I have to admit: I have never ever fasted. Not once, not even for a short duration of time.
However, I have been giving it some thought. Not fasting itself per se, but the act of fasting.
Just the other day in the study, my wife popped her head past her monitor, looked at me and asked, “Dear, why do Christians fast?” (We have 2 PCs in the house, both set up opposite the other back-to-back)
Honestly, I was stumped and couldn’t give her an answer simply because I have never done it, nor really explored this aspect of faith and prayer. In the end, I had to ashamedly fire up Google for a few good articles on why Christians fast.
The Bible seems to indicate that fasting is not only good, but quite necessary for faith.
In Matthew 17, we find that the Apostles were unable to cast out a demon while Jesus was away. When they asked our Lord Jesus Christ why they couldn’t, Jesus replied:
He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.â€
Matthew 17:20-21
Though it seemed that our Lord was referring to the fact that it wasn’t possible to cast out that demon if they did not fast along with prayer, I thought that there might be more to it, i.e. fasting and prayer are also necessary for removing the mountain.
I wonder if I am reading it right, and if I were, does it therefore point to the fact that it is necessary to fast for a time?
Seeing as I am but a toddler on this subject, I’d like to ask you what your point of view is on fasting? Have you ever fasted, and why did you fast?
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I’ve fasted before, but I didn’t notice anything different. I mean, it did not bring me closer to God or give me any enlightenment. I think we could all fast every once in a while and calculate what we saved on meals and give that sum to charity.
My husband fasts a lot and seems to get a lot of clarity, strength and deeper insights each time he does. I have fasted a few times as well. For me, fasting is a time of dedicating myself by denying my physical needs for a period while my entire focus is on Him. Sometimes I’ll also fast just for a particular something that I’m praying on. At the times that I think I could be eating, I pray instead. I liken it to weight training or some other form of strenuous exercise. It’s uncomfortable, painful even, but when you’re done, you realize that you’ve built up strength in areas you didn’t even know existed. Also, fasting doesn’t have to just be abstaining from food either. It can also be from television, the internet, chit chatting on the phone with friends (one author calls that a tongue fast, lol), etc. Basically, anything that usually gives your physical body pleasure, you can abstain from for a period just so that you’ll gain more power and strength over your flesh, establish greater discipline and have more time for focused prayer and study.
Many people also fast for non-religious reasons as fasting also has great health benefits.
After reading Free’s comment, maybe I’ll give it another try.
Free:
Wow, thank you for sharing.
That’s quite a comprehensive insight into why people fast.
I am amazed that your husband fasts as much as you say he does. Does he always abstain from food, or does he also mix in the rest like tongue fast (love the term, lol!)? What would be a normal period to fast, or is it a promise between each individual and God?
Casey:
I might give it a try as well.
This is great Sicarii, I want to say that Fasting for a Christian is very important in your Christian walk.
if you want power to do exploits for God As a Christian, you as a matter of fact… Fast for strenght from Heaven. have you ever wondered why Our Lord Jesus had to fast forty days and forty nights?
He came in flesh and he knew He was going to wrestle with forces thereby drawing strenght and power from Heaven for the work He came to do. (Jesus led by example) for He wanted/wants us to do great works in His name and showed us how to recieve “FASTING”
there are rules too to fasting nobody has to force you to fast, it has to come from a sincere desire to attain a certain spiritual level and if you are someone who fasts for specific things in your life you ll definitely see that God does open doors of breakthroughs for you.
Fasting is a must for every Christian seeking God and the power of God for nobody wants to be a powerless Christian and like you saw in the bible verse
“And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.”– Matthew 17:20-21 (KJV) we can see that even our Lord knows that without fasting a christian will sometimes find it difficult to achieve certain things and thereby delay the power of God manifesting in the lives of the Christian.
have I fasted? yes, why did I fast? for various reasons… spiritual purposes mainly, also health and financial breakthroughs and certain things that just happen in life that you know only God can see you thorugh it.
thanks for this post
God bless you and yor readers
Hi Isaiah, though I am not Catholic, my stepfather was, and so for a time, I observed Lent, which is also a time when Catholics will fast. They do so by giving something up. Somehow, I don’t think it brings them any closer to God (it didn’t for me- I just felt somehow better because I gave something up for God. PUHLEASE!)
