When Fasting: Talking to others about it

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SurJones

Guest
#1
I am curious and have not really found a biblical perspective (except for the Pharisees SelfSeeking PRIDEFUL hearts)

To me it seems that Fasting is a mater of the heart and wanting to deny your flesh for a short time engaging in prayer to hear from God during times of need, and praise, and distress. But when engaged in a fast do you guys think it is okay to say "Hey I feel God is telling me to fast and I am nervous".

I personally dont see anything wrong with it and when with your brothers/sisters in Christ, I was thinking that by speaking with pure motives and heart that it can actually create an accountability, and opens the door for encouragement as well. Open to discussion.
 
Jul 8, 2010
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#2
I think discussing the actual matter of fasting is fine. And for most people I would recommend discussing it with a pastor before even attempting. I think the actual 'Hey looka t me Im fasting, arent I holy' is the type of conversation we are being told to avoid.
 
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AgeofKnowledge

Guest
#3
"In modern society fasting is seen primarily as a means of protest or threat of self-destruction to put the pressure on higher authorities in order to attain the benefits or claims of the people involved. In other words, it is political in its character. Mahatma Gandhi of India during his fight against British rule, Young Sam Kim of Korea in his protest against the military dictatorship and the comedian Dick Gregory in his struggle against the violation of the civil rights of Native Americans exemplify this.

In the biblical context, however, fasting carries a different meaning. It is not a way of asserting one’s will but a means of opening oneself to the work of God, expressing profound grief over sin and pointing to one’s ultimate dependence on God for all forms of sustenance. Fasting is the act of abstaining from food for spiritual reasons and primarily connotes an openness to divinity and a posture of humility. It involves prayer, grief, penance, seeking guidance and piety. But fasting was widely abused, so it can also carry the imagery of hypocrisy and religious display (Is 58; Mt 6).

One of the most familiar examples of fasting in the Bible is Jesus’ fasting for forty days in the wilderness in order to prepare for his ministry (Mt 4:2). This is obviously the antitype of Moses’ fasting for forty days on Mount Sinai in order to receive the law and guidance in the wilderness (Ex 34:28; Deut 9:9). Jehoshaphat proclaims a fast throughout all Judah to seek the Lord when the sons of Moab and Ammon come to make war against him (2 Chron 20:3). While the church of Antioch fasts and prays (Acts 13:3–4), they are commanded by the Holy Spirit to send Paul and Barnabas as missionaries. Fasting and prayer are frequently associated with people seeking and preparing themselves for divine communications. Through fasting, they can devote themselves to communion with God.

Fasting bears the imagery of grief. When Saul and Jonathan are killed on the battlefield, the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead bury their bones and fast seven days (1 Sam 31:13). David mourns and weeps and fasts when he hears of the deaths of Saul, Jonathan and Abner (2 Sam 1:12; 3:36). Nehemiah fasts at the news of the fall of Jerusalem (Neh 1:4). When Haman issues the edict to kill the people of Mordecai, the Jews fast, weep and wail for their destiny (Esther 4:3). Fasting is associated with sincere grief and mourning, particularly with the death of the beloved, a sudden calamity and threat of death. It is an expression of deep sorrow and anger.

Fasting carries the imagery of penitence (see Repentance). For example, Ahab, the king of Israel, fasts at Elijah’s threat to destroy his household for having taken Naboth’s vineyard (1 Kings 21:27). He tears his clothes, puts on sackcloth and goes about despondently. Ahab humbles himself before the Lord and seeks his mercy. The Lord sees this and withdraws the evil he had proclaimed against him (v. 29). Israel as a corporate group fasts on the occasion of repentance. Particularly on the Day of Atonement, the people of Israel are commanded to fast in repentance (Lev 16:29, 31; 23:27, 29, 32). At the time of Nehemiah the people of Israel assemble in sackcloth with dirt on them and fast. They confess their sins and the iniquities of their fathers (Neh 9:1–3; 1 Sam 7:6; 2 Sam 12:16). Fasting is practiced during the course of repentance of sins as a symbol of humility and as a means of seeking the mercy of the Lord.

Fasting is used as a means of piety. The psalmist confesses that he humbled his soul with fasting (Ps 35:13) and that when he wept in his soul with fasting, he was publicly insulted (Ps 69:10). In the NT, Anna, a prophetess and a widow to the age of eighty-four, never leaves the temple, serving night and day with fasting and prayer (Lk 2:37). The disciples of John the Baptist and the Pharisees fast regularly. Particularly, the Pharisees are reported to fast twice a week (Lk 18:12; see extrabiblical sources Didache; 8:1; Psalms of Solomon 3:8). Fasting is conducted for the sake of personal piety and spiritual discipline.

