Christian fasting questions......?

Question

How long is acceptable, what prayers are to be said, what purpose would this be for, what will it help? Thanks ahead of time, God bless.

Answer 1

Biblical fasting is "not eating" with spiritual communication in mind. How do we know this? Because Biblical fasting always occurs together with prayer in the Bible - ALWAYS. You can pray without fasting, but you cannot fast (Biblically speaking) without praying. Biblical fasting is deliberately abstaining from food for a spiritual reason: communication and relationship with the Father.

There are very few rules when it comes to fasting. What you do is really between you and the Lord. There is only one fast command in the Bible and that was the fast on the Day of Atonement. This fast was from sunset of one day to sunset of the next (Leviticus 16:29;23:32). So in this type of fast the person abstained from food and liquid for a period of one day (from sunset to sunset). This is a 'normal' fast.

The Partial Fast: In this type of fast, the emphasis is placed on restriction of diet, rather than abstaining completely from eating. Examples are: Daniel, Shadrack, Meshach and Abednego eating only vegetables and drinking only water (Daniel 1:15) and later on when Daniel alone practiced a limited diet for three weeks (Daniel 10:3). Some people would argue that this isn't really a fast at all, but Daniel 10:3 does use the word "mourned" which is a Biblical occasion for fasting and a common synonym for fasting.

The Radical Fast: This type of fast is one in which the person refrains from both food and water OR simply food (but not water) for an extended period of time. A radical fast can be harmful to your health and in most cases should not exceed three days. An example of a radical fast can be found with Esther and her household. Esther decided to fast for three days abstaining from both "food and water" both "day and night" (Esther 4:15-16). The rabbi Ezra and the apostle Paul also went without food and water for three days (Ezra 10:6-9; Acts 9:9). David is another example of a radical fast. He went seven days without food (but probably with liquid) as a plea to God to save the life of his child (2 Samuel 12:15-20). Fasts that extend beyond three or seven days can be found in the Bible, but these exceptions were based upon direct guidance from God or a supernatural ability given by God to complete the fast. Examples of these extreme fasts are: Moses (Deuteronomy 9:9-18 and Exodus 34:28); Elijah (1 Kings 19:8); and Jesus (Matthew 4:1-11).

God said, "When you seek me with all your heart, I will be found by you" (Jeremiah 29:13,14). When a man or woman is willing to set aside the legitimate appetites of the body to concentrate on the work of praying, they are demonstrating that they mean business, that they are seeking God with all their heart.

Fasting is an expression of wholeheartedness. This is clear from Joel's call to the nation of Israel: "Yet even now," says the Lord, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting. . ." (Joel 2:12).

In God's word we always find fasting connected with a very troubled spirit or a very anxious heart before the Lord. So a reason for fasting is not something you choose on the spur of the moment. Rather the reason is a consuming one. In a sense, it's not something you choose, so much as something that chooses you, because it's that important.

Of course, denying yourself food to focus on God and His program shows humility. That is why fasting is also the equivalent of the phrase "to humble oneself before the Lord" (Psalm 35:13; 1 Kings 21:29; Ezra 8:21). When a person is really concerned about the things of God, he will humble himself. There will be times when he will abstain from the enjoyment of food to continue concentration and focus on that which is important to God.

Answer 2

LOL I have limited experience with fasting....I haven't been able to do it since I got married because I have been either pregnant or nursing and hubs thought fasting would make me faint (and he was right! LOL).

Fasting is personal, between you and the Lord. You decide how long is long enough - I would suggest at least a couple meals. Spend the time you would spend eating in prayer. The prayers depend on you too! What do you want to fast and pray about? There are no rote prayers - you just take your request before God and spend some time talking it over with Him.

Prayer and fasting is for those times when you really need God to answer a prayer. Is there someone you know who needs to be saved? Is there something in your life you are struggling with, like a decision or a besetting sin? Is someone sick or in trouble? These are allr easons to fast. It can help quite a bit because generally when you do it it is an act of faith on your part that shows how serious you are about the request.

One caution for you - this isn't some magic formula. If you look at it like it's a ritual or magic spell it probably won't do much good. You have to do it because you believe that God will answer your prayers and you really want that answer. Your motives need to be right too - if you fast and pray for a million bucks you probably won't get it! LOL

Answer 3

In the Bible, with the single exception of a mention of fasting by itself in the book of Esther, is always linked with prayer. Fasting is when you give up something so that you can use the time and effort that would normally go into it for prayer. In their culture, with no McDonald's, microwaves, or grocery stores, the time needed to caught, kill, clean, cook and eat a meal was much more than today.

Fasting today can see be food, or it can be other things such as TV (imagine how much praying we could do if we used all that time) or Internet time or games.

But the key is to replace the time spend on the other activity with prayer. Otherwise, it is not a fast, but just a diet.

How long? As long as needed to get the answers or information needed from God. You will find fast that lasted only until "sundown" or the end of a battle, to ones that lasted as long as 80 days.

When the "fasted" items is food, you also get the benefit of "denying your flesh", which helps to increase spiritual awareness for most people.

