Does anyone know why fasting is so important for a person to be closely connected to the Holy Spirit? I have read many scriptures that say this is the case but no reason why?
Fasting
- Thread starter pomeranian
- Start date
-
Christian Chat is a moderated online Christian community allowing Christians around the world to fellowship with each other in real time chat via webcam, voice, and text, with the Christian Chat app. You can also start or participate in a Bible-based discussion here in the Christian Chat Forums, where members can also share with each other their own videos, pictures, or favorite Christian music.
If you are a Christian and need encouragement and fellowship, we're here for you! If you are not a Christian but interested in knowing more about Jesus our Lord, you're also welcome! Want to know what the Bible says, and how you can apply it to your life? Join us!
To make new Christian friends now around the world, click here to join Christian Chat.
hello pomeranian .From my personal experience fasting gives you more mental clarity and you feel closer to God and can hear more from him while fasting.I have done many fasts and continue to do ,drinking only water ,no food at all.I highly suggest you try one if you haven't done it before.Start with only a day and then you can extend it .God bless 
Fasting seems to be a way of performing the will of our father, the gospel, as the kind of food at first the disciples knew not of. Not food for these bodies but food to feed our new spirit or soul .
John 4:34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
Matthew 17:21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
Fasting is a way of seeking the approval of Him on high as we bring out the gospel the message of His love. we finish our work .In that way Jesus is the power of the fast
It is used in ceremonial laws used to preach the gospel in respect to the suffering of Christ beforehand and the glory that did follow .
One day set aside where a person did not have to labor for their own food. On the previous day twice as much manna ( the food of unfamiliarity . . .What is it? ) was to be collected and boiled or it would turn into maggots and was saved for the next day to be consumed .
When seeking the approval on high those who are moved by the Spirit did the working of the gospel providing us literal bread and bread for the spirt the gospel Clothing the naked in a hope of both that sen and that not seen
Beautiful parable as a commentary on fasting (Gospel) Isaiah 58
Isaiah 58 (ERV) Shout as loud as you can and don’t stop Shout like a trumpet! Tell the people what they did wrong. Tell the family of Jacob about their sins. They still come every day to worship me, acting as if they want to learn my ways They pretend to be a nation that lives right and obeys the commands of their God They ask me to judge them fairly.They want their God to be near them. They say, “We fast to show honor to you. Why don’t you see us? We starve our bodies to show honor to you. Why don’t you notice us?”
But God says, “You do things to please yourselves on those special days of fasting. And you punish your servants, not your own bodies. You are hungry, but not for food. You are hungry for arguing and fighting, not for bread. You are hungry to hit people with your evil hands. This is not the way to fast if you want your prayers to be heard in heaven! Do you think I want to see people punish their bodies on those days of fasting? Do you think I want people to look sad and bow their heads like dead plants? Do you think I want people to wear mourning clothes and sit in ashes to show their sadness? That is what you do on your days of fasting. Do you think that is what the Lord wants?
(Parenthesis my added comment)
“I will tell you the kind of day I want—a day to set people free.(gospel) I want a day that you take the burdens off others.(gospel) I want a day when you set troubled people free and you take the burdens from their shoulders.(yoked with the gospel) I want you to share your food (manna) with the hungry. I want you to find the poor (in spirit) who don’t have homes and bring them into your own homes. (family of God ) When you see people who have no clothes, give them your clothes! ( the righteousness of the gospel ) Don’t hide from your relatives ( those with different views) when they need help.”
If you do these things, your light will begin to shine like the light of dawn. Then your wounds will heal. Your “Goodness” will walk in front of you, and the Glory of the Lord will come following "behind" you. Then you will call to the Lord, and he will answer you. You will cry out to him, and he will say, “Here I am.”
Christ our rear guard no armor for the rear.
It’s a way of denying flesh, being full of Holy Spirit. I experienced power in fasting when needed against the demonic.
This is certainly sound spiritual counsel that merits consideration.hello pomeranian .From my personal experience fasting gives you more mental clarity and you feel closer to God and can hear more from him while fasting.I have done many fasts and continue to do ,drinking only water ,no food at all.I highly suggest you try one if you haven't done it before.Start with only a day and then you can extend it .God bless
hello pomeranian .From my personal experience fasting gives you more mental clarity and you feel closer to God and can hear more from him while fasting.I have done many fasts and continue to do ,drinking only water ,no food at all.I highly suggest you try one if you haven't done it before.Start with only a day and then you can extend it .God bless
Thank-you danja your response is welcome and appreciated; I have been moved by the Spirit to fast for the last while and indeed it has been quite an experience.
