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I'm so confused about fasting after reading this forum...
- Thread starter OrthodoxServant10
- Start date
Michaelismyname
Well-Known Member
Hi i am new here 
-i did not intend to start by talking about fasting but it caught my eye.
I once was bemused on the topic also . I am no longer.
I asked the Lord Jesus one day " please give me understanding of what fasting is all about " ! one year later i was reading the bible and was hit by a sudden wave of comprehension ..deep with understanding and yet so very very simple.
most (not all) of the comments here on fasting are missing it by varying degrees.
firstly - Why are you fasting? this is such an important question- it must not be overlooked.
here is what the Lord Jesus showed me.
14 "Then Johns disciples came and asked him, How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?
15 Jesus answered, How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast."-
i asked the lord - why do they fast when you are gone ?..and the lord showed me .When a person you love is taken away from you - or when a very bad tragedy takes place ,a person goes into deep sorrow -they do not feel like eating they go into a state we call mourning. they do not attempt to eat no food- they just have no interest in it because they are overwhelmed with sorrow in grieving the absence of the one they love . They are in a state of fasting.
The the lord showed me that when his word truth and power is absent from a persons life and you become sorrowful about that ,to the point where it troubles you so much that you begin to grieve ,you will find food is of no consequence to you- if the person does not get the power of the truth of the lord Jesus in their life they will suffer eternal death -when this trouble you so much you begin to skip meals to grieve the absence of the lord Jesus in that persons life
Or you begin to grieve and mourn the absence of the lord Jesus in that persons illness or that person bondage to harmful life style -
when you are so sorrowful about seeing the absence of the lord Jesus in these situations that you skip meals to cry out to God to bring his presence into those situation - THEN..you are fasting .
if you know of someone in that state of true fasting and you love them in Christ Jesus -they are a part of you in the body of Christ. So you begin skipping meals to pray that god will answer their payer- you have entered in to the spirit of unity with them - you are truly fasting . you are fasting to save - to heal- to deliver.
Daniel saw that his people were supposed to return to Jerusalem after 70 yrs and that it was not happening - he began to mourn the absence of the outworking of Gods will so much that he began to skip meals to call out to God about it - he fasted or mourned the absence of Gods will being done.
sometimes God calls a person to call out on the behalf of others -he places a burden of sorrow for the absence of his will in their life and so you find yourself walking in obedience and fasting in faith. in none of these times will you find it all that difficult to fast and God will always refresh you with his Joy when it is needed to strengthen you.
If you are fasting because its a good idea you had - or you want to look good and want people to know you are fasting . you could be walking in the flesh - it is more important to listen to the holy Spirit and OBEY - then it is to sacrifce the eating of food.
I hope this helps someone understand a little more .
-i did not intend to start by talking about fasting but it caught my eye.I once was bemused on the topic also . I am no longer.
I asked the Lord Jesus one day " please give me understanding of what fasting is all about " ! one year later i was reading the bible and was hit by a sudden wave of comprehension ..deep with understanding and yet so very very simple.
most (not all) of the comments here on fasting are missing it by varying degrees.
firstly - Why are you fasting? this is such an important question- it must not be overlooked.
here is what the Lord Jesus showed me.
14 "Then Johns disciples came and asked him, How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?
15 Jesus answered, How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast."-
i asked the lord - why do they fast when you are gone ?..and the lord showed me .When a person you love is taken away from you - or when a very bad tragedy takes place ,a person goes into deep sorrow -they do not feel like eating they go into a state we call mourning. they do not attempt to eat no food- they just have no interest in it because they are overwhelmed with sorrow in grieving the absence of the one they love . They are in a state of fasting.
The the lord showed me that when his word truth and power is absent from a persons life and you become sorrowful about that ,to the point where it troubles you so much that you begin to grieve ,you will find food is of no consequence to you- if the person does not get the power of the truth of the lord Jesus in their life they will suffer eternal death -when this trouble you so much you begin to skip meals to grieve the absence of the lord Jesus in that persons life
Or you begin to grieve and mourn the absence of the lord Jesus in that persons illness or that person bondage to harmful life style -
when you are so sorrowful about seeing the absence of the lord Jesus in these situations that you skip meals to cry out to God to bring his presence into those situation - THEN..you are fasting .
if you know of someone in that state of true fasting and you love them in Christ Jesus -they are a part of you in the body of Christ. So you begin skipping meals to pray that god will answer their payer- you have entered in to the spirit of unity with them - you are truly fasting . you are fasting to save - to heal- to deliver.
