There are different kinds of fasting, in the same way that there are different kinds of prayer or different forms of worshipping. All are offered to God as our holy sacrifice.

Firstly there is the complete fast. Usually this involves just giving up food for a specified period of time- perhaps a day, two days, a week. At the beginning of His ministry Jesus fasted for 40 days in the wilderness. We are told that He was hungry, not that He was thirsty. Jesus would have drunk water during this time.

In a complete fast, people sometimes allow themselves fruit juice to maintain their sugar levels. I drink tea as normal, sometimes with milk but sometimes black. Even though fasting is a discipline, we have freedom within the discipline.

Secondly there is the absolute fast, which includes abstaining from water or any other fluid. This should be done very carefully as our bodies do need water, especially during hot weather or physical exertion. During the month of Ramadan, devout Muslims engage in this type of fast during the daylight hours only. So an absolute fast might just go for the day time, or 24 hours maximum.

Finally, there is the partial fast. People sometimes choose to go without things that they consider to be luxurious food items. The most widely known partial fast is the so-called Daniel Fast. There are actually two fasts mentioned in the book of Daniel.

In Daniel 1, Daniel asks for his friends and himself to be given just fruit and vegetables and spared from the richer foods of the King’s table. These would have been considered unclean in Israel’s dietary laws. This was initially given on a trial basis for ten days, but then they were allowed to continue.

Then in Daniel 10, Daniel enters a special time of “mourning” that involved abstaining from wine, meat and fine food for 21 days. During this time he undertook special prayers for his people. Often a Daniel fast is considered to allow fruit, vegetables and grains, but exclude things like cakes, fine pastries and sweet desserts.

It is important that we do not get hung up on rules about fasting. Decide in prayer what kind of fast you will undertake and for how long. Pick a particular prayer project that God is laying on your heart and make that the focus of your prayers in that time.

In the past I have only ever done a sunrise to sunset type fast, that is fasting until the evening meal. Recently the Lord led me in a whole day fast, that is eating nothing at all from when I got up in the morning until I went to bed at night. That was harder, but still doable. I believe that in the upcoming Lent season I may do a number of these fasts, and maybe even a two day fast.

Whatever kind of fast you do, just do it to the glory of God. If you fall down and fail to complete the fast, don’t get discouraged. Learn from your mistakes and try again later.