Prayer and fasting seem to be taught in scripture

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dann

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In christian colleges prayer and fasting was the normal .
3-day fasts from food. Or 21 day daniel fasts .
And 40 day food fasts once a year.

As demonstrated in franklin Hall’s book “the fasting prayer”

Do you know people who fast to improve their prayer life? Or spiritual life?
 
Fasting definitely helps my spiritual life. It’s going without food and drink and instead focusing on spiritual things, like reading the Bible or prayer. It’s where the spiritual things become so important that eating almost becomes an immorality. Fasting strengthens my prayers. I feel more of the Holy Spirit when I pray and fast.
 
I am better able to resist sin when I give up small things like snacking unnessecarily or taking cold water shoiwers.
 
I’ve been wanting to start to fast much more, but have never found the “right” time to start. 🤐
 
Like abstaining from animal products, oil and wine and eat only in the evening ? Or like a full fast, a black fast with no eating or drinking anything? I can’t do more than one day of full fast and go to work etc without fainting. But I have observed I think clearer when I fast. So in school I am sure it helps.
 
Hm I think you are right. Bread and water after 3 pm I think for the whole period. Full fast would be nothing right?
 
Yes 1 person who did a 40day fast told me after 2weeks the voices quit talking.
And yes water is freely drank.
 
dann said:
And 40 day food fasts once a year.
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I presume they still eat some food and don’t just consume water for 40 days.

Yeah, some people fast. Sometimes I fast. There are different types of fasting. I’ve seen a lot of Muslims have to work all day while doing the Ramadan fast. I don’t think that’s a great idea as it’s hard for them to work when they are hungry.

A good fast is somewhat difficult but also healthy. A fast that is either not difficult or not healthy is not helpful.

Most Catholic “fasts” for me are not very difficult because I often don’t eat. Catholic churches like a “2 small meal and one big meal and no meat” diet, which is often my regular menu, or a “bread and soup” meal which for me is a normal lunch, or a “bread and water” day where the bread is quite enough for me and i have to buy bread i dont like to make it a sacrifice.

By contrast, some activities such as just drinking water for a protracted time (while not restricting your eating, you do not drink any other beverage including spraking water), or removing all sugar from your diet while still eating a balanced menu, are quite difficult and very healthy
 
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Isn’t a lot of it to do with intent? I would find it harder going one day without chocolate then one week without meat.

I tried a liquid fast one Friday but only until 3pm, I had a tea and then just drank milk, also I need the temperance that when my fast finishes I don’t gorge lots of food and have something more sensible in size.
 
No you presume wrong.

I have met many people who have fasted 40 days without food and drink water only.

As 4 my self I was only instructed by the holy spirit to do a 10 day fast … The 1st time.

40 day fasts are common in some ministry.

After you do numerous 3 day fasts. It gets easer!
And the spiritual results
 
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A protestant at work told me during Lent that I was sinning by giving up certain foods out of love for God as it says in Acts that no food is unclean.

A few weeks ago that same protestant says he is fasting from certain foods not for religious purposes but for health and fitness benefits.

:roll_eyes:
 
Yes but you have to look at the whole picture and intent.
Isaiah 58:6
This is the fast… To break the bonds…
 
dann said:
I have met many people who have fasted 40 days without food and drink water only.
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That is seriously unhealthy. You could die. Not from starving to death, but from the things your body does when it does not receive adequate nutrients, or even from fainting and hitting your head, falling downstairs, crashing your car if you pass out driving. I’m not kidding. It’s bad. Don’t do it.
 
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I realize my speech is falling on deaf ears here because if people decide they are getting some spiritual benefit out of punishing their body in an unhealthy way, they will keep it up even if 100 doctors tell them to stop.

Also, starving yourself and other forms of self-punishment can create a natural high that I suspect has been interpreted spiritually by those who subject themselves to it.

Maybe advanced ascetics can handle this, but the ordinary person in the cheap seats who decides “OK I’m gonna not eat for 40 days now” is risking their life same as those people who go in sweat lodges under the guidance of some wack job and have no idea what they are doing.
 
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