We Made It! Tips for Breaking Your Fast

Today is the final day of our church-wide time of fasting and prayer! I have been so excited to see how many members of our church family have really pushed themselves during this time to seek the LORD… I know that God has and will continue to honor your for it.

As we come off a fast (especially a longer one) it is important that we do so wisely. The International House of Prayer gives some great tips for breaking a fast in their Fasting Guidelines and Information handout:

• Break your fast gradually. At this point you will need to exercise watchful self-control. Break your fast on a meal that is light and easy to digest (i.e., a pound of grapes, a shredded apple, watermelon, or steamed vegetables).
• When breaking a fast of ten days or more, the break-in period should be extended one day for every four days of fasting.
• A fast of three days or more should never be broken by eating a normal meal (including animal proteins, bread, sugar, dairy, and processed foods) because these heavy foods put a severe strain and shock on the digestive organs which have been resting throughout the fast. Eating too heavily after a fast can produce serious discomfort (stomach cramps, nausea, and weakness) and can nullify the physical benefits of fasting; it can also cause serious irreversible complications or even death.
• After breaking an extended fast, continue drinking fruit or vegetable juices because the stomach is continuing to detoxify.
• During any fast exceeding two days, your stomach will shrink. Do not over-expand it again by overeating. If you have been prone to eating too heavily, guard against going back to this habit. If you train yourself to eat more lightly, your stomach will adjust itself accordingly.
• While continuing to drink fruit or vegetable juices, add the following:
• 1st–3rd day after the fast (increase amount of days for extended fast): Eat fruit and raw/steamed vegetables only. Example meals for the first few days are a pound of fruit, a baked or boiled potato without butter, steamed vegetables, or a vegetable-only salad without oil-based dressing. Avoid bananas for the first few days; they have no juice in them and can easily cause constipation.
• Thereafter, you may return to heavier foods such as animal proteins, but maintaining a healthy diet after the fast will promote lifelong health and allow you to fast correctly in the future.
• Take extra care in breaking a water fast. Begin with drinking fruit or vegetable juices and gradually ease into eating fruit and steamed vegetables.
• It is important after a fast to begin to discern between real hunger and cravings so you do not feed your cravings.

In other words… if you have been fasting the 12 days don’t go out and get a burger and fries tonight after service… you will be paying for it!

See you at our closing service tonight! We are really exciting to having Peter and Heather Jackson joining  us. The Jackson’s carry a real anointing to minister the Father’s Love – it is going to a great closing night!