Daniel saw that his people were supposed to return to Jerusalem after 70 yrs and that it was not happening - he began to mourn the absence of the outworking of Gods will so much that he began to skip meals to call out to God about it - he fasted or mourned the absence of Gods will being done.
sometimes God calls a person to call out on the behalf of others -he places a burden of sorrow for the absence of his will in their life and so you find yourself walking in obedience and fasting in faith. in none of these times will you find it all that difficult to fast and God will always refresh you with his Joy when it is needed to strengthen you.
If you are fasting because its a good idea you had - or you want to look good and want people to know you are fasting . you could be walking in the flesh - it is more important to listen to the holy Spirit and OBEY - then it is to sacrifce the eating of food.
I hope this helps someone understand a little more .
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Rev Randy
Sometimes I pretend to be normal
WOW! I just finished reading this thread from start to finish. The sincere confusion of the OP should be even greater now. I'm now certian of one thing: the OP knows more about fasting than many. Now I've even heard that Lent is an abomination? Seems someone not only has a misunderstanding of fasting but also of Lent. But what do I expect as I've also heard the same of Easter.
Fasting is abstaining. Nothing more and nothing less. It is self flesh denial for the purpose of seeking a closer and deeper relationship with God. There are too many sub-reasons for fasting that I won't begin to list them.
How do we fast? Now here's where the rubber meets the road. There are many ways. If it's a communal fast (your Church) fast as those above you in the Church say. There are always (in good Churchs) dispensations for medical needs (diabetics and such). There are no rules for private fasting other than to get the OK from your husband or wife as it also touches them. You can abstain from sex, some foods all food, TV the internet and all sorts of pleasures. I know some who simply fast from sweets. It's the intent of the heart that matters more than the foods or things fasted.
like the OP I'm also Orthodox. I'm also a priest( a word most don't really understand)and pastor. I fast traditionally during the Lent season and I fast completely (no food at all) at times. Saying your not fasting by abstaining from meats would be silly.Saying it isn't Biblical could also make a mockery of their fasing as some biblical fasts also didn't permit water and required wearing sackcloth and sitting in ashes.
So to my confused friend. Follow your heart and always follow your Church. It's ancient for good reason: It isn't broken. In te, Domine speravi.
Fasting is abstaining. Nothing more and nothing less. It is self flesh denial for the purpose of seeking a closer and deeper relationship with God. There are too many sub-reasons for fasting that I won't begin to list them.
How do we fast? Now here's where the rubber meets the road. There are many ways. If it's a communal fast (your Church) fast as those above you in the Church say. There are always (in good Churchs) dispensations for medical needs (diabetics and such). There are no rules for private fasting other than to get the OK from your husband or wife as it also touches them. You can abstain from sex, some foods all food, TV the internet and all sorts of pleasures. I know some who simply fast from sweets. It's the intent of the heart that matters more than the foods or things fasted.
like the OP I'm also Orthodox. I'm also a priest( a word most don't really understand)and pastor. I fast traditionally during the Lent season and I fast completely (no food at all) at times. Saying your not fasting by abstaining from meats would be silly.Saying it isn't Biblical could also make a mockery of their fasing as some biblical fasts also didn't permit water and required wearing sackcloth and sitting in ashes.
So to my confused friend. Follow your heart and always follow your Church. It's ancient for good reason: It isn't broken. In te, Domine speravi.
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You can fast for anything you want. If you have a hard time with facebook then you fast from facebook. If you have a hard time with meat then you can fast from that too. Or if you feel you need to get away from food completely, then you can do that but it's all your choice. Don't look at what other people fast from and think because you're not doing it like that, your doing it wrong. There aren't set rules for fasting.I've always been taught in the Orthodox Church that fasting is giving/abstaining from something such as meat, alcohol,etc. Once I got onto this forum, I hear people not eating ANY sort of food but juice and water for 40 days which I find kind of extreme. I've been fasting (in my perspective) during this Great Lent by not eating meat or fish and not going on Facebook- I'm being a straight vegan. Am I doing it the proper way or should I not be eating at all?
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BlindDidymus
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Peace mate,
As a fellow Oriental Orthodox Christian, but a convert in my case, I can assure you that the Church knows what it's teaching even if many outside her walls are confused.
There are different ways and levels of fasting and this is known to all traditional and ancient religions.
