September 9, 2019 Stephanie Winslow

5 Do’s and Don’ts of Fasting

A Mind, Body, Spirit Teaching by Alisa Keeton
(all quotes are from Alisa, unless otherwise noted)

What is your perspective on fasting?

Fasting Defined: Willing abstinence or reduction from some or all food, drink or both.
“Pay attention to your heart, to your life, to what you’re feeling, because it’s carving out
the will of your life.”

Most People Fast:
● In Sleep: from 8-12 hours each night
● Blood Tests: A 12 hour fast can be required to tell the chemistry of what’s going
on in the body (returns the body to its baseline)
● Surgery

Physical Benefits:
● Insulin levels drop (can reset to baseline)
● Reduces inflammation
● Human Growth Hormone increases
● Cellular repair can increase
● Helps our own gene expression (get back to the true you)

Popular Fasting: Intermittent Fasting
● It does work for weight loss because it does reduce calorie intake
● Metabolism increases at first, but then will decrease
● Is it sustainable?

“We aren’t meant to live in a lull. We are meant to nourish ourselves and have the
energy to go back out into the world.”

“However you lose it is how you have to maintain it.”

Fasting: Turning our Hearts to Something Greater

Biblical Examples:

● Jesus: fasted before His public ministry
● Daniel: fasted before the enemy nation to strengthen himself before the Lord
● David: fasted after he sinned- a time for deep seeking
Matthew 6:33

“God is redeeming and restoring and saving you from whatever it is that drives you to
do the things you don’t want to do and that’s what fasting truly has benefit and power
for.”
Isaiah 58:3

Ask yourself: “What is it I want out of this fast?”

Isaiah 58:6-9
“Fasting is all about humbling ourselves before God to break the yokes that weigh us
down to hang our heads in defeat.”

● We are meant to go higher in love
● Come higher—> Lift your head
● Fasting takes us there
5 Do’s and Don’ts

Do:
● Get your head up and get a bigger perspective (make it about Love)
● Remember you’re a whole person
● Know your why
● Humble yourself (expect to learn- read the Word; ask the Lord: “show me,
me”)
● Know when pride has taken the wheel

Don’t:
● Do it just for weight loss
● Think that you can manipulate God
● Expect this to be a lifestyle
● Fall into bondage
● Forget your joy- being certain that God is doing something!

https://www.revelationwellness.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Fasting.pdf

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