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Fasting Beyond Food

A conversation with Grandpa

This morning we asked a simple question:
What is fasting?

The first answer was simple.

«"Fast to me is consecration. Depriving yourself of things you love."»

Then another thought came.

«"Don't forget the reason for the fast and prayer. There was a reason for it. A fast for consecration... healing, renewal and freedom."»

That made us stop.

If fasting is depriving ourselves of something, why have we reduced it to only food and water?

Yes, we were taught:

Don't eat.
Don't drink.
Read.
Pray.

But then another question came.

Does that alone actually deprive the flesh?

The purpose of fasting is to connect spiritually.

So we asked another question.

Apart from food and water, what satisfies the human flesh?

Then the list began to grow.

Food and drinks.

Sleep and comfort.

Scrolling through social media.

Movies, music and reels.

Sexual desires.

Entertainment.

Cravings.

Always wanting to be right.

Anger.

Unnecessary spending.

Pride.

Ego.

Phone usage.

Constant notifications.

Fear.

Worry.

Complaining.

And then one sentence changed everything.

«"Anything that can master our heart can become something to fast from."»

That was it.

Maybe fasting is not simply refusing food.

Maybe fasting is voluntarily refusing any legitimate satisfaction for a season so that our spirit becomes more attentive to Olódùmarè.

Then Yeshua's words echoed in our hearts:

«"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God."»

Bread is necessary.

But bread alone is not enough.

Our physical desires are real, but they were never meant to become our master.

Some people can abstain from food and still not be connected.

That was another lesson we learned.

So we asked ourselves,

How should we fast?

Instead of making a list of requests for Grandpa, we decided to make a list of things our flesh would be denied.

Maybe for three days...

No smoking.

Less phone usage.

No unnecessary scrolling.

No anger.

No complaining.

No unnecessary spending.

Not because these are evil.

But because we want to remind ourselves that our flesh is not our master.

And if we fail?

We don't condemn ourselves.

We ask,

"Why did I break it?"

We learn.

Then we continue.

This is not about punishment.

It is about freedom.

It is about making room for Grandpa.

At the end of our conversation she said something that stayed with me.

«"I have never looked at fasting in this direction before. I think so many people need to know this too. You should write about it."»

So I did.

Maybe fasting has never been about seeing how long we can survive without food.

Maybe it has always been about discovering what truly controls us... and choosing, even for a season, to let Olódùmarè become the loudest voice in our lives.

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Comments

  1. AnonymousJuly 21, 2026 at 11:15 AM

    It was never about food and water, we just didn’t know. For some of us that idolize our phones, staying away from gadgets can be a medium of consecration.
    Most people are guilty of this, some of us pick up our phones first thing in the morning even before saying God morning to Olodumare.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Olamide AkinrinsolaJuly 21, 2026 at 11:23 AM

      I agree. That's exactly the point I was trying to make. Fasting isn't limited to food. It's about identifying whatever has mastered our attention and choosing, for a season, to put Olódùmarè first. Thank you for this insight. 🙏🏾 Asé.

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