Fasting

Guidance on Fasting

Plan in advance how you intend to fast. God's House fast for several months at a time where they don't eat anything through the day and then have a meal at 6pm. They drink water throughout. This could be a good pattern for the Hope week of prayer and fasting. We recommend having Monday to Friday as the main fasting time (though you may want to do something different according to your circumstances).
Engage in prayer, Bible reading and worship. You can use times when you would otherwise be eating to do this.
Engage in corporate times of prayer and worship. It's powerful to fast as a community. Times of coming together are encouraging.
It's normal to have a headache and feel weak when fasting. Use these feelings as reminders to pray and seek God.
Avoid strenuous tasks and plan your exercise. You will have less energy than usual.
If you are fasting for a longer period - 48 hours or more - don't have a big meal as soon as you finish your fast. Start with something small and then build up to more substantial eating. The longer you are fasting, the more important this is.
If you are on medication, pregnant or breast feeding, consult your GP before fasting.
Consider what could be appropriate for children and youth. Fasting for a whole day whilst at school would probably be too much, especially for younger children. Choosing to fast a certain meal, or an after school snack or gaming or some other luxury, could be appropriate.