Fasting

FASTING

Alexander Maclaren

‘Moreover, when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 17. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; 18. 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.’—MATT. vi. 16-18.

Fasting has gone out of fashion now, but in Christ’s time it went along with almsgiving and prayers, as a recognized expression of a religious life.
The step from expression to ostentation is a short one, and the triple repetition here of almost the same words in regard to each of the three corruptions of religion, witnesses to our Lord’s estimate of their commonness. We are exposed to them just as the Pharisees of His day were.
If there is less fasting now than then, Christians still need to take care that they do not get up a certain ‘sad countenance’ for the sake of being seen of men, and because such is understood to be the proper thing for a religious man.
They have to take care, too, not to parade the feelings, of which fasting used to be the expression, as, for instance, a sense of their own sinfulness, and sorrow for the nation’s or the world’s sins and sorrows. There are deep and sorrowful emotions in every real Christian heart, but the less the world is called in to see them, the purer and more blessed and purifying they will be.
The man who has a sidelong eye to spectators in expressing his Christian (or any other) emotion, is very near being a hypocrite. Expressing emotion with reference to bystanders, is separated by a very thin line from feigning emotion. The sidelong glance will soon become a fixed gaze, seeing nothing else, and the purpose of fasting will slip out of sight.

The man who only wishes to attract attention easily succeeds in that shabby aim, and has his reward, but misses all the true results, which are only capable of being realised when he who fasts is thinking of nothing but his own sin and his forgiving God.

Alexander Maclaren

Prayer and fasting became very important to me early in my walk for many reasons especially due to the following verse...

Mat 17:14 When they came to the crowd, a man came up to Jesus, falling on his knees before Him and saying,
Mat 17:15 "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is a lunatic and is very ill; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water.
Mat 17:16 "I brought him to Your disciples, and they could not cure him."
Mat 17:17 And Jesus answered and said, "You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to Me."
Mat 17:18 And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was cured at once.
Mat 17:19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not drive it out?"
Mat 17:20 And He *said to them, "Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.
Mat 17:21 ["But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."]

The context is in relation to casting out demons and the direct effect prayer and fasting has on that ability or as we see with His disciples, inability. The Lord does not embelish in these verses but with careful topical study of all scripture reveals much...
I believe casting out demons is only touching the surface of the importance of prayer and fasting, none the less the Lord has revealed that we are ineffective in having authority over certain demons and I will say for the record I don't want to be lacking when it comes to casting out ANY demon in ANY situation.
I have taken a position of living a lifestyle of prayer and fasting and in so doing, always being prepared for any demon or any other command the Lord may require of me. No matter where we are, it is always war.

All for souls,

wta

Luke 18:10-14 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

No exaltation in prayer or fasting. As long as Jesus was with the disciples there was no need of fasting. The only fasting we have is because the Bridegroom has not come for the Bride yet, we are already the Bridegrooms bride and we are waiting with the 10 virgins to hear the voice of the Bridegroom, coming to the bride chamber. In Spirit He is come in old wineskins and quickened this mortal body and made us new creatures to contain the new wine, and made us new bottles, that we can contain the New Wine, which is the Spirit of Christ. In Spirit we have no need of fasting for the Bridegroom is truly one with His bride in Spirit. Christ, born again in us by Spirit and the Water of Life, We are One. Where do we fast? Only in our soul mind, because we are learning the Christ will come again and complete the marriage and The Holy Spirit is the other comforter given to teach our soul-mind to prepare the Bride for the Bridegroom, for we now have the mind of Christ and must renew it. Do we fast in body, it is already quickened and will be changed on resurrection day, to be just like the Bridegrooms.

So where is fasting? Pride? Arrogance? To get something?

Mark 2:19-22 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days. No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse. And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles.

We wait for the Romans 8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. The waiting for the manifestation is our Fast and we in earnest expectation do fast and wait for it for the final completion of the son's of God, who by the Christ in new wineskins are already seated in the Heavenlies in Christ Jesus.

1 Corinthians 15:51-52 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

The Bridegrooms voice;

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

What is our greatest longing? This is what we fast for.

In Christ: Phillip

Christinyou,

I was hoping you could expound on your post, are you saying that you feel we should not fast?

Act 13:1 Now there were at Antioch, in the church that was there, prophets and teachers: Barnabas, and Simeon who was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
Act 13:2 While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."
Act 13:3 Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.
Act 13:4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia and from there they sailed to Cyprus.

Act 14:21 After they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch,
Act 14:22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, "Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God."
Act 14:23 When they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

I always was facinated how our Lord Jesus, the first born of many was filled with Spirit of Holiness at the Jordan and staight away was led by the Spirit to the desert to pray and fast for 40 days and THEN be tempted by the devil! Wow what a gospel!

Mat 4:1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
Mat 4:2 And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry.

An indept study of the early church letters will reveal more on this as well. There is no question that the Spirit of God has been calling God's people to fast for thousands of years.

All for souls,

wta

[i]Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.[/i] 1Co 7:5

So where is fasting? Pride? Arrogance? To get something?

