Posted on 01/11/2019 8:20:37 AM PST by metmom
“After He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry” (Matthew 4:2).
For a quite lengthy period prior to the three diabolical temptations directed at Jesus, He fasted. We don’t know exactly what He did during the forty-day period, but He likely spent most of the time communing with His heavenly Father.
Even in His perfect humanity, Jesus needed solitary preparation time in medi-tation and prayer, as we all do in anticipating a major testing. Consider how Moses spent forty years in Midian in preparation for his leadership of Israel out of Egypt to the Promised Land, or that the apostle Paul lived three years in the desert of Arabia before launching his extensive ministries.
Matthew reports, with much simplicity and directness, that at the end of the period of fasting, Jesus “became hungry.” Hunger weakens us physically and somehow leaves us more vulnerable to spiritual attack, which is precisely why Satan often assails us at such times. But temptations that we have anticipated and prayed about have little power to harm us, if we constantly rely on the Lord.
Jesus, though spending more than a month in fasting, is a tremendous example to us of remaining alert to spiritual danger, which He did as Satan approached. During the temptations, He did not yield on the slightest point.
Ask Yourself
What other feelings and conditions—like hunger—serve as ready-made points of entry for spiritual temptation? Knowing this, how can you better “keep watching and praying” that you not fall into sin (Mark 14:38)? Pray for the courage to live with such keen awareness.
Studying God’s Word ping
Interesting article. But the headline made me think this was a Type II diabetes thread.
It is rather clinical, isn’t it?
I didn’t think of it that way, but could easily see how someone could think that.
I was thinking he had a colonosapy coming up.
There was a great program on EWTN last week about fasting. Starting slow with just two days a week, and the guest expert talked about starting with just 18 hours.
I tried it once and was able to do it.
He said the benefits were both physical (losing weight) and mental (sharper mind).
I think a person would have to do that regularly for those benefits to appear, though.
The fellow on the radio said that it helped diabetes too.
It was the Drew Mariani show and evidently he keeps a log of his programs. It was last week — can’t tell you the exact day.
I have extensive experience, first for spiritual purposes, later for physical ones.
Basically:
1. Any fasting relieves the digestive system from working, and is of some benefit (e.g., Break-Fast).
2. To see significant benefits, three days is the general minimum: It takes that long for the body to get the message and switch to autolysis (selective self-digestion).
3. As time after three days accumulates, so do the benefits, mentally, spiritually, physically.
4. How you go into and out of a fast is critical. Avoid cold turkey. Ramp down and then ramp up: fruits, salads. Do not shock the body either way.
5. Avoid strenuous work. The idea is to allow the body to work and stabilizing, restoring homeostasis, rebuilding. That takes energy.
6. Take into account your overall health and body type. I am not built for fasting. The most I have fasted (water only) is 11 days, twice. I have done many fasts between 3 and 11 days. My friend is built for it; she once fasted for 38 days (for spiritual purposes).
7. A general rule is: one day a week, one week per quarter. Find what works.
8. Read books on fasting by natural health pioneers. There are many. The modern church has forgotten how to do this safely and effectively.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.