Fasting Without Performing: How Structure Can Serve Surrender

By Dawn Swayne

2 minute read.

“And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get. But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you." Matthew 6:16-18

January fasts often begin with sincere hunger for God—and quiet uncertainty.

Christians commit to fasting because they want God. They want clarity, repentance, renewal, or direction. Yet many enter a fast unsure how to structure their days, what to focus on in prayer, or how to remain consistent when life continues at full speed.

Biblical teaching is clear that, "more than any other discipline, fasting reveals the things that control us" Richard Foster—not to shame us, but to heal us, and to make God supreme in our lives, our chief delight. When comforts are removed, over-attachments surface, and our hearts are exposed, which is often the very purpose of the fast.

The Problem

Despite its biblical foundation, many believers avoid fasting altogether.

For some, fasting feels unclear or overwhelming. They do not understand its purpose, know how to begin, what to pray, or how to sustain focus beyond the first few days. For others, fasting becomes exhausting—burdened by self-monitoring, comparison, or the quiet pressure to “do it right.”

In both cases, fasting drifts away from its purpose. Instead of drawing attention toward God and helping us to shed those things that slow our "race of faith," it turns attention inward.

The Reframe

Biblical fasting, "must forever center on God. It must be God-initiated and God-ordained...physical benefits, success in prayer, the enduing with power, spiritual insights-these must never replace God as the center of our fasting... our intention must be to this alone: to glorify our Father." Richard Foster

Throughout Scripture, fasting is marked by intention, restraint, prayer, and attentiveness. It is not rigid, but it is not unstructured either. Jesus assumes fasting will happen (“when you fast,” not “if”), and He places it firmly within a private, God-facing posture.

Structure does not replace the leading of the Holy Spirit. It protects attentiveness.

Clear structure can remove distractions, reduce decision fatigue, and make room for listening.

Structure, for some, can allow fasting to remain focused on God rather than on personal performance.

How This Workbook Helps

This fasting workbook was created as a support tool, not a spiritual measurement system.

It helps by:

• Reducing decision fatigue: Daily structure removes the need to decide what to pray, track, or reflect on each day.

• Holding prayer when words run out: Guided pages provide space when focus is difficult or spiritual language feels inaccessible.

• Allowing flexibility across fast types: The workbook can be used for 7-, 14-, 21-, or 40-day fasts, including Daniel fasts, partial fasts, and private fasts.

• Supporting consistency without legalism: Users are not expected to complete every page. The workbook adapts to the fast, not the other way around.

The goal is not productivity! The goal is attentiveness to Christ.

Invitation

If you are beginning a fast this January—whether on your own or alongside a church community—it can be very helpful to start when your church starts.

Use what you need. Leave what you don’t. The workbook works for you-you do not work for the workbook.

Let the fast draw your attention toward God, not toward self-measurement or spiritual comparison.

The 2026 Fasting Workbook is available as a digital download and can be used privately or alongside a corporate fast.

👉 PURCHASE HERE