A black fast is what you may know as a parramoui (sorry about the spelling guess). It's a day before a major feast when we are supposed to not eat anything at all. Bright Saturday is the only one which falls on a weekend as the others are moved back to Friday if they do.
Then there is fasting until a certain hour of the day, such as how Cornelius was fasting til the ninth hour.
Then there is fasting which involves not eating certain foods. Unfortunately in English there is no clear way of distinguishing between this and not eating at all. (I believe in Arabic there are 2 distinct words to clarify which is meant.)
The first command God gave Adam was to fast from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This is an example of fasting from only a certain type of food. Daniel ate a vegetarian diet which is a form of fasting only if one has given something up in order to adopt it, as he did.
Fasts are also regulated according to our own spiritual level by our own priest and so you should talk to your priest in confession about how you fast and to what degree. He may make you change your fast from what others do for some reason. As the fasts of the Church are a discipline rather than a rule, they can be subject to much individual change. For example, I heard of a man whose priest perceived that he was proud about how much he fasted and so the priest directed the man to go to the cafeteria every day during Lent and order a steak to eat. (This man was at an Orthodox seminary at the time.) Needless to say, his pride soon left him.
Then there are things related to the spirit of the fast. For example, one is not supposed to pig out on fish during Advent. (Indeed, the Ethiopian Church doesn't even permit fish during Advent although the Coptic Church does, hence the example.) The word 'permissible' is important in observing the fasts. One ought to fast as best one is able yet the Copts allow fish in Advent because of the weakness of the majority which find it so difficult to eat no meat at all. It is an accommodation made by the Church because God is gracious. But if you are strong and need not this grace then speak with your priest and he may advise you to fast as the monks, without fish.
Yet in all this we must remember the words of St Paul when we fast: If any man bid you to a feast and ye be disposed to go, whatsoever is set before you, that (very same thing do) eat, asking no questions for conscience sake. (The brackets are my clarification of the intent of the Greek word which is dropped in translation but implies the most emphatic sense possible.) In other words, remember that fasting is a discipline which we ought not to speak about with others generally and certainly not with those outside of the Church who do not follow the instructions of the holy Apostles to fast on Wednesdays and Fridays; as such, while we ought to do our best to keep our fasts, if God arranges matters so that we can't, then it is more loving towards our hosts to eat what God gives us through them, but once we depart their presence to continue our fast as we always would had we not seen them.
As a fellow Oriental Orthodox Christian, but a convert in my case, I can assure you that the Church knows what it's teaching even if many outside her walls are confused.
There are different ways and levels of fasting and this is known to all traditional and ancient religions.
A black fast is what you may know as a parramoui (sorry about the spelling guess). It's a day before a major feast when we are supposed to not eat anything at all. Bright Saturday is the only one which falls on a weekend as the others are moved back to Friday if they do.
Then there is fasting until a certain hour of the day, such as how Cornelius was fasting til the ninth hour.
Then there is fasting which involves not eating certain foods. Unfortunately in English there is no clear way of distinguishing between this and not eating at all. (I believe in Arabic there are 2 distinct words to clarify which is meant.)
The first command God gave Adam was to fast from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This is an example of fasting from only a certain type of food. Daniel ate a vegetarian diet which is a form of fasting only if one has given something up in order to adopt it, as he did.
Fasts are also regulated according to our own spiritual level by our own priest and so you should talk to your priest in confession about how you fast and to what degree. He may make you change your fast from what others do for some reason. As the fasts of the Church are a discipline rather than a rule, they can be subject to much individual change. For example, I heard of a man whose priest perceived that he was proud about how much he fasted and so the priest directed the man to go to the cafeteria every day during Lent and order a steak to eat. (This man was at an Orthodox seminary at the time.) Needless to say, his pride soon left him.
Then there are things related to the spirit of the fast. For example, one is not supposed to pig out on fish during Advent. (Indeed, the Ethiopian Church doesn't even permit fish during Advent although the Coptic Church does, hence the example.) The word 'permissible' is important in observing the fasts. One ought to fast as best one is able yet the Copts allow fish in Advent because of the weakness of the majority which find it so difficult to eat no meat at all. It is an accommodation made by the Church because God is gracious. But if you are strong and need not this grace then speak with your priest and he may advise you to fast as the monks, without fish.
