When Fasting Feels Hard: Five Spiritual Attacks Catholic Women Should Expect During Lent

Spiritual attacks are common and a good sign. Denise Jelinek how to spot them and easily overcome them.

Every Lent began the same way for me: wanting to get closer to the Lord. One of my biggest struggles was binge eating, so I’d start my Lent with an ambitious no-binge plan.

However, soon my motivation and resolve weakened.

Can you relate?

What I want you to hear is that there is nothing wrong with you, just as there was nothing wrong with me.

You see, your soul is precious and just as the Lord is always pursuing your soul, He isn’t the only one. The enemy is too.

When we grow closer to God, the enemy’s tactics will get louder, but that doesn’t mean anything has gone wrong. In fact, that’s a GREAT sign — you are indeed getting closer to God!

Five Ways to Thwart Spiritual Attacks During Lent

Let’s be prepared this Lent to spot the enemy’s tactics AND easily overcome them.

Cravings and Obsessive Thoughts

Your body will notice that the thing you are fasting from is missing. You may not only start having obsessive thoughts about that thing, but you may also have other obsessive thoughts. For example, if you decided to remove social media from your phone, you may start compulsively checking the weather app.

To overcome this, talk with the Lord about how you can support yourself in those times that often lead you to indulge in the thing you are fasting from.

Also, consider a gradual decrease rather than a cold-turkey approach. Instead of no screen time, start with 30-60 minutes and gradually decrease.

Pride and Vainglory

Fasting restores order to our lives; it removes false Gods and attachments (which are the ways the enemy loves us to live).

You are growing in virtue. The enemy tries to twist that virtue by attributing your strength and success to your own efforts. This sounds like, “Look how well I’m doing.”

The quickest way to overcome this tactic is to swiftly give the glory to God by saying, “Only by your grace, Lord.”

Discouragement and Loss of Motivation

Emotional and mental exhaustion occur from white-knuckling through fasting. Removing something we once used to soothe our emotions or stress creates an accumulation discomfort, which leads to losing motivation and giving up.

This is not a moral failure. It is a sign of an unmet need. Instead of falling into despair if you slip up, ask two questions to recalibrate to the Lord’s truth:

What do I learn from that?

What support did I need in that situation?

Remember, the enemy does not win so much in what we do (i.e. break a fast), but when we start believing who he, the enemy, says we are, rather than who God says we are.

Despair and Self-Hatred

This is the most destructive tactic of the enemy because we start to believe his lies. Revisit the questions above to get out of the shame cycle and return to the Lord.

Ungodly Self-Reliance

As high-achieving and ambitious women, it’s common to believe that our successes are all dependent on our effort alone. It sounds like, “I need to do more” or “try harder.”

The antidote is surrender.

True surrender is acting in love and obedience to what God has asked of you, leaving the outcomes to Him and His timing.

Making Fasting Easier

First, ask the Lord what He is inviting you to fast from. What steals your peace? What do you run to for comfort? Let Him lead you.

When you get instruction from Him and fast from what He wants you to fast from, you will be flooded with grace and access His strength.

Second, simplify your life. Set aside what isn’t necessary during Lent (even good things) to allow space and silence to receive God’s grace and His guidance, rather than being distracted by the noise of life.

Finally, consider more frequent Confession and daily Mass.

Fasting is an invitation from God to remove a comfort, false god, or distraction that He knows you will ultimately be happier without.

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Copyright 2026 Denise Jelinek
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