All scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Holy Bible unless otherwise noted.
I am not particularly fond of fasting. Some years ago I wrote a short poem or quatrain, it is entitled:
I Like To Eat
I like to eat, I am not petite,
I like to fill up from the bottom of my feet,
From the tip of my toes to the top of my head,
Then I like to lay around in bed!
I wrote it in a sense of fun for my children who were all still living at home, and young enough to appreciate my attempt at humor.
In all seriousness though the Lord Jesus was asked by His disciples, after he had delivered a young man from demon spirits, "Why could not we cast him out?" The Lord replied, "...Because of your unbelief...howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting." (See Matthew 17:14-21 and Mark 9:14-29) The word fasting is not mentioned a lot of times in the Word of God. In fact it is only found seventeen times in the entire Bible. It is mentioned only eight times in the New Testament, two of which are mentioned above.
Have you ever heard of a "Daniel Fast?" It is undoubtedly taken from Daniel 10:2-3 where Daniel wrote, "In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks. I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled." It is interesting to me to note that nowhere in this context does the Bible mention fasting. Daniel chastened himself in not eating flesh or drinking wine and not eating pleasant bread. But it does not say he fasted. Daniel did fast, the Bible says in Daniel 9:3, during the reign of King Cyrus of Medo-Persia. However it was some years later, during the reign of Darius, that Daniel 10 was written.
The term fasting in the Old Testament, according to Dr. Strong, is almost invariably "H6685 צם צום tsôm tsôm tsome, tsome From H6684; a fast: - fast (-ing)." The only variation is found in Daniel 6:18 where King Darius spent the night in fasting for Daniel, again according to Strong's Hebrew Greek Dictionary, the variant term used here is, "H2908 טות ṭevâth tev-awth' (Chaldee); from a root corresponding to H2901; hunger (as twisting): - fasting."
Needless to say fasting is not my favorite thing. But if I want to see miracles happen, such as what the disciples saw in Matthew 17 and Mark 9, I need to fast. So no matter how much I like to eat (and I do like to eat) I need to fast. You need to fast also. If we would see men and women, boys and girls delivered from sin, we need to fast.
In all seriousness though the Lord Jesus was asked by His disciples, after he had delivered a young man from demon spirits, "Why could not we cast him out?" The Lord replied, "...Because of your unbelief...howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting." (See Matthew 17:14-21 and Mark 9:14-29) The word fasting is not mentioned a lot of times in the Word of God. In fact it is only found seventeen times in the entire Bible. It is mentioned only eight times in the New Testament, two of which are mentioned above.
Have you ever heard of a "Daniel Fast?" It is undoubtedly taken from Daniel 10:2-3 where Daniel wrote, "In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks. I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled." It is interesting to me to note that nowhere in this context does the Bible mention fasting. Daniel chastened himself in not eating flesh or drinking wine and not eating pleasant bread. But it does not say he fasted. Daniel did fast, the Bible says in Daniel 9:3, during the reign of King Cyrus of Medo-Persia. However it was some years later, during the reign of Darius, that Daniel 10 was written.
The term fasting in the Old Testament, according to Dr. Strong, is almost invariably "H6685 צם צום tsôm tsôm tsome, tsome From H6684; a fast: - fast (-ing)." The only variation is found in Daniel 6:18 where King Darius spent the night in fasting for Daniel, again according to Strong's Hebrew Greek Dictionary, the variant term used here is, "H2908 טות ṭevâth tev-awth' (Chaldee); from a root corresponding to H2901; hunger (as twisting): - fasting."
Needless to say fasting is not my favorite thing. But if I want to see miracles happen, such as what the disciples saw in Matthew 17 and Mark 9, I need to fast. So no matter how much I like to eat (and I do like to eat) I need to fast. You need to fast also. If we would see men and women, boys and girls delivered from sin, we need to fast.
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