How and when do you fast?

Personally, fasting is a very meaningful event for me. When I am especially burdened about something, thats usually when I do it. Sometimes, I do when I am really seeking the Lord about something. I dont always get "the answer" but I always come away with a closer relationship with the Lord.

 

Sometimes I feel like I’m doing something similar to fasting although I’m not, but may even be finding it hard to eat as a certain passage and/or related passages keep running through my head while comparing to life situations and I can’t think of anything else. I have never actually fasted but have considered it on several occasions; I probably should.

 

I fast during revival's. I usually do about 10 per year and I try to have one at the Church about every other month. Anytime I am in revival I fast until after the service only taking in water and my normal meds. I figure it's similar to the fast from 6 to 6.

When I am doing the revival, I try and stay in the room, on my knees most of the day but there are times when the pastor will take out or by members to eat etc... I'll always accept members invitations but will tell them know I am fasting which they usually understand (even though they just cooked up a mess of food) and will send me back to the room with a plate for later.

I fast during revivals as a way of sacrificing myself as the vessel delivering the word trying to remain humble and obedient to the message giver lest my flesh get in the way. I really want my vessel emptied so that I may be filled with the holy spirit. I pray each night that spirit does well enough that they will not only return the next night, but invite someone to come with them. Then my prayer is for the salvation of any unsaved and for the reviving and edification of the saved.

 

We fast for ourselves, in our sorrow, as for one being taken from us, as we pray His will be done. I see no power in fasting today for the glory of God. We have the Word with us today. I don't believe we have any direction from the Holy Spirit for we today to fast. Some believe by fasting (other than Christians) they have the power to make change, and makes them more Holy.

One that took advantage of fasting was the renowned Mahatma Gandhi of India. It seems all religions of the world hold this act in high regard. The world did take notice of this man, even many in our churches while this man was at the height of his popularity of "holiness". He did not know Christ, but even those in churches did not care about that. He was so "pious", so dedicated to his cause/s that surely this was a man of God. How easily we are fooled.

I believe fasting goes with that of fervent prayer. It is to be done in our closet, and Gandhi had his 15 minutes of glory as he did it on the street corner for all to see.

 

I think you just did, for those that have been there, we understand...

 

Jesus thought it very appropriate, but I see you wish to ignore my post, other than a backhand reference. I don't mind rejecting me, but we are not to ignore HIM.

This is given in love, and I hope you will take it as such, but it may not seem so for Jesus was very pointed, blunt and unashamed of what He said, and how He said it. "And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward", Matthew 6:5.

Matthew 6:16-18, "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."

Muslims fast, Buddhist fast, Hindus fast. Do they pray to "our Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ having the Holy Spirit make intersession for them?

I had hoped my first post would be of help to you. I hope you believe Him.

 

Before the hypoglycemia and then the diabetes kicked in, I used to fast at least once a year for at least 24 hours. I remember those days with fondness. I would leave my husband with the kids and go up to the family cabin in the mountains and be entirely by myself for two days. The first day was always fasting and the second devoted primarily to sleep and reading the Bible. It was a time of total rest and restoration.

Now, I can't, of course. But I'm a little 'jealous' of those who can and do. It is a special time when your concentration switches from life on an everyday basis to time alone with God. It is a time when the money you would have spent on your own stomach can go to feed someone else's.

 

Neither of these verses say not to admit to fasting or paying. As C4K said, Jesus said don't make a scene out of it. Remember, it's not about you, it's about your heavenly father. When you put on a show it makes either act about you, "oh look at Decaon so and so pray, that guy has to be holy" or "look at how often sis so and so fast, and she fast so hard he face disfigures. Have you see a more worthy saint that she". IT AINT ABOUT US...

Helen, those are good words for an Christian who has never fasted, "It is a special time when your concentration switches from life on an everyday basis to time alone with God. It is a time when the money you would have spent on your own stomach can go to feed someone else's."

 

This post was erased for some unknown reason. This was posted September 17th

I didn't indicate any here did that.


