Day 1: Saying Yes to the Fire
Daily Intention:
“I surrender to this process. I release control and welcome clarity.”
The hardest part is starting. Not the hunger, not the headaches, not the withdrawal, but the surrender. The laying down of control. The decision to say: I’m done letting the flesh call the shots.
That’s where this began.
Day 1 of my seven-day water-only fast wasn’t just a physical reset. It was a declaration that I want to hear God louder than I hear my cravings. I want to be ruled by truth, not habit. I’m ready to finally be free.
I didn’t go into this blindly. I’d felt the pull for a while, a divine invitation to clear the noise and make space for something deeper. A lot had been stirring in the world around me, and even more inside me. I’ve spent months trying to reconnect spiritually. I started praying more, listening to Scripture while commuting, slowly rewiring my days around God's presence. But I wanted more. I wanted clarity, not just comfort.
So I started this fast with one aim: to break the flesh and awaken the spirit.
🕊️ The Spiritual Spark
The morning brought excitement, a kind of holy anticipation. I knew I was stepping into something sacred. But it also brought questions: Will I make it? Will God meet me? Will this even work?
Still, I chose to trust. To keep showing up.
One moment that stood out came while riding in the car with my family. Music started playing, not bad music, but not worship either. I could tell the kids liked it. I liked it too. But I felt this tug: Turn it off. Invite Me in. At first, I hesitated. I thought, Maybe after this one… But then the deeper part of me spoke: Obedience starts in the small things. So I changed the song to a Christian worship station that I had just started listening to.
That choice may seem small, but it felt like a spiritual rep like exercising my soul’s ability to say “no” to comfort and “yes” to calling.
I also found myself wrestling with how much of this journey to bring into my relationships. I love my family. We share the same faith. But I often feel I’m carrying more intensity, more urgency in this walk. That tension was already surfacing on Day 1: Am I pushing too much? Or not enough? Am I leading well, or am I alone in this part of the journey? These are real questions, and they don’t have quick answers.
But maybe the fast will help.
🧠 Mental & Emotional Terrain
Mentally, I started the day in a bit of a fog. Work stress lingered, and I found it hard to focus. I bounced between tabs and tasks, even pausing to scroll social media when I should have been finishing my reflection. That’s the flesh again, always trying to pull us away from the quiet, from the clarity.
But I noticed something shifted by midday. I became more present. I started knocking out tasks. My mood lifted. I wasn’t irritable, even though I expected to be.
Emotionally, I felt motivated and hopeful. There were no big breakdowns or highs, just a steady drive. A deep knowing that this time, I’m doing something different. This time, I’m not just trying to survive. I’m trying to transform.
🩺 Physical Realities
My energy level was surprisingly stable. No dramatic crashes. No waves of exhaustion. I had a low-grade headache, likely detox kicking in, and a sense of heaviness that told me the body was starting its internal shift. I wasn’t hungry in the traditional sense, but I definitely missed eating. Not even for the taste, just for the rhythm. For the habit. It was lunchtime, and my body noticed the absence.
I found myself craving anything—not sweets, not snacks, just…food. That was revealing. It wasn’t about pleasure. It was about presence. About what food represents. Comfort. Reward. Escape.
That’s when I realized:
I don’t just eat out of hunger. I eat to fill space.
Later in the evening, the reality of the fast hit harder. I got tired quickly. I had to lie down, even though I wanted to be more present with my family. That part hurt. I felt distant. Disconnected. The thought of missing out on weekend traditions and shared meals stirred anxiety. The timing of this whole fast couldn’t have been worse because we had family visiting. The first thing we do when family visits is plan the weekend around where we want to go to eat, so I knew that I was in for a challenge. Was this a true test or just bad timing? The emotions ravaged, and my brain became more distracted. Fasting can feel isolating, especially when food is such a social glue.
But I reminded myself:
This isn’t a punishment. It’s preparation.
The discomfort isn’t the point, it’s the doorway.
🙏 A Moment of Gratitude
By the end of the day, what I felt most deeply was pride. Not in a boastful way. But in the fact that I did something I’ve never done before: I wrote it all down. I told the truth. I honored my experience. And for the first time, I realized that even the messiness, the small wins, the weak moments, the fog, it all matters.
This isn’t just a fast.
It’s a testimony in real-time.
🔖 Anchor Statement:
“Today, I chose obedience over comfort. It wasn’t dramatic, it was divine.”
✍️ Side Notes from the Body (Transparency Log)
Hunger: Mild but constant; more habitual than physical. Strongest at lunch and dinner hours.
Energy: Stable for most of the day; dropped sharply by evening.
Physical symptoms: Light headache, some heaviness, no dizziness.
Mental clarity: Foggy start, clearer by mid-afternoon. Distraction was still strong.
Mood: Positive, alert, inwardly focused. No irritability.
Temptation: Emotional. Fear of missing out on shared meals and routines.
Water intake: About 30 ounces by midday needs improvement.
Coffee/Tea: Sipped black coffee slowly throughout the day.
Spiritual moment: Choose worship over entertainment in the car, tiny but holy.
Proud moment: Writing this. Honestly. Fully. For the first time, I kept track of a journal.