THE FASTED LIFE
It is good however to move into the fasted-life. When you fast you would feel from day to day that physical things and circumstances lose their value more and more, and your spiritual strength would grow.
Jesus did not want His disciples to fast according to the worthless manner of the Pharisees,
Practical Points-LO
Prayer and fasting is like sowing in tears. It’s a sacrifice yet a more than worthwhile one. “Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves (bundles of crop harvest) with him,” Psalm 126:5-6.
Fasting gets easy when you observe the following guidelines: When the pangs of hunger disappears after a few days, go into deep and intensive prayer. Then you will gain the right spiritual results.
but just remember that many other religions fast long fasts every year!
Physical movements like getting out of bed, etc., should never be done suddenly and quickly, as this could cause disturbances in your blood circulation, followed by fainting. After your bodily poison has been secreted, you will feel better both spiritually and physically.
WHAT HAPPENS DURING A FAST? On a practical level, one important thing is to guard against constipation. If you know you are going too fast, make your last meal or two something which will prevent you from becoming constipated.
How long should you fast?
We have to Endure
- To Eat or Not To Eat is Not The Question
As you continue to fast, you will realize that you don’t experience hunger pains as often as you thought you would. Without a preoccupation with food, you will be surprised at your ability to be sustained for a number of days without eating food and how you will take advantage of your time to seek Jesus more diligently. There is no magic in simply missing meals in the name of spirituality. The important thing to remember is to hear God speak and obey what you hear.
- Prayer Life During The Fast
There is a question you will need to answer. When you are fasting, will you seek Him, give Him a listening ear and the quality time He deserves? He will constantly separate you from dependence on the world.
Consequently, your time alone with Him may become more frequent than you originally planned, and needless to say, your prayer life will greatly improve. How appropriate that Jesus and Moses spent extensive time in the desert alone with God. It is ironic that the Hebrew name for desert is madbar, meaning “to speak.”
You will hear His voice throughout the day in a powerful way. Wisdom will cry out to you in the streets. As the stars in heaven declare the glory of God, so every corner will reveal to your willing soul the mysteries of His Kingdom that have been withheld from the rulers of this age (Proverbs 8:1-3, Psalm 19, and 1 Corinthians 2:7). You will hear Him when you are driving, talking on the phone or counselling a friend. Expect to hear Him loud and clear.
- Fighting Doubt and Fighting The Good Fight
During your fast, one of your biggest enemies will be your mind and your memory. Your mind and emotions will constantly work together to bring order to your world, order according to what you have been taught order to be. Eating at certain times each day has been part of your life training. Fasting will make no sense to your mind. In Matthew 14:22-32, when Peter was walking on the water, he found himself in the middle of a miracle, something that did not make sense to his mind. When Peter’s mind revealed to him the supernatural nature of what he was doing, it convinced him that it was impossible, based on what his mind knew to be normal. Consequently, Peter sank, believing logically what his mind told him, rather than what the Spirit convinced him to believe by faith.
There will be times that your mind will realize how far out on a limb your faith has taken you and you will be faced with a decision: Do you give up or keep moving forward?
Galatians 5:24 tells us that the flesh is at war against the Spirit. It cannot be trained or negotiated with. The flesh must die. It must be crucified. Always remember, faith goes all the way. God has not given you the Spirit of fear but one of Sonship, by which we call Abba Father (Romans 8:15).
When you feel as though you want to give up, you must ask yourself a few questions. Is the pain you are experiencing worth the price you are pursuing? IS the price you are pursuing worth the pain you are enduring? If you do give up, where and to what will you go back to?
In John 6:66 the disciples were asked by Jesus if they wanted to go back to their old lifestyle. Peter said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of life.”
- Social Tensions
A frequently asked question about fasting is: “Should you tell people that you are fasting?” Since fasting is a discipline of self-denial and consecration unto the Lord, constant discussion about it will be a distraction. People will bombard you with countless questions about your health, offer you suggestions about your diet, and tell you horror stories about the dangers of fasting. This type of input during your fast will be a major distraction.
For maximum benefit, it would be best for you not to tell anyone about your fast. Jesus was against the religious leaders drawing attention to themselves by giving people the impression they were suffering for the Lord (Matthew 6:16-18). The religious leaders did this in an attempt to puff themselves up and obviously defeated the purpose of their fasting.
For the purpose of maintaining privacy, it will be important to maintain an acceptable outward appearance: do not look dehydrated, wear clothes that fit and keep yourself well groomed.
