How Do You Fast as a Christian Athlete?

Fasting as a Christian Athlete: Strengthening Spirit Through Sacrifice

In this episode, Olympic sprinter and Christian mentor Ronnie Baker addresses how Christian athletes can incorporate fasting into their spiritual routines. Inspired by a question from an Instagram follower, Ronnie discusses the personal and spiritual benefits of fasting, offers biblical examples, and shares his own experiences with fasting. He outlines practical steps and tips for athletes to integrate fasting into their training schedules and spiritual lives. Through fasting, athletes can enhance their discipline, focus, and spiritual connection with God. Ronnie concludes with a call to action and a prayer, emphasizing the importance of seeking God during moments of stillness and sacrifice.

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Transcript

0:00

He's the third fastest man. Welcome to Defeat is Option. Here comes Ronnie Baker, 9 77. Baker's running away with this one. Surely they can't get back to it. In your journey, the greatness defeat is never the final answer. It's a choice. So let's get to work.

Ronnie Baker 0:17

I am Ronnie Baker, your favorite Olympic sprinter and Christian mentor discipling you on how to navigate your faith in your sport. In today's devotional, we're gonna be answering the question, how do you fast as a Christian athlete? This question was submitted by the Nija student athlete on Instagram. Really cool. I'm excited to be answering this question, and if you want to get in on the action and have a question answered on the Defeat is optional podcast, you need to go on over to the Defeat is optional podcast page on Instagram and be on the lookout for the polls. I do, and maybe your question will get selected and I'll create a devotional specifically for you. Secondly is the defeat is optional. Merch has officially launched with our very own wristband. It has the slogan, defeat is optional, along with Second Corinthians four A through 10. That reminds us when we are crushed, we are not destroyed. And defeat is a choice because of Christ's sacrifice they already made for us. So make sure you go over to the feed is optional podcast page on Instagram, which will be linked in the show notes and get your wristband before they're all gone. There's a very limited supply. Alright, back to our devotional. So let's jump into today's devotional with a story about my fasting journey as an elite athlete. After the World Championships, I felt completely drained. This is the world championships of 2025 indoors. Not only was I drained from the competition and the injury and everything that happened, but I was pretty drained emotionally. I had traveled all across the world to get to China. My family actually came all that way, and I had to really pick myself out of the dumps after that competition because I honestly didn't wanna be a drag to my family. And we had planned a couple extra days in China because we wanted to take our daughter to Disneyland. So you can't be sad going to Disneyland. All of this was weighing on me, but my soul felt exhausted. I knew I didn't need more reps. In that moment. I knew I didn't need to jump right into rehab. What I needed was stillness and calm, and after a week back in the States, I started fasting. So what is fasting? Let's define it. Fasting is defined as a voluntary abstinence from food for spiritual purposes. It's a biblical practice aimed at enhancing spiritual growth and your connection with God as Christians, as Christian athletes, it's something we are called to do. Jesus said When you fast, not if you fast, that comes from Matthew six 16. Fasting isn't about starving yourself. It's about disconnecting from the world and reconnecting with God. Let's look at what scripture actually shows us. This is what fasting can do for you spiritually. One fasting can make us more sensitive to the spirit. In Acts 13, two, it says, Barnabas and Saul and a few others were worshiping and fasting, and the Holy Spirit spoke to them, Their hearts were open, they could hear the Holy Spirit. Number two, fasting also reveals our dependence on God. Matthew four, four says, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. And lastly, it humbles us and helps us to create space for God to speak into our lives. Let's give you some biblical examples. Number one, Jesus himself. Fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. This comes from Matthew four, one through 11, and he faced temptation in a weakened physical state. But guess what? Our God always wins. So he won that battle and he won it in this spirit. The key point here is that fasting doesn't make you physically stronger. It makes you spiritually victorious. That's one example. Example number two is Esther and Esther four 16. She called a three day fast before risking her life to save her people. She fasted for courage, for clarity, and for favor. The key point here is that fasting prepares you for high stakes, moments, Number three is Daniel 10, two through three, and Daniel fasted for 21 days to gain clarity, but also to abstain from defiling himself with the Babylonian kings of food and wine. He refused to eat it, so he fasted. The key point here is that fasting helps you hear God clearly when life's noise is so loud. Let's talk about how this ties into your sport. How does this apply to you? Why is fasting as a Christian athlete so important? Fasting teaches you to master cravings, not just food, but even validation, cravings for validation. So practically. As an athlete, avoiding sugary foods can be hard. Fasting strengthens your discipline by learning to say no to these temptations and lean on God's strength when you feel weak. That's example number one of how fasting can help you in your discipline. Number two, it drowns out the noise and centers you in on God's