Fasting is an act of repentance. It is an excellent tool for spiritual growth. It draws us closer to God and helps us have an intimate relationship with Him. It also breaks away the desire to satisfy our own lusts and materialism. According to Christianity, fasting and praying are not part of a human-engineered method or plan. Fasting and praying are Bible-based disciplines that are appropriate for all believers of all ages throughout all centuries in all parts of the world. The Holy book has a great deal to say about both fasting and praying. It also gives us examples of people who fasted and prayed, using different types of fasts for different reasons, all of which have very positive results. Jesus Christ and Moses fasted and prayed for forty days. Jesus’ disciples fasted and prayed too after the Resurrection. Moses fasted for 40 days when he went up to the mountain to receive the commandments of God written on stone tablets. Many of the Old Testament prophets too fasted and prayed. The followers of John the Baptist also fasted and prayed. Many people in the early church too fasted and prayed.
There are many different reasons to fast and many examples in the Holy book about fasting. Fasting truly brings one into the glory of the Lord. There are some people who drink juices when they fast. If you cannot drink juices on a weak and empty stomach, then however, corn flakes or a cooked cereal with milk and without sugar would be fine. Always drink plenty of water when you are fasting. God never asked us to do anything that will harm our bodies and people have hurt their bodies by not drinking enough water on a fast. Water flushes the poisons from your system and doctors feel that fasting is beneficial so long as you drink plenty of water. In recent years, numerous studies have suggested that intermittent fasting — abstaining or reducing food and drink intake periodically — can be good for us, making it one of the most popular diet trends worldwide. A number of studies have also suggested that intermittent fasting has numerous health benefits too.
Jubel D’Cruz
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