Eventually there will be those who find out that you are fasting, but you can turn this situation into an edifying one. There is a balance between drawing attention to yourself and giving glory to God. You have to decide when and how to discuss it, because your testimony can be used to encourage others to fast.
You should “…be ready to give a defence to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15).
Here are a few tips on keeping your fast a secret and finding additional time alone with Jesus.
- Avoid people as much as possible.
- Avoid meals with groups of people.
- Spend as much time alone in prayer.
- Explain to your family in advance what you are doing.
- Request those who find out about your fast not to discuss it with anyone.
- After Your Fast
Ending your fast properly is just as important as beginning your fast properly. Just as you prepared yourself to begin a fast, you must prepare yourself to stop or break your fast, Here are a few questions you can ask yourself as you end your fast:
What are the key lessons learned?
What new habits or disciplines do you want to keep?
What new dietary rules will you follow?
What foods will you begin eating and not eat anymore?
What dreams and visions have you seen pertaining to your personal walk with the Lord or your ministry?
- Get In The “Fast Lane”
Before you end your fast and establish a regular eating schedule, it will be important to set aside time to get in the “Fast Lane” on a regular basis. This is vital if you are going to apply and live out the lessons learned during your fast.
1 Corinthians 11:24-28 says that Paul “fasted often.” But why? You must view fasting as a new way of life, not just a vacation from the old way. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says “The old is gone and the new has come.” Fasting regularly will help you maintain a level of discipline and spirituality that is necessary to hold the ground surrendered by Satan.
Regular fasts will keep the flesh in submission and serve as a reminder as to who is in charge of your life. I encourage you to choose a regular fasting schedule to follow.
- Physically
Control your eating habits when you end your fast will be important. After you fast, you will feel good about yourself, that you deserve “a break today”, tomorrow and the next day. Remember, the abuse of food, not food itself, was the root of many evils. If you allow food to take its place back on the throne of your heart, you are allowing bad habits to take root and push God father from the center of your heart than He was before you began your fast.
- Emotionally
Satan will be working to take back the ground he has surrendered over to the Lord and he will use your emotional vulnerability to accomplish his goals. This reminds us of the story in 1Kings 18-19, when Elijah is challenged by the 450 prophets of Baal who all followed Jezebel in a most vile and immoral religion. God confronts and defeats them through one man, Elijah. But after this great spiritual victory, Elijah finds himself running for his life from one woman, Jezebel. She had threatened his life and he felt all alone. He became incredibly discouraged and asked God to end his life. Elijah experienced a supernatural and spiritual high, followed by an emotional low.. You now know, so that you will not have the same experience and if it comes you are to fight and win.
Break Physical Disabilities
Fasting is the best means to break physical disabilities. This applies especially to stomach complaints.
BREAKING A FAST
The longer the fast lasts, the more attention is needed when the regular diet shall be resumed. Gradually, our stomach has to become active again. This takes some time. In the days of the Bible, Israel, the Prophets and Christ were familiar with the dietary-laws of Moses and the prophets. They all knew about the necessary hygiene involved in breaking a fast. After a long fast the stomach has become like a child’s. Therefore it is not to have a normal, regular meal immediately after the end of the fast, even if it was for 2 or 3 days only. It could cause very severe physical repercussions. You should begin with fruit juices, fresh fruit (or canned fruit) and light soups, followed later by vegetables and milk, all in small quantities, until approximately the fourth day. You should not begin with your normal diet until a similar length of time as you actually fasted for has passed. The slower you proceed back to your normal diet, the healthier it is for your body and your nervous system.
The loss of weight during a fast is on average 1 lb. daily. This depends, however, on the weight of the person. A heavy person will lose more than 1 lb. at the beginning, whereas a slim person will lose less. In general, the loss of weight becomes less towards the end of a fast.
During a long fast your stomach is virtually renewed. This is the reason why it is necessary to break the fast gently. You should not immediately start with too much food; but gradually, with fruit juices followed by some fresh fruit.
If you are in bad health, fasting will be of great benefit to your body. Fasting has a rejuvenating effect on the glands, kidneys, liver and the blood, as well as the throat and eyes, etc.
Considering all these points above, it is clear that fasting and prayer can only benefit your physical well-being. Jesus would never have recommended such temperance if it were to have a bad effect upon our body.
Of course you should sleep and rest as usual. If possible during a fast you should try to rest a little more often than usual.
