The Bible is full of weight loss tips. Hundreds of pages about fighting the desire of the flesh.  Everyday we’re bombarded by opportunities to overindulge. Television ads show us tantalizing large photographs of tasty restaurant meals. Well-meaning family and church members buy us chocolates, cake or tasty treats.

Tight ministerial schedules make it hard, at times, to get to the grocery store, must less cook. That leaves us with fast food — processed foods which may be laden with fat, hidden sugars and unwanted calories.

It’s no surprise when those unwanted calories turn into unwanted pounds and inches. It’s no surprise the added weight tends to make us less active, compounding our problem.

So how do we cope? God is surely our best ally as we battle bulge.

We could turn to fad diets. We could rely on negative-calories foods like grapefruit which contain fewer calories than it requires to digest. But I learned in my own personal struggle that prayer and fasting are powerful weapons against those spiritual enemies which may have caused our problems in the first place: Overeating, food lust, food addiction, eating for pleasure instead of hunger, self bitterness and/or an unloving spirit.

God enabled me to drop about 40 pounds which hung around long after my son’s birth — pounds I had gained easily despite breast feeding.

My family loves to eat out and it was just too easy to put off dieting when faced with large platters, tempting buffets, and sumptuous desserts. Even when I cooked, I hated to waste food, so I ate more than I needed. Breast feeding didn’t help because I ate more — just because I could.

My victory came when I decided the enjoyment I got from eating wasn’t worth being overweight. I made a commitment to regular exercise — meaning just about everyday — and began juicing for 40 days.

In my case, this wasn’t strict juicing, which removes the pulp. I used my blender, but limited my food intake to fruits and vegetables. You could call it a Daniel fast because it is similar to his test diet outlined in Daniel 1.

What made this effort different than a diet was that I was doing it for the Lord. God gave me the willpower I didn’t have otherwise.

Jesus’ disciples learned about the need to fast after they attempted to heal a child and could not.

“… this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting,” he told them Matthew 17:21.

Fasting at the Holy Spirit’s urging has helped me both spiritually and physically. I have done water fasts and the Daniel style fruit-and-vegetable fast. I have given up desserts or some activity for the Lord. I have learned to set aside time to hear God’s voice through Scripture and the circumstances of life.

Occasionally the weight creeps back, as I suspected it would, but God ordains a church fast or gives me someone for whom to pray and fast.

As I get older, I realize the importance of cutting portion size to compensate for muscle loss and my body’s decreasing ability to burn calories.

I know I’ve not arrived and my choices could be better, at times. But I have made progress.

I have learned to cut my white flour, sweets and meat. I eat more soup. I avoid soda and sweetened drinks, preferring water and non-caffeinated, unsweetened tea. I’ve cut way back on the home-baked cookies or sweet breads. I don’t eat many fried foods. I eat more vegetables, like spinach.

I’ve developed newer, healthier habits with God’s help. He’s enabled me to say “no” to calorie-laden desserts because they seem too rich, instead of just out of concern about calories. Sometimes the drink or dessert seems too sweet. I look forward to eating whole grains and actually prefer them at times — at least in part because it makes me feel good to take care of myself.

To me, there is no perfect diet regimen. I believe God wants us FREE to make wise choices, and eat foods we enjoy in moderation.

God gives us wise advice in Romans 13:14: “…put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.”

This article is not intended to take the place of medical advice. Water or Daniel-style fasts are not advisable for everyone and can be dangerous for some. Seek a medical checkup and get a doctor’s advice before undertaking any diet or food-related fast.

By Cheryl Rogers writes on behalf of the Facebook download – Chit Chat for Facebook. Chit Chat is a Facebook Messenger that enables it’s users to talk over Facebook Chat from their computer’s desktop. The Chit Chat site also boasts many Facebook articles.

Biblical fasting is not a pathway to God. You do not need fasting as a path to God. He is with you now. You can’t get any closer than He is to you right now.

Biblical Fasting a Spiritual Discipline

Biblical fasting is a tool to repair the damage to our soul. Likewise fasting cleanses the spirit as fasting cleanses the body of toxins and repairs damaged tissues.

