We as Christians are well familiar with one of the very first things our Lord did in the beginning of His ministry here on earth. He walked into the wilderness and ate nothing for 40 days. He fasted. Let us look into this much overlooked yet very important aspect of our Lord’s example.
When we go back to the very beginnings, God had made our food pure, no toxins existed in anything we ate or drink. Eden was a true beautiful paradise, flowing with such beauty. But today we are very degenerated from those days. Our bodies and minds have been bombarded with toxins. Could it be that fasting has more to offer than we suppose, for mind, body and soul?
In (Luke 4:1) we read “Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wildernesss, being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.” Then in verse 14, just after Jesus had come out of the wilderness it says ” Then Jesus returned in the POWER OF THE SPIRIT to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. Could His prayer and fasting the 40 days, contributed to His being in “the power of the Spirit”? Certainly.
Look at this list of notable men who fasted. Moses fasted 40 days because of the sin of Israel (Deu. 9:15-18) Daniel fasted (Dan 9:3-5) David fasted while his son was ill (2 Sam. 12:16) Ezra led a fast to seek God’s favor (Ez.8:21) .There are many more examples of fasting. But from the above we can see fasting was done for –forgiveness of sins, asking for help in health restoration of a loved one, and protection from danger (Ezra).
So in studying this subject, it brought me to the thought –why aren’t we practicing this much? Can it be we’ve neglected a most helpful practice in becoming more in tune with our Lord and even more “in power”? In (Luke 5:35) Pointing down in time, Jesus definitely makes it clear we shall fast . “But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and THEN shall they fast in those days.”
Being studied in the nutrition field, I’ve had the opportunity to study the effects of food and drink upon our body and mind. Let me just breifly state that the attitude, energy, mindset, even mood, can be directly affected by what you eat and drink. Let me give two examples of this.
There are well known allergy tests known as the sublingual testing. The person fasts for 24 hours, then goes into the office to be tested. A clear concentrated solution is given of certain substances under the tongue, one at a time, to observe the reaction. A person may be given wheat for example , and then within minutes he feels shaky or even confused(gluten allergy). Then maybe milk is given and the person feels as if he is leaving his body, kind of a floating dizziness. Maybe a friut , such as banana, then he feels a joyful uplifted mood. The point I’m making is that all our allergens have, over time “built up” in us, making the body woefully polluted, then our thinking and mindset is seriously lowered. The body needs and demands– a rest and clean out, that’s called a fast.
This next example is truly a great one because of the unexpected final result. The story goes that a man (don’t remember where he was from) was just destroyed, heart broke. His fiance had found another man and left him. He was crushed, so he said “What’s to live for? I’m going to the mountains to die.” So he went up into the cold lonely mountains to die, no food just some water for a few days. So there he was , still crying, and suffering so much. Day one went by, day two and so forth, eating nothing except drinking water.
But something strange began to happen about day 7 or 8. He awoke and started to think “What if I can live without her? Maybe I can find someone even better, some one who will REALLY love me?” His mind was becoming clearer, more rational. His toxins were leaving. Unbeknowest to him , he was experiencing one of our Lord’s beautiful laws–the joy of purifying through fasting.
On day 12, he had seen the light, he was very foolish to die over some girl, who didn’t love him ever anyway. His mind was indeed clear. He went home a changed man!
Admittingly, fasting commonly isn’t something that can be rushed into. Many find that juice fasting is a good prepartion for water fasting. Many times it’s better to do a one or two week vegetable and juice fast to become familiar with fasting. Certain reactions many times do happen that are known as “healing reactions”. These pass, and are usually of a short duration ( usually 1 to 5 days at the beginning).
We are told that the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. And as such, the purer we keep ourselves, the more we can be in tune with our Maker. Let us have the courage, through prayer, to fast as our Lord instructed. If we find our walk just never seems to be right, one of the most overlooked areas is –fasting. We continue day after day to toxicate ourselves without even realizing it!
If our bodies are “home” to God’s Holy Spirit, and in fact a ‘temple”, then it stands to reason we should clean and sanitize it occasionally. In so doing we will find a clearer and more satisfying walk with our Maker.
So let us continue to look to our Lord for all strength, including the ability fast as he said. Our Maker knows our every inch, and has declared “fasting” as a good and honorable thing to do.
In Christ, Rob
Godsloveandlaw's Blog 
February 2, 2018 at 1:05 pm |
Fasting is heavy in the spirit realm. Fasting trains Christians to crucify the flesh and bring the deeds of the flesh to death.
February 2, 2018 at 3:57 pm |
Amen, Well said.