The imagery of piety goes together with fasting; however, fasting also bears the opposite imagery, that of hypocrisy. Isaiah 58:3–6 shows that the fasting of the Israelites as a religious devotion does not match their behavior toward their neighbors. They do evil in the sight of the Lord even during the period of fasting. They only fast to display their godliness to men and gain their admiration. They do not do it for the glory of God. Therefore the Lord proclaims that he will not accept them (Jer 14:2). The same phenomenon can be observed in the NT. The Pharisees disfigure their faces in order that their fasting may be seen by men and are exposed for their hypocrisy by Jesus, who advises them to anoint their heads and wash their faces so that their piety and devotion might be directed only to God (Mt 6:16–17). Fasting itself is not condemned, but if it is conducted as a means of seeking self-glory, it is an image of hypocrisy.

Generally, fasting does not carry positive and bright imagery. The Hebrew expression for fasting, “afflicting the soul,” fits well with the imagery of disfiguring the face, weeping, lying on the ground, putting ashes on the head and putting on sackcloth."

-Ryken, Leland ; Wilhoit, Jim ; Longman, Tremper ; Duriez, Colin ; Penney, Douglas ; Reid, Daniel G.: Dictionary of Biblical Imagery. electronic ed. Downers Grove, IL : InterVarsity Press, 2000, c1998, S. 273
 
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yahweh_is4me

Guest
#4
Fasting is more of a personal thing .. its good to do ! draw us closer to God :)
 
May 21, 2009
3,955
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#5
Doesn't say anything is wrong to say you feel God is leading you to fast. Why you would feel nervous I don't know. It says don't go running around telling everyone you are fasting trying to put glory on yourself. Look at me, look at me I'm fasting. It says to wash your face, put your perfume on and don't let anyone know you are fasting.

You are doing something between you and God. Not for the world to see. It is also not some big secret, or shame to hide. So if your out and someone says lets go eat and you are fasting theres no harm in saying I can't now I'm fasting.
 
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scottman719

Guest
#6
I find, when i am fasting, i get invited out to dinner alot more lol, or offered food, in situations like these i think it is better to say that you are fasting as opposed to hurting their feelings. Other then that i don't really discuss it, unless the people are quite close to me
 
C

Consumed

Guest
#7
i thought this is why we fast, the religious did it all for the wrong reasons,to show themselves pious etc etc God makes it clear why -
Isa 58:3 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.
Isa 58:4 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.
Isa 58:5 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?
Isa 58:6 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?
Isa 58:7 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?
Isa 58:8 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 rereward.
Isa 58:9 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;
I
sa 58:10 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 noonday:
Isa 58:11 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.

i usually decline peoples invitations for dinner when i fast, or when offered food saying im not hungry, cause in reality im not hungry lol

Jesus did say - "when you fast" not if

 
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charisenexcelcis

Guest
#8
I think that fasting should be kept as private as possible. There are two times when I think it is alright to share.
1. Too encourage others.
2. Too get help.
 
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lighthousejohn

Guest
#9
I am curious and have not really found a biblical perspective (except for the Pharisees SelfSeeking PRIDEFUL hearts)

To me it seems that Fasting is a mater of the heart and wanting to deny your flesh for a short time engaging in prayer to hear from God during times of need, and praise, and distress. But when engaged in a fast do you guys think it is okay to say "Hey I feel God is telling me to fast and I am nervous".

I personally dont see anything wrong with it and when with your brothers/sisters in Christ, I was thinking that by speaking with pure motives and heart that it can actually create an accountability, and opens the door for encouragement as well. Open to discussion.
Isaiah 58 talks about true fasting:

1 "Shout it aloud, do not hold back.
Raise your voice like a trumpet.
Declare to my people their rebellion
and to the house of Jacob their sins.


2 For day after day they seek me out;
they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
and has not forsaken the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
and seem eager for God to come near them.

3 'Why have we fasted,' they say,
'and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
and you have not noticed?'
"Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please
and exploit all your workers.

4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,
and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
and expect your voice to be heard on high.
5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for a man to humble himself?
Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed
and for lying on sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the LORD ?



6 "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?



8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness [a] will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
"If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,

10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.

11 The LORD will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.

12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

13 "If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath
and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight
and the LORD's holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,
14 then you will find your joy in the LORD,
and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land
and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob."
The mouth of the LORD has spoken.


Emphasis on verse 6 and 7 is mine for the purpose of pointing out God' purpose for the fast.

In Christ,
John