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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Role of fasting in a Christian's walk? | Neh 1:4 | Makarios | 30803 | ||
Greetings Sandra! Thank you for that information! The best way of understanding or getting a clear picture on the Biblical meaning of fasting is by looking at all of the occurrences of fasting in the Bible itself, and you have given us a very extensive list on that! Thank you. I will also have to investigate that logos site where this information came from. And feel free to post some more information regarding Nehemiah! Welcome to the Study Bible Forum! Nolan |
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2 | Role of fasting in a Christian's walk? | Neh 1:4 | hallsan | 30817 | ||
I've been studying out fasting in the Bible since last year and fasting periodically. There are no biblical laws that command regular fasting for the Christian. Freedom does not mean license, but opportunity. Abstaining from food is an opportunity to gain humility while crying out to God. We are commanded to deny ourselves as Christians and that is the term used for fasting in Leviticus 16:29. When Jesus was asked why his disciples did not fast, Jesus replied "Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with the? The days will come, when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast." (Matt 9:15) It seems clear that we are expected to fast, for after His ascension, we read of the disciples fasting (Acts 13:2, 3). Motives are extremely important in fasting, as we are shown that fasting to impress is not worthy of eternal reward. Fasting must center on God. We must do it to worship Him first. In Zechariah 7:5, God asks the people ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, was it really for me that you fasted?' There are secondary purposes as well, but first and foremost we must not fast for the benefits but to worship. The secondary purposes are important too, tho. Fasting will reveal pride, anger, bitterness, jealousy, strife, fear, etc. if they are within us. In all the secondary values of fating, such as increased effectiveness in prayer, decision-making, deliverance from bondage, physical well-being, revelations, we can expect God to reward those who diligently seek him. A wonderful source (that I have been drawing from for this particular message) for practicals in fasting is Celebration of Discipline by Richard J. Foster. Amazon.com has some of the pages from the book that you can browse. The pages don't deal with fasting, but with meditation, the first of the spiritual disciplines he discusses. To summarize, I have come to the conviction through the vast number of instances of fasting throughout scripture and through Matt 9 that fasting is expected. It's role is to increase our reliance and personal worship of God. It will serve to reveal those acts of our sinful nature that have not been submitted to God, and give us the strength to fully submit to God and gain the fruit of the Spirit. Sandra |
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3 | Role of fasting in a Christian's walk? | Neh 1:4 | Makarios | 30822 | ||
Wonderful post Sandra! It is quite clear that you've taken a lot of time to study the subject of fasting and I am thankful that you have shared your experiences with us. I cannot put into words the difficulty that I sometimes have in just focusing on God in prayer for long periods of time. My mind constantly wants to wander and center on other things! The longest prayer that I have ever prayed was about 10 minutes. Beyond that, I begin to lose my concentration. My prayer life is constant, but it goes in little sessions here and there, when my mind is completely focused on the Lord. However, when I am at work or even at this Forum, I am conscious of still thinking about the Lord, even though He may not be in the "forefront", so to speak.. So when I think of fasting, not only is it a sacrifice of time, but it is also a sacrifice of something that we normally need, use, etc.. I've never fasted for more than about 16 hours straight from anything, and that is perhaps something that I should consider "stretching" myself in.. But it is not the length of time that we fast, but it is like you said: to increase our reliance and personal worship of God. And that reference to Zechariah 7:5 is eye-opening! You've written an excellent post on fasting and have given me much to think about! :-) Thank you! Nolan |
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4 | Role of fasting in a Christian's walk? | Neh 1:4 | hallsan | 30868 | ||
