What Has Fasting Taught Me So Far in 2025?

Fasting. It’s more than just food. It’s more than just dieting. It’s a discipline, a devotion, and for many of us, a deeply spiritual act of surrender.

As I stepped into 2025, fasting became not just a practice but a lens through which I examined my spiritual and emotional life. And as I’ve reflected on this journey, I’ve asked myself—and others—the question:

What has fasting taught you so far?

It’s a question I’ve posed to friends who have also been fasting in January, some continuing into February. And through these conversations, alongside my own personal reflections, I’ve realised that fasting is as much about spiritual nourishment as it is about physical discipline.

Fasting & the Daily Bread Analogy

One response that truly resonated with me was the idea that when we deny our flesh of food, we must fill it with something else. And how fitting is it that Jesus Himself referred to the Word of God as daily bread (Matthew 4:4)?

Food is universal. Across cultures, generations, and traditions, eating is something we all partake in. But how we approach food—our relationship with it—can often reflect our relationship with God. Are we feeding our spirits with the same intention and care that we give to our physical bodies?

Someone also mentioned the challenge of finding food that aligns with biblical fasting, especially when it comes to the Daniel Fast. Foods that appear “safe” can often be filled with hidden additives, preservatives, and sugars that don’t align with the fast. Something as simple as a can of baked beans, which you’d assume is just beans, can contain a long list of ingredients that make you reconsider. And isn’t that how life often works? Things that seem fine on the surface require a deeper look to discern what’s truly nourishing.

What Fasting Has Revealed to Me

For me, fasting has been a mirror—revealing my relationship with food, my emotions, and my dependence on God. It has exposed areas of my life that need refining, but I’m grateful that God has been dealing with me privately. Some people experience deliverance in public; others, like me, are given the grace to work through things in a quiet place with God.

One of the most profound lessons has been my relationship with my soul. The way I consume food can often reflect the way I consume the things of God. Am I consuming His Word with intention? Or am I mindlessly taking it in without allowing it to nourish me?

Bread, in both the physical and spiritual sense, is designed to sustain us. However consuming too much or too little can have unintended effects. Fasting has made me pause and evaluate—not just my diet but my habits, my spiritual appetite, and my ability to receive what God is offering me.

Fasting Is More Than Just Food

Fasting is not just about giving something up; it’s about making space for something greater. It’s about learning discipline in discipleship—recognising that every moment of hunger is an opportunity to turn towards God instead of towards temporary satisfaction.

The conversations I’ve had—with friends, with myself, and with God—have helped me see fasting as more than just an annual practice. It’s a realignment, a heart-check, and a reminder that God desires to nourish us beyond what we can see or touch.

So, I’ll leave you with this question: What has fasting taught you so far?

Let’s reflect together. Let’s nourish our spirits. Let’s seek God intentionally.

And may this year’s fasting be not just a moment, but a transformation. 💛