But anyway, I guess now that I’ve thought about it more, I should actually do a real fast. Though I will say that when I gave up my laptop for the four days I was at Spirit West Coast, that was a fast for me as well. I did it strictly for a strengthened walk with my Lord, and to fellowship and minister to my children. I think you can stop doing anything, and focus on God, and it can be considered a fast. Blessings to you, brother! Shalom!
Dear ChannelofHealing:
You have given me a brand new perspective on fasting!
I have always just read that part about our Lord Jesus Christ fasting 40 days and nights then being tempted by the devil with nary a passing thought, but you have broadened my horizons on that today.
Now I truly understand the significance of that fast.
Thank you very much!!
God bless, and Shalom!
heya Shalene,
Welcome back, and I hope the trip was good!
Oh I remember Lent well — my mother-in-law is Roman Catholic as well and my wife would get the short end of the stick for not fasting during that period, lol!
Ouch, being without a computer for 4 days would be a fast for me as well, dear oh dear!
I think my mind is kinda made up — that I shall fast one day soon, but I have to be mentally prepared for it, and know why I do indeed decide to fast. There is one vice I would like kicked though, and so perhaps I can start with that.
God bless, and Shalom!
Isaiah,
He normally fasts from food, but he’ll usually also add in no television at the same time (except for Christian programming…but no news, documentaries or cooking shows which he loves, lol). Also, sometimes his fasts will be for certain periods of the day. For instance, he will only eat one meal a day at a certain time, usually early evening, and that meal is very light (like soup and salad). Sometimes, he goes completely without any solids at all and the longest he’s done so is for 40 days. I should also add that it was during a particular fast several years ago when he first spoke in tongues (it was also a long fast with only juice and water, no solids). He expects great breakthroughs with his fasts and, to my knowledge, has never been disappointed.
The length of time one fasts is pretty much up to you. Sometimes when you’re fasting with a group of people, there may be a designated time as well as a designated type of fast, but other fasts are pretty much between you and Elohim.
It wasn’t funny then, but looking back on it now it’s pretty funny. My first real fast, I didn’t tell anyone I was doing it and after the second day, I literally fell out in the kitchen from hunger. My son and my husband were all tripped out and I didn’t want to say I was fasting, because I didn’t think you were supposed to tell people (my misunderstanding of Matthew 6:16), lol. I was traumatized that I had to tell why I was sick. My husband took care of me, got me to bed and made me eat despite my protests. I felt like such a failure and didn’t fast again for a long time. Eventually, my understanding grew and I was able to do it again, but that first time was a disaster. lol It’s very important to note here to make sure you’re in pretty good health before you try to go on no foods whatsoever, though. And, if you have any health issues, make sure to tailor your fast around those issues as much as possible. Some, like my husband, can do with only water for an extended period, but not everyone is able to do so right away. The point is to deny ourselves, not kill ourselves. This latter portion is my opinion and I’m sure some will disagree, but I hope everyone at least considers it and weighs it out for themselves.
Be Blessed,
Free
Back to add that a quick search on BibleGateway on the words “fast” and “fasting” (in KJV) give a lot of very encouraging scriptures.
~F.
I fast for non-religious reasons, more for health. One day a week, no food so as to cleanse my digestive system. My hubby fasts for religious reason, he’s a Buddhist, I’m a Christian.
Free:
Oh, I can’t fast from TV because I seldom turn on the box anyway, lol! Does your husband cook since he loves cooking shows? I’d love trading recipes with him if he does, mano-a-mano. Ha ha!
It’s a good thing nothing worse happened to you on your first fast! And you made a very important point about health and fasting. Due to an illness some years ago, I cannot go hungry for an extended period of time. The most I can miss a day is lunch now.
I have learned a lot from all of you the past few days on fasting that I think I might be ready to commit myself to a short one for a start. It most probably won’t be food that I abstain from, but something else but I’ve yet to decide what.
And I’ll definitely share the experience when I’ve gone through with it.
God bless, and Shalom!
ECL:
That’s a diet, not a fast!
I’m just kidding you, heh! I didn’t know you were Christian until you told me so now, great to know!
How does your son reconcile both sets of beliefs?
God bless, and Shalom!
Hi Isaiah,
Yeah, he does a little cooking here and there as he says it helps him relax. He’s a pretty good cook, but he’s not really a recipe person as he mostly makes it up as he goes along. He watches cooking shows because he’s totally obsessed with food though, or should I say eating food. lol
Whenever you have a good recipe, feel free to share…I’m always on the lookout.