voice Practical example. During competition, the last thing you wanna be focused on is what's going on around you, what's going on in the crowd, all of those things, the distractions, and not be focused on the task at hand. Fasting teaches you to lock in so you can execute. When the time comes. And number three, it resets your why. It reminds you that your body is a vessel for God's glory and not your own. Fasting doesn't make you less, it weakens your flesh so Christ can become your strength. So here's how I approach fasting practically as an elite athlete. This is how I fast. I typically train Monday through Friday. So when I do a fast, it's gonna be on the weekends. Friday night's dinner is my last meal. I drink only water on Saturdays and Sundays, so I do a two day fast, and then on Monday morning I break my fast with breakfast breakfast is just break fast, put together. Now here's the key in all this. Fasting isn't just not eating. It's about replacing that time with God. I'm gonna read you guys a journal entry from the time I fasted earlier this year and what God revealed to me. This was from April 4th through the sixth. This is what this journal entry says. This is the first full fast I did with no food, only water and black coffee It was definitely challenging, but I made it through on God's strength because I lost six plus pounds and was very tired. Yet, this is the point of fasting to weaken the flesh in order to grow closer to God. Fasting isn't a test of willpower, but a time to seek God more and at a deeper level. Did I hear anything miraculous or revolutionary? No, but I was reminded of some key truths and promises and kicked in the butt about some things I need to be doing. I was reminded that because God loves us, he interrupts our lives. Sometimes he interrupts his children to set them on a new pathway, and every interruption reveals God's constant attention on my life.​I think the world, indoor champs was one of those interruptions. Either God was protecting me or using this to grow me either way, without it, I probably wouldn't have done this fast and remembered these truths that he has. What's good for me always. I was prompted to pray that if I haven't truly submitted my own ambition to Christ, that he would help me discover what that looks like. And he brought to my remembrance the conference I went to earlier this year, and I remember asking God this question at that conference. I asked him do I break the yoke of possession control? And that was to give. In all honesty, I haven't been tithing back to God and I've been robbing God. So this was something I got kicked in the butt about, is tithing more regularly and tithing frequently, and being consistent about it. And lastly, I just remembered that God is holy. He's holy in everything, holy means set apart. He's holy in the interruptions in my life. He's holy impatience. He's holy in anger. He's holy and justice and holy over my life. So even in times of God's wrath, we should rejoice because it points to the fact that God wasn't going to turn a blind eye to evil and to sin. If he did, it wouldn't be love because that evil would destroy us. Because he doesn't dismiss it. It had to be dealt with, and that reminds me of the grace of Jesus that allows me a sinner to stand in the presence of a perfectly holy God. These were the things that God reminded me during my fast. It was very refreshing. So during your fast, use the time you would normally eat or scroll social media, which I know all of us do to do these things. One, read scripture. Two journal your prayers. Number three. I would do this all the time. It's one of the best things I feel like you can do'cause it gets you active, is you can take a walk and pray. I find that I continue my prayer longer when I'm walking, but also I stay focused on what I'm praying about. So take walks and pray. And the last thing, one of the most important things is ask God this question. What do you want to show me in this fast? These aren't just habits. They're how you stay spiritually fueled while you're physically empty. cause you're going to feel tired, you're going to feel exhausted during the fast. but reading scripture, praying, taking those walks, and asking God that question. Is what's really going to fill you up. The biggest thing about a fast is making sure that you're taking the time that you normally would do other things and spending them with God. So here's your challenge. Here's your call to action. Let's put this into practice. Step one, you're gonna choose your fast window, whether that's one day or two days or more. That's gonna be between you and God. Step two is you're gonna pick one scripture to meditate on each and every day of that fast. If it's one day you pick one scripture and meditate on it for a day. If it's two days, pick that scripture and meditate on it for two days. And then step three is, ask this in prayer. God, what do you want me to surrender so you can strengthen me? All right. Let's pray. God, I've been feeding my body but not my soul. Teach me to hunger for you more than I do for my own results. More than validation, more than the spotlight. I surrender this fast to you. Use it to shape me, not just as an athlete, but as a disciple. Amen. I just wanna remind you guys that you don't fast to earn something. You fast to empty yourself so God can do more than you ever imagined. The breakthrough isn't always physical. It's not just physical, it's spiritual, and that is where the real win is. Guys, if this encouraged you today, share it with another athlete who needs to hear this. And if you're still trying to figure out how to balance faith in sport, I'm gonna let you know right now that you're not alone. Keep showing up. Keep trusting God. And remember, defeat is optional when your hope is in Christ. I'm Ronnie Baker and I'll see you in the next one.