Dear Nolan, Fasting is not easy for me and I have difficulty skipping more than 2 meals, EXCEPT when I'm feeling God's hand on me. When I'm upset then fasting makes sense, because then I can devote all my time to crying out to God. And that has only really happened a couple of times. I pray for a more compassionate and tender heart so that I may get more upset about the lost, for example, and feel more genuinely moved, as Nehemiah did, by situations. I admire Nehemiah's heart so much. He was a highly placed official in the King's court, yet he humbled himself and was genuinely mournful when he heard the news about Jerusalem. How much such a heart is to be admired. The big contrast to Nehemiah's mourning and fasting is the Pharisaical practice of fasting. I have the Online Bible, which I highly recommend BTW, and it includes various commentaries, which are great additions to one's own understanding of a scripture. Luke 18:12, where the Pharisee prays proudly and disdaining the tax collector, has an interesting reference to habitual fasting. Poole's commentary has this to say about it: -- Ver. 12. Twice in the sabbath, saith the Greek, but that is ordinary, to denominate the days of the week from the sabbath; the meaning is, twice between sabbath and sabbath. Those learned in the Jewish Rabbins tell us, that the Jews were wont to fast twice in a week, that is, the Pharisees and the more devout sort of them; once on the second, another time on the fifth day (which are those days which we call Monday and Thursday). From whence some tell us that Wednesday and Friday come to be with us fasting days or fish days. The Christians in former times, thinking it beneath them to be less in these exercises than the Jews, would have also two fasting days each week; and those not the same with the Jews, that they might not be thought to Judaize. If that custom had any true antiquity, I doubt not but they fasted after another rate than the papists or others now do, who pretend a religion to those days. But neither was the Pharisees practice, nor the practice of Christians, in this thing to be much admired or applauded. For fasting was always used in extraordinary cases; and the bringing extraordinary duties into ordinary practice usually ends in a mere formality. It is a good rule, neither to make ordinary duties extraordinary or rare, nor yet extraordinary duties ordinary: the doing of the first ordinarily issues in the loss of them, and quite leaving them off; the latter, in a formal lifeless performance of them. -- SO here we see a possible explanation of eating fish on Fridays practiced among the Catholics. And the lifelessness invoked because of the ordinariness of the practice. Also, it was commanded on the day of atonement back in the Leviticus, and was useful in times of extraordinary need. But I don't believe it was intended for Christians to lower fasting to an ordinary practice. It is a form of worship that is special and called for by distress or extraordinary need. That is my conviction from reading the bible and I'd love to hear what other folks understand about this spiritual discipline. To respond to your sharing about your difficulty praying . . . I go in stages. Most days I am in "continual prayer" but I realize that my faith is built when I pray. I have had some answers to my prayers that have been powerful and it wasn't because I prayed at length. During one difficulty I prayed for God to reveal the truth and all that needed to be revealed in the situation. He revealed the truth of the situation and went further to reveal the sin in my life that I needed desperately to repent of. I wasn't expecting Him to be so faithful and thorough!!! :) But I count it up to joy to received God's discipline through my prayer. Fasting can be like that, too. Sometimes our worship can be more intense than others, and when we're fasting is likely to be so. |
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5 | Role of fasting in a Christian's walk? | Neh 1:4 | Makarios | 30970 | ||
Greetings again, Sandra! As is my custom and practice, I leave the Forum when I become weary of it, and I have spent the best part of this day away from it... But I thank you for your lengthy response! You have mentioned some very excellent points about fasting and prayer, and have said some good things about sin being revealed that needs to be repented of. I can understand where one who is upset or beset by sorrow will be much quicker to fast (and fast for longer periods of time) than one who isn't! If I was grieving for a loved one who recently passed away, then I would need to grieve and fast for a time just to be at peace. I liked your sentence about "our worship can be more intense than others", since I keep telling people that there is no such thing as "becoming 'too close' to God!" :-) I really enjoy the Online Bible as well, it being one of my "core" resources that I always use! I also have E-Sword, Theophilos, QuickBible NASB (Search) and QuickVerse Deluxe, which are invaluable, as well as my many commentaries, Study Bibles and books of every kind. But I have not mentioned all of my resources here, and I will not do so, as to fill up this post with needless information.. My strength is not in fasting or in the mastering of it, but I haven't given up on possibly learning, with time and a lot of patience, like Nehemiah! :-) I have obviously much to learn from people like you, who have an excellent grasp of the truth of fasting, and what it takes to truly set your mind to fasting. I will take everything that you have stated into consideration, and I will ponder all that has been said. Keep up the excellent posts! Your Brother in Christ, Nolan |
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