A New Approach to Fasting and Health

Audio By Carbonatix

Many of you from the Salem radio stations community have shared incredible questions with me recently. Debra asked how to follow through on health goals. Ann asked how to safely fast as an older woman. These questions resonated deeply with my own journey. They also highlight a beautiful intersection between our spiritual disciplines and our physical bodies.

If you did not grow up in a church environment, the idea of fasting might sound a little strange. At its core, biblical fasting is simply choosing to give up food for a specific period to focus entirely on God. 

In the Bible, God gives clear directions about this practice. Jesus spoke about it as a normal, expected part of life. He told His followers what to do “when you fast,” rather than “if you fast” (Matthew 6:16). It is a way of intentionally pausing our daily routines to tune in to something greater: God’s Spirit.

There are also significant medical reasons why people choose to fast today. Health professionals often recommend intermittent fasting to give the digestive system a rest, help regulate insulin levels, and allow the body to clear out damaged cells and repair itself.

Despite the benefits, fasting is incredibly difficult. For years, the idea of fasting intimidated me. I love food. (I will just admit that.) I also discovered a very real physical limitation. 

Recently, a doctor pointed out that I struggle with low blood sugar levels. Looking back over my life, it made so much sense why food/eating/fasting has been such a struggle for me. Blood sugar drops create a very real, biological challenge. When my sugar drops, my brain signals an urgent panic for fuel. I get extremely hungry, shaky, and unable to concentrate. The challenge of fasting is not always just a lack of willpower. It is often a physical battle against your body’s survival instincts.

Every time I attempted a traditional fast, I felt like a failure. I strongly dislike feeling like I have failed, especially when it comes to something God calls us to do.

A Different Way of Fasting

Even though I’ve struggled, there is a profound reason why denying our physical bodies is so important. When we constantly feed every physical appetite the moment we feel a craving, we drown out the quiet voice of the Holy Spirit. By choosing to step away from food, we are essentially telling our bodies that we rely on God’s strength more than our next meal (Matthew 4:4). 

 When we deny our bodies immediate gratification, our spiritual senses sharpen. Every hunger pang becomes a gentle physical reminder to pray and seek God. We realize our deep need for Him, making us much more open to His guidance, comfort, and presence.

When I was a mom of three young kids, I found a rhythm for one season in which I fasted from breakfast and lunch, drank only water and juice, and then ate a normal dinner. This kept my blood sugar stable. It became a profound time of growing in prayer. Denying our bodies immediate gratification shifts our attention toward spiritual things.

We see different types of fasting in Scripture. Jesus fasted in the wilderness from food and water for forty days (Matthew 4:1-2). When Satan tempted Him, the physical hunger was a monumental trial. 

During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.” 

But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God,’” Matthew 4:3-4.

Through my research on World War II and interviews with Holocaust survivors, I have learned that when someone is deprived of food for an extended time, it consumes their thoughts day and night. 

When we understand that biological reality, we begin to grasp the sheer magnitude of what Jesus endured in the wilderness. Satan did not just tempt Jesus with a casual snack. He targeted the most screaming, desperate need of the human body. The enemy wanted Jesus to use His power to bypass the physical suffering and satisfy His flesh rather than trust the timeline of the Father.

Yet, Jesus showed us that even when the body is begging for sustenance, our deepest nourishment comes from the truth of God. He proved that physical comfort is secondary to spiritual obedience. When we face our own cravings and hunger pangs, even on a much smaller scale, we are invited to lean into that same reliance. We can acknowledge that our bodies will loudly demand what they want, while choosing to remind ourselves that our spirits are ultimately sustained by the Word of God.

The Daniel Fast

Then there is the Daniel Fast. In the book of Daniel, the young Israelite men chose not to defile themselves with the royal food and wine. Instead, they asked for nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink for ten days (Daniel 1:8-12). At the end of the trial, they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food (Daniel 1:15). Fasting does not always mean a total absence of food.

For a long time, my need to eat regularly led to the sin of gluttony. I recognized it was a serious issue when I had things like chocolate hidden in my closet. If we had a birthday cake, I would return to it multiple times a day for just a little slice. 

