How do you fast?

If the Lord is having you to fast, He will show you what it is that He would have you to do. Just ask Him to show you the way.

Hi,

A long time ago I read a book about fasting for health benefits. I eventually worked around to doing it on a small scale.

The first time I fasted was before I had learned how and I managed to give myself a whopping migraine headache. (Note: if you normally drink coffee/tea and stop cold, you will get a migraine).

When they fasted in the Bible days their diets were free of all the additives and chemicals that are in modern day processed food. Even if you don't eat processed food, the meat we are able to buy in the grocery is full of antibiotics and stuff. When you fast, you body will begin 'housecleaning.' This means it will start to rid your body of all these nasty things that have built up over the years. What you want to do is limit the speed of the release of these toxins. If too much is dumped into the blood at once it can make you VERY sick. It is better to do juice or fruit fasts. Actually it is better to read up on it more and not take my word. I am not a Dr.

If you are interested in the name of the book, I will see if I can dig it up.

I did manage to go completely vegetarian one summer and after a few months was able to fast for 48 hours but never longer. Circumstances came about that prevented me from continuing. Often I think about going back to that plan but since I have to cook for a husband and I know he does not long for those starvation days, I have not acted on my thoughts.

You have to start small to be able to not have it interfere with your life.

When we were on that diet, I had also found a copy of Fit For Life and followed the advice in there as much as I could. We ate raw fruit and vegetables for 70% of our diet. That is a great book. It points out that the Earth is 70% water, the human body is 70% water and our food should be 70% raw (containing naturally distilled water and nutrients).

We both felt great when on that diet, too.

Cheers,
white stone

There are the 12 hour fasts... 4 am to 4 pm or 6 am to 6 pm.

David Wilkerson says he fasts one or two days as week and I've heard Derek Prince talk about always fasting one or two separate days a week. A statement I remember Derek Prince saying was, "Church members don't fast, disciples do." Because I said, "Lord, I want to be a disciple."

I dont' know what it's like to be a dad and fast but to be a mom and fast, it sure didn't set well having to cook for everyone and fast at the same time!!

Yes, there were times it interfered and I would stop the fast...but in hindsight, I should have included my husband and kids in on it. Not in a bragging bravado (Oh, look at me) way, but in a "Look, I feel I really need to seek the Lord and I need your help" way. And since I didn't, I "let" it interfere with my fast and walk.

You pray about it and see what the Lord wants you to do!

Many blessings in your search for more!

What has helped me in the past is to prepare myself days before the time I am planning to begin the fast. I ask the Lord to begin to help me to get my mind focused and ready to do it. I ask Him for His help to take away for that time any allurement for food. I ask that the Holy Spirit will take control of me during that time. And that despite distractions, to help me to maintain a spiritual calm and joy. I keep rehearsing to myself the reason(s) why I feel that it is necessary to do this.

Years ago, I used to work in a bakery. You can well imagine the sight & aroma that assailed me, but during one Easter weekend out of intense gratitude and love for Jesus, I wanted to sacrifice food as a thank offering to Him. It was an amazing experience. The first day, I was a little tempted once or twice, but after that the Lord greatly strengthened me. My time with Him in prayer and communion was awesome. And by the way holiday weekends like that is very busy...lots of distraction. What I am trying to say is it has to be done in the Spirit and with His help.

It is a very worthwhile and needful discipline in christendom today.

Charmaine

Was it a fast like a diet? Or where you fasting and praying?

Both.

I fast one day a week from 6PM Tuesday night to 6PM Wednesday night, drinking only water. In this way I can fast for 24 hours and still sit down with the family for supper. When I do fasts for longer than the 24 hours I just let the family know that I am fasting and will not be joining them at the dinner table but will be praying instead during that time.

My family understands and I never have a problem with fasting "getting in the way" of anything in my home, rather fasting seems to remove many obstacles in personal and family matters.

Fasting is beneficial in prayer warfare and also can be helpful towards gaining direction and discernment in spiritual battles. Fasting isn't some kind of magical formula for spiritual victory but it certainly is a powerful weapon for the believer.

Before you begin fasting do a careful and prayerful study of Isaiah 58.

In Christ,

Ron

For me fasting with 4 little ones and a spouse can be challanging temptation wise, but it is VERY rewarding.

When I am on a water and juice fast (coffee not included), I usually fast between 7-12 days from all food. As you know during dinner time, it can be very hard. I usually do ALL the cooking that I can during this time. If I can't eat it, I sure am going to enjoy the direct smell of it at least! I will usually sit down with the family to eat and have my allotment of V-8 juice that I give myself per meal. Add a little extra celery salt in it.

