fasting

[AgapeSpiritEyes]

Hi all,
Just wondering if there is any spiritual benefit in fasting and if so, why would abstaining from food add to the effectiveness of ones prayers?How does it work?

Yes i have experienced this as so.
I have volunteered fasting to draw closer to the Lord and i have also been asked to dedicate a fast for the Lord. Fasting is a feasting on the Lord Jesus, a dying to the body hindering you from the drawing and intimate time with the Lord. The Lord asked me to fast for 10 days. When He asked me my limited mind said i could not do it for i was working hard labor work at the time. Well if the Lord asked you there is no Limit and the importance is no doubt. I told the Lord i could not do it but if He did help and do it through me i could and would. Well i was given the strength to do 91/2 days i was very weak and asked Him if i could break it. He gave me instructions, to go take a bath then go spend an hour in prayer. Well when i fasted my mind was so weak it did not resist or hinder my ability to listen and hear His voice. So i prayed for more than an hour and afterward Jesus was so real He could speak fluently and i could hear Him without distraction my focus I was only yielding. He spoke of How He loved me and some promises that i still hang on today. I have fasted many times some were my initiative other were from His request, it is a time to desensitize your body so you are weak in your strength that the Holy Spirit is your strength, you are more sensitive to the spiritual realm, if you do this fast on your own then you are more vulnerable in the spiritual realm having someone close to pray for you is good but if it is a dedicated fast asked of you by the Lord then keeping silent and secret is best because it is an intimacy with the Lord like marriage intimacy. Come out of the fast slow for your body’s sake, if you took 10 days to fast take 10 days to slowly return to the kind and amount of food you were eating before. If He is asking you to fast do not be swayed by your doubts or others opinions, He helped me do close to a 10 day fast while working construction so others have their opinions but the Lord and what he asks is far beyond any others knowledge and opinion. When it is His fast He is asking you to yield to Him, being intimate with you and in His secret place, so pursue to know whether it is a volunteered fast on your approaching Him or a dedicated fast of Him drawing you to intimacy with him. Also, during fasting I have experienced that I do not ask of Him anything, would you ask your spouse while sharing intimacy for something other than them?
God Bless you in Agape Forever

 

[Mark51]

In Bible times, people fasted for various reasons that met with divine approval. Some fasted to express extreme sorrow or repentance for sins (1　Samuel 7:4-6), to implore God’s favor or seek his guidance (Judges 20:26-28; Luke 2:36,　37), or to sharpen one’s concentration while meditating.-Matthew 4:1,　2.

The Bible, however, also refers to fasts that God did not view with favor. King Saul fasted before consulting a spirit medium. (Leviticus 20:6; 1　Samuel 28:20) Wicked people, such as Jezebel as well as the fanatics who planned to kill the apostle Paul, proclaimed fasts. (1　Kings 21:7-12; Acts 23:12-14) The Pharisees were well-known for their regular fasting. (Mark 2:18) Yet, they were condemned by Jesus, and they failed to impress God. (Matthew 6:16; Luke 18:12) Likewise, Jehovah ignored the fasts of certain Israelites because of their bad conduct and wrong motives.-Jeremiah 14:12.

The Mosaic Law ordered the Jews to “afflict [their] souls,” that is, to fast, once a year on Atonement Day. (Leviticus 16:29-31; Psalm 35:13) This was the only fasting that Jehovah ever commanded his people to do. Jews who lived under the Mosaic Law would have obeyed that command. However, Christians are not required to observe the Mosaic Law.-Romans 10:4; Colossians 2:14.

Although Jesus did fast as the Law required, he was not known for this practice. He told his disciples how they were to act if they chose to fast, but he never commanded that they fast. (Matthew 6:16-18; 9:14) However, Jesus did say that his disciples would fast after his death. (Matthew 9:15) This was not a command. Jesus’ words simply suggest that at his death his disciples would feel deep sorrow and would lose the desire to eat.

These examples show that it is not the act of fasting in itself that pleases God. However, many sincere servants of God who did fast met with divine approval. (Acts 13:2,　3; 14:23) Christians, then, are under no obligation to fast. Yet, a person who chooses to do so should be alert to certain dangers.

One pitfall to avoid regarding fasting is self-righteousness. The Bible warns against adopting “mock humility.” (Colossians 2:20-23) Jesus’ illustration of the proud Pharisee who felt morally superior to others because of his regular fasting leaves no doubt that God rejects such an attitude.-Luke 18:9-14.

It would also be a mistake to publicize the fact that you fast or to fast because another person tells you to do so. According to Matthew 6:16-18, Jesus counseled that fasting should be a private matter, between you and God, and that you should not announce it to others.

One should never think that fasting somehow compensates for sinning. To be acceptable to God, a fast must be accompanied by obedience to his laws. (Isaiah 58:3-7) Heartfelt repentance, not the act of fasting itself, is what leads to the forgiveness of sins. (Joel 2:12,　13) The Bible emphasizes that we receive forgiveness by Jehovah’s undeserved kindness expressed through the sacrifice of Christ. It is impossible to earn forgiveness through any works, including fasting.-Romans 3:24, 27, 28; Galatians 2:16; Ephesians 2:8,　9.

Isaiah 58:3 illustrates another common error. The Israelites suggested that Jehovah owed them something in return for their fasting, as if by fasting, they were doing God a favor. They asked: “For what reason did we fast and you did not see, and did we afflict our soul and you would take no note?” Many today likewise think that because of their fasting, they can expect God to perform some favor for them in return.

Others believe that it is possible to earn merit by submitting the body to discomfort through fasting, whipping themselves, or the like. God’s Word condemns this notion, showing that “a severe treatment of the body” is “of no value in combating” wrong desires.-Colossians 2:20-23.

Fasting is not obligatory; nor is it wrong. It may be beneficial in some circumstances if the dangers mentioned above are avoided. Fasting, however, is not the focus of acceptable worship. Jehovah is “the happy God,” and he wants his servants to be happy. (1　Timothy 1:11) His own Word says: “There is nothing better for them than…that every man should eat and indeed drink and see good for all his hard work. It is the gift of God.”-Ecclesiastes 3:12,　13.

Whether we choose to fast or not, we should avoid judging others. Among true Christians, there should be no controversy over this subject, “for the kingdom of God does not mean eating and drinking, but means righteousness and peace and joy with holy spirit.”-Romans 14:17.

 

[oOfallen_angelOo]

Fasting is apart of one of God's feasts actually - I think Unleavened Bread after the Passover?

I'm so excited to finally be able to do it this year ( now that I know about the feasts ha ha ) I wanted to see how I'd do so I fasted for a day a week ago.

I didn't feel like extra spiritual or anything, but it humbled me because I kept thinking about all the starving / homeless people and how crappy they must feel because I was tired and cranky all day. I went from sun up to sun down so like 10 or so hours. Nothing epic, but if your a snacker like me, I was literally gnawing my own tongue for some chips

I would definitely try it out sometimes, it really puts into perspective how good one has it simply being blessed with the option of having food on hand every day.