Another difficult part was the constant mental loop. I remember sitting in a Bible study, completely unaware of what the teacher was saying. My mind was entirely focused on what I was going to buy from McDonald’s when I took my kids to play afterward.

Anything we keep hidden, anything we downplay, is a sign of sin. It was not just a simple struggle. I had placed food on a pedestal, desiring it all day long.

What Fasting Can Look Like

When I decided to get healthy, I signed up for an amazing program. The best part was that the only real cost was the food, which I was already buying anyway. I did not have to pay extra for a personal coach, the nearly daily community support calls, the app, or the recipes. I spent less than $40 for the two books that guided the program and around $15 a day for food. It was a true miracle. 

The program was simple, but it wasn’t always easy. Initially, it was a challenge to stop putting whatever I wanted into my mouth. But the program gave me a clear plan. I ate healthy, nutritious food at regular intervals throughout the day to help maintain my blood sugar levels. Once a day, I calso ooked a healthy meal with protein and vegetables.

At first, when I was at a birthday party or having dinner out, I focused on everything I was giving up. Then my mindset shifted. I chose to view this journey not as a diet, because dieting never works and creates the wrong mentality. Instead, I chose to fast. I denied the things my eyes and stomach wanted so I could achieve better health. While I was eating multiple nutrition-dense meals a day, I was fasting from my old habits and turning my heart over to God.

Practical Ways to Consider Fasting

If you want to honor God with your body and struggle with traditional fasting, here are a few gentle approaches:

• The Partial Fast: Drink water and nutrient-rich juice for breakfast and lunch, then enjoy a balanced dinner.
• The Daniel Fast: Focus entirely on plant-based foods and water for a set period, removing rich, heavily processed foods (Daniel 1:12).
• The Ingredient Fast: Choose to completely fast from sugar or fast food, dedicating the time you would normally spend indulging to prayer.
• The Health Fast: Follow a structured nutrition plan that denies your flesh its unhealthy cravings while adequately fueling your body for the work God has given you.

We truly need each other on this journey. Scripture reminds us that the body of Christ has many parts (1 Corinthians 12:12-27). The part I always believed to be my weakest was my willpower. Yet, because I struggled, I can now offer help. My struggle was not meant for defeat. It was meant to lead to victory, and to help others find their victory, too.

Friend, if you are ready to make a change, please reach out to me. I would love to be your personal coach and guide you through this process. We can reset our health and find victory together.

You can start by taking my FREE Metalobic Health Scan, or you can fill out my form here.

Taking a Step in a New Direction

When I recently talked to the amazing people at Colorado Christian University, I was reminded that God has seasons for us. We do not have to put our calling on hold waiting for an empty schedule. It is entirely possible to get a degree by taking one class at a time. This is why I’m choosing the online program at Colorado Christian University:

• Flexible Scheduling: Their classes are set up in five-week blocks. Even a busy working parent, a homeschooling mom, or a retired person can take a class.
• Affordable: They are very inexpensive, which amazed me.
• Firm Foundation: Plus, every single course is taught from a Christian worldview. Just as Colossians 2:8 (NIV) warns us not to be taken captive by hollow and deceptive philosophy, learning from a firm biblical foundation makes the educational process incredibly rich.

As someone who has homeschooled for 35 years, I know what a packed schedule looks like. But I also know that I can do this. My faithfulness in the “now” has given me the capacity to handle this “next.” I am excited to meet other people, learn from them, and step into this new opportunity.

Will You Join Me?

Maybe you can join me. (I’m not even joking.) Maybe you will be in some of the classes I am taking. Or maybe you just want to look at the website and see what they have to offer. 

Perhaps you have a spouse or friend who would like to finish their degree but does not feel they have the time. If I can figure out how to make time amid family, writing, and life here in Arkansas, I think many people can.

There’s a Scholarship! 

If that sounds good to you, Colorado Christian University has an amazing scholarship opportunity available right now. Check it out and explore how this scholarship can help you step into your own next season. Let’s do this, friend! Let’s not wait for “next” when God is calling us now.