Is fasting from food the best option? We should always start with food because there's something special about that. But I do want to acknowledge that it's not inappropriate to fast from those other things.
You are doing without something so that you can really use that time, that legitimate desire, to really focus your attention on the Lord. I don't think it's inappropriate to say I'm going to do without Instagram. One of the things I'm doing these 21 days of prayer and fasting is doing away with TV, which is just kind of a pastime. The principle that man shall not live by bread alone can apply to other things.
Fasting for food is the best option. Our minds and our bodies enjoy a lot of things. Whether we're talking about Instagram, TV, or sex, your body enjoys them. But food is one of the things that your body legitimately craves. It needs it to survive. God knew that. Depleting your body's usual fuel very quickly will create a noticeable void in you. And if you're fasting correctly, you'll fill that void with dependence on and communion with the Holy Spirit. That's the whole point.
Obviously, and let me say this, some people need to hear this: You need to do this safely, and this is only if you are physically and psychologically able. There are certain people for whom trying to avoid food like that is either physically or psychologically dangerous. But I've heard that fasting from food is like praying with your stomach. It's letting your whole body cry out, "God, I need you." It's temporarily starving your body so that you can feast with your soul.
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