Fast during holidays? Say it isn’t so! by Katherine Pasour

I’m pleased to feature my friend and author, Katherine Pasour, as my guest on CarlaGPollard.com. I think you’ll find her teaching on fasting helpful and insightful as we celebrate this Christmas season and move forward into a New Year. As you’ll read, fasting can be more than abstaining from food. Here is Katherine’s article, “Fast during holidays? Say it isn’t so!”

Food has been an important aspect of holidays and celebrations for thousands of years. If you’re like me, this holiday season will include many opportunities to consume tasty holiday meals and treats. So why would anyone consider fasting during holidays?

C. Robert Marsh¹ defines fasting as refraining from food and describes three forms of fasting:

1. The normal fast involves total abstinence of food. Jesus abstained from food for forty days as he prepared for His ministry (Matthew 4:1-4; Luke 4:2).
2. An absolute fast allows no food or drink. After Paul’s encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus he did not eat or drink for three days (Acts 9:9). Esther urged Mordecai and the Jews to fast and pray for three days as she prepared to approach King Xerxes to plead for the safety of the Jews (Esther 4:15-16).
3. A partial fast emphasizes restriction of some foods, implying there are physical benefits from eating certain types of foods and restricting others (Daniel 1:11-16).

In Daniel, Chapter 1, we learn that Daniel believed the food and wine provided by the officials of King Nebuchadnezzar would defile him, so he requested to eat vegetables and drink water instead. After ten days, Daniel and his friends “looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food” (Daniel 1:15).

Daniel was practicing a type of fasting—avoiding wine, drinking water, and choosing plant based foods.

God has presented us with the bounty of His creation. He created us with a need for food and the taste buds to enjoy eating. He also provided us with a multitude of choices. That variety of choices sometimes creates a dilemma when we eat the wrong kinds of foods or when we eat too much. Fasting from certain types of foods can help us make healthier lifestyle choices. We honor God when we care for the amazing body He has given us.²

Applying the concept of fasting in other ways

What if we practiced fasting in other aspects of our lives? What if we fasted by refraining from certain behaviors?

Refrain from anger and holding grudges.

“In your anger do not sin.” Do not let the sun go down while you are angry.

Ephesians 4:26

Refrain from bitterness, rudeness, gossip, and mistreating others.

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.

Ephesians 4:31

Refrain from unforgiveness.

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Ephesians 4:32

Refrain from judging others.

You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.

Romans 2:1

Refrain from withholding fruit from others.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against these things there is no law.

Galatians 5:22-23

By turning away from harmful behaviors, we share the love of Jesus with others, while drawing closer to our Savior.

Fast during holidays? Say it isn’t so! by Katherine Pasour "By turning away from harmful behaviors, we share the love of Jesus with others, while drawing closer to our Savior." Click To Tweet

The purpose of fasting is to draw closer to God

The Prophet Isaiah reminds us that fasting should not end in quarreling and strife (Isaiah 58:4), but with a goal to end injustice, feed the hungry, and set the oppressed free (Isaiah 58:6-8). The Prophet’s beautiful poetry describes what happens to us when we fast in ways acceptable to God:

Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here I am. If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The LORD will guide you always, he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.

Isaiah 58:8-11

Drawing closer to God this Christmas season

What better time to honor God than by drawing closer to Him during this holiday season? Hopefully, we can refrain from too much indulgence in the plethora of holiday treats and rich foods that will tempt us. I also pray we may draw closer to Him by loving His children, our brothers and sisters in Christ as we refrain (fast) from unrighteous behaviors. Thus, we show the love of Christ to others through our love, care, and concern for them—be they family, friend, or stranger in need.

How can we show our love for others during this season of celebration of the greatest gift of love, Jesus our Lord and Savior?

How can you honor God this season through taking better care of your body? 

Wishing you a joyous, healthy, and blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Katherine’s latest book, Honoring God with My Body, is available for purchase. You can find out more about Katherine by connecting with her on social media (see info below). For more on healthy habits, check out “Building Healthy Habits for Life.” Be sure and let Katherine know how much you enjoyed her teaching by posting your comments below.

Katherine Pasour is an author, teacher, farmer, and speaker with a passion for service. She blogs regularly at www.katherinepasour.com with a focus on faith, wellness, and the lessons nature teaches. Psalm 139 reminds us that we are God’s special creation, “fearfully and wonderfully made”, thus Katherine believes we should nurture all aspects of wellness in service to our Lord. She is a regular contributor to Refresh Bible Study Magazine, published by Lighthouse Bible Studies and has written for Inspiration Ministries (Inspiration.org), and Living By Design (livingbydesign.org). Katherine’s wellness Bible study, Honoring God with My Body: Journey to Wellness and a Healthy Lifestyle, recently published by Morgan James, is available from all major booksellers. You can connect with Katherine on Facebook and Instagram at KatherinePasourAuthor and Twitter @KatherinePasour.

¹ C. Robert Marsh, “Fasting,” Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary. (2003). Holman Reference, Nashville, Tennessee.

² Katherine Pasour, Honoring God with My Body: Journey to Wellness and a Healthy Lifestyle. (2023). Morgan James Publishing, Nashville, Tennessee.