Fasting.

[brinny]

I don't think it is scriptural, but I kinda look at fasting as giving up anything that takes up too much of my time and spending that time with God. The one time I did this I gave up some of my internet activities. Do I sound ridiculous?!

No, you don't sound ridiculous at all. I've done the same, in small increments, with the internet, and television, etc. Right now my tv is in its box, in my closet facing the corner.

For me, it's about "habitual" things i do, without any reflection, and examining them, etc.

Thank you for sharing.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

THIS is why.

That is the result of a successful fast. To gain those spiritual benefits you must complete the fast as well as the recovery from the fast.

Fasting is like body building. Lifting weights results in sore muscles at first. It's only when those muscles fully recover that the benefits are felt. The spiritual gains from fasting usually take several days after the fast to be felt. And the greatest benefits are what you seek; more spiritual/less materially minded, among other benefits.

 

[brinny]

That is the result of a successful fast. To gain those spiritual benefits you must complete the fast as well as the recovery from the fast.

That is WHY i want to fast in the first place. It's to glorify God.

Anything else is secondary.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

That is WHY i want to fast in the first place. It's to glorify God.

Anything else is secondary.

Complete your fast and you will glorify God.

 

[brinny]

Complete your fast and you will glorify God.

LOL! Deciding to do so in the first place has its "roots" for me in "glorifying GOD".

I'm asking here, because i have not understood fasting.

Why do you fast?

 

[mama2one]

following

 

[Hazelelponi]

(If i posted this in the wrong place, please move it, mods. i wasn't sure where to post it. Thanks.)

I'm not good at "fasting". I have attempted it, but it's as if i'm attempting it in my "own" strength, and it just falls flat.

I would appreciate any insights into fasting and the different ways of fasting.

Thank you for any input.

I can only relay what I do and perhaps give pointers.

Fasting doesn't have to be specifically no food from sundown to sundown.. You can start slowly, and build up. You can fast only during the evening meal, instead of fasting all day.. start slowly, and then work your way up.

I fast on days I'm not doing anything, and not really expected to do much... that avoids trying to not eat at the restaurant because you have plans you can't cancel..

This also gives more time for prayer. I pray far more on a fasting day - if at all possible. Fasting is about spending the time with God, getting closer to Him in your relationship with Him..

So if I'm hungry I pray, I spend several morning hours in prayer and reading the word, evening hours too. I beg for that closeness with God, and usually get it while fasting because more of my mind is on God than self (takes time to keep your mind on God, just practice)..

But try skipping one meal and spend that time reading the word and praying instead.. and work your way slowly up to a full day, if your health allows.

 

[brinny]

I can only relay what I do and perhaps give pointers.

Fasting doesn't have to be specifically no food from sundown to sundown.. You can start slowly, and build up. You can fast only during the evening meal, instead of fasting all day.. start slowly, and then work your way up.

I fast on days I'm not doing anything, and not really expected to do much... that avoids trying to not eat at the restaurant because you have plans you can't cancel..

This also gives more time for prayer. I pray far more on a fasting day - if at all possible. Fasting is about spending the time with God, getting closer to Him in your relationship with Him..

So if I'm hungry I pray, I spend several morning hours in prayer and reading the word, evening hours too. I beg for that closeness with God, and usually get it while fasting because more of my mind is on God than self (takes time to keep your mind on God, just practice)..

But try skipping one meal and spend that time reading the word and praying instead.. and work your way slowly up to a full day, if your health allows.

Thank you. This is very helpful. I remember that Jesus fasted 40 days and 40 nights, and that is something that i cannot do.

 

[Hazelelponi]

Thank you. This is very helpful. I remember that Jesus fasted 40 days and 40 nights, and that is something that i cannot do.

No one does that - we arent Jesus..

Dedication of a couple days a month, if you can, is quite sufficient.

Fasting is just about deepening that relationship with Him, asking for more knowledge, wisdom, discernment. More of His presence, More of His Spirit in your life..

 

[dqhall]

If one is overweight, it is a good idea to try a healthy nutrient rich diet to reduce weight. I am 6 ft. fall. My maximum lifetime measured weight was 192. This morning my weight was 159 lbs. I eat a primarily plant based diet, low fat, no sugar added. I do not need to fast as much as I am already thin. I fasted seven days when I was 23. Have never been able to do that again. Obesity is a leading cause of premature death.

