Matthew 6:16-18 , II Cor . 10:3-4
Fasting does not change God! Fasting changes us! In the
spiritual sense the emphasis is on depriving ourselves of the carnal desires
allowing us to be more sensitive to God. Food is the biggest carnal desire of
man. From the day we were born, the desire to eat dominates us.
Fasting allows us to gain control over our appetite. When we develop
the discipline of fasting, automatically we develop the discipline to not over eat.
When we can control our carnal appetite more powerfully we can then gain
control of the other carnal appetites.
The word 'fasting' comes from the Hebrew word "tsuwm" which
means "to cover the mouth," and the Greek word "nesteuo"
which means "to abstain from food." In the Old Testament, it was a
form of personal humiliation, as indicated in the original Hebrew "Sum-inna
nefes" which means "to
bow the soul" (Isaiah 58:3-5 ,
Psalm 35:13 ). Though we have the examples of Moses and Elijah fasted without
water in the Old Testament, we have no examples of long periods of fasting
without water in the New Testament, and the root word itself does not
communicate this.
Many times the Bible tells us that they abstained from food and
drink, when fasted (Deuteronomy 9:9-18 , Exodus 34:28 , I Kgs 19:8). Although
we know that it is impossible for the human body to live for a prolonged time
without water, it can live up to three weeks or even more without food, but
without water it is advised by doctors that there is a danger that the body
will begin to suffer damage physically after about three days without water.
The only way that the human body can live without water for a long time is by
divine intervention, as was the case with Moses (Deut. 9:9-18 ; Exo . 34:28)
and Elijah (I Kings 19:8).
Fasting can open spiritual doors. Fasting can help us to achieve
dominion over "self". Fasting can also harm us if we don't know what
we are doing. Few people know how to fast properly. It's not as simple as it
seems. Any endeavor requires that we know about it to achieve the maximum
benefit. Would you buy a gun without getting some instructions on how to use
it? There are many incorrect ways of trying to do something good. In many
churches the members fast, but very few churches teach anything about how to
fast properly, other than just abstaining from eating! There is more to fasting
than this!
THE PURPOSE OF FASTING
A. It increases our "Faith".
B. It helps our prayers to be answered.
C. It crucifies the "flesh".
D. It gives us dynamic power.
The prime reason for fasting is for spiritual benefits. Through
prayer coupled with fasting, we can see answers to prayers that we have been
praying for a long time and you never dreamed was possible. Prayer and fasting
are the surest route to the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
The main reason why
we should fast is to obtain faith so that we can believe to receive. Jesus
said: "Whatever you ask in prayer believe that you receive them and ye
shall have "Fasting is necessary before we can get to the point of
believing that we will receive something we have not seen. He said: "
Anyone can have if you can believe whatever you get." All things are
yours. The only condition is that you think you will receive.
Therefore, the main purpose of fasting is to build Faith. Faith
in Who? Faith in what ? Faith in the words and promises of Jesus. The Lord gave
us many promises. All Christians believe in His promises with their minds, but
many cannot believe them with their hearts until they have fasted .
With a stomach full of food it is almost impossible to obey the
words of Jesus "Believe that ye receive them." However, when you stop
feeding the natural man, you start to feed the spiritual man. Leave the natural
and ascend to a higher level of the spiritual kingdom. The closer you get to
Jesus, the more you can believe and receive. You can ask and receive any thing
according to your faith. By fasting you will receive Fe faster than otherwise.
It's a good way to shorten the time to receive what you desire.
Fasting should always have a purpose and a spiritual sense.
Although we know that people fast for different needs some spiritual, physical,
material and moral but we should always be kept in mind that it is with a
spiritual purpose and that the name of God may be glorified in the answer. We
know that through fasting God can bless in many ways and still it is a physical
benefit for our bodies, always keeping the heart and mind in a spiritual sense
.
When you cannot receive answers to certain needs it is good to
fast so God can answer or show you why He does not answer, because there are
times that there are reasons why God does not want to answer our requests and
only in a state of consecration can we know the will of God. It would be
beneficial to fast to overcome anything that cannot be obtained through sincere
prayer and observing His commandments.
