Does Anyone Here Fast?

[Flossie]

I have been interested in fasting for perhaps one day a week (perhaps from sunset to sunset), to spend time in prayer and communion with God (not that I don't pray at many other times....), but I know very little about it. Let's face it, our culture simply doesn't do that sort of thing, though the bible is replete with examples of fasting, by both Jew and Christian.

I just came across this site, and found it interesting...

http://www.new-life.net/fasting.htm

Does anyone else here fast? How do you do it? For how long? Is this article realistic in its information? :noidea

Thanks for any help or other info I can get. :thumb

[Gamefan1980]

I'm guilty for not fasting often. It is a commandment that we go fast. Jesus says, "When you fast" not "If you fast". I gotta work on this...

[GloryBound]

Guilty here also.

[Kem]

I have done in the past but it was many years ago. I would like to get back to fasting from food again. Anyother way of fasting that I have done is fasting from the internet or fasting from certain kinds of food etc.

[TruthGiver]

Yes I fast.....not as often as I should either though. You have the right idea to start. Try it from sunset to sunset. Deny yourself any food during that period (I only drink water), and give yourself to a lot of prayer. It is a time dedicated to the Lord and to hearing him speak to you....not so much you speaking to him! As your body adjust you can go on longer fast if you desire. Some people fast a week or more at a time.

[palmaceae]

My wife and I started the Daniels 21 day fast on January 2nd. This is the second year of doing it, and we are so blessed by God. This year we only had water and juice for 3 days and the remaining 18 with just fruits and vegies. Yes it is hard to do but the blessings God gives you when you fast for Him are unbelievable. I certainly recommend everyone doing this. You just need to spend a lot of time in prayer and do this for Him.

[Sajarie]

My sister-in-law did a lemon juice fast (yes, nothing but straight lemon juice) for 10/12 days (forget exactly) and then ate a salad as her first food and ended up in the emergency room.

I have never fasted. I've had times where I didn't feel like eating for hours and hours at a time and didn't, but got sick from it. I have Crohn's and bleed inside from it. Sometimes I'll feel like my head is whoozy and my stomach feel nauseous. Sometimes I get bad headache. But I don't do that to fast, sometimes I just lose my appetite if I'm stressed out or upset about something or sometimes for no apparent reason at all. Othertimes I'll eat something and keep feeling hungry even when I eat and I hate it.

[antsinmypants]

I do from time to time, but never do I fast from water... I find that if I am hydrated enough I do "ok".

Some are planned fasts in accordance with certain holy days, some are unplanned etc.
I don't let people know when I am fasting, and I do make sure to have things seem as 'normal' to the outside unless I am asked directly.

I didn't make it last year when I wanted to fast. I didn't know it at the time, but I was expecting. :D:

[OwnedByJesus]

I have done it, but not regularly like I should. I have read/heard that many a great preachers fasted weekly...like every Tuesday and Friday or something like that.
What keeps us from being great? Surely we do not fully grasp the power and privilege we have to go to our Lord in prayer and the discipline of denying our selves so we can focus on our great King instead of ourselves.

So the question must be asked, who will fast weekly or monthly? I ought to do it and I will. Who will join me?

[Flossie]

I have done it, but not regularly like I should. I have read/heard that many a great preachers fasted weekly...like every Tuesday and Friday or something like that.
What keeps us from being great? Surely we do not fully grasp the power and privilege we have to go to our Lord in prayer and the discipline of denying our selves so we can focus on our great King instead of ourselves.

So the question must be asked, who will fast weekly or monthly? I ought to do it and I will. Who will join me?
:D: I somehow don't think that doing it as a "group activity" is going to help our walk with God. You made it sound more like a contest.... :D:

Personally, I feel that any fast that we do for the sake of our Lord, should be in private (as Jesus instructed) and to not make it known to others.

