40 Days and 40 Nights

A Fasted Journey for Spiritual Renewal

Base image - “The Temptation of Christ” by Vasili Surikov

I recently fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. I tried to write something about this journey each day. So, for the next 40 days there will be a new post in your inbox each morning and noon (central time) on Sundays. At least, that’s my intent but I may screw it up once or twice. I’m sure there will be lots of thoughts, opinions, and questions about all sorts of aspects to my fast. I will answer what I can.

If you have negative opinions or point to some “study” from a “professional” or “doctor” who likely also lied to you about the safety and effectiveness of the covid jabs, this may not be the place for you. I’ve done enough of my own study, research, and most importantly, prayer which has eventually led to this part of my journey.

I am not recommending that you fast; for any length of time. Do I think Americans and westerners in general overindulge in all sorts of ways, one of the primary ones being food? Absolutely. I myself have been guilty of gluttony countless times. Do I think we should fast more and even incorporate it as part of our lifestyle as most humans throughout the vast majority of history have, either intentionally or unintentionally? Yes, I do think that. Do I think that our society is incredibly weak, soft, unhealthy, unprepared, incapable of embracing difficulty, and anti-Christ? In general, yes.

Do I think that fasting can help with all of that? Yes. Yet, I still do not recommend that you fast. It has been a long road to get me to this point. It is a choice that you have to make. I could not be happier that God led me down this path and enabled me to make this choice; and especially that He sustained me in every way that matters throughout the time of the fast.

The next 40 posts or so are a mix of devotional, reflection, commentary, and other aspects that may have been on my mind. Each day starts with a verse and goes from there. They are all shorter than essentially everything else I have put on Substack. I hope you gain something from it. I know I have in tremendous fashion.

Some aspects of fasting that you may need to consider are your overall health, whether you are male or female, what your intent for fasting is, what your goals for fasting are, and probably a handful of others. For instance, men run off of testosterone. That’s it. It’s the overwhelming hormone for us. Women however have estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. Again, these are the primary ones. This type of thing plays a role with fasting and ought to be included in how long you may be trying to fast. Women, you may be interested in Dr. Mindy Pelz’s book Fast Like a Girl since she is one of the leading experts who actually incorporates fasting herself. She also has a youtube channel. Dr. Eric Berg and his youtube channel is another great resource for those who may be interested in fasting.

The health aspect of fasting, especially a prolonged fast, which I would say is 7 days or longer, is an important aspect and shouldn’t be ignored. I had a bit of a rough transition after my 40 day fast. On day 42, so had been eating a bit for like a day and a half, I started having some pretty serious stomach problems. Part of that is certainly because I didn’t properly transition after the initial meal or two. Again, learning about fasting, if it is something you are interested in has many different phases and important aspects to it from a health standpoint.

Physical health was not the primary reason from my fast. The health benefits I saw were more like an added bonus. The spiritual aspect of the fast was my primary purpose and what I tried to focus on during that time. I had a lot of things I needed to pray about, reflect on, learn, study, and discipline in my life. The fast certainly played a role in all of those things; and others to be sure.

Coming to the decision to fast was something that had been brewing for a few years and there has been a lot of things that occurred in recent memory that finally pushed me to take the plunge. One of the primary reasons was a fast my wife did. Seeing her go through that in real time and listening to her reflections before, during, and after was awesome. It had a real impact on me and was likely the final thing I needed to get me to decide to do a prolonged fast of my own. I’m grateful to God for Heidi, her own fast that she did for her own reasons, is just another aspect of my gratefulness to Him for her.

“Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.” -Proverbs 31:31

My fast started on Easter Sunday. I did eat that day. Easter brunch after church with some family. I probably stopped eating around 4pm. But at 630pm or so when we got home is when I started the clock. That was March 31st. My next meal was at about 645pm on May 10th. I’m still rather shocked that I made it all the way for 40 days. I truly don’t believe I could’ve done that on my own and that God truly did sustain me until the end. I didn’t think I would make it for 40 days and truly just took it one day at a time. Today is Pentecost so I think it fitting to kick of these journal entries now. Please leave comments and questions if you are so inclined and I will answer what I can as I am able. I hope you gain something through these.

Day 0 - Easter Sunday

“Be not among drunkards or among gluttonous eaters of meat, for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and slumber will clothe them with rags.” -Proverbs 23:20-21

We celebrated Christ’s resurrection today. How, you may ask? By going to church and spending time with family. By over indulging on food. Too much food. All of it delicious. But there is more to our relationship with God. Much more; even for a celebratory Resurrection Day feast. I want to find out what that “more” is, should the Spirit be willing to lead me and reveal it. I think an extended period of fasting and praying can only assist in the earthly journey towards that “more.” Towards sanctification. Long past time to attempt and find out.

I am not a medical professional. This journal is about my spiritual path and about that which the Lord has placed on me. This is not medical advice, nor was this fast done for any medical purpose. If you have a medical interest, seek medical advice. If you have particular health concerns, seek medical advice and/or conduct your own research. Any fasting advice, effects, realizations or anything else related to my fast come from my personal reflection and experience. If you are considering fasting, consulting with a healthcare provider may be appropriate for you.