Fasting and faith are about so much more than simply giving something up.
This week, I sit down with my dear friend Wendy Speake to talk about what happens when we stop reaching for alcohol, sugar, scrolling, or other comforts to numb the hard things—and start bringing those hard things to God instead.
Wendy Speake is the bestselling author of The 40 Day Sugar Fast, The 40 Day Social Media Fast, and The 40 Day Feast, and the woman who wrote the beautiful foreword to my book, Love Life Sober.
Together, we talk about what fasting is really meant to do: not simply help us give something up, but reveal the places we’ve been looking for comfort, relief, and escape instead of turning to God.
Wendy shares why fasting can become a doorway to deeper intimacy with Jesus, what to do when sitting in the discomfort feels almost impossible, and why slipping up doesn’t mean you have to go all the way back to day one.
We also talk about Wendy’s brand-new book, A Sacrifice of Praise and Thanksgiving: 30 Days of Rejoicing in God’s Goodness , and the deeply personal season that inspired it.
Wendy opens up about learning to praise God when life didn’t feel good at all, the danger of “spiritual bypassing” our pain with Bible verses, and why Jesus Himself shows us that faith doesn’t require us to pretend something doesn’t hurt.
This conversation is an invitation to bring the hard things to God instead of numbing them, to trust His grace when you stumble, and to discover that sometimes the deepest intimacy with Him is found right in the middle of the places we would rather escape.
What You’ll Learn
- Why fasting is about far more than simply giving something up
- How our coping mechanisms can quietly compete for our attention and affection
- Why Wendy calls fasting a doorway to deeper intimacy with God
- What to do when you’re “sitting in the suck” and desperately want relief
- How to respond when you drink, eat, scroll, or reach for the thing you promised yourself you wouldn’t
- Why a slip doesn’t erase the growth, clarity, and intimacy you’ve already experienced
- How to praise God when your circumstances don’t feel worthy of praise
- What “spiritual bypassing” looks like—and why acknowledging pain is not a lack of faith
- How trials can eventually become places where we recognize God’s faithfulness, grace, and goodness
Watch Here:
Listen Here:
If You’ve Ever Thought…
“I know I should turn to God, but sometimes I just want something that will make me feel better right now.”
“I tried to give up alcohol, sugar, scrolling—or another coping mechanism—and I slipped. Does that mean I failed?”
“Am I allowed to be sad, angry, disappointed, or grieving and still trust God?”
“What if the discomfort of giving this up feels too hard for me?”
…this conversation is for you.
Check Out Wendy’s Books:
A Sacrifice of Praise and Thanksgiving: 30 Days of Rejoicing in God’s Goodness
🍂 You Don’t Have to Feel Ready. You Just Have to Start Somewhere.
The next Love Life Sober 40-Day Alcohol Fast begins October 5th.
Maybe you’ve been thinking about your drinking more than you want to admit. Maybe you keep telling yourself you’ll cut back, take a break, or figure it out later. And maybe the thought of actually doing something about it feels really scary.
The October Fast is 40 days to step away from alcohol and find out if life is better without it. We’ll walk through my bestselling book, Love Life Sober, together, with four live coaching calls every week, an incredible team of coaches, and a private community of women who understand exactly what this feels like.
No labels. No forever promises. Just 40 days to see what might be possible.
We begin October 5th.