:hug

[OwnedByJesus]

:D: I somehow don't think that doing it as a "group activity" is going to help our walk with God. You made it sound more like a contest.... :D:

Personally, I feel that any fast that we do for the sake of our Lord, should be in private (as Jesus instructed) and to not make it known to others.

:hug

Many times in both the old and new covenant believers fasted together and sought the Lord together.EDITED...Yet you ought to do as you are lead to. It is possible that some would desire to compare themselves w/ others and could take pride in doing it more than others. In that case, it would not be good for that person to fast with others regularly.

As with prayer, Jesus does not want you to do it for show or for the praise of others.

Also, is it wrong for a brother to spur his siblings on toward obedience?

[Flossie]

Also, is it wrong for a brother to spur his siblings on toward obedience?
Oh No! Not at all! If others wish to do this, then by all means. Don't let anything I say put you off...truly! :hug

I'm just one of those people who wouldn't do well in a group situation like that. If it helps you, then by all means, go for it. I tend to suffer terrible guilt if I don't complete something like that when others are expecting me to. So it's best for me not to fast with others. See what I mean? :noidea If I "flop" at it, then it's between me and the Lord, not another group of people..:cute

[I Believe!!!]

As a mom, I know that I can't fast for a full 24 hours for more than a day, and hardly for a day, but sometimes I'll fast from 6:00 in the evening to lunch time the next day for a week.

When going through a time where I needed to pray for church, family and dh I decided to fast in this manner...interestingly all kinds of things started to flare up in the personal life and I look back and wonder if there was some opposition. It was really uncanny...I'd pray, there would be all kinds of things breaking loose, then I'd be distracted and forget to pray, things would settle down then I'd pray again and things got nuts. It was then I really realized that prayers must cause some things to happen we just don't see.

I didn't really know what was going to come of it at the time, but God started to work in interesting ways in these people's lives and some really neat things happened.

Anyways, my point is I think God will honor what you do for Him, whether it's full fledged week, month long fasts or incremental fasts. :thumb

[Karenswalk1207]

I do fast when I feel lead. I would like to do it more often. Due to health concerns I usually do a juice fast. It is such a sweet time with the Lord when I fast. I also try and get prayed up before fasting. It seems every time I fast there is always serious spiritual warefare afterwards.

[Literalist-Luke]

I fast every day. From about 9am to around noon, and then from about 12:30pm until dinner time. :D: Then I spend the evening eating everything in sight.

:lunch :letseat :eatcookies :fridge :chocolate

Sorry, I know this doesn't help, but I just couldn't resist.

[BHiles]

I have been interested in fasting for perhaps one day a week (perhaps from sunset to sunset), to spend time in prayer and communion with God (not that I don't pray at many other times....), but I know very little about it. Let's face it, our culture simply doesn't do that sort of thing, though the bible is replete with examples of fasting, by both Jew and Christian.

I just came across this site, and found it interesting...

http://www.new-life.net/fasting.htm

Does anyone else here fast? How do you do it? For how long? Is this article realistic in its information? :noidea

Thanks for any help or other info I can get. :thumb

I have fasted. I will not go into details of my fasting because it is personal. However I can say this.

I find fasting very helpful in finding God's will.

When fasting it is best to fast completely from all distractions. No food except where physically needful and then very plain (so as to not have it take any thought of looking forward to it, or though about it). No media, No Family, No Sex, No distraction whatsoever. Work because of oligation but all other time is God's. Read scripture and maybe a hymn book only. Pray and listen. Go out in the wilderness and pray and listen. Sing from the hymn book. Read from the hymn book but mostly the Word of God.

This is not to be a time of painful sacrifice for the sake of sacrifice. It is a sober time but also of joy. Fast until you know it is time to end it.

You will know. The goal is being alone with God alone and You will be changed because there is a filling that food cannot fill.

[covenant mom]

I fast every day. From about 9am to around noon, and then from about 12:30pm until dinner time. :D: Then I spend the evening eating everything in sight.

:lunch :letseat :eatcookies :fridge :chocolate

Sorry, I know this doesn't help, but I just couldn't resist.

