Fasting in the New Year

I understand why fasting is not the most popular spiritual discipline. First, many believers

struggle with their spiritual disciplines in general. It’s not just fasting that’s a battle; it’s all the disciplines. Second, we simply like to eat. The thought of not eating for spiritual purposes seems odd to us. Third, many churches have neglected teaching this discipline. Most of us have, in fact, never received intentional training for fasting. We typically have much work to do in building this discipline into our lives—and I hope the previous few articles I’ve posted have helped move you in that direction.  

As we complete our series of articles on fasting, I want to give you a final challenge to build this discipline into your life for 2026. In a previous article on this site, I offered these simple suggestions to get you started:  

• Study the Word on fasting. The Word will compel you to fast as you see how often the people of God pushed away from the table to be with Him.  

• Seek the Lord as you lean toward fasting. This discipline is not simply abstaining from food; it is seeking God so strongly that food almost becomes an afterthought—so, pray about your commitment to fast as you move in that direction. 

• Invite someone to pray for you as you fast—and perhaps join you in the fast. Knowing that someone is praying for you will encourage you to stay the course if/when you get hungry.  

• Start small if you have never fasted. My suggestion is that you start by fasting for just one meal. If you never start by fasting from at least one meal, though, you’ll never fast for longer times.  

• Decide up front how you will use the time when you would have been eating. Have a plan to focus on God and His work as you choose not to eat.   

• Break the fast with thanksgiving and simplicity. Keep your focus on God before you fast, while you fast, and after you fast. Thank Him for sustaining you with His Word and His presence when the fast is complete.  

  
  

With these preliminary thoughts in mind, here are some ways to build fasting into your life in 2026: 

1. As you read through the Word in 2026, pay attention to stories of fasting. Connect your discipline of fasting directly to your disciplines of Bible reading and prayer. Don’t just skim over those stories; hit the brakes as you read, consider why people fasted, see how fasting affected their lives and situations, and ask the Lord to guide you in your own fasting. In that sense, let your life look like this formula: hearing from God in His Word + seeking God’s direction in prayer + choosing to obey Him should result in fasting as part of your spiritual walk.   

2. Plan to fast at least one day each month. I typically determine my fasting date at the beginning of each month. Whether it’s simply a fast for one meal or a more extended full-day or multi-day fast, get the date on your calendar. Choose your dates wisely, recognizing that some days (e.g., holidays—like this time of year) are not the easiest times to avoid food. If you build this routine into your monthly schedule, though, you will more likely fast regularly in the new year.  

3. Listen to the Spirit’s leading for other times to fast. In addition to your regular monthly fasts, pay attention to other times when God is just calling you to fast. You may not have scheduled the fast, but life situations just turn your heart in that direction. My friend, Donald Whitney, talks about these times this way:  

One of the ways the Holy Spirit prompts us to fast is through a need in our lives. If you need stronger prayer about a matter, that may be an invitation from the Lord to fast. If you need God’s guidance, maybe that’s an encouragement to fast. If you need deliverance or protection, perhaps it’s a call to fast. Will you do it? Or will you miss the unique opportunities for grace that He extends to you through fasting?ⁱ 

4. Plan to read at least one book on spiritual disciplines in the next year, and be sure to read closely the chapter on fasting. Reading is itself a discipline that can help you grow in the Lord. I’m not asking you in this article to develop a full reading plan for the new year, but I am pushing you to read something that is spiritually practical and helpful in 2026. Three books that I recommend are: Donald Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life; David Mathis, Habits of Grace; and John Piper, A Hunger for God. Even if you’re not generally a reader, you might choose to read even 1-2 chapters each month so you keep growing in your disciplines.  

5. Get started somewhere. We’ve spent the last few weeks using these articles to talk about fasting. Now’s the time to do something if you haven’t already built fasting into your life. Don’t just let the words of these articles remain thoughts on a screen—take some steps toward growth in fasting. Accept this challenge to let 2026 become a year of renewed encounters with God by longing for Him more than you long for food.