Christian fasting

[Worship Warriors]

Christian fasting

All the other religions fast . What is the difference ?

Christian fasting is quite different from religious fasting. Christian fasting is to be done out of your hunger for God. It is the cry of the soul: this much God I want you. Fasting is not so much as abstaining from food as it is being focus on God and going deeper in surrendering to Him. Fasting position your heart to receive more of God so that you can live a life fully pleasing to Him. Fasting is a part of being a disciple: there is a dimension in the grace of God that you cannot attain but by prayer and fasting.

 

Sanctify a fast call for a solemn assembly. If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray , seek my face and turn from their wicked ways ....

 

 

 

https://worshipwarriorsministry.com.au/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Tigger56]

Can't say that I agree with this. Fasting is a powerful tool to be used with prayer. Jesus even gave direction to his disciples in how they were to fast. I do agree we need to hunger and thirst for the Lord, but that isn't fasting, that is seeking and desiring. Fasting is deliberately doing without, I would never deliberately do without the Lord, I can never can enough of them. 

[Neighbor]

5 hours ago, Worship Warriors said:

All the other religions fast . What is the difference ?

Jesus the Christ alone. That is the difference, and the only difference.

[Sower]

4 hours ago, Worship Warriors said:

Fasting is not so much as abstaining from food as it is being focus on God and going deeper in surrendering to Him.

I suppose that would be a good God honoring spiritual reason to fast, but I honestly do not believe
I have ever considered that as the reason I have ever fasted.
I have fasted mostly I believe just to see if I could. And when I actually made it past a day, then two and then three occasionally,
I thought it wasn't so hard. Because I made it beyond the habit hunger.
A good friend made it to the 'forty day' mark. I never got to four.
I did it to see just who is in control of the me. The Spirit, or flesh.
I was trying to deny the flesh, against a very powerful bodily instinct, hunger.
I discovered that most of the ferocious pangs of hunger were habit, the taste, the feeling of being full.
These habitual habits of delighting the taste buds releases my "feel good' hormones.
I'm addicted to them. Hunger is one of the top three God instilled powerful bodily drives. (survival)
Denying them proves I'm able to make my flesh subject to my will. (in a very tiny way)
I do not know if this honors God in some way, but it encourages me a small victory over the flesh.
I am not that enthused too much to repeat it very often. Regrettably.
I personally would better impress the Lord with faithful obedience to His word....
that would be my;

  "focus on God and going deeper in surrendering to Him"

[BeauJangles]

5 hours ago, Worship Warriors said:

Sanctify a fast call for a solemn assembly. If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray , seek my face and turn from their wicked ways ....

 

Ah! From 2 Chronicles 7:14, which does not mention fasting in this particular passage. Occasions of fasting for me have been in making petitions before the Lord, and humbly seeking Him for an answer. He has always been so faithful in honoring these times. 

[johnthebaptist]

6 hours ago, Worship Warriors said:

Christian fasting

All the other religions fast . What is the difference ?

Christian fasting is quite different from religious fasting. Christian fasting is to be done out of your hunger for God. It is the cry of the soul: this much God I want you. Fasting is not so much as abstaining from food as it is being focus on God and going deeper in surrendering to Him. Fasting position your heart to receive more of God so that you can live a life fully pleasing to Him. Fasting is a part of being a disciple: there is a dimension in the grace of God that you cannot attain but by prayer and fasting.

 

Sanctify a fast call for a solemn assembly. If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray , seek my face and turn from their wicked ways ....

 

 

 

https://worshipwarriorsministry.com.au/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And then there are those who can't fast because of low blood sugar. What the Lord really wants, I believe, is to live our lives as he instructed us.

[missmuffet]

Christian fasting and prayer takes your mind off of this world and totally on Jesus Christ. It is not a way to get God to do what you want. It is to be done with humility and in private. Not announcing it to other Christians. The Bible does not command a Christian to fast. It is a choice. 

[seeking the lost]

7 hours ago, missmuffet said:

Christian fasting and prayer takes your mind off of this world and totally on Jesus Christ. It is not a way to get God to do what you want. It is to be done with humility and in private. Not announcing it to other Christians. The Bible does not command a Christian to fast. It is a choice. 