Quite some time ago the Holy Spirit moved me to follow the dietary laws in scripture even though I have never been Jewish. Please I hold no one else to this practice as the Spirit moves us each to do what is called of them. However after I did what the Spirit asked I was shown reasons why scripturally. Firstly I want to follow Jesus as the perfect example and he followed the dietary laws and Secondly GOD was trying to cleanse the Israelites before Jesus sacrifice which I could only imagine was a daunting task (humor) so if GOD thought it was cleaner to eat certain things and I want GOD's Spirit to reside within me; then giving up a few foods wasn't too much to sacrifice. Then I discovered that pork is the most consumed meat world wide which kind of surprised me because 2 billion Muslims, 1 billion Hindus and 50 million Jews (my numbers are inaccurate) but almost half the worlds population doesn't eat pork yet it is still the highest consumed meat world wide. I had no idea what I was giving up! Without pork I lost 97% of all breakfast meat, pizza is terrible without pork bacon is in almost everything. Then I researched the factory farming that has taken place and that opened a whole can of worms so to speak. Without providing all the details let me say I discovered that they are feeding dried blood to farm animals as a protein source. Cows and other rumen animals do not do well with this diet it may have even been the cause and was definitely the transmission of mad cow disease however pigs love it baby piglets are weened on this blood product it was really interesting.
Anyway now that I feel moved to fast I was looking for others experiences who have been moved to this practice. Scripture says Moses fasted 40 days and Jesus fasted 40 days but no one recommends anyone try this, How long have you fasted for and has the Holy Spirit shown you anything during these fasts? LOVE is the answer
Unbelievably beautiful reply thank-you, the Spirit has moved me to fast in the last while and I was hoping for others experiences during a fast but this was beautiful insight as well. Do you have any experiences to share I would love to hear them. LOVE
Scripture tells us to keep our eyes focused on God. When fasting and our belly growls, it helps draw our attention to the Lord.
Hahaha, I think this is bogus or demonic one or the two, he got gift from a goddess hehe...
I use to have a friend that do fasting a Lot, one day he told me that one of the church member was demon poses, the church member pray for her. I told him, If this happen again, I want to see how people pray for demon poses, he show me a verse in the bible about fasting. So I am fasting, in the evening I come to his house in case that people do pray for that lady again.
While we talk, people from the church come, demon attact that lady again. They tell us, the nurse do not believe It is demon, so he touch her to see the body temperatur. The nurse think If the body temperatur high people act like crasy, but the Nurse collapse as soon as the hand touching her.
When I am there the Nurse sober, I sak him what the story.
He say as soon as he touch her, he fell like strong electricity and he do not see anything, passed out
Than I believe It is demonic.
When we start to pray, her husband try to strangle her neck. Church people pull him away. My friend say, may be demon also poses him. But after everything normal I ask him, why do you try to strangle your wife.
He say, because he believe the demon is in her neck.
We continue pray.
She say: I am Jesus from Nazaret, I am not afraid you can pray what ever you want.
,
The church people keep pray, and sing, after some time, I hear something like the
A bad where she lay vibrate.
Than my friend say, in the name of Jesus I command the demon go
I SAW the lady head vibrate then her chest Down to her to the toes
That lady look start normal, she say, she is thirsty and want to drink.
After that pray, I never hear the demon back to posses her.
I think this is one of the reason Christian pray and fast
Matt 17:21
21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
King James Version (KJV)
While we talk, people from the church come, demon attact that lady again. They tell us, the nurse do not believe It is demon, so he touch her to see the body temperatur. The nurse think If the body temperatur high people act like crasy, but the Nurse collapse as soon as the hand touching her.
When I am there the Nurse sober, I sak him what the story.
He say as soon as he touch her, he fell like strong electricity and he do not see anything, passed out
Than I believe It is demonic.
When we start to pray, her husband try to strangle her neck. Church people pull him away. My friend say, may be demon also poses him. But after everything normal I ask him, why do you try to strangle your wife.
He say, because he believe the demon is in her neck.
We continue pray.
She say: I am Jesus from Nazaret, I am not afraid you can pray what ever you want.
,
The church people keep pray, and sing, after some time, I hear something like the
A bad where she lay vibrate.
Than my friend say, in the name of Jesus I command the demon go
I SAW the lady head vibrate then her chest Down to her to the toes
That lady look start normal, she say, she is thirsty and want to drink.