THE BENEFITS OF FASTING
A. Fasting teaches self-discipline.
Jesus told us that we should deny our selves, meaning that we must say
"no" to the demands of our flesh. We say "no" to the
illegitimate demands as well as some that are legitimate. Fasting allows us to
have the self-discipline so that we can say 'No' and do it. And this allows us
to say "yes" to God in terms of prayer, confession, and doing what is
right .
B. Fasting helps us understand how
much we depend on God. We realize that we live, move, and our existence is in
Him
C. When we fast, there is more time to seek God.
D. Fasting allows us to endure suffering and we sympathize with
others.
E. Fasting helps us to be more
spiritually and mentally alert. When we fast, our mind and perception becomes
more acute because we focus less on temporal things and more on the eternal
reality. We do not rush in our prayer. We really think things thoroughly. Our souls become more
alert.
F. By fasting we tell God that we are
serious in our consecration.
G. Fasting allows us to make a true
introspection. When we fast and pray, God shows us our own corruption and when
this happens, it allows us to admit and abandon our sins.
H. The Bible describes three forms of
fasting:
1) The Normal Fast, this involves a total
abstinence from food. Luke 4:2 reveals that Jesus "ate nothing." Afterwards "He hungered." Jesus
abstained from food, but not water .
2) Absolute Fast (Acts 9:9), where
for three days he "ate nothing and drank nothing."
3) Partial Fast (Daniel 10:3) the
emphasis is on restricting diet rather than complete abstinence.
GUIDELINES FOR FASTING
There are about 75 texts in the Bible related to fasting.
Fasting was established by God. The Lord presented fasting as something already
established, and sometimes hinted that he expected his disciples to practice it
(Mt 6:16-18 , 9:14-15 , Lk . 18:10-14).
A. If you have any kind of physical
problems, you should consult with your doctor before you start fast. If you
have diabetes , hypertension, or some other physical condition which may be affected
by fasting , you should not start fasting without medical advice .
B. You should have a list of
objectives. You should pray for something, and it is good to start with our own
needs. Tell God that you are unaware of your own sins and needs and ask Him to
reveal them to you. You should pray for the needs of your family and the needs
of the church. You should also pray for the needs of our nation and the world.
C. When you decide to fast, be sure
to stick to it. If you are not used to fasting you may experience headaches or
other discomforts that might make you want to stop fasting. But we should persist
when we are seeking God .
D. Eat lightly before and after the
fast. We have to prepare our bodies for fasting and gradually brake the fast.
E. Drink water during your fast.
F. Repent, confess, pray, and
intercede for others during your fast.
G. Avoid theatrics when you fast. Act normal and do not call attention to your fast.
H. If you are on a prolong fast do not
yield to the temptation of wanting to eat a lot before you begin the fast. The
first few days there will be a tendency to think of your favorite dishes,
dispose of these thoughts .
I. If you are going on a prolonged
fast begin a few days before eating light meal.
J. If you are used to coffee stop
drinking it a few days before, because you may suffer from headaches.
K. Have an optimistic spirit, don't
think negatively: "Maybe I'll get sick," "I'm very weak "
"I can't finish."
L. It is important that you get
plenty of rest during a prolong fast, because sometimes you will feel much physical
fatigue, fainting and dizziness. Resist the temptation of sleeping a lot.
M. Keep busy in spiritual exercise, prayer, Bible reading,
worship, study, etc.
THE ONE DAY FAST
Fasting is part of our spiritual life. If you have never fasted
before, you should start slowly, with perhaps a few hours until you are ready
to fast for a whole day. Then continue to increase until you are able to fast
for longer periods.
A. In a one day fast it is good start
at six in the morning, the Bible does not give a fixed time when we should
start fasting. It is not advisable to eat after midnight, since it does not show a sincerity
eating at that hour to avoid hunger during the day of fasting.
B. Begin your day of fasting with
prayer, being that this is one of the main factors of fasting. since you do have
to worry about eating, send a good time in prayer and reading the Bible.
C. During the day of fasting in your daily
activities keep your thoughts on spiritual things, avoid any kind of joking,
idle talk, etc.
D. Any chance you get during the
fasting day pray and study the Bible and other devotional books .
E. You will notice that in the
evening, you will began to feel the first symptoms of fatigue. Prayer will be difficult,
take heart. Finish your fast. God will give you the strength to do it. Do not
make the mistake of judging the effectiveness of your prayers for what you feel
during this period of fasting.
F. We suggest that you conclude your fasting
before the appointed time to allow time for prayer and to eat dinner slowly.
G. The meal you eat should be light
when possible and the quantity small. When it is not possible for you to
determine the kind of food, then the amount you eat should be little .
H. You can fast while working at some
daily job. Since the Bible says nothing against it. Because sometimes there are
emergency needs and fasting is required.
VARIATIONS IN THE ONE DAY FAST
A. As the body gets use to fasting
and according to the spiritual needs we should fast.
B. Next you can fast from the six
p.m. one day to six p.m. of the next day.
C. Next you can fast two consecutive
days.
D. After you have matured more in the
Lord and you are use to fasting in the other forms that have been mentioned, then
you can dedicate three consecutive days fasting.
E. Although there may be no specific
need to fast for, you should fast on behalf of your spiritual condition.
MATTHEW 6:17-18
When the body lacks water that makes your skin dry. This is the
reason why you should put some kind of lubricating oil on your body. A lotion
helps minimize your skin from drying during fasting. Keep your skin lubricated
with some kind of lotion.
What does this have to do with what Jesus said, "anoint
your head"? Although Jesus was referring to anoint the head with oil for
spiritual and ritual reasons, you need to anoint your skin with lubricating oil
.
The word 'face' as used in the Bible is the Hebrew word 'prosopon',
defined as the appearance, the entire body. Jesus was saying, 'Wash yourself,
your external appearance that which is seen by men.'
This is a major area of danger! You should drink lots of
water during a long fast! The damage can result from excessive concentration of
poisons in their skin. You must keep your body flowing with water. Water can
make the difference between life and death, health or illness, tragedy or
triumph .
You need to put plenty of water in your body during a fast! We
have at least 5 to 35 pounds of waste in our body and this is rotting inside us.
This is why we must take enemas on a long fast .
HOW TO BREAK THE FAST
Be it short or a long fast, use caution when breaking your fast, this is one of the most important
stages of fasting. This is where many do not take care and there is danger of not
receiving all the spiritual benefits that God wants you to receive. Some have
found that breaking the fast is harder than fasting itself, because your
digestive system wakes up and begins to experience much hunger. The Gospels
tell us that after the Lord's forty days of fasting He was hungry (Matthew 4:2
) that's when the greatest tests from Satan came.
If the fast is not broken correctly you can get sick or suffer
unnecessarily physically. In prolonged fast of five days or more, the digestive
system is partially or completely shut down. If you have cleansed well, your stomach
and intestines are clean. The digestive system is not only cleansed of toxins,
but also the intestinal flora is cleansed (Certain good bacteria that live in
your digestive system). A prolonged fast cleanses all. You should allow time
for the digestive system to prepare to receive new food.
During a fast the stomach shrinks and is resting and this is one
of the reasons why one must be very careful when breaking your fast. You need
to eat wisely and in small quantities. This is difficult to do because you want
to eat a large amount.
If you eat solid
food after a long fast, you will probably experiencing constipation. Remember
that your digestive system will not move solid food until it starts functioning
again. This happens because your digestive system has been busy cleaning, not
digesting. This is normal and should not be a cause for alarm.
There is a strange spiritual dynamic that seems to happen close
to the time when you are about to break your fast. It will feel very near to
God that you will not want to end your fast.
There is sometimes a little scary because you think you are going to lose what
you have spiritually achieved, or lose the ability to discern the voice of God
.
When breaking you fast wisdom and discipline are required. When
you resume taking food again after fasting remember the three golden rules of
breaking a fast:
A. Much care must be taken as to the amount you eat.
B. Take care in what you eat.
C. Take care in how
you eat.
CONCLUCION:
In the Old Testament, those who fasted, put on sackcloth
and laid on ashes, external acts are not enough to impress God. God is not
interested in our long and sad faces. He wants us to humble our hearts before
Him and through fasting become like Him.
Fasting
that is effective not only changes the circumstances, it changes us! We will
have more results, because we well have more pure motives.
Let's not fast to force God to do something that He does
not want to do. Let us fast to prepare our hearts for what He wants to do
through us and for us.
I encourage you to read Isaiah 58 and II Chronicles 20.
These chapters illustrate true biblical fasting and we do well to study and
meditate on them .
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