Fasting: John Wesley and Methodical Fasting

John Wesley (d. 1791) was one of the most systematic advocates of fasting in Protestant history. He fasted every Wednesday and Friday, following the ancient Christian pattern, and he expected the early Methodists to do the same. Wesley wrote: "Some have exalted religious fasting beyond all Scripture and reason; and others have utterly disregarded it."

Wesley taught that fasting served three purposes: (1) as an act of self-denial that mortifies the flesh, (2) as an expression of repentance and sorrow for sin, and (3) as a means of intensifying prayer and seeking God's guidance. He once declined to ordain any minister who did not fast twice weekly, so central was the practice to his understanding of spiritual life.

Practical application: Adopt Wesley's pattern of a weekly fast day. Skip breakfast and lunch, breaking your fast at dinner. Spend the time saved from meal preparation in prayer, journaling, or serving others. Wesley's approach was methodical -- hence "Methodist" -- and he found that regularity was more important than intensity.