You missed the point of my post. I was making reference to my remarks of Gandhi, viz. "I believe fasting goes with that of fervent prayer. It is to be done in our closet, and Gandhi had his 15 minutes of glory as he did it on the street corner for all to see".

My following post was to give you His Word directly, of which you may accept or reject.
Gandhi in prayer and fast wanted the world to see. I was showing scripture to show His Word points toward Prayer and Fasting go together and they are to be done secretly with God.

 

Thanks for the reply LeBuick. If you will note, that is exactly what I pointed out with Gandhi.

Thanks for the heads-up, but perhaps you were reading someone else's post.

I really can't understand your taking exception with what I said. Did I not say it is about my and your heavenly Father. Are we not to go to Him in private prayer and fasting. Do you find I said conversely?

It is someone else that says they believe other than making it "private" and personal

But you have just made it about Me, which I avoided doing.

 

No need to apologize, as we could all put this into almost every post we make. Human nature makes it necessary that misunderstanding's, and disagreement's come with the territory.

Your first post reads as follows: "The Lord has recently dealt with me on the issue of fasting. I am interested in your views on the poll and your thoughts in general from a personal perspective".

I voted, and then tried to follow instructions, so I gave you my thoughts, and they are from a personal perspective. I saw Scarlett made a good point, and I gave example of same. Many here, perhaps you in particular are not old enough to remember Gandhi, or have not paid close attention in your studies of this man, which is understandable. The point of pointing to Gandhi was the unsaved put great faith into "fasting", and I see a danger of we in the Body Church of putting too much emphasis on practices of the "Kingdom Church" that are not shown in scripture held over into the "Body Church".

You now ask, "Then why is there disagreement here." When I posted there was no "disagreement", until "disagreement" was made with what I posted. Otherwise I would most likely not have made another post. But I know when we post, agreement, "dismissal with a comment", no comment, or forthright disagreement, can be expected.

So in love (which I do not always include in writing) I will answer that posed to me straightforward, or in a back handed manner, which I did.

May times scripture not meant to point out error of what some one has posted, but for proving what was said (about Gandhi) was "scriptural" as to knowledge and not as to judging, makes one that made a post uneasy, perhaps what they had posted.

I'm not sure why you protest. Do you? It was not I that was in disagreement in the beginning. I only gave you my thoughts, from my personal perspective.

 

I use Gandhi as he was a religious person using his religion for political purposes. He had a religion and religious people are religious. Religious people have religious rites. Witness Israel, the covenant people of God. They had a religion, and that religion had religious rites, and their religion demanded they do certain rites. We cannot deny this. But they had no command to fast, but they did, and we should notice the disciples of Jesus did not fast while He, the Bridegroom, was with them. Today we are in the Bridegroom and do not fast as will Israel. We fast as individual's, not as those that await the Bridegroom.

They Israel were to fast after He was gone for the "kingdom was at hand", and the tribulation had to come. They would be fasting as they prayed the Lord's Prayer for deliverance. We are not Israel, and we look for the "rapture" and not the "tribulation", and the "kingdom" that will follow.

But Israel had no command to "fast", and we certainly don't have any command to do so. That's not to say we should or shouldn't, but it certainly should not be a churches place to "push the thought". I believe the Bible gives good indication of what fasting is all about, and I gave reference in my first post to this, viz. "We fast for ourselves, in our sorrow". The first we see of this is in Judges 20:26. God's people went to God's house offering burnt offerings; peace offerings and fasted, as they in their sorrow and mental confusion were not even aware they were hungry. Fasting goes with a grieving or suffering heart. We see this as Jesus is tempted.

I have fasted before as my first wife was dying. This was not some legalistic ritual, some sort of effort for merit on my part. I fasted because of sorrow and grief, and prayer was in a sense my "eating".

My point is "fasting" is something we may do during our lifetime, but if we believe it is to be made a part of our lives because we think we are required to do it we are into legalistic works, and we have our reward. First thing you know we could be into 40 days of this and 40 days of that, right back in bondage of Law.

We notice Paul gives no instructions on this matter to either Timothy or Titus. I believe you had it right in your penultimate paragraph, "a personal matter".