How long you fast, the kind of fast you undertake and how you adjust your schedule depends mostly on the flexibility of your daily life.
Whether you work in an office or from home, are a student or a stay-at-home mom, there is a way to manage your fast. In fact, on the basis of my personal experience, I am confident there are thousands of men and women, of all ages and life stages, who have already completed both short and extended fasts, many up to 40 days.
There are some whose work or lifestyle involves strenuous physical activity who have still enjoyed an extended fast. However, if this is your situation, you may want to consider a limited fast of only one or more days of the week. Or you may look to weekends as the prime time to abstain from food. Remember, too, fasting during major holidays is not always a good idea. Families may be inconvenienced, and temptations to eat can be overwhelming.
There are a couple of reasons to consider adjusting your schedule, especially during an extended fast:
The first is physical. Throughout your fast, you may feel somewhat weaker than normal. During the first few days, you may feel tired and irritable. Lightening your workload and cutting down on strenuous exercise would be a very good idea to maintain your health and your morale.
The second reason is spiritual. Fasting is not just denying yourself food. It is exchanging the needs of the physical body for those of the spirit. Long times of prayer and reading God’s Word will be essential if you are to enter into a more intimate communion with God and maintain your fast to its completion. While fasting, if your life is continually filled with activity and busyness to the neglect of spending extended time with God, you will starve both physically and spiritually. You will find yourself discouraged and frustrated with your fast instead of benefited and blessed. I don’t want that to happen to you.
The more time you spend with God in fellowship and worship, and the more you read and meditate upon His Word, the greater your effectiveness will be in prayer. This kind of focused attention will make for a more meaningful fast. So I encourage you to arrange your schedule accordingly!
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