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Tigress
Registered Member
Date Joined Feb 2003
Total Posts : 1252
| Posted 12/9/2003 11:30 AM (GMT -6) |   | On the Theology thread there's a discussion going on about tithing. Someone mentioned that the New Testament doesn't even mention tithing at all, and wondered if it was only an Old Testament law.
Along those same lines I have a question regarding fasting. It seems like such a mystical thing to do, and Christians (or at least in the Christian circles I've been in throughout my life) haven't been given much information about fasting like; when to do it, how to do it, how often to do it, what it accomplishes, etc.
I know that Jesus said that certain types of demons couldn't be exorcised unless the exorcist prays and fasts, but other than that, I don't recall any real guidelines about fasting. How should one fast to exorcise demons?
How should a person fast under normal circumstances? Should Christians be doing it regularly, like once a week? Is the best way to fast to not eat food, or is it okay to fast from something else like TV, chocolate, secular music, etc.? (I take anti-depressant medication that must be taken with food.) Or is it okay to fast one or two meals a day, instead of not eating for a whole day? Is fasting a command of God that we must obey, like observing Holy Communion?
If anyone has any answers I'd appreciate it.
Tigress 
"Name a shrub after me. Preferably one that's prickly and difficult to eradicate."
-Captain Jack Aubrey
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John Earp
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Date Joined Oct 2002
Total Posts : 1715
| Posted 12/9/2003 5:34 PM (GMT -6) | | Hi Tigress,
Jesus didn't say, "If you fast," He said, "When you fast." It seems to me that he meant for it to be a normal part of the Christian's warfare with the world, the flesh and the devil.
Luke 5:33 ¶ And they said to Him, "The disciples of John often fast and offer prayers, the {disciples} of the Pharisees also do the same, but Yours eat and drink."
34 And Jesus said to them, "You cannot make the attendants of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them, can you?
35 "But {the} days will come; and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days."
(He was referring to when He would be resurrected and ascend to heaven--"taken away from them"--no doubt).
Matt 6:16 ¶ "Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites {do,} for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.
17 "But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face
18 so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees {what is done} in secret will reward you.
We have one rather striking example of corporate fasting in the early church at Antioch, which resulted in the commissioning of Barnabas and Saul for their missionary endeavors:
Acts 13:1 Now there were at Antioch, in the church that was {there,} prophets and teachers: Barnabas, and Simeon who was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
2 While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."
3 Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.
4 ¶ So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia and from there they sailed to Cyprus.
As to your prescribed medicine, you should definitely check with your physician before attempting to fast.
There are different kinds of fasts in Scripture. A good practical book on fasting is Bill Bright's Fasting & Prayer, though his main emphasis is juice fasting, not the total water-only fast that is the most common scriptural fast.
As far as an obligation, it seems to me that this is definitely one of the things that falls under the category of being led by the Spirit. In other words, if and whenever God tells you to fast, you should. Regular corporate fasting was very common in the early church period, and continues today in a modified form as Lent. However, as you may know, most people don't go on a scriptural water-only fast during Lent.
In my tradition (Pentecostalism) fasting was talked about a lot. As we thought you weren't supposed to tell anyone you were fasting, it's a bit hard to say whether or not people really practiced it much,  but in any case it was very much emphasized as a means to spiritual power, growth, and breakthrough. In my own life, fasting has proven to be a very powerful tool to subdue carnal desires and to heighten my sense of the Spirit's voice.
"The Discovery of new truth will modify old views and opinions, and there is perhaps no end to this process with finite minds in any world." Charles G. Finney, Systematic Theology.
revivaltheology.net
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Laplace
Registered Member
Date Joined Apr 2003
Total Posts : 138
| Posted 12/11/2003 12:19 PM (GMT -6) | | Tigress,
The reference you are referring to about exorcising a demon in Matthew and Mark is not found in all manuscripts (meaning there is some debate about whether that text was originally there or not).
Still, there are certainly enough references both in the Old and New Testament (including Jesus' words) which validate fasting as a discipline.
It is interesting that there is no guideline about HOW one should fast (the duration, types of food, etc.). And unlike the Lord's prayer, there is no true "The Lord's fast" (I don't think we need to go 40 days without food). Therefore, I think the frequency and methodology should be something between you and God.
A main deterrent against fasting (esp in our society) is that we as Christians see no real tangible benefits of it unlike prayer where was can at least see the logic of doing it. How does making oneself hungry make us more holy? Some treat it like a hunger strike against God; that if He sees us suffering He'll do what we want. That I believe is false doctrine.
A more accurate "purpose" I believe of fasting is to help get our minds off of this world and onto spiritual things. Jesus said that we should not worry about "What shall we eat, what shall we drink, what shall we wear?" but to seek God's Kingdom first. Because when we do get hungry and refuse to satisfy our desires, we begin to think of things like "Gee, I'm REALLY hungry. Oh, God, why I can't I have some food? Oh, that's right, you give us our daily bread and all of our needs. God, I'm in pain. Oh yeah, you are there to comfort us...."
Finally, there is the question of frequency. I firmly believe that fasting ought to be a discipline just like prayer is, and that it is a command. However, it's not a matter of quota but about the heart (remember the parable of the Pharisee who fasted twice a week?). So there is no hard fast rule about what is enough. Just as in prayer, "How much is enough?" is not really a pertinent issue.
One practical recommendation is to fast for a time from something you enjoy eating (like chocolate, or meat) for a little while. Or maybe just practice not eating until dinnertime one day. I think any of these (and others) can be just as effective in increasing our spiritual growth.
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