Fasting is not to get Closer to God but a Process of Quietening You Spirit.

He knows your every thought, the number of hairs on your head and the workings of every cell in your body. The reason we are not overwhelmed with the presence of God is that we are not living in obedience. Fasting is a time to cleanse and discipline our hearts before God that we may give to Him what He truly wants—the full commitment of our heart. When we give more of us, He give more of Him and that is an incredible trade.

If you want an honored guest to visit you for dinner you must invite them in the appropriate manner. If you invite Christ into your life, with the right heart, He will come. Fasting can be the preparation for His coming; where we dedicate time to cleanse the temple, our body and soul, of all the clutter that His Spirit may dwell with our spirit in comfort.

Hard won treasures pale before unending love radiating from the face of Christ.

Spiritual emptiness plagues the souls of our modern society. Crafted veneers cover up how we really feel, because, to be honest is to admit we’re suffering inside. It is easier to ignore the cry of the heart and suppress it with work, activities, alcohol or sensual pleasure.

Much of what we do is maneuvering around past hurts, fears and low self-worth. On the inside, is a small child, in an adult world, crying out for love using possessions and job titles to prove significance because we don’t really believe we are worthy of love just as we are. Entering a relationship desperate for love, pressures the other person with unrealistic needs. What God intended for support and encouragement becomes a war zone.

Spiritual Emptiness Symptoms

Spiritual emptiness causes depression, feeling oppressed or out of control and confusion. Thoughts become contaminated with toxic resentment, unforgiveness, self-hate and feelings of failure. Many people need a TV or radio blaring constantly because silence is uncomfortable. Silence can be terrifying to an empty soul. During fasting, the inner silence is profound. Noisy, clamoring emotions become quiet and, for the first time, you hear the voice of your soul.

Curing Spiritual Emptiness

Curing spiritual emptiness demand the emptying the soul of all the junk impeding your relation with God. Why fasting makes such a difference before God is because spiritual fasting is the emptying of self, not just of food, but the mutterings of the inner self that drowns out the quiet voice of God. He will not shout. We must listen.

Most people have toxic thoughts filled with negativity, pride and false expectations, stemming from the pain of childhood. When I first saw the futility of my thinking process, the only conclusion I could come to was that I was totally insane. I would try to think positive thoughts by thinking of love instead of resentment, faithful thoughts instead of worry, which would last about five seconds then I’d start to think how much a failure I was for not being able to control my thoughts.

Living in Colombia, I had the worst drain clog of my life. After a failure with a full container of Devil Drain Cleaner, I hired a professional “drain deplugger”. He rammed a coiled wire down the pipe but the sink remained clogged. As a last resort, he put a water hose down the pipe and turned on the water full power. Out spewed a stinky, black and brown sludge. As he wiggled the hose, more and more sludge backwashed onto the floor. The kitchen was turning into a sludge swamp. Then came bigger, slimy chunks. Finally the blockage broke down and let the water pass.

Fasting is like that. It penetrates the blockage in the soul and stirs it up. It stinks and spews out everywhere, then the blockage opens and there is an experience of long-forgotten freedom. I can remember the day that the illusion fell away. I had worked so hard to prove myself worthy of love through achievement. When I realized my purpose was hollow and meaningless, I suffered an emotional breakdown and wept uncontrollably, walking around for days in an emotional vacuum. No longer did I know who I was. On the third day, the breakthrough came. I realized that God truly loves me, and that is enough. The words echoed through my soul in a way I had never felt before. At that moment, the sun broke through a hazy sky, and a white bird soared on an updraft. I soared with that bird. Love had set me free.

Fasting stills the mind. In the quietness, we can study our thought process. Worry, unrealistic fear, false pride, obsessive negativity and self-defeating thinking can be seen as thought sequences connected to triggers. During fasting, toxins released into the blood affect emotions and thinking. They cause feelings of weakness, discouragement and a loss of faith. Old emotions, memories and hurts stir powerfully. You face the full power of negative, toxic thoughts. At this time, many people give up the fast. For those who hold firm, fasting brings an inner-awareness that stills the soul bringing peace. We can take our burdens to Christ in true humility. When the breakthrough comes, there is a joyous awakening and a new freedom.