Answer 4

In the Bible the longest I can remember anyone fasting was Jesus, 40 days and nights.

The fasts required by Muslims and Catholics during Ramadan and Lent are jokes. Muslims only fast during the day time and they eat after sundown, during Ramadan.

Catholics fast from meat on Fridays during Lent and for an hour before attending Mass.

Biblically speaking you can declare whatever fast you want for whatever purpose you want.

I usually suggest to people that they pray while others are eating.

And of course, the fast should be between you and the Lord. Only hypocrites brag about their fasts.

Which is why Jesus said, 16"When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 17But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." ( Matthew chapter six, NIV )

Whatever prayers you pray should come from the heart and not from a book.

The word "fast" occurs 47 times in the NIV. The link below will show you each verse. Read them all, and some you may want to read the whole chapter such as Matthew chapter six which teaches about prayers and fasting.

The word "fasting" occurs 24 times and I've given you a link that list also.

Pastor Art

Answer 5

It kinda cool you asked that, i just did a three day fast last week. The purpose of fasting is focus on prayer. By taking food away, you dwell on Christ alone, praying throught the day that he give you strength. Usually you dont fast, just to be fasting. YOu fast bc there is something particular in your life that you need Gods help with. For example, My fiance, his parents HATE me! We had to go down to where they live and have a "talk" with them. I fasted for three days before i left bc I was deeply hartbroken at my circumstance and i needed God then more than ever to be with me, and give me the words to say at this meeting with them. While I fasted, I read a Psalm every couple of hours and prayed through out the day. There are no set rules for fasting, its something that is between you and God. There are even different ways to fast! Some people will fast for a week or more with only bread and water (since you cant go that long without eating anything!) When i fasted for three days, i didnt eat at all but I drank plenty of juice and gatorade to stay hydrated, It was hard, and I was starving, but i noticed that without eating all the time, I was so much more focused on my prayer throught the day. And when the time came to have that "talk" with my fiances parents, only God alone could have helped me do as well with it as I did!

Answer 6

You decide the time and purpose of a fast.

If you decide to fast, completely define the purpose of the fast. Decide if you will fast without food AND water both. If you do not give up food completely, eat neutrisous plain food and drink water.

Everything you do during the fast, concentrate on the purpose of the fast and not on the fast itself.

Concentrate on everything you find about the thing you have on your mind. Learn all about it you can find.

With that thing in mind, pray to God for understanding and leadership to the goal you are seeking in the fast. With thankfulness, speak to God from the bottom of your being. Lay it all out before Him. Leave it with God and then He will give you strength and answers, either in your head, someone will bring the answer to you or you will find it on your own and realize that was it.

God does not work on our timetable, so don't try to rush Him.

Answer 7

Fasting is for some more and better insight for the Word of God. Or for an answer to a prayer for some legitimate need. How long depends upon you and God. Sometimes God will answer and sometimes He won't. When Jesus fasted onetime, God never answered Him, but the devil tempted Him. Jesus also thanked God for always hearing His prayers, even tho God didn't always answer them. Same with us. Sometimes what we think is important, may not be to God.

Answer 8

There is no proscribed time period to fast. Some people fast for 24 hours, others for several days. However, it's important to drink water during this time. If you have medical conditions, you should speak with your doctor before beginning a fast.

The sole purpose of fasting is to bring oneself closer to God. By abstaining from food, we put aside the desires of the flesh and concentrate on the spiritual.

For example:

Ezra 8:21 Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions.

Isaiah 58 describes the wrong way to fast; we should turn from the pleasures of life and solely seek Him. We should do no wrong and treat each other with love during this time.

There are several types of fasts; another requires a person to only eat foods that are not enjoyable and to drink only water; this is known as the "Daniel fast," and is described at Daniel 10:3. Daniel fasted for 3 weeks in this manner.

Answer 9

Fasting is for the purpose of drawing near to God. I am a Christian, and whenever I fast, I do it for the purpose of hearing what He has to say to me through His Holy Spirit. When I fast, I abstain from food, watching television and other pleasures for the purpose of focusing my attention directly to Him and His Word. I read my Bible and talk to Him about everything and everyone who I am concerned about. I praise Him for what He has done for me, and I praise Him for what He is going to do for others. As for the length of the fast, I think that depends on whether you have medical problems such as diabetes which requires that you eat something every 4-5 hours. I have fasted anywhere from 6-8 hours to 3 days, and it's amazing the closeness I felt to God and what I learned from Him during those times. God bless you!!!

Answer 10

Fasting is however long you'd like to be. You can pray about anything. ask Him for strength to get you through your fasting. You fast on things that keep you away from spending time with the Lord, like TV, magazines, sometimes, even friends..lol. This will help you grow stronger in your walk as well as your Faith and you'll grow closer to God. These aren't facts. This is all from my own experiences.

Answer 11

You could read the Bible and find out. I think the Holidays are listed in Leviticus, but i don't remember which ones you're supposed to fast. I would just say any prayers, u no, be thankful, remind God how mush i love him, just the normal every day prayers.
Oh, and you're welcome. LOL