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Is it true that if you really want to get close to God you must fast? Does fasting somehow bring you closer to God?
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Can You Get Closer to God By Fasting?
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Not all fasting is God oriented. I knew a fellow once that fasted every Wednesday to detoxify his body from all the drugs he took the rest of the week. Fasting as a religious practise is meant to be a conscious giving up of a worldly pleasure to allow you to concentrate more on the spiritual world. So the fasting is only the first step and prayer and contemplation need to be part of the effort to make it fruitful. With this thought that we are held back from holiness by worldly attachments, it works best on those who have these worldly attachments. Oddly, these are the people who would consider fasting as an unnecessary privation and most of the people who fast seem to have conquered their fleshly desires. Or maybe this is a chicken or egg sort of thing.
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fasting has for generations been an approved spiritual practice of the church. what i like about fasting is that you can get into that mode where you ignore certain parts of life in order to try to do something that you feel shall have some sort of spiritual consolation in your searching to be with God. spiritual life dictates that we have some kind of discipline but God has all kinds of ways that we might see some light of his.
one benefit I find about fasting is that it makes me more humble, which also strong headaches do to me. both alter my perception of reality. heck my brain is always going in to different states. I noticed that some sub-personalities can stay dormant for years only to pop up when whatever situation shall occur. most humans don't seem to notice the strange things that go on in their minds and hearts though, they are too caught up in distractions. fasting can be a way of calming down, but so too can prayer. certainly i think that various spiritual practices are more important than the normalness of life, but you can try to be with God in all kinds of different situations. life is one big place to express your love and soul in different ways towards God and heaven.
fasting is one way that we can deny our common will in order to perhaps open a door for the newness of Gods spirit to enter. but that is at the dictates of Gods will. it is not like we could ever force God, sometimes if we fast it is only to tempt God and that is not going to go well for us. but fasting is something that I don't like to do until I feel more spiritual and loving. I have vacation this week, i think I shall try, obviously the Lord speaks through his people that i should.
fasting does help to generate discipline in your life and it has health benefits so i can see why the Lord would prescribe* to us to do such things, for he wills good things for our lives. I certainly need more discipline. please God make me to not be a hypocrite.
one benefit I find about fasting is that it makes me more humble, which also strong headaches do to me. both alter my perception of reality. heck my brain is always going in to different states. I noticed that some sub-personalities can stay dormant for years only to pop up when whatever situation shall occur. most humans don't seem to notice the strange things that go on in their minds and hearts though, they are too caught up in distractions. fasting can be a way of calming down, but so too can prayer. certainly i think that various spiritual practices are more important than the normalness of life, but you can try to be with God in all kinds of different situations. life is one big place to express your love and soul in different ways towards God and heaven.
fasting is one way that we can deny our common will in order to perhaps open a door for the newness of Gods spirit to enter. but that is at the dictates of Gods will. it is not like we could ever force God, sometimes if we fast it is only to tempt God and that is not going to go well for us. but fasting is something that I don't like to do until I feel more spiritual and loving. I have vacation this week, i think I shall try, obviously the Lord speaks through his people that i should.
fasting does help to generate discipline in your life and it has health benefits so i can see why the Lord would prescribe* to us to do such things, for he wills good things for our lives. I certainly need more discipline. please God make me to not be a hypocrite.
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Hieronymus
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Sorry, let me be clearer:
i'm not saying fasting will bring the devil to your door.
i'm not saying fasting will bring the devil to your door.
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Hieronymus
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There was plenty of food in the Garden of Eden for them to eat.
But they were tempted by the serpent to eat the forbidden fruit...
(that is, Eve was tempted, Adam chose to eat also.)
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What brings more of God into your life is genuinely believing in him (faith) in the deep way that causes you to behave as if everything he said were true. Spiritual blindness is what hinders our faith. Sin gives Satan a foothold. Sin always results in an increase of spiritual blindness in some way (i.e., taking us in the wrong direction). Satan (and his kingdom) is always trying to prevent us from believing in or trusting God more.
If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it. (Genesis 4:7, 1984 NIV)
The Lord has given us all the weapons we need to overcome all such oppression (classically, Ephesians 6:10-18, but that's just an outline). Obedience is the most powerful weapon, although obedience includes a lot of things. If your heart is in the right place, worship (a form of love), studying the Bible, praying, and fasting all are forms of us going to war to get closer to God (which reveals more of God and God's power on earth). It is good for you to be doing all of these regularly.
But do what you can do, not what you can't do. Do these things at a level where you can continue them every day/week for the rest of your life. The formation and solidification of the habit is important. If possible, don't neglect any of these disciplines.
God did not make it crystal clear in Scripture how he wants us to fast, so you will find a whole range of opinions. I used to be hesitant to suggest how to fast, because ultimately it should come from your heart or God himself. However, I saw people thinking all kinds of crazy things about fasting, so I now make suggestions, but take them in context: Pleasing God is more about what is in your heart than the technicalities of how you do things (although be obedient if he clearly commands a certain fast for you).
