Should My children Fast?

by Kerri Weems on Jan 9, 2009 - 4 Comments

Personally, I think it’s wonderful for children to participate in the fast in some way, but their participation should come from a heartfelt desire — just like our fasting should. If you child expresses a desire to participate, then arrange for them to give up certain foods. I do not recommend that children skip meals or drastically reduce their food intake. A form of the Daniel fast which includes legumes, nuts and whole grains is a great way for children to eat anyway. If you feel uncomfortable with the idea of your child giving up meat completely, you could choose to give up red meat.  Eliminating sweets, TV, computer time, cell phone usage, or video games is another way kids can fast. Encourage them to substitute the energy spent on those things for time spent focused on prayer, Bible reading, or serving others. I am actually amazed at how sensitive my children are the conviction of the Holy Spirit. If our children can learn to recognize and follow the voice of God, they will be positioned for a life well-lived and framed by wisdom and favor.  Of course, you should always check with your child’s pediatrician before fasting.

4 Comments

  1. Linda Schrenk says: January 9, 2009 • 20:25:01

    Pastor Kerri,
    Thank you for all your wisdom on fasting! It’s been such a help. I wanted to tell you about our family. Since we range so far in age(5 kids from age 21 to 7) we decided to have a family meeting & discuss the fast. Believe it or not, kids desire to participate in the fast. We discussed why they were fasting, what their desires to pray for were & what they’d fast. It really helped unify the family with God. We had to pray because we have a few special circumstances this year. One child was quite ambitious & wanted to do only friuts & veggies & he’s an athalete getting ready for a competition. We explained to him why he needed to add beans & grains. We also have one who’s arm is in a cast & needs his calcium, so he’ll only fast sweets & meats. I guess I’m saying all this to say, “Work with your kids & their individual needs & they will thrive under the fast.”

  2. Anonymous says: January 12, 2009 • 13:08:28

    I love the fact that my children received a calendar in their service yesterday. They came home excited and told me they wanted to fast. My oldest wants to fast for our family and my middle daughter out of no where told me she was fasting for her great grandmother because she is on oxygen. I thought that was great. I thought it was even better that they were even able to tell me why they were. They are even motivate about being able to sign up and serve in church. I praise God for my children and that they continue to want to serve him.

  3. Karin Williams says: January 12, 2009 • 16:59:03

    Including our children in this journey teaches them that God really does care what motivates them. We make the daily reading part of our dinner hour. We’re also asking our daughter to write down her specific fears and hurts and lay them at the feet of Jesus. So it’s not just about giving up the physical, but the emotional as well.

  4. Carol Wagner says: January 19, 2009 • 13:10:16

    I thought this was kinda funny. Both my girls are fasting sweets, sodas, etc. Wednesday night I saw my 10 year old eating a mint from one of the baskets at church and I commented to her about her fasting sugar. Her eyes got big and her comment was,”They shouldn’t have these mints out during the fast to tempt us!! I quess she justified it by thinking since the church was fasting and they were suppling mints it was O-K. Isn’t it amazing how young we start giving into the flesh and start justifing it! Of course that opened up a lesson on our flesh being weak which gives into temptation and building up our spirit man to fight the temptation.

    Friday night worship and prayer was awesome! We’re really seeing a hunger for God in our family, and it’s exciting to start out 2009 seeking God’s face and direction for our lives, and for those we love.

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