Yet in all this we must remember the words of St Paul when we fast: If any man bid you to a feast and ye be disposed to go, whatsoever is set before you, that (very same thing do) eat, asking no questions for conscience sake. (The brackets are my clarification of the intent of the Greek word which is dropped in translation but implies the most emphatic sense possible.) In other words, remember that fasting is a discipline which we ought not to speak about with others generally and certainly not with those outside of the Church who do not follow the instructions of the holy Apostles to fast on Wednesdays and Fridays; as such, while we ought to do our best to keep our fasts, if God arranges matters so that we can't, then it is more loving towards our hosts to eat what God gives us through them, but once we depart their presence to continue our fast as we always would had we not seen them.
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BlindDidymus
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Nice to see someone else is familiar with Hislop
Have you ever checked his references in section of his book on Christmas? One of them is actually arguing exactly the opposite of what he uses it to support when taken in context.
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That's the soul purpose of fasting. Getting away from non spiritual things to bring you closer to God. That's why when the bible mentions fasting, it always says "prayer and fasting".
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1Sam24:12
..but mine hand shall not be upon thee. 1Sam24:12.
This is how God says for you to fast.
Isaiah 58: 1-12
1 Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.
2 Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God.
3 Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours.
4 Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.
5 Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the Lord?
6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
8 Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy reward.
9 Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;
10 And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon day:
11 And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
12 And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.
Isaiah 58: 1-12
1 Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.
2 Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God.
3 Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours.
4 Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.
5 Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the Lord?
6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
8 Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy reward.
9 Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;
10 And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon day:
11 And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
12 And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.
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chapdaddy
Newbie
I've always been taught in the Orthodox Church that fasting is giving/abstaining from something such as meat, alcohol,etc. Once I got onto this forum, I hear people not eating ANY sort of food but juice and water for 40 days which I find kind of extreme. I've been fasting (in my perspective) during this Great Lent by not eating meat or fish and not going on Facebook- I'm being a straight vegan. Am I doing it the proper way or should I not be eating at all?
As an Orthodox, you have the blessing of a priest who is tasked with the shepherding of your spiritual life. Fast as he prescribes and discuss your concerns with him.
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Alithis
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I once was bemused on the topic also . I am no longer.
I asked the Lord Jesus one day " please give me understanding of what fasting is all about " ! one year later i was reading the bible and was hit by a sudden wave of comprehension ..deep with understanding and yet so very very simple.
most (not all) of the comments here on fasting are missing it by varying degrees.
firstly - Why are you fasting? this is such an important question- it must not be overlooked.
here is what the Lord Jesus showed me.
14 "Then Johns disciples came and asked him, How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?
15 Jesus answered, How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast."-
i asked the lord - why do they fast when you are gone ?..and the lord showed me .When a person you love is taken away from you - or when a very bad tragedy takes place ,a person goes into deep sorrow -they do not feel like eating they go into a state we call mourning. they do not attempt to eat no food- they just have no interest in it because they are overwhelmed with sorrow in grieving the absence of the one they love . They are in a state of fasting.
The the lord showed me that when his word truth and power is absent from a persons life and you become sorrowful about that ,to the point where it troubles you so much that you begin to grieve ,you will find food is of no consequence to you- if the person does not get the power of the truth of the lord Jesus in their life they will suffer eternal death -when this trouble you so much you begin to skip meals to grieve the absence of the lord Jesus in that persons life
Or you begin to grieve and mourn the absence of the lord Jesus in that persons illness or that person bondage to harmful life style -
when you are so sorrowful about seeing the absence of the lord Jesus in these situations that you skip meals to cry out to God to bring his presence into those situation - THEN..you are fasting .
if you know of someone in that state of true fasting and you love them in Christ Jesus -they are a part of you in the body of Christ. So you begin skipping meals to pray that god will answer their payer- you have entered in to the spirit of unity with them - you are truly fasting . you are fasting to save - to heal- to deliver.
Daniel saw that his people were supposed to return to Jerusalem after 70 yrs and that it was not happening - he began to mourn the absence of the outworking of Gods will so much that he began to skip meals to call out to God about it - he fasted or mourned the absence of Gods will being done.
sometimes God calls a person to call out on the behalf of others -he places a burden of sorrow for the absence of his will in their life and so you find yourself walking in obedience and fasting in faith. in none of these times will you find it all that difficult to fast and God will always refresh you with his Joy when it is needed to strengthen you.
...............
