In health circles fasting is recommended for cleansing the body of toxins. Literature warns that you will experience headaches, sweats and possible problems with odor as the toxins leave your body. However, if you normally eat healthy foods, the uncomfortable side effects from fasting are limited so that your main discomfort is a sensation of hunger for the first three days. Afterward your hunger leaves for a lengthy period of time. When it returns your body is telling you it is time to end the fast and reintroduce foods. It is recommended that you reintroduce foods slowly, starting with juices.
Unfortunately fasting seems to be a lost art for Christians. In Jesus’ time fasting was associated with seeking God. The Pharisees fasted on a regular basis, as did John’s disciples. But Jesus’ disciples did not fast, and that puzzled believers and non-believers alike. Jesus answered thier questions saying, “The attendants of the bridegroom cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.”
Jesus made it clear that fasting is to be part of the Christian’s life (Mathew 6:16-17, 9:15; Isaiah 58). There are options for those who have serious physical limitations to fasting. One could determine to eat only vegetables for a period of fasting. Another choice is to fast from television. Whether we do an entire fast (only water) or an adjustment to fasting, fasting is to be a regular part of the Christian's walk with God.