~Free
LOL, ok!
What are your favorite foods?
I love mediterranean and Indian food. We tend to eat a lot of fish, chicken, turkey, lamb and all things vegetable. We don’t eat beef, pork or shellfish, however.
How long have you been cooking?
I’ve only just discovered that I like to cook. Sounds weird since I’ve been doing it since my son was a baby (and he’s a grown man now), but it was more of a boring, but necessary, chore to me all of these years. A while ago, my husband bought me a mediterranean cookbook. I liked the pictures and thinking about the food made my mouth water, but since I didn’t like to cook, I put the book away and stuck to the same old boring meals I was used to making. For some reason though (I was bored, lol), about a month ago, I thumbed through the cookbook and found a recipe that I thought I’d try. It came out quite good and I actually enjoyed the process (and the rave reviews I got), so I tried another the next day and the next and the next and now I find myself looking for recipes everywhere! I’m still a novice, but I think I might like this cooking stuff after all.
YUMMY!
I love Indian food, and we have pretty good ones here in Singapore too! My favorite is actually North Indian food, like korma and stuff like that. Simply delicious! Haven’t really tried a lot of Mediterranean food, but from the little I’ve had the opportunity to sample so far, I think I’ll like it.
Been cooking a good while now, and here at home we either have Chinese, American/British, Malay, Indian or Eurasian food.
Singapore is a hodge-podge of cultures — Chinese, Malay, Indian, Eurasian, and we also have the Colonial period to thank for some of English palates. Plus, because we are quite a multi-cultural city, there’s food from almost every corner of the world to sample. I particularly love Thai food too, especially the green and red curries and Tom Yam soup.
I’d say my best dish would be Eurasian stew for now. Into the pot goes potatoes, carrots, chicken, pork or even beef, mushrooms, etc., and let it cook and simmer for a good couple of hours. Serve it up with steaming white Thai rice and a condiment that I learned from Thai food that’s got red small but very hot chilli, lime juice and Thai fish sauce.
Love to cook because I find it therapeutic in some ways.
You must share that recipe you had rave reviews of with me, lol! I would love to try making a Mediterranean dish.
OK, if I type anymore I’d be hungry again though I just had dinner about a couple of hours ago, ha ha!
And I think we were talking about fasting, lol!
LOL, I was thinking the same thing: How did we go from fasting to sharing recipes?
Here’s the chicken recipe I tried first:
It makes 4 servings and you’ll need:
2.5 cups of chicken stock
20 large garlic cloves
2 tablespoons of butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 chicken thighs
1 lemon, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
2/3 cup dry white wine
salt
ground pepper
parsley or basil to garnish
(you can serve it with potatoes or rice if you’d like)
First put the stock into the pan and bring to a boil. Add the garlic cloves, cover and simmer gently for 40 minutes. Heat the butter and oil in a saute or frying pan, add the chicken thighs and cook gently on all sides until golden. Transfer them to an oven-proof dish. Preheat the oven to 375 (farenheit)
Next, strain the stock and reserve it. Distribute the garlic and lemon slices among the chicken pieces. Add the flour to the fat in the pan in which the chicken was browned and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the wine, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom of the pan, then add the stock. Cook, stirring, until sauce has thickened and is smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
Finally, pour the sauce over the chicken, cover and bake for 40-45 minutes. If you’d like a thicker sauce, remove the chicken pieces and reduce the sauce by boiling rapidly until it reaches your desired consistency. Garnish, perhaps put it over rice or potatoes (I skipped the carbs and just served it as a main dish alone).
(Copied “almost” verbatim (lol) from my favorite cookbook, Mediterranean Food of the Sun, by Jacqueline Clark and Joanna Farrow)
I’m gonna try the Eurasian stew as soon as the weather cools off. Think I’ll substitute lamb for the pork or beef, though. What do you think?
Free:
Wow, thank you for typing all that out. Now I must really try it!
I think lamb will be nice too. In fact, if I am not wrong, the Eurasians also use rabbit previously. For that I will need to ask my wife, ha ha!
Am at work now so I don’t have the cookbook, but here’s another great dish I love from the Eurasian collection of culinary delights — beef smore.
The recipe can be found here: http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cookbook:Eurasian_Smore
Sounds yummy, Isaiah…thanks!