Matthew 6:16
...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.
Some
may wonder why am I discussing fasting; well, we have discussed a litany of
topics, but to my remembrance never fasting its discipline or the abstention
from food for spiritual purposes. Some fast to lose weight. Some fast during a
set aside prayer time, and then there are those who fast regularly. That said,
fast is often linked together with prayer, but it is a spiritual discipline in
and of itself and is considered a continuous prayer without words.
There
are the three main forms of fast and they are:
a. The normal fast, which is abstaining from food, solid
or liquid except water.
b. The absolute fast, which is abstaining from food and
water (Esther 4:16; Acts 9:9). It is recommended that this fast should not be
undertaken for more than three days. This is because the kidneys will began to
shut down and the body become dehydrated. The Bible records Moses and Elijah
undertook this fast but with supernatural conditions (Exodus 34:28; Deuteronomy
9:9,18; 1 Kings 19:8). Christ Himself fasted 40 days in the wilderness where He
was tempted by Satan, but was able to withstand Satan's temptations. Christ
also taught that fasting should be part of Christians' devotion and in
preparation for His return. The church in acts practiced fasting (Acts 13:2-3;
14:23, 27:33).
c. The partial fast is centered more on diets than a
complete abstention from food (Daniel 10:3).
Let's
look at some purposes for fasting and determine if your and my reason (s) for
fasting is among them and they are: (a) We fast to honor God. (b) to humble
ourselves before Him, (c) to experience more of God's grace and His presence,
(d) to mourn over personal sin and failure as well as sins in the church and
the world, (e) to seek God's grace for a new task or to reaffirm one's
consecration to God, (f) to draw closer to God while persisting in prayer against
the contrasting forces in this world, (g) to show repentance and avoid God
impending judgment, (h) to save people from the bondage of sin and evil as we
make intercessory prayer, (i) to gain insight to God's wisdom, and receive an outpouring
of His Spirit upon you (above is quoted and
paraphrase from KJV Commentary).
For
me my prayer and fast align with all of the above and I feel better after each
fast, which is once a week.
Fasting
is Biblically sound, was practiced and encouraged by Christ Himself and the NT
church in Acts as well as many churches today.
Comments
are welcome
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