Testimony Of My 21-Day Spiritual Juice Fast
Last updated on
by Sara Ding, Author of Juicing-for-Health.com
An extended spiritual fast can be a very fulfilling and rewarding experience, whether physically, emotionally or spiritually.
My Background
When I first learned about the health benefits of juicing, I began to research deeper to find out more. I’m basically a very curious person, so I surfed the web and spent every spare hour of the day reading up on juicing and juice fasting. I also bought many other books to study the topic in-depth, information that were not freely available on the internet.
I made a decision to try my first juice fast—and NOTHING can compare to the sharp learning curve of a first-hand experience.
I’ve fasted frequently since then: usually one-day, three-day or seven-day fasts.
Two important reasons why I fast often is firstly, it is in line with my spiritual belief, and secondly because I love eating. When I lived in a multi-cultural country like Malaysia, I had easy access to all kinds of delicious food from different cultures. I now reside in Canada and enjoy cooking up feasts for the family.
I must confess that I was a food junkie before I discovered juicing. I turn to “comfort food” when I want to escape from the stresses of life.
I’ve since learned self-discipline through the years of eating healthy, and have tended to reject unhealthy foods. I’ve fasted sometimes to lose those extra pounds, but also to detox as I am aware of the harm that some of these foods can cause if I did not detox.
Some people think that I am a little over-conscious about my weight, but seriously, I see many who just let the pounds add on. One pound at a time and it will keep increasing, before you know it you’re overweight and it will be more difficult to lost those spare tyres! I’d rather do maintenance and these juice fasts are really beneficial for nourishing.
My Fast Begins
Three days before I started my intended fast, I had cut down on my meals to one plant-based meal a day. I had gone shopping to buy the fruits/vegetables that I would need, from my local market.
I also bought some detox drinks from a local organic shop, liquid chlorophyll and some supergreen powders to be consumed between juices throughout my fast.
When I began fasting I felt the urge to go on an extended fast for spiritual reasons. As someone who loves to eat, fasting for an extended period was a struggle. Then I brought the matter before God and I knew that only by His grace was I able to go on a juice fast for 21 days.
I told my family members that I was going on an extended fast and asked for their moral support. I still prepared food for them throughout my fast and was able to refrain from eating the food that I cooked.
Juice Fast Reactions
On the first day of my fast (it was a Friday), I woke up feeling energized and ready to take on anything that came my way. As my stomach had already adapted to smaller food intake over the previous three days, the first day sailed by rather easily as I had mentally prepared myself. There were some hunger pangs, but they were manageable. Bowel movement was normal.
On the second and third days, I still went about life as normal. As it was a weekend, I didn’t have much going on, it was humdrum, waiting out my system cleansing itself.
Occasionally there were some queasy feelings in my stomach, especially after drinking a big glass of juice. Hunger pangs were a little stronger than day one. I distracted myself by working on my website, reading or simply praying and meditating on the Word of God.
It was during the first weekend that I also experienced a little giddiness and headache so I took naps. My tongue was coated and I know there was bad breath as my body was eliminating toxins, so I brushed my teeth and tongue often. Bowel movements had become loose and watery. Still normal.
Sleeps were painful as I found that my back ached after only a five or six hour sleep, which I didn’t usually experience. I felt very cold at night and needed to be under covers or wearing a long-sleeved sweater even on a hot and humid night. I drifted in and out of my sleep.
On the fourth and subsequent days, these symptoms seemed to subside. I continued fasting and praying. I remembered that it was during this period I experienced some spiritual attacks that caused me to have to spend a big amount of money on my new car that had broken down.
There were other unpleasant incidents that happened which I know now were due to spiritual attacks. I actually even had some encounter with spirits which I would not go into detail here, but this is to let you know that your human spirit gets very sensitive when you go into extended fast and pray.
I persisted with my fast … one week … two weeks … up to my targeted 21 days. I did not feel physical weakness anymore, except the occasional hunger pangs which could be due to some fruits pulp which may have found its way into my stomach. There were also occasional backaches but never severe. But the sensitivity to feeling cold was always there which got more intense on rainy days.
Avoiding The Temptation Of Food
I would be lying if I said that I didn’t experience food temptations. I faced them pretty much every time I looked at food. And for some reasons, there were always lunch and dinner invites to places I would have loved to go under normal circumstances.
I was tempted a few times to break fast prematurely because of food set in front of me. I just walked away and busied myself with something else. I would refocus my mind on why I was fasting.
The whole 21-day fasting process taught me immense self-discipline.
Spiritual Lessons During An Extended Fast
The entire fast was a humbling experience for me. It made me stop and take another look at my relationship with God. It broke my pride to see how when even food is taken away from us, we can be so vulnerable and remember that we are nothing without God. That we depended only on Him.
At that time, I was praying for a breakthrough in some areas of my life. I did not immediately receive an answer to my prayers but it came a couple months after my fast. I was overjoyed when my prayers were answered and I know it was only through fasting that it was possible.
Breaking The Spiritual Fast
During the final days of my fast I became pretty calm about the whole fasting business. It seemed like time had passed so quickly and then I was nearing the end of my 21-day fast.
My internal struggles with food had somehow backed away, the hunger pangs were gone. The only thing that I still suffered towards the end of my fast was that my body felt cold.
On the 22nd day, I woke up feeling immensely happy with my achievement. I had sort of gotten used to juice fasting, but yet was looking forward to sink my teeth into some glorious food. It was a mixed feeling.
For breakfast, I ate a medium-sized banana and waited … no hunger pangs. In the afternoon, I cut up a Chinese pear and took my time to eat the slices, enjoying the juice and the crunchiness. Later that evening, I ate some mangoes (love mangoes!!).
The day after was pretty much the same, took more fruits and added some steamed broccoli and cabbage to my menu, sprinkled very lightly with finely-ground sea salt. In the evening, I had very diluted congee with a few drops of sesame oil. That was heavenly! And so forth I added more and more fruits/vegetables back to my menu.
Conclusion
As one who used to be a food junkie, it was an achievement for me to be able to abstain from food for three weeks. But I credit it all to God’s grace.
I can’t particularly know for sure if there was any healing to any parts of my body as I didn’t have any health problems to begin with at that point in time. Only that I do feel more energetic and did not feel tired easily.
It wasn’t exactly an earth-shattering experience for me but sparked the breakthrough in my spiritual life that made everything worthwhile in the end. I also appreciated the fact that this 21-day period silenced my pride in some ways and has taught me self-discipline, something I cannot learn any other way.
Go To Complete Guide To Juice Fasting
You can read my full story here.
Some of the links I post on this site are affiliate links. If you go through them to make a purchase, I will earn a small commission (at no additional cost to you). However, note that I’m recommending these products because of their quality and that I have good experience using them, not because of the commission to be made.
JOIN OVER