KPC Healing | kpchealing.com/scripture/faith-guides/fasting
Step-by-step faith guide
Level: IntermediateFasting with Purpose
In the scriptures, fasting is paired with prayer and with caring for people in need. A fast with a purpose can help us draw closer to God, seek help for ourselves or others, and remember the hungry.
Before you begin
- Check your health first. Skipping food or water isn't right for everyone. If you are pregnant or nursing, have diabetes or another health condition, take medicine with food, or have a history of disordered eating, talk with your doctor before fasting from food. Children and older adults may need a gentler fast.
- You can fast in other ways. Many people fast from a meal instead of a full day, or from media, sweets, or a habit. The purpose and prayer matter most.
- This guide is for spiritual practice only and makes no health claims.
The steps
Go at your own pace. Read each scripture in context if you can, and come back to any step as often as you need.
Step 1: Choose a purpose
Decide why you are fasting: to seek help with a problem, to pray for someone, to give thanks, to draw closer to God, or to ask for strength to change.
Scripture
“Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens”
Isaiah 58:6 “So we fasted and besought our God for this: and he was intreated of us.”
Ezra 8:23
Reflect
What do I most want to bring to God right now?
Try this
Write your purpose in one sentence before you begin.
Step 2: Plan a fast that is safe for you
Decide how long and what kind of fast fits your health and your day. A shorter or different fast offered with a sincere heart is still a real fast.
Scripture
- Mosiah 4:27
Reflect
What kind of fast would help me focus on God, not on just getting through it?
Try this
Choose your fast (a meal, a day, or something other than food) and when it will start and end.
Write your response
Choose your fast (a meal, a day, or something other than food) and when it will start and end.
Step 3: Begin with prayer
Start your fast with a prayer that names your purpose. Ask God to help you keep the fast with a willing heart.
Scripture
“Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.”
Matthew 17:21 - Acts 13:2–3
Reflect
How does praying about my purpose change the way I feel about the fast?
Try this
Say an opening prayer that includes the purpose you wrote down.
Step 4: Fast quietly and cheerfully
Jesus taught that fasting is between us and God, not something to show off. Go about your day kindly. When you feel hungry or tempted to quit, let it remind you to pray.
Scripture
- Matthew 6:16–18
- Doctrine and Covenants 59:13–14
Reflect
When I feel hungry or uncomfortable, what can I turn my thoughts to?
Try this
Each time you notice hunger today, say a short silent prayer about your purpose.
Write your response
Each time you notice hunger today, say a short silent prayer about your purpose.
Step 5: Give to those in need
Fasting and caring for the poor go together in the scriptures. Give what you would have spent on the meals you skipped, or more, to help people in need.
Scripture
“Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry”
Isaiah 58:7
Reflect
Who in my community is hungry or struggling? How could my fast bless them?
Try this
Give a donation to a food pantry or another trusted charity.
Step 6: Close with prayer and notice
End your fast with a prayer of thanks. Over the next days, watch for answers, peace, or new ideas, and write them down.
Scripture
“Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer”
Isaiah 58:8–9
Reflect
What did I learn about God, or about myself, during this fast?
Try this
Write a few lines about your fast and anything you noticed afterward.
Write your response
Write a few lines about your fast and anything you noticed afterward.
Related and next steps
This guide is educational and isn't therapy or a substitute for professional care. If you feel overwhelmed, stop and reach out to a licensed professional or a KPC Healing provider.
Written by KPC Healing in our own words as an educational guide to faith practice. Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (public domain). References shown without a quotation are from the Bible or the Restoration scriptures (Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants). Reading each passage in its full chapter is always encouraged.
This guide is for personal study and devotion. It isn't therapy or medical advice, and it doesn't replace counsel from your own church leaders. We don't store anything you read or think about here. Read our privacy policy.
Last updated October 2026.
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