Staying Connected to the Purpose of the Fast

If there's anyone out there like me who is sometimes having trouble not letting everyday life swallow up the holiness and "set apart" character of this fast, here's something very small that you can do to help you stay connected. Every time before you eat something, say a quick prayer along the following lines: "Heavenly Father, I consecrate my body to You as Your temple that You indwell. I commit to honor and glorify You in my body not only in my eating but in how I treat it and how I allow others to treat it. I ask You to use this fast to reveal Yourself to me in a deeper way and to help me grow more connected to You, as a branch is connected to the vine and receives life from that vine. I ask You to bless the food that I am eating and to use it to make my body healthier and stronger. In Jesus' name, Amen."

If you do this, you'll be reminding yourself several times a day that you're setting your normal eating patterns aside to pursue God, and it will help orient your mindset on the fast as a fast and not just as a modified healthy way to eat for a few weeks.