SHEPHERD TO SHEEP
BIBLICAL
FASTING
In the Bible we read about how the
Israelites enjoyed the feasts of the Lord in the Old Testament. The gospels also reveal how Jesus ate often
in fellowship with others. But when we
have a serious concern on our heart or if we as a body have a corporate
concern, then it’s time to seek the Lord with fasting. Fasting is a very rewarding experience. May the Lord direct us to fast as the Spirit
leads. And I pray the following Bible
study will give you insight on scriptural fasting:
Definition -
“To go without food for the purpose of seeking God”.
CONSIDERATIONS
ABOUT FASTING:
·
For
guidance (Judges 20:26-28)
·
Victory
over temptation (Matthew 4:1-2)
·
National
repentance (1 Samuel 7:5-6)
·
Burdened
for others (Nehemiah 1:3-4)
·
Personal
concerns (1 Samuel 1:7, 10)
·
Direction
for ministry (Acts 13:1-3)
·
Pride (Nehemiah
9:1-2; Joel 2:12; Matthew 6:16-18)
·
Empty
ritualism (Zechariah 7:5-7)
·
Forgetting
true spirituality (Isaiah 58:4-6)
KINDS OF
FASTS
·
Supernatural
fast - No food and no water
(Exodus 34:28). Not a normal fast and
usually never lasted more than three days (Ezra 10:6-8; Esther 4:16).
·
Normal fast - No food but liquids okay and for a time
that the Spirit would lead (most common in the Bible).
·
Partial fast - Eating
lightly (blander food) while abstaining from rich and sweet foods. This is good if you have to keep up your busy
and strenuous schedule as Daniel evidently did.
Fasting doesn’t have to be all or nothing. (Daniel 10:1-5)
*Please
check with your doctor if you have special needs.
How blessed
we are to enjoy the food God has graciously and abundantly given to us. And what a blessing it is to go without food
for a time when we feel directed to seek the will of the Lord for our lives.
Louie
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