After that pray, I never hear the demon back to posses her.
I think this is one of the reason Christian pray and fast
Matt 17:21
21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
King James Version (KJV)
M
Miri
Guest
It’s a way of showing, “man shall not live by bread alone”.
If you are going to fast, don’t do what some people do by not eating and continuing
to go about your daily life - that’s called dieting!
It’s better to set aside a day when you are at home and can focus on God.
Plan your day and it will fly by.
Spend part of it in prayer and worship, part bible study, part reading Christian books,
factor in a short nap here or there - God gives dreams too!
Maybe factor in a half hour walk and chat to God on your walk.
During prayer times, break them down into sessions, pray for your family, friends etc.
Prayer for yourself, allow time for God to speak to you. Maybe even watch something on
God TV etc.
If you are going to fast, don’t do what some people do by not eating and continuing
to go about your daily life - that’s called dieting!
It’s better to set aside a day when you are at home and can focus on God.
Plan your day and it will fly by.
Spend part of it in prayer and worship, part bible study, part reading Christian books,
factor in a short nap here or there - God gives dreams too!
Maybe factor in a half hour walk and chat to God on your walk.
During prayer times, break them down into sessions, pray for your family, friends etc.
Prayer for yourself, allow time for God to speak to you. Maybe even watch something on
God TV etc.
Be mindful of why you are fasting and keep that at the forefront of your mind.
At the same time be open to being moved by the Lord's spirit.
It's a serious thing, something to be treated with respect but also to spend time with the Lord in a pretty unique way that practically we can't do all the time. DEFINITELY get in the word before you end a fast. That's the best thing in my experience.
If things get too intense or you start to get confused remember to DRINK WATER!
Treat things like driving or working with extra caution and make sure to pray for alertness and be a passenger if you can.
The Isaiah verse is definitely something to bear in mind, as well as the verse in Matthew.
At the same time be open to being moved by the Lord's spirit.
It's a serious thing, something to be treated with respect but also to spend time with the Lord in a pretty unique way that practically we can't do all the time. DEFINITELY get in the word before you end a fast. That's the best thing in my experience.
If things get too intense or you start to get confused remember to DRINK WATER!
Treat things like driving or working with extra caution and make sure to pray for alertness and be a passenger if you can.
The Isaiah verse is definitely something to bear in mind, as well as the verse in Matthew.
1) The Scriptures say to "fast and pray," not "work and pray." Matt 17v21
2) Fasting is a great way to discipline the flesh and get the victory over unwanted areas in your character and life. Psalm 69v10
3) To get the victory over the powers of darkness in the heavenlies. Matt 17v21, Eph 6v10-20
4) A 21 day semi-fast like Daniel is also very beneficial. Dan 10v1-3.
Take great care if you have any underlying medical conditions!
Fasting can also be excluding "things" from your daily life and not just cessation of eating.
This sounds like a very scary experience, I have never encountered a person with this kind of demonic possession. The demon possession that I have seen would be that of a person who the evil one has tempted to the point he has convinced this soul that money, alcohol, drugs, or sexually pleasure (worldly pleasures) are more neccessary to them than GOD. I certainly hope my fasting doesn't show me anything like this.
Oh these answers are a little frightening. Do you think Moses had to fast to allow the Holy Spirit to be strong enough in him to protect him from demons or was it to do with being in close to GOD? Because Jesus fasted just before being tempted by Satan, so do you think Jesus fast gave the Holy Spirit A stronger hold with Christ to protect him from Satan or did his fasting make Jesus flesh weak so that it would be said he avoided temptation at his weakest moment?
I would say that kind of a story had nothing to do with the fast the Bible talks about.
That's more like Hollywood stuff. Drama
The fast is to bring out the gospel as the power of God it can drive lying spirits loosing the bands of wickedness, lighten the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, breaking every yoke of the lying spirits of unbelief, called demons ?
A person would have to look to the foundation of its usage.( fasting) beginning with the cerinimoinal law to represent the rest (Sabbath) we have in Christ when we do not harden our hearts using "manna" the bread of unfamiliarity that introduces us to God.
It is not a dietary law. But a humbling of our soul . It has nothing to do with food that we do not eat. But the food he feeds us .The food the disciples knew not of.
Deuteronomy 8:3 And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live.
You could say fasting a famine for hearing the word, our gospel bread.
I think the test was to see which kind of bread is needed to feed our new souls. The hidden manna.... Ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to the believers.
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it. Revelation 2:17