Posted on 08/17/2019 1:21:37 PM PDT by metmom
“‘But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast’” (Matthew 9:15).
Fasting is meaningless if done merely from habit and if it doesn’t derive from a deep concern over some spiritual need. And as we saw yesterday, even the best and most foundational spiritual practices, if not done with sincere motives and right purposes, are only hypocritical and pretentious.
Jesus was obviously referring to His crucifixion when He said He would be taken away from the disciples. From that time on, it would be fitting to fast and mourn. Fasting naturally comes from a broken and mourning heart, but if it is performed as a shallow, mechanical ritual only, it is displeasing to God.
Jesus’ emphasis on internal matters such as forgiveness shows us that fasting must be held in the proper context of what’s truly important. It also demonstrates that He brought us radically different teachings and practices from those of traditional Judaism or any other religious traditions—Catholicism, liberal Protestantism, any sects and cults—that can stress externalism, ritualism, or any man-centered habits. When we fast, Jesus wants us to do so in light of His new covenant—not the old with its forms and shadows—and in a way that increases our compassion for others, causes us to be more humble and sacrificial, and gives Him all the praise and glory.
Ask Yourself
Are there ways to fast besides abstaining from food? In what other ways could you experience the spiritual benefits of fasting—the clarity of communication with God, the taming of selfish desires, the renewal of priorities?
Studying God’s Word ping
I fasted for 3 days four times in 2 months and got my triglycerides to normal and cut my cholesterol by 100 points.
Fasting glucose was 85.
I’m still fat though so there will be more fasting :)
Fasting is great for diabetics to get their blood glucose down to an acceptable level.
I just got off of a 3 dayer. I feel better when fasting. I can lose weight and it’s a mood enhancer. It’s better than a pharmaceutical prescription and it doesn’t cost anything.
You do them too?
I NEVER did one before this past April.
I was down in the dumps for several days and didn’t eat.
then when I saw the weight I lost and realized how my mood was better, I ran with it and did some more 3 day fasts :)
It gives you a lot more energy in the long run.
Though I tried to do a five day fast and that was too much.
3 is just right.
Only occasionally but if I don’t feel well or a little down in the dumps, I do it. This last one turned out great. It really lifted my spirits. I’m going to do more soon. The weight loss is a bonus.
The weight loss for me is big.
But you’re right.
It makes you feel better in a bunch of ways...that diets don’t.
The Catholics teach that Mary fasted from; uh; well...
...you know.
I started intermittent fasting on 2/1/19. I was 230 lbs and pre-diabetic and bad cholesterol numbers. I am currently 183 lbs and took a blood test last month and all was normal again. G_d wants us healthy and happy!
Thief! You've cheated Big Pharma out lots of money by not using their inefficient mediocre result drugs (with possible serious side effects). Plus no Weight Watchers or Jennie Craig. How could you?
Congratulations on 40+ pounds weight loss. You're a champ not a chump.
I first started fasted in my mid-twenties. Jesus, my examplar, fasted; he also said, when - not if - you fast...
I have never heard a sermon on fasting. Praying, yes. Tithing, yes. But the third of the three disciplines? No.
I once went to my head pastor and asked him to preach on fasting. He flatly refused, cling it works righteousness.
Yes. Fasting is an excellent way to reset (reboot) the metabolism and digestion.
Although any fasting can be of benefit, it takes three days for the body to shift gears, so to speak: Autolysis (selective self digestion) kicks in, and the deeper health benefits begin. The false hunger pangs diminish, and do not return until true hunger manifests.
I first fasted strictly for spiritual purposes. Later, when my health failed, and I nearly died, I began studying holistic practices, and read numerous books on fasting. The natural hygiene philosophy has excellent literature on how to fast safely; the modern, western Christian philosophy, sadly, does not.
Entering and exiting the fast gradually are highly preferable (rather than doing them cold turkey).
I have fasted 3-11 days many times, with many benefits, physically, mentally, spiritually.
cling it = citing it as
The other two are works also. So, he just gets to choose which one is better than the others? As you said, Jesus did all three. That should have ended the question there.
I generally do a three day one. My wife gets concerned when I go over this. To placate her I end it then. I may do them more often to accelerate the benefits.
Gluttony is one of the seven deadly sins. Many Americans are obese. Is this because of our diet? Or the idea we are to eat three times a day being ingrained in us? Are we gluttons willfully or ignorantly? What will God judge us for?