It is true that the Bible does not command us to fast but from the passage in Matthew the words of Jesus assume that we will fast.  

Matthew 5: 

16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;

18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

When you fast is very assumptive.  He models fasting and teaches the same.  The benefits are stated as, " the Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."

Isaiah 58 is a very good passage for fasting.

[logos_rising]

I've been doing intermittent fasting lately, admittedly for the health benefits and increased energy levels.  These improvements have helped me spiritually, but I would like to go further and try a fast for spiritual benefits.  What would one recommend?  I'd like to at least have water, but would having tea and/or coffee be a cop out?  I would be grateful to have some input/guidance, as I am new to Christianity and I was thinking about fasting for Spirit lately, so seeing this thread was a nice surprise.

Edited August 5, 2019 by logos_rising

[Sower]

2 hours ago, logos_rising said:

I've been doing intermittent fasting lately, admittedly for the health benefits and increased energy levels.  These improvements have helped me spiritually, but I would like to go further and try a fast for spiritual benefits.  What would one recommend?  I'd like to at least have water, but would having tea and/or coffee be a cop out?  I would be grateful to have some input/guidance, as I am new to Christianity and I was thinking about fasting for Spirit lately, so seeing this thread was a nice surprise.

Hi Logos. Fasting isn't much talked about, at least in my personal experience. As I posted above, I did my first fastings  to see if I could simply do it, to deny my flesh/hunger, to learn what it was like. By the second day going through the kitchen where my wife was cooking, I saw a few tiny salt kernels on the stove, and licked the tip of my finger and snagged a few. I had no idea how fantastic a few pieces of salt would taste. Lesson learned, my awareness increased, my eyesight seemed to change with sensations of spots but not actually, and other heightened feelings, not explainable. I can say my thinking, emotions seemed different, no sluggishness after meal feelings, no rumbling stomach,  a feeling of leanness, cleanness.

What helped me at first, I did a first day 'break in' only having a thin soup in evening, and next day, a thin broth,
and after that, the habit hunger left, the goal to finally go without eating anything reached.
Then I do remember that the appearance of every thing seemed different, but it really wasn't. Not crazy, just a feeling.
My friend went forty days, water only, supplemented with some kind of vitamins etc. If you have any medical condition, ck online or a doctor.
My bodily functions really did clean house, and eventually included burning some what ):

As far as why to fast, others here seem to have good answers. As said above, fasting to seek answers from God, to be used with serious prayers, decisions, etc.
I believe to me it is like a spiritual boot camp, to exercise the mind/will over the power
over the flesh, and deny yourself. It does take will power. (As most dieters understand)
I do not remember  asking God to help me fast, the idea being to strengthen my own personal will power, to stand fast. To know how weak I really am. 
I gained much weight when I quit smoking years back. Lost it all since, now trying for slim: )
Having tea or coffee, or liquid drinks, or whatever, is your own choice. Really tough to cold turkey coffee  for me, as I will get head aches. As I said, usually do the
first day with one small bowl tomato soup, to get started. Go for eliminating solid foods, to start, then water only. Try to fast off TV.  Internet. Any habit......
The idea, TO ME, is to try to take better control of being in charge of what you do, physically, nutritionally, spiritually, etc.
Jesus didn't say if we fast, but when we fast. Like a given. (Again, MY understanding)
And, I do not think it wrong to talk about what would help one another, concerning God's word.
Talking about fasting sure ain't bragging, and praying isn't either. Just like you wanting to know. We're in this together, learning from each other, different parts.
I did not have an organized bible study in play during my fast. But I seemed to have a more clear line of communication, and peace.
Jesus fasted for forty days, when approaching/during serious testing. Fasting denies the flesh, and we can concentrate more on strengthening  our spirit.
Been quiet a while since I've last fasted. Replying to you Logos, is giving me conviction..
Maybe sometime after I finish off the last of my wife's home made ice cream..........

And praise God drawing you Logos, into the family of God, and may He bless your efforts to learn wisdom, as a new Christian.