Radical Fasting

[OffGrid]

I believe God will put people through trials and tribulations, yet surely nothing we cannot handle. I fear no evil, I fear the Lord. I have reverence for Him. He loves putting me in situations where I must rely on Him.
And even if it hurts, does the Father not discipline His children that He loves?

 

[~Anastasia~]

I don't suppose you have a spiritual father or anyone to counsel you? These kinds of paths are best followed with a holy and humble elder.

Especially if one hopes to inspire a generation.

 

[Carl Emerson]

I will consult God, His will be done above my own. I don't fear death. If I die is it not gain?

No it is not...

Our purpose here is to seek to live for Him.

If in that pursuit, we lose our life (like Stephen for example) that is a completely different story.

True spirituality in Jesus is not an individual sport...

When you say 'I will consult God' alarm bells ring...

Absolute discernment is not guaranteed to the individual - it operates in the context of 'body life' when certain conditions are met. These include mutual submission, love and unity.

'OffGrid' you need to be 're-connected' to your appointed place in His Body, maybe a community for a time, 'going it alone' is no longer His Way in the New Covenant, it is dangerous at best.

I have walked through this I can identify with where you are.

 

[OffGrid]

I myself do not have a elder that walks the way I do, let alone a community. Just because you don't understand doesn't mean I am automatically wrong. You wanna walk with me? Because as of right now I am the only man in this town who walks (and skateboards) through this town daily, besides some people on meth or people with mental illnesses.
And who said I was not living for Christ? I'm so zealous for Christ it causes me to walk the line, that I could potentially die walking although it's the right thing to do despite the worlds attempts to force me into doing something for money.
I have many many works I am working on.. But living or dead, simply the fact I have faith can go a looking way if applied right.

Surely Being 'set apart' is not the biggest burden on the planet when the Hebrew word 'holy' means just that.
When Jesus would stand on the outskirts of the town like at the end of John chapter 2. Or like how Mark/John abandoned Paul, and likely was the one who wrote the book of Mark which is the smallest gospel. Or like how Peter stood on top of a roof as he received a vision from God. Or like how Jesus, Elijah, and Moses were set apart from everyone else to go fast for 40 days each.

Seriously.. It could end up like the judas (not Iscariot) who was recorded in the middle of acts who went to war and died.if I die fasting or meditating, or praying surely I did not die in vain.

 

[OffGrid]

Not that I seek death, but quite the contrary I seek a revival. Yet I am an over 7 year pacifist and have no interest in hurting others. I do however seek to spread the Word in love, and truth to the best of my ability. Yet me fasting or blindfolding myself should not be a stumbling block to you, because even if I make a mistake and do die a fool, atleast I did not die for anything except to lay down my life for my friends and family who act like false idols and money rule the world, or has become so dependent on their possessions that it leads me to walk away from the luxuries of life even if it damages my body, because it's the right thing to do in this wicked and perverted generation that only cares about money.

 

[OffGrid]

*atleast I did not die in pursuit of anything except God..
There is no greater love than for a man to lay down his life for his friends.

 

[Lost4words]

Blindfolding yourself is a personal act. Its not done for anyone else. Why blindfold yourself?

Near death experience doesnt mean one will be closer to God or see Him.

Fasting is never done for that my friend.

 

[OffGrid]

Walk by faith, not by sight.

 

[Lost4words]

Walk by faith, not by sight.

Blind leading the blind.

 

[OffGrid]

i apologize that you cannot see how beautifully God is working in my life. Maybe if you went to church blindfolded you'd understand just how much God is being productive in my life and the impact that He has made in my life. I have many many testimonies. Yet if you can't accept one of them, how could you appreciate the rest of them?

The real question at this point is should a person even share their testimonies on the Internet?

 

[Lost4words]

Share, yes.

Glad all is ok on your path.

God bless you

 

[anna ~ grace]

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.

Friend, you don't need to have a near death experience or starve yourself to death to reach God.

That is pretty upsetting and dangerous thinking.

 

[Isilwen]

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.

I do not fast as I have hypoglycemia and cannot. Sorry I cannot add any more value to this thread than that.

 

[iamchance]

I have not been doing full on fasting, but more of a light fast for the past month or so. My diet will consist of juices (spinach, kale, beets, celery, cucumber, etc.), I typically have 1-2 juices in the morning then fast throughout the remainder of the day until the evening. If I have anything to eat during the day then it's just a piece of chocolate, it's a known appetite suppressor. Then, in the evening, I'll have a small meal, such as a salad. You will be very hungry, but your body eventually adjust after you've fasted in the fashion that I'm speaking of for awhile. Now, a full on fast, no eating, that's rough and I haven't done one of those in awhile. I only went a for a few days before stopping.

So, I can't tell you what to expect with a 40 day fast. I can tell you my approach makes me very hungry and you can tend to become moody, to say the least. Oh yeah, and weight lost of course, you're body will trim down and your face will thin out. Stay hydrated.

What inspired you to fast 40 days?

 

[OffGrid]

I have not been doing full on fasting, but more of a light fast for the past month or so. My diet will consist of juices (spinach, kale, beets, celery, cucumber, etc.), I typically have 1-2 juices in the morning then fast throughout the remainder of the day until the evening. If I have anything to eat during the day then it's just a piece of chocolate, it's a known appetite suppressor. Then, in the evening, I'll have a small meal, such as a salad. You will be very hungry, but your body eventually adjust after you've fasted in the fashion that I'm speaking of for awhile. Now, a full on fast, no eating, that's rough and I haven't done one of those in awhile. I only went a for a few days before stopping.

So, I can't tell you what to expect with a 40 day fast. I can tell you my approach makes me very hungry and you can tend to become moody, to say the least. Oh yeah, and weight lost of course, you're body will trim down and your face will thin out. Stay hydrated.

What inspired you to fast 40 days?

Moses and Elijah both fasted for 40 days.

 

[iamchance]

Moses and Elijah both fasted for 40 days.

Awesome. So, you're inspired to follow in their footsteps and always complete a 40 day fast too because of them? When do you plan to start?

 

[OffGrid]

It's sort of a one thing I'm working towards in my life. I'm 24.. Maybe at 27 ;P

 

[HardHead]

Nice.

Ease into it. Do some standing around first. Look left, then look right. Then do a few push-outs (not ups, but outs). After that, eat a sandwich and listen to some music. Change the channel for an hour or two. Then think about deciding. If you are at all like I was, that should get you to about 30 or so.

 

[HowdyDave@]

Franciscan Monks in Munich Germany, in an attempt to find a method of abstaining from all food for the 40 day Seasonal Fasts, developed Dopple Bock beer in the 14th Century. This was a beer with a high carbohydrate count, high malt content and a higher alcohol content than regular beers. They even called it "liquid bread."

It was designed with enough calories and nutrients to allow the monks to carry on with their daily routines without becoming malnourished (which could lead to illness.)

They sent a barrel to Rome in order to get Papal approval for it's use instead of food during the Seasonal Fasts. Since it had no preservatives in it, it turned before it got to Rome and, upon tasting it, somebody in the Vatican decided that it would be a good exercise in humility if the monks had to live off of this stuff for 40 days. They subsequently received approval and Dopple Bock beer has been in existence ever since.

 

[HowdyDave@]

Remember that God putting you in situations is very different than putting yourself in situations.

We are told in both the Old and New Testaments not to put God to the test (Deut. 6:16, Luke 4:12.)