I agree that should have ended it; I was frankly blindsided by his response. It is just one reason why, although I have served on staff in two denominations, I have serious issues with what I call Churchianity.
America is prosperous, and most never go hungry. Fasting, although beneficial, requires self denial.
Prayer is no threat, and deemed beneficial. Pastors want parishioners to pray, both for fellow laity and for clergy. Tithing is obviously necessary: They need our money as their livelihood. Fasting is not seen as necessary or popular.
I know that sounds cynical. I call it realistic. The things I have seen from the inside of the church...
Suffice it to say, all are sinners, including clergy, and a theological degree is no guarantee of spiritual wisdom.
To amplify: I spent six years (7-12) at a Christian prep school. I served in youth ministry in one church, and on office staff in another.
Between the weekly chapels at school for six years, and the 1-4 sermons per week, and 1-3 Bible studies per week, and various pastoral conference lectures, et cetera, I have lost count of how many ecclesiastical messages I have heard over the years. Not one was on fasting.
I have myself taught Bible studies on it, but I rarely preached, and only when young, by special invitation, before I had ever fasted myself.
I would not worry about it. You are ahead of the curve. As I said, three days is the great threshold.
My opinion, based upon study of the Word since age five, and study of diet and nutrition for thirty years:
1. We eat too much, and too often.
2. We are not active enough, especially after eating.
3. We eat the same limited variety of highly cultivated food crops year round.
4. We eat too many caloric (starchy, sugary) carbohydrates.
5. We are not taught self denial and discipline.
We live in a very artificial manner. We no longer change our diets with the changing seasons. We no longer expend much energy to gather the foods we eat.
The carbohydrates are especially problematic. The body generously stores protein and fat; it only stores carbohydrate as glycogen in limited amounts in the muscles and liver. Once that capacity is exceeded, the excess caloric carbohydrates are converted into stored fat.
Fats does not make one fat nearly so much as caloric carbohydrates make one fat.
Further, the insulin spiking from high-glycemic foods promotes both gluttony (hunger) and obesity (insulin resistence).
The Atkins, Paleo, and Keto Diets all address this. I do not absolutely endorse any approach, and I think a long-term very-high-protein diet without carbohydrates has its own problem: It is hard on the kidneys and liver, and is too systemically acid-forming.
We are naturally omnivorous: Fruits and vegetables have non-caloric carbohydrates (”fiber”) and vitamins that are lacking in a high-animal protein diet.
Conversely, we are designed for a mono-diet. In other words, we can eat all sorts of foods, but we should not eat them all at once. It inherently confuses and compromises the digestive functions.
I recommend:
Food Combining. This can be followed partly or completely, depending upon the person.
Fasting. Already discussed.
Whole-Food Supplement. Such as Balance of Nature, or Texas Super-Food, or many others. (I am an herbalist, and make my own at home.)
Sea Algae (”Weed”) Supplement. Iodine is essential, and deficient in modern diets. Iodized salt is artificial, and lacks all other trace minerals. Sea vegetables plus sea salt are preferable.
Hemp Nut (Achene). AKA Industrial Hemp. This is not marijuana. Hemp is high in globulin protein, and is a source of both EFA’s and both first derivatives of both - almost an ideal fatty acid profile for humans. It is a unique protein/fat food that has been used to improve health and promote weight loss.
Coconut Oil. It has no EFA’s, but is high in MCT’s, which increase metabolic rate, and indirectly increase thyroid efficiency, promoting weight loss both directly (burning calories) and indirectly (engancing thyroid hormone function).
Apple Cider Vinegar. Ancient remedy. Enhances digestion, and is alkalinizing, to offset acidifying dietary tendencies common in modern society.
Exercise. Burn calories, especially after a high-carb meal.
Water + Salt. www.watercure.com. Fereydoon Batmanghelidj, M.D. “You Body’s Many Cries for Water”. Getting a proper balance of both water and salt promotes proper digestion and metabolism, improves health, and supports weight loss.
Deep Breathing (and Massage, and Trampolining). Stimulates lymphatic circulation, which aids detoxification, and hence fat losss, since most toxins are stored in fat, and promote fat retention.
While some are prone to gluttony spiritually, as a form of lust, many are prone to it because their lifestyles are working against them, making it hard to resist overeating unhealthful foods.
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