Amen brother. Sometimes we forget about one of our most powerful weapons in fasting. When we are going through something, Satan tries to get us to focus on the problem instead of our solution. Thank you for the reminder. You are truly gifted.
 

God is drawing HIS children in one accord. HE has all HIS children all around on fast. I am glad I am not in the devil's shoes.
GOD bless-shelia
 

AMEN !! Being a Diabetic I can't fast but, have come to a few answers to many Prayers recently for which I Thank God for ! I would love to be fasting tho as I could stand to loose the "Big Mac" pounds ! lol..Wonderful Post !! Thanks for sharing ! Ears are listening more closer than they were before even as Satan tries to continually attack those I Love and Myself... Our Love for God and His Love for Us is so much Greater..I just keep singing.."Greater is he that is in Me , Greater is he that is in me ..than He than is in the World !" Quiet time alone with Christ and in God's Word helps so much even when under attack..how often in Our Earthly Lives We forget that ! I traded my "Big Mac'' for it !! :)
Have a Blessed Evening !!
Strength & Faith in Christ,
Kathy <><
THS
 

:)
 

heh. Another great word, pastor Van Helsing. The proverbial stake goes through this heart. (Well, in the long ago past, fasts were forced on me, so now I realize they were in reality "hunger strikes"). I long for the grace you speak, I shall seek it ardently.
 

This is a great word and so very true. I have from time to time experienced that same hunger strike kind of thing and found it based in my motivation, as you said. But as with you, this fast has been so different from that. This is day 7 and I have had such clarity and love and such confirmation that I am almost overwhelmed from it all. The Lord is so amazing and truly wonderFUL. Today I feel that I could continue on in this place forever.

May He reveal Himself ever more to you and speak to you the mysteries of His heart.

MARANATHA!
 

This is a great word and so very true. I have from time to time experienced that same hunger strike kind of thing and found it based in my motivation, as you said. But as with you, this fast has been so different from that. This is day 7 and I have had such clarity and love and such confirmation that I am almost overwhelmed from it all. The Lord is so amazing and truly wonderFUL. Today I feel that I could continue on in this place forever.

May He reveal Himself ever more to you and speak to you the mysteries of His heart.

MARANATHA!
 

Some may be opposed to any form of penance ("Hey, Jesus forgave our sins! Why do we need to do penance?"), my Episcopalian aunt pointed my attention to the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus says: "And when you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you" (Matt. 6:16–18; cf. Mark 2:18–20).


My aunt stressed that Jesus said " when you fast" not " if you fast." He expected his followers to fast, so it is no surprise that we find them doing so: "While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off" (Acts 13:2–3; cf. 14:23). The question is not " Should Christians fast?" but " Why should Christians fast—what are we trying to accomplish by it?"


Fasting (and embracing the hunger that it produces) improves us spiritually in several ways: We express our recognition that spiritual things are more important than physical things. We learn to deny ourselves pleasures, even in spite of pain—an important spiritual lesson. We declare that we recognize the need to reform and to get closer to God. We willingly embrace the hunger fasting produces as a sign of being willing to shoulder the burdens of others (cf. Col. 1:24). Finally, we express humility before God by adopting a humble posture, recognizing our dependence on him and affirming our submissiveness to his will.



Fasting does relate to prayer and is used in the Bible as a way of petitioning God. But the humility one expresses in fasting must be real and not affected.

Blessings my dear Pastor J, & thank you for sharing your heart & God's love with us.
Roksana
 

I love the way you cut straight to it a great point and real food for thought he he
 

Thanks for sharing on this subject. Do you think it's possible that a hunger strike could turn into a fast. I guess you'd have to look at your motives and your expectations and get them in line with God. Turn ambitious striving into loving worship. Some fasts occupy a lot of time. The likelihood of your heart being right all that time is not good. Okay, I'll make that personal. I don't know about other people's hearts. The likelihood of me keeping a pure heart is not good. Again I don't know about other people, but when I don't have food, my old man starts telling me that there isn't any more sanctified nonsense in me. It starts calling me a big faker, a hypocrite. I have to find other innocent ways to give my heart the feeling of being loved and cared about, then it's willing to let the new me take control again. It just has to know that I'm not depriving myself out of self-hatred. It seems like I have lots of little quirks like this that can sabotage a fast if I don't watch my heart and listen to my thoughts carefully. Phil. 4:8
 

Great message!<br /><br />I did take a couple of specialized fasts for 40 day periods this year (one time doing without condiments and coffee creamer, the other time from desserts and soda) focusing on the salvation of a particular individual during that time.  Do I believe the people were more likely to get saved because I fasted?  Probably not, but I wanted to focus on those individuals more.  The second fast had me longing for what I was fasting from more than the first time, but that was just me.<br /><br />Keep up the good work.<br /><br />Jeff<br />