 

[zoidar]

(If i posted this in the wrong place, please move it, mods. i wasn't sure where to post it. Thanks.)

I'm not good at "fasting". I have attempted it, but it's as if i'm attempting it in my "own" strength, and it just falls flat.

I would appreciate any insights into fasting and the different ways of fasting.

Thank you for any input.

You can fast on bread and water if water alone is too hard. The money you save during the fast you can give for charity. This way it's a fast in a double meaning.

 

[Maria Billingsley]

(If i posted this in the wrong place, please move it, mods. i wasn't sure where to post it. Thanks.)

I'm not good at "fasting". I have attempted it, but it's as if i'm attempting it in my "own" strength, and it just falls flat.

I would appreciate any insights into fasting and the different ways of fasting.

Thank you for any input.

Fasting should really not be a focus in your walk with Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Loving others should be. How loving can you be to others when you are starving? Better yet, what you do not eat give to the homeless. That is both fasting and loving at the same time.
Blessings

 

[~Zao~]

Matthew 6:16-18

16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

 

[mama2one]

.

 

[FutureAndAHope]

(If i posted this in the wrong place, please move it, mods. i wasn't sure where to post it. Thanks.)

I'm not good at "fasting". I have attempted it, but it's as if i'm attempting it in my "own" strength, and it just falls flat.

I would appreciate any insights into fasting and the different ways of fasting.

Thank you for any input.

I have a different angle at looking at fasting. In Isaiah it says:

Isa 58:5 Is such the fast that I choose, a day for a person to humble himself? Is it to bow down his head like a reed, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast, and a day acceptable to the LORD? “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?

The above passage on fasting from Isaiah says that fasting should not just be "humbling yourself, and being gloomy"... that is not what God wants with a fast, it is rather:

to "share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house"

I believe one of the core reasons for a fast is to save the money you normally spend on food, and give it to the poor. In Isaiah's day the food normally eaten could be given to the poor.

So a part of fasting is giving to the poor. You could always fast entertainment, or something else you spend money on, and give the money to the needy.

 

[prodromos]

Why do you fast?

It is training in discipline, exercising your will in saying "no" to certain foods you enjoy so that when faced with more difficult temptations you are better able to stand firm. Fasting is also done in preparation for major decisions and tasks.

 

[Romans 8]

If I could make a suggestion to making the transition to a fasting state much easier....

Start out by getting your body into a ketogenic state leading up to your fast start date. By changing to the ketosis state, your body is already in a fat burning state and you won't go through the pains of switching from fueling on sugar to fat. If you can get used to intermittent fasting, especially a couple weeks leading up to your fast, your body won't give you the cravings.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

LOL! Deciding to do so in the first place has its "roots" for me in "glorifying GOD".

I'm asking here, because i have not understood fasting.

Why do you fast?

I fast for health, energy, mental clarity.

 

[brinny]

Fasting should really not be a focus in your walk with Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Loving others should be. How loving can you be to others when you are starving? Better yet, what you do not eat give to the homeless. That is both fasting and loving at the same time.
Blessings

Thank you, especially about what i do not eat, giving it to the homeless.

 

[brinny]

I have a different angle at looking at fasting. In Isaiah it says:

Isa 58:5 Is such the fast that I choose, a day for a person to humble himself? Is it to bow down his head like a reed, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast, and a day acceptable to the LORD? “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?

The above passage on fasting from Isaiah says that fasting should not just be "humbling yourself, and being gloomy"... that is not what God wants with a fast, it is rather:

to "share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house"

I believe one of the core reasons for a fast is to save the money you normally spend on food, and give it to the poor. In Isaiah's day the food normally eaten could be given to the poor.

So a part of fasting is giving to the poor. You could always fast entertainment, or something else you spend money on, and give the money to the needy.

Thank you. I love the book of Isaiah, especially these verses. The part about things i normally would spend money on is spot on. I just recently bought a couple of DVD's that i could've just refrained from, because they weren't "keepers".

i should also "fast" from Tom Hardy., etc.