01
Water-Only Fast
Jesus, Moses & Elijah
Food off the table entirely. Water only. A whole-hearted, extended way of denying the body to feast on God instead.
2 Chronicles 7:14
“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray…”
Fasting.
Few disciplines shape us the way fasting does. It's a partnership with the Holy Spirit, a way to loosen the grip of the flesh and lean hard into what God is doing. Every appetite you lay down clears room for more of Him. Think of it as clearing house in your soul.
Why we fast
You connect with God through fasting.
At Journey, we want to hand the Holy Spirit the whole room. Fasting is how we keep clearing space for Him, trading what feeds the flesh for what feeds the spirit.
There's a nearness that comes when you tell your body no and turn your hunger toward God. Fasting recalibrates your appetite. It sharpens your ears to His voice, opens your eyes to what He's showing you, and steadies you to follow where He leads.
It also builds a kind of faith and strength you can't manufacture any other way. But fasting was never only about going without. The point isn't the empty plate, it's the fullness you go after in its place. Like Daniel, you decide you'd rather be full of God than full of the noise of the world.
So when you set something down (a screen, a feed, a meal), you're not just cutting a distraction. You're making room to actually hear Him, clearly. And for a moment, heaven feels close.
Start with two honest questions: What would I need to give up to get closer to God? And what has been keeping me from Him in the first place?
Joel 2:12
“Return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.”
Types of fasts
There's more than one way to fast.
Seek the Lord for wisdom on the kind of fast to do, and what you're fasting for. Here are a few, with the people in Scripture who walked them out.
02
Partial Fast
Daniel
Cutting specific foods for a set stretch, the way Daniel lived on vegetables and water.
03
Full Fast
Esther
No food or water for a set window, entered with urgency when the stakes are high.
04
Liquid Fast
Juices & broths
Running on liquids (fresh juices, broths, and water) while stepping back from solid food.
05
Marriage Fast
1 Corinthians 7:5
A season married couples set apart together, by agreement, to give themselves fully to prayer.
06
Corporate Fast
All Israel
Fasting shoulder to shoulder: a church, a family, or a group standing in agreement for one thing.
07
Fast Anything
Whatever the Lord puts on your heart
TV, socials, spending, anything that pulls at your attention. Lay it down and lean toward Him.
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A Rhythm You Return To
Weekly · Monthly · Yearly
Fasting isn't just for emergencies. Fold it into life as a steady rhythm of making room for God.
Ask God what to call your fast and what to believe Him for. Then hold your ground in faith. Ask what to lay down, and for how long. And write it down as you go: what you're praying, what you sense Him saying, and the breakthroughs that follow.
Before you begin
How to prepare for your fast.
A few things to settle before and during, so your fast is a partnership with the Holy Spirit, not just a diet.
Prepare for your fast
Length of the fast. How long you fast carries weight. Whether it's forty days or a single afternoon, both can open the door to real freedom, healing, and revelation. What matters most isn't the number of days; it's a surrendered heart, handing your flesh over to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Type of fast. Ask God what kind of fast to do and what you're believing Him for. If you feel stuck, notice what's loudest in your life. Is a feed stealing your attention from Him? Start there. Do you reach for coffee before you reach for Him? Fast the coffee. You don't have to have it all figured out. Just begin. Starting is usually what creates the space to hear clearly. He'll direct you along the way; your only job is to obey.
Set aside time
Carve out extra room for prayer and worship, and then guard it. Say no to a few plans, thin out the calendar, and let yourself be unbusy for a while.
Invite the Holy Spirit
Welcome the Holy Spirit into your fast every single day. If you're asking Him to fill the space your flesh used to take up, invite Him into it. He'll meet you there and carry you through.
"I can do all things through him who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13)
Release expectations
Hold your expectations loosely. Don't box God into moving the way you pictured. Just live leaning forward, fully expecting Him to move.
Name your fast
Ask God what to name your fast. Putting words to it is an act of faith. You're telling Him exactly what you're trusting Him for.
Have a prayer focus
A fast is not a diet. This only works if you're meeting with God daily: praying, worshipping, and getting into His Word. You're starving the flesh precisely so you can feed the spirit.
Fast in secret
Keep it between you and God. Stay humble. Fasting opens doors nothing else can. If someone asks, you can tell them the truth; just don't turn it into a performance.
"Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you." (Matthew 6:18)
Don't be discouraged
Fasting takes back ground in you for God's kingdom, and the enemy pushes against it. Don't be thrown off if it gets hard or if temptation shows up. Even Jesus faced it. Run to the Word and ask the Holy Spirit for help; what you gain will always outweigh whatever you're tempted by.
And if you slip, don't spiral. Grace is real. Dust yourself off and start again.
Luke 4:1-13
Breakthrough can come anytime
Breakthrough often shows up after the fast is over. Even when you can't see a thing happening, trust that God is already at work.
"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." (Hebrews 11:6)
Remember
Without prayer, it's just a diet.
Whatever you're setting down (a screen, a feed, a meal), be just as deliberate about what you pick up. Fill the space with prayer, worship, and Scripture. Going without isn't the fast; going after God is. This only counts if you're meeting with Him, day by day.
When Jesus fasted, He was tempted, and He met every attack with Scripture, so load up on the Word. Stay low, skip the humblebrags, and if you break your fast early, don't let shame move in. Just pick it back up. Jesus launched His entire ministry out of a fast, and the breakthrough came on the far side of it.
Take it with you
The Fasting Guide.
A printable guide with everything on this page (why we fast, the types of fasts, and how to prepare) to keep with you through your fast.