HOW SHALL I BREAK A FAST? This is a very important part of fasting. You may lose a lot of the benefits that are due you from fasting if you break your fast unwisely. After fasting always begin with a light meal, even if you have fasted only a short period. Don’t begin with anything cooked or greasy or fat or heavy. Preferably begin with a raw salad or fruit. You are going to need to exercise real self-control when you break your fast. After about the first two or three days you don’t feel hungry, but when you start to eat again the hunger comes back, and that’s where you really need to hold onto yourself. You may get mental pictures of all sorts of things that you love eating, but you just can’t give way because you can ruin many of the physical benefits of fasting by breaking your fast rapidly or unwisely.
Water Intake
FASTING & WATER
During a fast, the pores of the skin, i.e., those of the face, are filled with the secreted poison of the body. This is the reason why we should wash or bathe as much as possible. After approximately 2 weeks of fasting the most poisonous factors in a healthy body will be secreted with the help of water. From the context of the scriptures you can see, that Jesus Himself also drank water during His 40-day fast. It is not said in Matthew 4:2-11 that He was thirsty, but that He fasted. Further, it is said that He hungered in the end, which means, the longing for solid food came through powerfully. Also, when Jesus miraculously fed the 4000 people (MARK 8:3), bread and fish were offered, not water, although the people had been fasting for 3 days. To suffer thirst is much harder than to suffer hunger. Not one of the scriptures above mentions the need to drink. This shows that water was available.
I usually encourage people to drink water when they are fasting. Just as we apply water to cleanse our body outwardly, we need to do the same for our inner organs. Therefore we rinse out our mouth after eating, to remove food remains before they damage our teeth. Our stomach also needs to be cleansed by water. If we fail to drink water while we fast, the stomach will not be cleansed and will shrink, which can cause a slightly bent posture. Without drinking water, the inner organs will remain constipated and the body uncleansed. Therefore the secretion channels will not be able to function. Thus the consumption of water is all the more essential.
The drinking of water does not hinder the fasting person from drawing nearer to God.
During a fast, the pores of the skin, i.e., those of the face, are filled with the secreted poison of the body. This is the reason why we should wash or bathe as much as possible. After approximately 2 weeks of fasting the most poisonous factors in a healthy body will be secreted with the help of water. From the context of the scriptures you can see, that Jesus Himself also drank water during His 40-day fast. It is not said in Matthew 4:2-11 that He was thirsty, but that He fasted. Further, it is said that He hungered in the end, which means, the longing for solid food came through powerfully. Also, when Jesus miraculously fed the 4000 people (MARK 8:3), bread and fish were offered, not water, although the people had been fasting for 3 days. To suffer thirst is much harder than to suffer hunger. Not one of the scriptures above mentions the need to drink. This shows that water was available.
DRINK WATER WHEN FASTING To take a fast of this particular type, one must of necessity drink water. It is absurd for people to think about fasting and prayer without drinking water. Those who do this, do it in ignorance, and should be corrected by some constructive teaching. However, one may attempt a fast of a few days without drinking water, and find these facts to be immaterial. Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and to attempt a major fast without water, would defile and pollute the body. Scripture states: “If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy.” I Cor. 3:17. Instructions are given by Christ in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 6:16-18) that “when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; 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.” Washing the face is a sign of cleanliness. If it is good to wash your face to keep the toxic stains from face and body (washing being a type of cleanliness before God), then how much more logical it is to put water in your mouth, to clean out the corruption in the stomach. The stomach becomes deflated, collapsed, and depressed, when water is withheld long enough, and a person gets into bad shape. Without water, when fasting, the system will choke up, and the body becomes filthy, internally. The tongue, which is the upper part of the stomach, becomes heavily coated when fasting, showing visibly a part of the pollution that is in the stomach. Some doctors maintain that some food particles remain in the intestinal tract for more than a month, until putrefaction is worse than any garbage pail.
For the first few days of the fast, the stomach, tongue, and body, become heavily laden with the corruption that is trying to loosen itself. These particles that have remained in the stomach unassimilated, with other fecal matter, require a great deal of water to break them down and help soften this material so that it can be eliminated. Cramps, displeasure, misery, and other discomforts, are frequently experienced during this initial period. Water aids in the loosening and softening of this fecal matter without which the corruption will harden; the worms and bugs, which are nearly always present to some extent, will dry up on the intestines, the tongue will eventually thicken, and if the thirsting fast is prolonged, the individual will die, unless the Lord intervenes. Paul knew the difference between ‘thirsting” and “fasting.” He distinguishes them in II Cor. 11:27, “in hunger and thirst, IN FASTINGS OFTEN.” If “hunger and thirst” were the same thing as “fasting,” he would not have repeated the same thing, any more than “cold” and “nakedness” are the same. Please note that a comma is inserted between each phrase. Paul was also educated. A person should not only recognize the value of the fast, but whether your fast continues ten days, two weeks, forty days, or longer, your bowels should move every few days. If a person does not drink water while the fast is in progress, how can these channels of elimination function properly? The drinking of water will continue the process of cleaning while the fast continues. If the bowels do not move, please do not worry; there is no cause for alarm. Some folks’ bowels do not move at all during the entire fast.