I asked the Lord Jesus one day " please give me understanding of what fasting is all about " ! one year later i was reading the bible and was hit by a sudden wave of comprehension ..deep with understanding and yet so very very simple.
most (not all) of the comments here on fasting are missing it by varying degrees.
firstly - Why are you fasting? this is such an important question- it must not be overlooked.
here is what the Lord Jesus showed me.
14 "Then Johns disciples came and asked him, How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?
15 Jesus answered, How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast."-
i asked the lord - why do they fast when you are gone ?..and the lord showed me .When a person you love is taken away from you - or when a very bad tragedy takes place ,a person goes into deep sorrow -they do not feel like eating they go into a state we call mourning. they do not attempt to eat no food- they just have no interest in it because they are overwhelmed with sorrow in grieving the absence of the one they love . They are in a state of fasting.
The the lord showed me that when his word truth and power is absent from a persons life and you become sorrowful about that ,to the point where it troubles you so much that you begin to grieve ,you will find food is of no consequence to you- if the person does not get the power of the truth of the lord Jesus in their life they will suffer eternal death -when this trouble you so much you begin to skip meals to grieve the absence of the lord Jesus in that persons life
Or you begin to grieve and mourn the absence of the lord Jesus in that persons illness or that person bondage to harmful life style -
when you are so sorrowful about seeing the absence of the lord Jesus in these situations that you skip meals to cry out to God to bring his presence into those situation - THEN..you are fasting .
if you know of someone in that state of true fasting and you love them in Christ Jesus -they are a part of you in the body of Christ. So you begin skipping meals to pray that god will answer their payer- you have entered in to the spirit of unity with them - you are truly fasting . you are fasting to save - to heal- to deliver.
Daniel saw that his people were supposed to return to Jerusalem after 70 yrs and that it was not happening - he began to mourn the absence of the outworking of Gods will so much that he began to skip meals to call out to God about it - he fasted or mourned the absence of Gods will being done.
sometimes God calls a person to call out on the behalf of others -he places a burden of sorrow for the absence of his will in their life and so you find yourself walking in obedience and fasting in faith. in none of these times will you find it all that difficult to fast and God will always refresh you with his Joy when it is needed to strengthen you.
...............
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Vladyslaus Kyivarius
Regular Member
As far as I read some books/articles written by priests in my country the main point of fasting is to ~train (?) ability to stay aside (not to do something even if you want to) that can be used then to avoid sin. Something like that.
And also in some cases it was advised for ill people not to fast so they could recover and become better... Also it was advised to limit fasting to those people who work too hard and need some food to recover. Or special kinds of food. Something like that as well.
But TY for writing.
And also in some cases it was advised for ill people not to fast so they could recover and become better... Also it was advised to limit fasting to those people who work too hard and need some food to recover. Or special kinds of food. Something like that as well.
But TY for writing.
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Child of JC
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not sure if this is against the rules...
This book is brand new. Best book on fasting IMO.
http://www.amazon.ca/Im-Hungry-Experience-Presence-ebook/dp/B00E1J9AO8
This book is brand new. Best book on fasting IMO.
http://www.amazon.ca/Im-Hungry-Experience-Presence-ebook/dp/B00E1J9AO8
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ICOCguy
Disciple of Christ
You fast the way your heart tells you to fast.
Its,an,act between God and yourself.
Be sure not to proclaim it either. Many people on the fasting thread and openly promoting their fasting which the Bible states not to.
A sincere person will fast and not broadcast it. Those who want a pat on the back willbroadcast it, as its,about their glory not God`s glory and rememberance.
Its,an,act between God and yourself.
Be sure not to proclaim it either. Many people on the fasting thread and openly promoting their fasting which the Bible states not to.
A sincere person will fast and not broadcast it. Those who want a pat on the back willbroadcast it, as its,about their glory not God`s glory and rememberance.
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Child of JC
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About broadcasting... Ya, if you're fasting just to look good on the outside then Jesus' instructions are for you. Some people share because they want to encourage others. It's all about motive. Remember people in the NT knew John's disciples fasted and they knew Jesus' didn't. So this tells me fasting was not a top secret thing. When Jesus spoke about it He was not highlighting how to fast..he was correcting the Pharisees. He was addressing the hypocrites who were trying to make themselves look good when in fact they were not good on the inside. He was addressing their motive. I think it's a good thing to keep your fast a secret. But sometimes it's impossible, especially if it's a long one. Your family is going to notice if you don't eat for a few weeks. Just remember, God looks at the heart.ICOCguy said:
(NIV) "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.
Mat 6:16
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