But to your question. There really is no problem with fasting around family. In fact, it usually brings up great conversations about the Lord. As for interfering with things... I don't know what you not eating would interfere with specifically? As long as you do not seclude yourself from the family during this time, I think that all should be ok. It works for me at least. I have even had brothers and sisters over for grill outs where I have been in the midst of fasting. Very hard to watch everyone eat burgers and brats while I drink V-8 and apple juice :-) , but it did not interfer with anything because of the fast.

Now there are times that I cannot be around the family during eating because it is tempting. During this time I usually ask my wife what she would like me to get done for her while she cooks, fees the kids and cleans, then I go work on that project specifically during this time. Win win.

Hope this helps my friend!

just wanted to add that i think its important to remember that always when fasting it should be with joy and thanksgiving, for some time it was a burden sort of, it can be "hard" but without the spirit of thanksgiving to the lord and joy, i doubt such fast avail much, that is my experience. So fast with joy in the Lord :-) , just as giving money can be a dead work by giving but in our hearts we dont really wanna give, and such things, so we should remember setting aside time to fast must be of the same spirit.

Isa 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?
Isa 58:7 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?
Isa 58:8 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.

So far this thread has dealt with food fasts, which is the most common and widely recognized fast. I like the suggestion of breaking the fast at supper with the family by timing the fast.

The bands that we are breaking with a fast seem to me to be the bands of the dominance of the flesh so we can be more sensitive to the Spirit of the Lord. It is a way of crucifying the flesh. Along those lines, I would suggest that fasting need not be limited to food. If you are not a person given to appetite where food is concerned, what are you given to? Does coffee dominate your life. Fast that. Are you "addicted" to television? Fast that. I am not saying to never fast food in the more traditional sense. That is powerful, and need not be left out, but you can begin to live a fasted lifestyle by regularly fasting other things that tend to govern your life as well.

Hope maybe that will help.

twayneb,

That is a very good post and quite thought provoking.

Haven't seen you post before, guess you were saving yourself for a subject in which you are versed. Hope to see you around here more,

white stone

I wrote this out from Derek Prince's sermon "[b]Self Humbling through Fasting[/b]" (series: Bend the church and Bow the world). This helps me to know the basis of why we should fast! I hope it helps anyone else that needs it.

[i]Now we're going to turn to Leviticus 16 and we're going to read verses 29 through 31. This is about the day of atonement, what the Jewish people call Yom Kippur which is still the most sacred day in the Jewish calendar three thousand four hundred years from the time these words were spoken. Speaking about this day of atonement, Moses says,
29 "This shall be a statute forever for you: In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether a native of your own country or a stranger who (sojourns) dwells among you.
30 "For on that day the priest shall make atonement for you, to cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before the LORD.
31 "It is a Sabbath of solemn rest for you, and you shall afflict your souls. It is a statute forever."

That is the most emphatic statement; it is a statute forever. It is never to change. And as I said for 3,400 years the Jewish people have always observed Yom Kippur, even if they were in a concentration camp, they would observe it as a day of fasting. In Acts 27.9, it is called the fast.

So that establishes the Scriptural fact which could be established in many ways that when God said afflict your souls, He meant fast.

My definition of fasting is: going without food for spiritual purposes. It's not necessarily going without drink although the Jewish people for Yom Kippur for about 25 hours, they normally go without food or water. It's dangerous to go more than 72 hours without water and I would never recommend you to do it. I did know a preacher called Tommy Hicks who turned Argentina upside down some considerable time ago, he went 17 days; Moses went 40 days without food or water; but don't ever attempt to go beyond 72 days unless you are in a supernatural realm with God as Moses was.

Fasting is not just going without food; [b]it's going without food for spiritual purposes.[/b] Now why did God require that the Israelites afflict their souls? That word afflict is a very powerful word. It is also used to describe what a man does to a woman when he rapes her, to subdue, to humble, to humiliate and God requires that we humble, subdue, and humiliate our souls. And he said to the Israelites, "If you don't do it every year, you're no longer my people." So God attaches tremendous importance to this act.

Why? I think you have to understand the function of the soul. Humanity is a triune being made in the likeness of a triune God; spirit, soul and body. I don't want to get into an analysis of this but essentially the soul is the ego, it's the eye; and there are three main functions of the soul (according to most theologians), intellect, will and emotions. Put will first.... will, intellect, and emotions. So translating it into simple language here, your soul is the thing that says, "I want; I think; I feel." And it's very arrogant and self-assertive in every one of us. And God says if you really want my blessing you're going to have to learn to subdue that arrogant, self-assertive ego in every one of you.[/i]

[edited spelling mistakes... that's what I get for using notepad! LOL