The drinking of water does not prevent one from drawing closer to God. Water is pure, and is a type of Salvation, and of the Holy Spirit. (John 4:14.) Water, unlike corruptible food, evaporates into the atmosphere, while food goes back to the earth. Water is not stimulating, while food is. Food feeds the appetites of carnality; water does not. When an individual fasts, his pores become laden with toxins, especially his hands and face, therefore, he should bathe externally as often as possible. In about two weeks, more or less, the average individual will have most of the wastes, poisons, toxins, fecal materials, etc., eliminated. That is, unless this individual has a deepseated functional ailment. Even if this be the case, this should be relieved and healed if the fast is continued. It is quite evident that Jesus took water while fasting forty days. There are four things that bear evidence in this regard. Shall we study our Lord’s fast? 1. Matthew 4:2-11: “When he had fasted.” We pointed that the definition of fasting does not exclude water drinking, and it does not mention that Jesus thirsted forty days, in the Scriptures. It is called a fast, and not a thirst. 2. “He was afterward an hungered.” It does not say that He afterward thirsted. When a person does without both food and drink, water means far more to him than food. A man can go days without food, but this same individual can go but a very short time without water. Especially is this true in a hot and torrid climate.
It seems very evident that Jesus did drink water. For at the time of the feeding the 4,000 (Mark 8:3), bread and fishes were offered after they had been fasting for three days, and Jesus, according to Scripture, did not offer them water, because they had no need of it. Water was available in the springs and brooks nearby. 3. Satan knew that He wasn’t thirsty, because he did not tempt Him with water. He said, “Command that these stones be made bread.” 4. The answer that the Son of God gave to Satan, is very evident. “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” This seems to prove that He had partaken of water, for we must notice, in this connection, the failure to mention water.
You may ask if the fast that Jesus took was a supernatural one. No, this fast was not in any way a supernatural fast, for fasting is not supernatural, whether it is done by our Lord, or by the ones for whose salvation He paid the great price. “FASTING IS A SCIENCE.” Anyone can fast for long periods of time, but only the Christian can expect supernatural results. The fast of Jesus can be said to be natural, on the ground that after His fast, He hungered. The natural hunger that had left his body for a time, returned again. This is true in any fast, if the fast is prolonged to its normal completion, when true hunger returns.
How long should you fast?
If any person fasts without taking water, and he can do so if he wishes, I must say, “Amen.” However, any person can take short fasts of several days only, without water, as well as food, and still receive spiritual benefits for their sacrifice. See Esther 4:16, “Fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days
You may ask if the fast that Jesus took was a supernatural one. No, this fast was not in any way a supernatural fast, for fasting is not supernatural, whether it is done by our Lord, or by the ones for whose salvation He paid the great price. “FASTING IS A SCIENCE.” Anyone can fast for long periods of time, but only the Christian can expect supernatural results. The fast of Jesus can be said to be natural, on the ground that after His fast, He hungered. The natural hunger that had left his body for a time, returned again. This is true in any fast, if the fast is prolonged to its normal completion, when true hunger returns. Critics who say that only Jesus could fast forty days, and that no one else can do so, are condemning something they know nothing about. They are in need of trying a fast themselves, then they would realize with a great awakening, the value of fasting. The argument is brought to us that Moses fasted forty days. Please tell me what Scripture states this? In Exodus 34:28-29, we read, “And he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water.” This abstinence was not called FASTING HERE, as failing to drink water is outside the meaning of the word. Why change the meaning of the word FASTING? On the mount, Moses was “there with the Lord for forty days”—this explains why Moses did not drink water—he was with the Lord, literally with the Lord. I am certain that if we were allowed to stand in His presence and be with God, we would neither have to eat, drink, or breathe, whether we were with Him forty days, or forty years. Actually the Lord Himself is our Food, Drink and Sustainer. This was true with Moses, because (Vs. 29) —“The skin of his face shone while he talked with Him.” The children of Israel were actually afraid of Moses. For he had received supernatural radiation that was far more real than food and drink. He had to veil his face to talk to them. When Moses died, he had the strength and constitution of a young man: “His eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated.7 Deut. 34:7.