For those that can't abstain from food for medical reasons: fasting doesn't have to be just be giving up food and drink other than water. It can be abstinence from other things. (Paul implies abstaining from sex is one way [1 Corinthians 7:5]). God wants devotion to him in our hearts (and that's what's best for us), not asceticism.
I believe the kind of fasting Biblical Jews would have been familiar with is to fast during the daylight hours. It is perfectly OK to decide to do it differently. For example, you might just fast twice a week between the time you go to sleep and dinner at 6 p.m. the next day, but allowing yourself to take medication at any time. If that's too difficult, then change it so it is something you can do faithfully.
I recommend praying/asking God for strength during your fast. Also, drinking lots of water during your fast might make you more comfortable.
If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it. (Genesis 4:7, 1984 NIV)
The Lord has given us all the weapons we need to overcome all such oppression (classically, Ephesians 6:10-18, but that's just an outline). Obedience is the most powerful weapon, although obedience includes a lot of things. If your heart is in the right place, worship (a form of love), studying the Bible, praying, and fasting all are forms of us going to war to get closer to God (which reveals more of God and God's power on earth). It is good for you to be doing all of these regularly.
But do what you can do, not what you can't do. Do these things at a level where you can continue them every day/week for the rest of your life. The formation and solidification of the habit is important. If possible, don't neglect any of these disciplines.
God did not make it crystal clear in Scripture how he wants us to fast, so you will find a whole range of opinions. I used to be hesitant to suggest how to fast, because ultimately it should come from your heart or God himself. However, I saw people thinking all kinds of crazy things about fasting, so I now make suggestions, but take them in context: Pleasing God is more about what is in your heart than the technicalities of how you do things (although be obedient if he clearly commands a certain fast for you).
For those that can't abstain from food for medical reasons: fasting doesn't have to be just be giving up food and drink other than water. It can be abstinence from other things. (Paul implies abstaining from sex is one way [1 Corinthians 7:5]). God wants devotion to him in our hearts (and that's what's best for us), not asceticism.
I believe the kind of fasting Biblical Jews would have been familiar with is to fast during the daylight hours. It is perfectly OK to decide to do it differently. For example, you might just fast twice a week between the time you go to sleep and dinner at 6 p.m. the next day, but allowing yourself to take medication at any time. If that's too difficult, then change it so it is something you can do faithfully.
I recommend praying/asking God for strength during your fast. Also, drinking lots of water during your fast might make you more comfortable.
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I think if you seek God you will find God; fasting is merely a way to do that.
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Mahatma Gandhi wrote "There are people in the world so hungry, that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread."
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I don't believe fasting brings a Christian closer to God.
I've known Christians that did fasts and then loaded themselves with junk food right after a fast, because their body was craving salt and sugar.
Not everyone can fast due to medical issues.
Things that DO bring true Christians closer to God:
+ Prayer everyday.
+ Reading the Bible.
+ Helping others.
+ Giving things (but not money) to the poor.
+ Denying yourself something everyday.
+ Spreading the Gospel.
+ Eating healthy and exercise. Your body is in the image of God...keep it as holy as possible.
Doing all the above takes a lot more Discipline than fasting.
I've known Christians that did fasts and then loaded themselves with junk food right after a fast, because their body was craving salt and sugar.
Not everyone can fast due to medical issues.
Things that DO bring true Christians closer to God:
+ Prayer everyday.
+ Reading the Bible.
+ Helping others.
+ Giving things (but not money) to the poor.
+ Denying yourself something everyday.
+ Spreading the Gospel.
+ Eating healthy and exercise. Your body is in the image of God...keep it as holy as possible.
Doing all the above takes a lot more Discipline than fasting.
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Albion
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I can imagine that this is common, but it shows us that fasting as done in some churches is more a matter of penance or self-deprivation as something that is supposed to be a meritorious "good work." When it's ended, of course many people will compensate for the time spent punishing themselves. This is quite different from the idea of fasting as a way to clear the mind or to draw closer to God.
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A lot of homeless use money as a way to buy drugs/alcohol.
And I've personally seen "homeless people" that were more monetarily richer than I've ever been.
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God has made humans in his image.
And the body is a temple.
1 Corinthians 6:19
19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
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I remember an angel in the "shepherd of hermas" (an early christian book) was saying that real fasting would be to do it but give what you would eat to the poor. so that is a nice creative way of killing two birds with one stone.
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Regarding your title: Can You Get Closer to God By Fasting?
There are those who can, and they should; there are those whom can not, and they should not fast for that purpose.
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ChristsSoldier115
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I was on a no meat fast until easter[ I started before lent actually]. No chicken, beef, or pork. Sort of sucked, but I felt a significant change on the spiritual. I also lost like 30 pounds, but that might have been because I simultaneously began to exercise. Ironically, I still eat like I am on the fast out of habit now, but replaced fish with chicken every now and then.
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