by Tyler Velau in General Questions about open - report
True Fasting
I hear that fasting is supposed to be more about your relationship with the Lord then your absinance for food or certain thing you have decided to fast from. But, how does one keep the spirit of the fast true? What does a pure true fast entail? Daily prayers and communion with the Lord? Daily worship? Daily confessions and prayers for forgiveness? What else is involved in a true fast? I am in the middle of a fast right now, but I am not sure whether or not it can be considered a "true"fast. Video games, for me have played a large role in my life since I was young and remain a large part of my life to this day and I thought it would be a worthy thing to fast from(Or do I say spend the time I would be playing video games to focus my attention on the Lord and my relationship with Him?) it is the end of day 11 of a (hopefully) 21 day fast. I am trying my best to keep the spirit of the fast alive and to stay strong to keep the fast going. It is at the difficult stages right now which is what brings me to pose these questions. I would like to find out if I have been keeping this fast true, or if I have somehow corrupted it and taken away its meanings. That's what I'm trying to figure out.
by Robert Frankenfield about
This subject is very interesting and gives me a lot to think about fasting
by Dion Todd about
If it hurts, it is true fasting lol. I often abstain from gaming during my fast as well, so I get that. I like to keep a prayer list during my fast, and I pray over it each day. It helps keep me focused. Though the Holy Spirit is with me in the car just like He is when I am in my prayer room. The general idea is to shut out some of the noise and distractions so that we can hear His voice better. It uncorks our ears. Let him who has ears hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
by Sylvia Todd about
Good question, Tyler! We consider the fast in the sacrifice itself. We basically "announce" it to the Lord when we start, essentially committing to how we are going to fast. Yes, it's a good idea to spend some time in prayer and devotion as you are fasting. For one thing, we believe that the act of fasting has powerful effects in the spiritual realm. That said, I would not say that if you don't that it invalidates the fast.
I mean, fair enough, if a person, for instance, were to fast from Grand Theft Auto only to replace it with Fallout 4, I wouldn't exactly call that any kind of fast, but I think you know that ;-).
For us, we only fast from food, though how "hardcore" that is will vary, depending on what we believe we are called to do that time. Dealing with that is generally enough without adding a lot of requirements on top of that :).
Hi Sylvia, thanks for the wonderful and helpful words as always :) I have not touched my playstation or any PC games for 12 days. Hoping to continue for 9 more days, if I can. I've researched fasting a bit and every article I read kinda said the same... more
I think any time that you devote to the Lord is a fine idea and pray that He blesses your fast in the way that only He can! No worries on the food fasting, when it is time for that, He will let you know! Taking a break from gaming, outside of the... more
Oh yea, this one is definitely going to leave a mark but I think I can make it (with the Lord's help, of course :).) Well, for be, I'm still kinda in baby steps phase, but Lord willing, I can make it through and if I can do it, anybody can do it. I am... more
I find that early mornings work best for me. I get up, make some coffee and head straight to my prayer room before the day starts. Once life starts happening, there is very little time for quiet.
Have you ever felt,,,,, conflicted during a fast? When the last day is over but you think it might be possible that the Lord is saying that you should continue for a few more days, then later, you get the feeling that the fast is over and you can have... more
I don't know about conflicted, but there was a time when we certainly felt we needed to go on for three more days. One thing that makes things a bit easier for us is that we can confirm with each other the things we hear separately. We did, and when the... more