Or to get rid of something ... such as pride, arrogance, presumption, a whole host of matters;

Rom 8:13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

[url=https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=0&topic_id=12137&forum=34&post_id=&refresh=Go]Understanding Mortification[/url]

Where do we fast? Only in our soul mind, because we are learning the Christ will come again and complete the marriage and The Holy Spirit is the other comforter given to teach our soul-mind to prepare the Bride for the Bridegroom, for we now have the mind of Christ and must renew it. Do we fast in body, it is already quickened and will be changed on resurrection day, to be just like the Bridegrooms.

Perhaps even a fasting from spiritualizing ... 'fasting'? Brother, this raises some serious concerns, if you are want to think there is no need for fasting and crucifying the fleshly impulses that dog us all our days ...

1Co 10:12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

Quote:

"""Christinyou,

I was hoping you could expound on your post, are you saying that you feel we should not fast?"""

Absolutely not.

Matthew 4:1-12 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

This is the only fast I know of that gives us the reason for fasting. Satan can tempt us while fasting, so we must be careful at the end of the fast, when hungry, tempting Jesus' power, bread from stones. Tempting his pride, even with the scriptures, misquoted of Course, "the angles charge over him." Tempting His work, offering a fast way to the kingdom. Jesus did not turn from the Father or take pride in who He was, but always turned to the Father and the Word in defense. Always put on Christ and the Armor of God when fasting, and long for Him, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim.

I was just saying our greatest fast is our hunger for Jesus Christ and to be with Him because the Bridegroom is away from His Bride in our soul-mind and our bodies even quickened we feel the the pains of longing to be with Him. Praise God He is with us in our spirits for without Him we could do nothing, even prayer and fasting would be as the Pharisees, for personal recognition and self centered religion.

I knew taking on mans fasting to fasting in the Spirit and longing for Christ would cause a ruckus.

Why did Jesus Fast at this time, when He had just been baptized into His ministry. What a ministry it was to be and no wonder He needed of prayer 40 days? All the temptations we of the flesh, let us not take fasting as a given, but be as Christ was in His prayer and fasting being for God and not for man-pleasers. No one would have known that He was praying and fasting unless it was written in scripture except God the Father exalt Him and share it with us.

In Christ: Phillip

Christinyou,

In Mat 4:1-12 Jesus had a successful encounter with the forces of evil and it seems that the Spirit of God was preparing Jesus for His battle with extended prayer and fasting. Is there a parallel with His disciples and their inability to cast out a demon...

Mat 17:13 Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.
Mat 17:14 And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying,
Mat 17:15 "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water.
Mat 17:16 So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him."
Mat 17:17 Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me."
Mat 17:18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.
Mat 17:19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?"
Mat 17:20 So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.
Mat 17:21 However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."

I believe there is a clear look into the importance of prayer and fasting...

wta

John Calvin's Verse Commentary
Matthew 17:21

21. This kind goeth not out, 1 By this expression Christ reproved the negligence of certain persons, in order to inform them that it was not an ordinary faith which was required; for otherwise they might have replied that they were not altogether destitute of faith The meaning therefore is, that it is not every kind of faith that will suffice, when we have to enter into a serious conflict with Satan, but that vigorous efforts are indispensably necessary. For the weakness of faith he prescribes prayer as a remedy, to which he adds fasting by way of an auxiliary. “You are effeminate exorcist,” said he, “and seem as if you were engaged in a mock-battle got up for amusement; 2 but you have to deal with a powerful adversary, who will not yield till the battle has been fought out. Your faith must therefore be excited by prayer, and as you are slow and languid in prayer, you must resort to fasting as an assistance.” 3 Hence it is very evident how absurdly the Papists represent fasting to be the specific method of driving away devils, since our Lord refers to it for no other reason than to stimulate the earnestness of prayer. When he says that this kind of devils cannot be cast out in any other way than by prayer and fasting, he means that, when Satan has taken deep root in any one, and has been confirmed by long possession, or when he rages with unbridled fury, the victory is difficult and painful, and therefore the contest must be maintained with all our might.

1. “Cest espece [de diablos] ne sort point;” — “this kind [of devils] goeth not out.”

2. “Vous y venez ainsi qu’a un combat de petits enfans, et comme s’il n’estoit question que de s’escarmoucher pour passe-temps.” — “You come to it as if it were to a fight of little children, and as if you had nothing to do but to skirmish for amusement.”

3. “Comme une aide pour vous exciter et enflamber;” — “as an assistance to excite and inflame you.”

Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible
Matthew 17:21
Ver. 19-21. Mark repeats only what we have here Mt 17:19,21. The reason assigned here by our Saviour why his disciples could not cast out this devil, was their unbelief; not their total want, but the weakness of their faith. Christ here again lets us see the power of faith, and the mischief of unbelief. I take the plain sense of the text to be this, That there is nothing which may tend to the glory of God, or to our good, but may be obtained of God by a firm exercise of faith in him. Whether our Saviour here speaketh of a faith of miracles, or no, I will not determine; I rather think that he speaketh here of any true faith: we must have the power and promise of God for its object. The promise of working miracles by a Divine power committed to them, was a particular promise made to the disciples, Mt 10, and so was only the object of their faith. But I take our Saviour's words to extend to a further latitude, though, as to miraculous operations, it was only applicable to them. There is nothing which God hath promised to give or bestow on any but faith will obtain from him, if attended by a fervent prayer, to which fasting is subservient, as preparing us to it. There are some things which are obtained by a stronger faith, and by more fervent and importunate prayers, than others are. A mercy sometimes seem to us to come out of the hand of God with more difficulty, and wrestling for it; but there is nothing within the latitude of a promise, but is to be done and obtained by the vigorous exercise of faith, and by fervent and importunate prayer. The apostles had yet but a weak and imperfect faith, and they had not used such fervent and importunate prayer in this case as they ought to have done; thence did this work appear so difficult unto them.
End.

Then where, did the Lord go first, after this? That He must suffer and be crucified and raised again. So even more our fasting is to be for the Lord, for if the disciples faith was not good enough to cast out this kind of demon, it must take a much greater faith insisted upon by fasting and prayer than we possess within ourselves. Who's faith must we entreat to cast out this kind of demon. It must be the Faith of the Son of God and in setting up the war that would be fought, to fight with the same determinate strength of Christ that He had for fourty days and nights with His Father to begin His journey to completely defeat the devil and all his Adversaries. Where is our victory, not in prayer and fasting but in Christ and Christ alone that is our total and complete clothing of Armour and strength. For the demons said they new who Jesus was and who Paul was, but those that got beaten up and stripped naked were outside of this strength and power. If I go against a demon of this power, I sure don't want to do it without the strength and power of Christ and the Holy Spirit and if it takes fourty days and nights to receive the total and complete surety that I am going in the strength and power of God, I cannot because it would be foolish and God will do what He and with who He wants to deal with this kind of demon. I certainly want to know that this is the will of God and I am going in His Name and Majesty and Strength with the Full Armour of God intact and completely worn as given instructions by our Full Armour Giver.

Truly my fast is my Savior and Lord are unreachable in my flesh, and by prayer and fasting I want the Spirit of Christ in me and the Holy Spirit to fill the fasting, not by earthly bread alone but by the Bread of Life Himself, Then my fasting is no longer needed because the Bread of Life is sustaining me no matter how long I wait upon the answer to prayer, which is in Him.

This is not easy to do, and the disciples should have been in this frame of mind when they approached this kind of demon. Total and complete dependence upon The Christ and the Holy Spirit from the Father by whom we are sent.

Our prayers and fasting will not help, unless it is by the inflaming of the fast to bring upon our prayers the Power of God to do His work.

Does this sound like I don't believe in fasting?

But only God's way in this circumstance.

If we are ready to take on the Faith of the Son of God that is in us and by the Power of the Holy Spirit given and our faith now His faith, we are ready.

I must say all Christians are Satan proof by the Christ that is in them. In whom do we believe Christ or the Lie of satan.

Fasting until Christ comes for His Bride, In Christ; Phillip

Christinyou,

IMO, both the commentaries used base their opinions on conjecture. No offense but it's clear. I guess maybe I should just come right out and ask you to say in clear language, "What are you trying to say about fasting?" :-D

All for souls,

wta

As we know, from Matt 6, Jesus speaks of when we do a charitable deed, when we pray and when we fast.

Which of those was an option?

Also, another reason for fasting is given in Isaiah 58. In verse 6 God asks, 'Is this not the fast that I have chosen?'

Then God tells us the things He wants us to fast for, the concerns He has.

Those concerns have not changed since Isaiah 58, they are still with us.

Also, Daniel's fast of 21 days was not at the beginning of any ministry, it was at the end of his life when the 70 years were to be completed.

Also, we have the scriptures given us in the book of Acts concerning fasting.

And we see in 2 Cor 6 that one of the reasons given by the apostle Paul for being a minister of God was that of fasting, verse 5.

Fasting is still a requirement for the Christian and is a necessary weapon to combat the world, the flesh and the devil.

Isaiah 58:3-12 Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours. Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high. Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD? Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward. Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity; And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday: And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.

Lu 5:34 And he said unto them, Can ye make the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them?
Lu 5:35 But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.

Isaiah 58:6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?

Who is the Fast that God has chosen? Is it not Christ? So what is fasting? Who looses the bands of wickedness, takes away heavy burdens, lets the oppressed go free, breaks every yoke?

This is our fast, not eating of our own bread or not eating our own bread, but closing our mouth that we might fill it with the Bread of Life Himself. He is not with us physically, so we fast for Him physically, being only quickened in the flesh. In the Spirit we have no need of fasting for He is our Spirit, In our soul-mind, fast and have no need of fasting. We have the mind of Christ in us, no need for fasting. We are renewing our minds to the mind of Christ and we fast seeking the truth, from the Comforter-Teacher the Holy Spirit.

Fasting, seeking after Christ: Phillip

[url=https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=0&topic_id=2461&forum=48&post_id=&refresh=Go]Return, America, to the Lord your God[/url]

[i]THE SOLEMN ASSEMBLY
by: RICHARD OWEN ROBERTS[/i]

christinyou,

I'm glad you can understand what you are talking about.