Ohhhhhh, L-U-k-E!!!! I'm putting you back in....

:box

[Singlesis]

Fasting is wonderful, and expected of Christians. But it must be Spirit-led, not doing it just because you are "supposed to." It should be for a particular reason (i.e. mourning, decision-making, answer to prayer, for the lost, etc.). Yes, you get spiritual break-throughs, deliverance. Remember, Jesus told the disciples that a certain type of demon (oppression, etc.) can only come out through prayer and fasting. (Matthew 17:21, Mark 9:29) The two should always go together.

Diabetics should be careful, and people with other health issues. There are other types of fasts that (I believe) count. We can fast or abstain from other "fleshly lusts" for a period of time and devote that time to prayer. Fast from "marital relations" (1 Corinthians 7:5). How about a television fast? Or from chocolate? Or meat? An internet fast? Something you love... maybe just skip lunch for a week and spend that lunch-time in prayer.

I admit - I haven't done it nearly as often as I should. But when I've done it in the past, break-throughs have always come. :nod

[I Believe!!!]

I fast every day. From about 9am to around noon, and then from about 12:30pm until dinner time. :D: Then I spend the evening eating everything in sight.

:lunch :letseat :eatcookies :fridge :chocolate

Sorry, I know this doesn't help, but I just couldn't resist.



:pretribber



:lol

[Literalist-Luke]

Ohhhhhh, L-U-k-E!!!! I'm putting you back in....

:boxFine, as long as it's next to the :fridge

[Literalist-Luke]

:pretribber:cryrun

[Flossie]

:cryrun

Awwwwww :hug It's okay...the fish was fresh....

:D:

Thanks everyone for your input. I appreciate it . . :thumb

(although I have to admit, it was a scary post from I Believe. Do we expect to have demons messing around with our fasting time?...or is this the exception?)

[covenant mom]

Awwwwww :hug It's okay...the fish was fresh....

:D:

Thanks everyone for your input. I appreciate it . . :thumb

(although I have to admit, it was a scary post from I Believe. Do we expect to have demons messing around with our fasting time?...or is this the exception?)

IMHO....
If you do experience that it probably means your messing up their habitat or plans. I would consider that as a compliment & tell them where to go. With Christ in you, you have authority over them anyways. Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world (including his demonic helpers).

[I Believe!!!]

:cryrun


:pathead Luke, I was being gentle. That's the smallest fish I've got, my biggest just doesn't fit this board.

:laugh


With Christ in you, you have authority over them anyways. Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world (including his demonic helpers).

That's right Flossie, don't be afraid, but be aware that you'll come up against resistance when fasting for others (meant to distract you) which means you're doing the right thing.

One of the things I was fasting for was for my alcoholic brother who was at the time living with us while doing work we were paying him for. We didn't know at the time what a problem he was having with alcohol until then and we gradually began to see what was going on. He would mix alcohol with pop to kind of hide what he was doing and we thought he was happy because he liked being around us. Well, one thing I noticed is that when I really started praying for him after it dawned on me what was going on, he changed from a happy drunk to one looking for a fight.

He was amazingly perceptive of things that he could say that would cut straight to the heart. It really wasn't like my brother at all. At first I would re-act by getting upset, but once I noticed the pattern of prayers and then the attempts to get me to engage in fighting I stopped responding whatsoever, realizing that 1. he's under the influence and 2. this is much like a drug that opens people up to influences that are not Godly.

We finally kicked him out of the home and continued praying....he's now in AA and cleaning up his life, thanks to God!

[Literalist-Luke]

:pathead Luke, I was being gentle. That's the smallest fish I've got, my biggest just doesn't fit this board.Hmph. :stubborn

[I Believe!!!]

Hmph. :stubborn


Ok, ok, I'm sorry, shall we share some cookies?

:eatcookies

[Literalist-Luke]

Ok, ok, I'm sorry, shall we share some cookies?

:eatcookiesYum. :D: