Radical Fasting

OffGrid

Active Member
Oct 12, 2019
191
56
29
Tomball
✟19,972.00
Country
United States
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Single
Politics
US-Others
Not only did Jesus Christ fast in the wilderness, yet many of the people in the bible practiced it. Do any of you have stories of your own castings to share.
Surely I do not mean to read about you being vegetarian, but I'd like to read some encouraging stories of times you've had near death experiences and what to expect when I nearly starve myself for up to 40 days.
 

SkyWriting

The Librarian
Supporter
Jan 10, 2010
37,279
8,499
Milwaukee
✟410,918.00
Country
United States
Faith
Non-Denom
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Others
Not only did Jesus Christ fast in the wilderness, yet many of the people in the bible practiced it. Do any of you have stories of your own castings to share.
Surely I do not mean to read about you being vegetarian, but I'd like to read some encouraging stories of times you've had near death experiences and what to expect when I nearly starve myself for up to 40 days.

You should expect organ failure and death. That's what I expect when anybody attempts it. I try to fast 12 hours every day and go completely vegan for 18 hours daily with very good results when I do. I would always strive for maximum physical and mental results as a goal. Rather than the opposite I see when people fast for longer.

Jesus has outside help with keeping alert and mentally agile. It's not something mere mortals should attempt.
 
Upvote 0

Carl Emerson

Well-Known Member
Dec 18, 2017
14,667
9,977
78
Auckland
✟376,544.00
Country
New Zealand
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
Fasting is a pretty serious business not to be entered into lightly.
I would look for confirmation from Him which is undeniable before consecrating such a fast.
You will notice that Jesus was hungry only when the fast had come to the end. Easing yourself back into food must be done gently.
Again better to be sure He requires it.
 
Upvote 0

HardHead

Active Member
Supporter
Sep 8, 2019
383
178
56
GTA
✟84,378.00
Country
Canada
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
You might consider that the ability to do this properly for long periods of time is related to the spiritual state and strength of the practitioner.

Starting with a shorter period of time and then building this up to a longer period may be better than jumping to the level Jesus set in the wilderness. Jesus was in a different place than all of us spiritually speaking.

For me personally, the intense battle begins after about the start or middle of the second day. Irritation, anger and pain grow and so does my reaction to them. Three days (part way through) or so are my limit in this respect given the distractions that grow. After that, food is a must, for me at least.

I wish you all the best.
 
Last edited:
  • Agree
Reactions: anna ~ grace
Upvote 0

HardHead

Active Member
Supporter
Sep 8, 2019
383
178
56
GTA
✟84,378.00
Country
Canada
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
Organ failure and death can only be foolhardy fasting out of His will. Maybe read 'God's chosen fast' by Arthur Wallace for starters.

Exactly. Clarity as to why and how fasting is to be done is the first step. I would not try it without meditating first.

I would not try it for more than say 12 to 14 hours as a first attempt. Stretching this to 36 hours is not easy at all. Its quite brutal actually. I give in somewhere after 48 hours, into the third day. I have friends that can last over 72 hours but I can't.

Its probably better to start doing this with limited eating daily at the 12 hour interval. This will open you to the challenges and let you meditate safely.

Whatever you try, be mindful of God and do it clearly with a focus on Him.
 
Last edited:
  • Agree
Reactions: anna ~ grace
Upvote 0

HardHead

Active Member
Supporter
Sep 8, 2019
383
178
56
GTA
✟84,378.00
Country
Canada
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
If I die is it not gain?
You should consider that this attitude may not be from God even if it seems spiritual to you.

Whatever spiritual drive you have to do this should be reviewed with someone who is spiritually more advanced than you. Get advice, in person, from someone who can reliably advise you.

What motivated you to try this in the first place?
 
  • Winner
Reactions: anna ~ grace
Upvote 0
This site stays free and accessible to all because of donations from people like you.
Consider making a one-time or monthly donation. We appreciate your support!
- Dan Doughty and Team Christian Forums

OffGrid

Active Member
Oct 12, 2019
191
56
29
Tomball
✟19,972.00
Country
United States
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Single
Politics
US-Others
The practice of walking by faith and not by sight has caused me to get asked to leave some churches. Surely to fast to this extent is not merely of my own will, but the will of The living God. Or are you presuming that it was not God's will that Elijah put on a blindfold and lived off of bread given by crows or ravens?

The will of man is bent on luxuries that this world cannot bear without, yet with God nothing will be impossible.

I could go on and on about how Moses, Elijah, Daniel, Jesus, Peter and many others fasted..
Why must I cheat by "being healthy" when to reach God it takes a near death experience? People make excuses for their lack of faith all the time, usually by trading faith for security.. Simon the apostle was known as a 'zealot'. A zealot means a radical. Therefore there is a place for radicality in Christ as far as my understanding goes.
The answer is neither to the left or right, yet simply aimed for righteousness.
 
Upvote 0

paul1149

that your faith might rest in the power of God
Supporter
Mar 22, 2011
8,460
5,268
NY
✟674,364.00
Country
United States
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Private
Politics
US-Others
I believe these fastings nearly always result in a near death experience if done properly.
I don't believe that at all. I have fasted, water only, up to 25 days, and I can tell you from my research and personal experience that fasting takes both body and soul on a journey. That journey comes in stages of purification. You'll plateau, and then you'll uncover something that needs cleansing. Then you'll plateau again.

My problem on the 25 day fast was that I was unprepared for a major detox that needed to occur in my abdomen due to chronic Lyme and coinfections. The pain became serious and I became afraid. An expert's guiding hand would have helped immensely at that point.
 
  • Like
Reactions: HardHead
Upvote 0

OffGrid

Active Member
Oct 12, 2019
191
56
29
Tomball
✟19,972.00
Country
United States
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Single
Politics
US-Others
How far did you make it into 25 days? What are some check points I can look for?
I can understand the 'purification' stance. However lets say I smoke cigarettes. After 6 days of not smoking the devil starts clouding my mind/heart with doubts because I quit cold turkey. Surely I should first quit smoking before starting this fast, yet I presume quitting cold turkey successfully is to my benefit despite my flesh warring against my actions.
Being in a cigarette deprived mind I don't find myself craving a cigarette so much as craving suicidal thoughts because of my flesh.
Can you relate to this?

(I know I can quit cigarettes.)
 
Upvote 0

HardHead

Active Member
Supporter
Sep 8, 2019
383
178
56
GTA
✟84,378.00
Country
Canada
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
Or are you presuming that it was not God's will that Elijah put on a blindfold and lived off of bread given by crows or ravens?

No. I'm presuming that you are not Elijah and that your experience is not his.

Just because you are having a spiritual experience does not make that experience good by default. It may not be God that you are experiencing.

One of the main things the prophets and apostles could do, was to tell what was from God and what was not. You need to figure this out first.

Your experience may be entirety demonic even if it happens in the middle of praying and reading the bible. You should be open to that possibility and act accordingly with caution.

Also, you may be isolated due to this bad experience not due to it being ascetical and a work of God. It may be an attack on you. That potential reality should cross your mind.

Consider that God would call you to Him not to be away from Him. How have you found God in the experience you are having? Is there any evidence you have for this?

I'm suggesting that you need discernment and guidance.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0

HardHead

Active Member
Supporter
Sep 8, 2019
383
178
56
GTA
✟84,378.00
Country
Canada
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
Being in a cigarette deprived mind I don't find myself craving a cigarette so much as craving suicidal thoughts because of my flesh.
Can you relate to this?

I can to some degree.

In my opinion, God would not lead you to suicide in any case. Thinking of this is not from Him at all. Something else is probably trying to separate you from God.

It may be your own mind or it may be a spiritual presence of some kind. No matter how overwhelming this fight may seem, its not insurmountable.

I survived such thoughts with the help of a pastor and this bible passage. Reading this passage of mighty and healing words over and over again saved my life.

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:37-39, NRSV)

Jesus did this for me not anyone else. He did it even if I did not deserve it. It was not me, not the pastor, not my friends.

Pray to Him and ask for help. Just ask.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0
This site stays free and accessible to all because of donations from people like you.
Consider making a one-time or monthly donation. We appreciate your support!
- Dan Doughty and Team Christian Forums

paul1149

that your faith might rest in the power of God
Supporter
Mar 22, 2011
8,460
5,268
NY
✟674,364.00
Country
United States
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Private
Politics
US-Others
How far did you make it into 25 days? What are some check points I can look for?
I can understand the 'purification' stance. However lets say I smoke cigarettes. After 6 days of not smoking the devil starts clouding my mind/heart with doubts because I quit cold turkey. Surely I should first quit smoking before starting this fast, yet I presume quitting cold turkey successfully is to my benefit despite my flesh warring against my actions.
Being in a cigarette deprived mind I don't find myself craving a cigarette so much as craving suicidal thoughts because of my flesh.
Can you relate to this?

(I know I can quit cigarettes.)
I was 25 days into a complete fast, which lasts until the body tells you it's time to begin eating again.

If you smoke, your body is laden with toxins. As you fast, those toxins at some point begin to be cleaned out. The body is not preoccupied with digesting new food, instead it begins to catabolize itself, beginning with the least necessary elements - stored fats and toxin build ups. The toxins, once quietly ensconced in various nooks and crannies, now enter the bloodstream, and until they are eliminated, they can wreak all sorts of havoc, most notably on the brain, which affects mind and emotions. The arteries will be cleaning themselves, etc. This can be serious indeed.

This is why cleansing of body and soul work tangentially during a fast. You will deal with buried memories, emotional issues, etc.

The keyword to all this is circumspectness. The fast isn't a performance exercise, it's for the Lord's purposes. The fast is a tool, and must be used wisely. You have to know when to stick it out, and when to pack it in.

And you have to know how to prepare, and how to reenter. If you go into an extended water fast loaded with toxins, you are going to suffer. Better to wean yourself off bad habits and bad diet, get into juices, etc, before finally stopping eating. And know how to come out of the fast, or you can damage organs big time. Again, be circumspect.

Atomic Power with God through Fasting is a great read, but IMO is not nearly as circumspect as it should be regarding the dangers and how to avoid trouble. Do some varied reading before you dive in. I just finished Buhner's book on fasting, and hope to read Fung's book soon. J. Franklin also has a couple of books on fasting.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0

OffGrid

Active Member
Oct 12, 2019
191
56
29
Tomball
✟19,972.00
Country
United States
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Single
Politics
US-Others
I will gladly share my story of the blindfold with you. I study scripture a lot and it inspires me.

So I would stay behind a church on Saturday night and sleep until it opened on Sunday morning.
I would blindfold myself and spin around 7 times and attempt to walk around the church building 3 times without cheating. On my 3rd attempt/night of doing this I actually managed to do it 3 times in a row. So I went into the church when it opened, and I felt great. I wasn't focused on the outward appearance of people so much. I was focused on my other senses. They were watching a video about how some guy got into a car accident and his bible survived, and I went outside and sat on a bench and listened to the birds pondering what they were saying and letting out bursts of joy for the Lord. I wondered why nobody else did this. I went and sat in the pews where I normally sit away from the people because I usually study my bible the whole time anyway. And there was a preacher before the pastor preaching. He spoke of how parents don't always lead their children right and so under my breath I said yeah and Santa Claus is not real haha. And a few moments later I had the pastor touch my shoulder and ask what I was doing and I told him why I am practicing walking by faith and not by sight and. He said well your being a distraction and I'm gonna have to ask you to leave. So I said you want me to leave? And he said leave. So he went and held open the door as I picked up my belongings blindfolded and when I left I told him the same thing that happened in that video happened to my bible in a friend of mines truck just recent ally and my bible is still safe. And he told me that it happens to everyone and he said I advise you not to skate board while your blindfolded. And I told him I take it as a challenge I walked off and bumped into a car rear view mirror and looked for just a second and saw where I was going one time. I started walking down the street and went down about 4 streets and got to the 5th street threw down my skateboard and road up to a different church. Went into their bible study group and sat in it. I patiently listened to what they were studying and after they finished going over chapter 2 of Galatians which took them 45 minutes to an hour I summed up the entire book of Galatians in about 3 minutes and the bible study leader commended me and I went into the actual service blindfolded still and tried to sing the worship music which usually makes me cringe because of its simplicity, and though I couldn't read the words I tried anyway. And then I fell asleep. ^-^' when I woke up I tried singing the songs upon exiting and it was pretty fun and I took off my blindfold and the ceiling lights seemed brighter and more vibrant than ever. ^-^

I believe faith vs certainty is a very important matter.
 
Upvote 0

OffGrid

Active Member
Oct 12, 2019
191
56
29
Tomball
✟19,972.00
Country
United States
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Single
Politics
US-Others
I may not be Elijah, and I may not have his exact life. But that doesn't mean I cannot relate, and doesn't mean I can't find truth in the Word pertaining to my life.

If I seem out of my mind it is for God, if I seem right in my mind it is for you.
 
Upvote 0

~Anastasia~

† Handmaid of God †
Dec 1, 2013
31,133
17,452
Florida panhandle, USA
✟922,745.00
Country
United States
Faith
Eastern Orthodox
Marital Status
Married
I will consult God, His will be done above my own. I don't fear death. If I die is it not gain?
While I can appreciate zeal, please be careful to understand that a desire to go to such heroic lengths as to die for God can have its roots in spiritual pride, which is very dangerous. At the same time, why do you seek a near-death experience? Do you know that demons can lie to a person at such a time? Is your desire possibly stemming from a wish for an experience to "prove" belief, which indicates a lack of faith?

All of these things are very dangerous.

Fasting IS a wonderful discipline - the best one I know of for overcoming the flesh. It has been practiced by Christians for two thousand years - generally safely and usually to great benefit. But it has pitfalls of its own - pride if one succeeds and despair if one fails. Everything needs to be done with wisdom and guidance.

God be with you. And welcome to CF!
 
Upvote 0
This site stays free and accessible to all because of donations from people like you.
Consider making a one-time or monthly donation. We appreciate your support!
- Dan Doughty and Team Christian Forums

OffGrid

Active Member
Oct 12, 2019
191
56
29
Tomball
✟19,972.00
Country
United States
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Single
Politics
US-Others
It stems from a calling to help inspire a generation to have faith in God, it stems from seeking out wisdom with faith and works, and it stems from God directing me to do what is right despite what the world thinks or says. I understand those evil spirits are also in television, on the radio, and in your mcdonalds. Yet why should I ruin your meal just cause I don't like it? Surely your conscious tells you mcdonalds is fine..
I will walk through the valley of the shadow of death and I will fear no evil, because the Lord is my strength.

Churches thriving on milk don't let you blindfold yourself because they are generally more focused on their Sunday day care.. I mourn over this..
 
Upvote 0