Fasting
Captured by Mitchell Royel, 2025
Tonight, as the sun dips below the horizon, I’m embarking on a week-long water fast that feels more like a spiritual pilgrimage than a physical challenge. There’s something profoundly transformative about stripping away everything except water - reducing life to its most elemental form of sustenance.
Biblical Roots of Fasting
In Scripture, fasting isn’t just about abstaining from food. It’s a deliberate act of spiritual surrender. When Jesus retreated to the wilderness for 40 days, He wasn’t just testing His physical limits - He was creating sacred space to connect deeply with the Father. My own week-long journey feels like a humble echo of that profound spiritual discipline.
What Water Represents
Water isn’t just a liquid. It’s a biblical symbol of purification, renewal, and the very breath of spiritual life. By choosing to consume only water, I’m symbolically washing away distractions, clearing the internal noise, and creating room for divine whispers.
Personal Spiritual Intention
This fast isn’t about deprivation. It’s about elevation.
Each sip of water will be a prayer.
Each moment of hunger will be an opportunity for spiritual listening.
Each challenging hour will be a chance to lean not on my own strength, but on something far greater.
The Transformative Power of Silence
In a world constantly demanding our attention, a water fast becomes a radical act of spiritual rebellion. I’m choosing silence. I’m choosing depth over distraction. I’m choosing to hear the subtle movements of grace that often get drowned out by the cacophony of daily life.
What to Expect
Physical challenges? Absolutely.
Moments of weakness? Certainly.
Spiritual breakthrough? Undoubtedly.
My body might feel the absence of food, but my spirit? My spirit will be feasting on something far more nourishing.
“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” - Matthew 4:4
This is more than a fast.
This is a conversation.
This is surrender.
This is worship.
-Mitchell Royel