 people to encourage them.
DO NOT COMPLAIN.
Wear natural fibers that allow your skin to breathe.
Do not think about how many days are left until the fast is over.
Do not think about the first meal you will have when you come off of the fast.
Do not keep track of how many days since you have eaten.
Bodily and oral hygiene is essential. The purging of toxins from the body causes odor.
It is normal to not have a bowel movement during a fast.
When memories or emotions come up, repent, acknowledge them, and allow the Lord to bring healing.
Allow yourself to enjoy the progress you see as you continue fasting – physically, mentally and spiritually.
After the Fast
Reintroduce food to your body in small amounts and very gradually.
For every four days you fast, you’ll take one day to break the fast.
The most nutritious and easy-to-digest foods are used to break a fast initially, then gradually add more.
You can take a mild colon cleanse if you are having elimination problems now that you're eating again.
Drink lots of water because a fast tends to dehydrate the body a little.
After a fast, and all of its health benefits, there should be some things you never go back to eating again.
Maintain the shift in your appetite after the fast – maintain the habit of your new way of eating.
Don’t eat according to the clock. If you aren’t hungry at lunch or dinner time, don’t eat.
Keep veggie sticks and fruit prepared and ready to snack on, so you can reach for those when you are hungry.
Protect your new lifestyle by maintaining a positive mental attitude and vigilance regarding habits and activities.
Continue to maintain your prayer life that you established during the fast. Keep your spirit man built up.
Do a spiritual inventory of how you did while on the fast. Meditate on the spiritual effects of the fast.
Practice the new behaviors God spoke to you about during the fast. Make changes immediately.
Follow through with any directives the Lord gave you during the fast.
Maintain the corporate anointing and unity in your House and ministry following the fast.
Take the self-discipline developed regarding food during the fast and apply it to other areas of your life.
Have a strong vigilance over your thoughts and mind. Do not allow yourself to think in old ways.
Engage in every opportunity the Lord provides to activate the spiritual strengths that He imparted into you.
Understand that fasting and prayer is a lifestyle, not an event.
