Fasting is a topic rarely discussed in churches today, despite Scripture being replete with stories and commands surrounding it. I want to challenge your paradigm, not just spiritually, but also medically. Most Christians are only vaguely familiar with fasting as a spiritual discipline, and even fewer are aware of the profound physical benefits it offers.
The book I’m about to introduce you to was written primarily from a medical standpoint. It presents compelling evidence that our Creator designed our bodies to fast, not just to survive it, but to thrive through it. As believers, we ought to care about fasting from both a spiritual and physical perspective.
Biblical Foundations of Fasting
From the Gospels, we know that Jesus fasted for 40 days and nights. Moses did the same on Mount Sinai, twice. The prophets often referenced fasting as a sign of repentance and devotion.
Jesus didn’t say “If you fast”, but “When you fast, be not as the hypocrites…” implying that fasting was expected of His followers. When questioned why His disciples weren’t fasting, Jesus replied that they would once the Bridegroom (Himself) was taken away.
The early church embraced this practice. The Didache, a first-century Christian manual, instructed believers to fast on Wednesdays and Fridays and emphasized fasting before baptism. By the fourth century, the Council of Nicaea had formalized a 40-day fast leading up to Easter.
It’s clear. Fasting was not foreign or rare among early Christians. It was foundational.
So here’s the question: Why has it disappeared from the life of the modern Christ-follower?
When was the last time you heard a sermon or teaching on fasting? Have we dismissed it simply because it’s uncomfortable?
That’s all I’ll say on the spiritual side for now. The other reason for writing this book, and perhaps the more overlooked one, is rooted in health and medicine.
My Journey into Fasting
My first personal experience with fasting came in the early 1970s, during the Jesus Revolution movement out of Calvary Chapel. We were spiritually hungry, devouring God’s Word with joy. During that time, I found a book called God’s Chosen Fast, which inspired me and a few friends to go on a four-day fast and then gather to “break-fast” together.
What surprised us?
By day four, we felt great, energized, clear-minded, and without much appetite. Though I was only focused on the spiritual aspect then, I was deeply intrigued by the physical effects and left with many questions.
It would take decades before I began to uncover the answers.
The Physician’s Perspective
I’ve now been a physician for over 40 years. From the beginning, God revealed things about the human body, His masterpiece, that I didn’t learn in medical school. These insights ignited a passion in me to dig deeper, especially when it came to how the body heals and maintains itself.
While practicing on the mission field, I began using modified fasting to help the morbidly obese. This was eye-opening. We didn’t yet understand all the mechanisms involved, but we could see the results.
In the 1990s, I began using short 7–10-day water fasts with patients suffering from autoimmune conditions. We couldn’t fully explain the effects, but they were real. Over time, I expanded into time-restricted eating and intermittent fasting, watching as more patients improved in ways medicine couldn’t always account for.
A New Era of Understanding
Fast forward to today: decades of experience later, my son, also a physician, showed me a paper he’d written on how fasting alters the immune system. Our conversations led us to a realization: the benefits of fasting went far beyond immunity. They touched nearly every system in the body.
And yet, the medical field has barely scratched the surface. Meanwhile, the public tends to see fasting or intermittent fasting as just another diet trend, a fad. But that’s far from the truth.
Fasting is not a gimmick. It is wired into our biology by the Creator Himself. Most of the 8 billion people on Earth unknowingly eat in a time-restricted way, not because of health trends, but due to natural scarcity.
We, in the modern Western world, are the outliers, eating three full meals and constant snacks, creating a metabolic disaster zone. This lifestyle has contributed to the chronic disease epidemic we see today.
Why We Wrote This Book
So, we decided to write a book that presents the science behind fasting and its many variations. Not as a diet plan, but as a restoration of a lost pattern, a rhythm God built into our bodies.
I’ve seen fasting help patients:
- Lose significant weight
- Reverse pre-diabetes
- Improve or even come off medications for hypertension
and diabetes - Slow the aging process
And yet, it’s been hidden in plain sight. The human body holds incredible secrets. When I study these things, I feel as though I’m peering into the mind of God. It’s a sacred privilege.
The Church’s Resistance
In recent years, I’ve spoken in many churches on health and nutrition. Sadly, the response hasn’t always been welcoming. The message often challenges people’s “sacred cow”, food, which can feel threatening.
Ironically, non-believers often show the most interest in these events. I’ve found that deeply disappointing. Fasting is not a fringe concept. It’s biblical, practical, and potentially life-changing.
I believe the church has misunderstood fasting. We’ve skipped over a discipline that seems, frankly, important to the Lord.
A Challenge to You
So I want to leave you with a challenge:
Start learning about God’s creation, you. Understand how your body is designed. Question how we got here, to this food-saturated, disease-ridden culture. Reconsider what it means to eat, or not eat, in a world that never stops feeding.
This message applies to every living person, and especially to those who follow Christ.
