TotalWreck Posted June 8, 2013 Share Posted June 8, 2013 When I believed in god, the one thing I never did was fast (give up something for a certain period of time). I wanted to know if anyone on here ever fasted when they were believers, and what were your experiences with it. What did you give up, how long did you do it for, and did you notice any of your prayers "answered" afterwards or did anything get better in your life? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarthKoopa Posted June 8, 2013 Share Posted June 8, 2013 I did a few three day fast (no food). I did one fast for a week where I only ate one small meal of vegtiables everyday. All I ever got was hungry. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flockoff Posted June 8, 2013 Share Posted June 8, 2013 I did that a few times. Usually it was a 30 day period without something like music or tv. To be perfectly honest, I did feel "closer to god" when I prayed during those times. I don't remember anything specific about thinking my prayers were answered, but I always took the view that prayer was mainly something to bind my spirit to god's will; not actually get what I was praying for, but just to desire the right things. I'm sure there are many healthful mental advantages to that if it's done right and it can be reached through secular means. Getting away from modern comforts and passive entertainment for a while is good. Actually starving yourself puts your body in survival mode and releases chemicals that I'll bet were mistaken for a divine experience in earlier times, but that's another issue and I'm glad I never tried it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leopardus Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 In the Eastern Orthodox Church fasting is a regular thing. I once calculated that they spend about 40% of the year fasting. Only a small part of that is total fasting of course. The rest is refraining from meats, dairy, and oils. Obviously it doesn't do a damn thing for getting prayers answered, but it's good for self-discpline. It does always lead me to wonder how it's possible that there are fat Orthodox priests. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mymistake Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 Ronald Reagan owes me big. He never would have been re-elected had it not been for my prayer and sacrifice. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TotalWreck Posted June 9, 2013 Author Share Posted June 9, 2013 I'd like to hear more experiences! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RachelSkates Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 I got sick. I had blood sugar troubles at the time. No one told me that Gowd would not over ride my blood sugar troubles so I could do his will 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloridaGirl Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 I always thought it was really dumb, even as a believer. There is nothing holy about starving yourself. I went to a Catholic church for a year and was the only person not fasting during lent 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Positivist Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 Hey TW! I've been missing you. Glad to see you're back. I used to fast a lot, ranging from 3 day food fasts to as long as 10 days, drinking clear liquids only (apple juice, water). Fasting definitely cleared my mind and made me feel more "spiritual". I really thought I was connecting with God. lol 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mymistake Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 I always thought it was really dumb, even as a believer. There is nothing holy about starving yourself. I went to a Catholic church for a year and was the only person not fasting during lent Exactly. Prayer is pointless to begin with. If something is God's will then supposedly it should happen anyway. If something isn't God's will no amount of prayer or fasting or anything else will change God's mind. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExXex Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 I couldn't see fasting as any more than 'look God I'm doing this for you so you'll do what I ask' and since I was strongly of the 'don't test God' school of thought I personally decided I wouldn't have the right reasons to. Plus I can be a right terror if I haven't had enough to eat, I didn't see it as fair on my family if I was too fatigued to help out and all snappy and confusing. I still think it can be a good thing as a self-discipline thing though, and from a being aware of the resources we consume standpoint. I read somewhere fasting was good for staving off alzheimers I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator TrueFreedom Posted June 9, 2013 Moderator Share Posted June 9, 2013 I used to fast from food 2-3 days at a time. It cleared my head and gave me more time for reflection. I usually prayed for something specific and felt that God had answered my prayer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R. S. Martin Posted June 10, 2013 Share Posted June 10, 2013 I work so hard to make myself eat enough to keep my body functioning properly. I don't quite get the virtues of fasting from food for days at a time. I suppose it works if you've got a perfectly healthy body or know exactly what you're doing. Otherwise, like Rachel Skates said, you can get seriously ill from not eating properly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TotalWreck Posted June 10, 2013 Author Share Posted June 10, 2013 I got sick. I had blood sugar troubles at the time. No one told me that Gowd would not over ride my blood sugar troubles so I could do his will Really? You mean to tell me "god" didn't help keep you healthy during your fast? I don't believe it! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TotalWreck Posted June 10, 2013 Author Share Posted June 10, 2013 I always thought it was really dumb, even as a believer. There is nothing holy about starving yourself. I went to a Catholic church for a year and was the only person not fasting during lent Exactly. Prayer is pointless to begin with. If something is God's will then supposedly it should happen anyway. If something isn't God's will no amount of prayer or fasting or anything else will change God's mind. See, this is what I never understood: If "god" has already planned out our lives from beginning to end and knows what will happen, then what's the point of praying, fasting, or going to church in the first place? And if he already knows what's in our hearts, what's the point of praying? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bhim Posted June 10, 2013 Share Posted June 10, 2013 Yes, I actually used to fast with others from my church during Lent. We'd all have breakfast together one day of the week, and fast for the rest of that day until we met for breakfast the next day. I didn't notice a greater number of prayers being answered, but one thing I will say for the crowd I used to hang out with was that we all had a slightly higher view of God than most evangelicals; they didn't view him as a cosmic vending machine and weren't expecting more answered prayers. And I did feel good about fasting because I viewed it as obedience to Jesus, a sort of "I love you more than this food" type of mindset. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milesaway Posted June 10, 2013 Share Posted June 10, 2013 I fasted during lent alongside the people at the last church i attended a year ago. I was probably a nightmare to live with, and i felt awful the whole time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest r3alchild Posted June 10, 2013 Share Posted June 10, 2013 Experiences with fasting 1 Hunger 2 Fatigue 3 Delusions 4 Death Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator TrueFreedom Posted June 10, 2013 Moderator Share Posted June 10, 2013 Experiences with fasting 1 Hunger 2 Fatigue 3 Delusions 4 Death What? Did you hallucinate and die? How are you alive today? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stryper Posted June 10, 2013 Share Posted June 10, 2013 Since you asked. Here is some info. http://library.truthloveenergy.com/Michael-Teachings/is-fasting-good-for-our-bodies/ The most I have ever fasted was for about half a day. I skipped breakfast and was going to skip lunch....however....I broke....but damn that burger was good. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest r3alchild Posted June 10, 2013 Share Posted June 10, 2013 Experiences with fasting 1 Hunger 2 Fatigue 3 Delusions 4 Death What? Did you hallucinate and die? How are you alive today? I am alive today because I have never fasted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurari Posted June 10, 2013 Share Posted June 10, 2013 I tried fasting with both food for most of the day (with dinner at night) and giving up a "luxury" for lent. It really did nothing for me. I didn't feel closer to God, and I didn't get more self-disciplined. Mostly it was just an annoying inconvenience. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voice Posted June 10, 2013 Share Posted June 10, 2013 I did a couple of 3-day fasts and tried for a longer one. Longest one lasted 4 or 5 days until all I could dream about was food. Nothing significant happened spiritually, though I'm certain I believed otherwise at the time. One thing I started back then which I sometimes still do now, is just not eat for a morning or an afternoon or something, in order to utilize resources (blood) which would otherwise be dedicated to digestion. Just denying food for a meal is a kind of self control, which involves principles that can be applied similarly to addictions or other things. It's a good kind of self control to be comfortable with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R. S. Martin Posted June 10, 2013 Share Posted June 10, 2013 I was in college years ago. There was one gal who was Catholic and shall we say...a bit on the wild side...LOL....She was laughing and said..."I don't know what to do to fast for Lent.....It doesn't have to be food.....it can be giving something up for a week". I replied out of the blue and said...."batteries"....... Okay, you got a reputation point because I clicked on the wrong button. I wanted to click "quote." LOL Anyway, I'm thinking what I use that runs on batteries. Telephone, watch, alarm clock, and wall clocks. Flashlight if the power goes off. I guess I'll just drop off the face of the earth for a week and do my penance, huh? In fact, I could probably arrange to do that--just cancel all appointments for a week and live hit-or-miss so far as it regards time. These days it's dark only six hours or so per night. The rest of the time you can see what direction the light is coming from. Yeah, it might work. Besides, my dog's internal clock is quite dependable and would keep me on track. The struggle might be getting back on a rigid schedule again the week after such a laid-back life... What would really kick me in the gut would be to do without computer for a week--no email or contact with the wider world, no writing--which is my work, no research for this writing. So maybe I could round up a typewriter and use library research, but where to find a typewriter and someone who will still struggle reading through the old-fashioned font. Worse yet, the libraries are all online, not to mention the information I wish to research. Cutting out computers would stop my life more than cutting out batteries. Maybe I could cut out library books but I'd just spend more time on the computer. Besides, they're part of the research, too. It seems I live a fairly aesthetic life as it is. Then again, so did the medieval Catholic peasants who had to fast for lent anyway. Of course, we don't know how many people suffered healthwise, or even died, because of their fasting. Supposedly, Muslims in first world countries during Ramadan have a way to do their fasting in a way that accommodates health issues but I would guess that hardly applies in less enlightened times and places. I'm just not willing to fast. If all it's supposed to do is teach self-discipline--I think I learned my lesson very thoroughly in my forty years as a horse and buggy Mennonite. And no, that experience did not bring me "closer to God." If it did, I'd still be a Christian because all I need is evidence that he exists and obviously if I got closer to him I'd know he exists. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stryper Posted June 10, 2013 Share Posted June 10, 2013 I believe in Muslim traditions, the ill, pregnant, young children, infirm, and old were not required to fast during ramadan. I also think there may have been an exception if you became ill during a fast too. Not entirely sure but that was my understanding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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