Cleansing Your Thought Life

Our imagination can create a work of art or a horror movie. When our thought life is negative, we live the horror movie. Philippians 4:4 states, …whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent of praiseworthy—think about such things…and the God of peace will be with you. During the fast, fill your imagination with thoughts of being thin, happy and energetic. See yourself eating healthy, and enjoy the feeling of being healthy. Dwell on the desire you have to be healthy. See the unhealthy foods damaging your body and hate them. Do these mental exercises repetitively like you are going to the gym. There is no set pattern or timing, but the more you think good thoughts the better you will feel and self-discipline will come naturally. Do it driving to work or during laundry. Do it until it becomes a lifestyle.

Money, medications, material possessions, achievements, good deeds or perfect living cannot buy a clear conscience. It is easy to make excuses, but if you do not believe your own lie, it will be powerless to sooth your conscience.Guilt can last a lifetime, and the pain does not lessen with age.

When Adam hid in the bushes, shame was controlling his actions. He could have been walking, laughing, exploring, but there he was in the bushes hiding with a guilty conscience. Where there is shame there is pain, separation and a degraded self-image. We no longer look at ourselves with pride. God becomes distant and we lose passion for living.

Unknowingly, many come to fasting as a fix for a dirty conscience. Honesty is good for the soul. It is time to tell God and those you have hurt that you are sorry. There may be a cost, but no matter how expensive the cost, the joy will be more than worth it. Repentance is the pathway to peace. You do not have to apologize a thousand times. Once is enough and the sin is forgotten. The blood of Christ and the power of God’s forgiveness are greater than any sin. Christ willingly died on the Cross for your every sin. When you finally believe in the forgiveness of God, you can start to forgive yourself. When you forgive yourself, it is easier to forgive others.

The ones you love the most cause the greatest pain when they do you wrong. There are only two ways to deal with the pain: resentment and becoming hard or drawing close to God and deepened compassion through humility, acceptance and understanding.

When life wanes into the hollow darkness of death, it will not be the parties, victories, trophies or empires we built that will fill our thoughts but the last embrace of the ones we love. One last tear-filled moment to share. When that day comes, each of us will have regrets. The working mother wishing she had spent more time with her daughter. The alcoholic who looks back on wasted years. When you stand before Christ and the events of your life are reviewed, what will you see? Will you be watching a shallow, self-centered person striving for self-gain or the painful sacrifices of a humble servant? As I write this, tears come to my eyes for I look at my own heart. I see how much less I am than what He wants me to be, how often I turn away and chase worldly desires.

It is easy to rationalize sin and self-centeredness because everyone does it. Yet, each of us knows right and wrong. You want what is right, and that is the reason you are reading this book. You are following an earnest hunger for a deeper connection with God and are willing to fast, willing to change, willing to sacrifice, humbled and hungry for more. With this attitude, fasting will be a catalyst to deep change.

To get practical, make a list of what is important, why it is important and what you are doing to reach it. During your fast, spend time studying each entry of importance. Lay it out before God, pray and wait. If you get stuck putting a value on a project, possession or achievement, consider the Apostle Paul’s value system. After one meeting with Christ on a dusty road, His most important values were slashed to zero, tossed in life’s dumpster and the only thing considered valuable and beyond price was knowing Jesus. When you mark the price tags of your life, look a little closer. The stuff thought of as most valuable may be junk before Christ. You do not have to have regrets at the end of your life.

The Bible clearly calls us to fasting. When I mention fasting to Christians, I often hear the statement, I have not been called to fast and when I am, I will fast.

Many talk as if fasting is like going on a mission to a jungle. In reality, every Christian is called to discipline, prayer and fasting. If you are truly serious about your walk with Christ, you will fast. For a Christian, fasting needs to be like brushing the teeth, just something you do to maintain your spiritual life. No big deal, just a regular part of living.

The course of our lives is steered by the decisions we make. Your decision to fast is a sign that you are willing and ready to undergo a complete reconstruction of who you are, letting the Holy Spirit into all the little, dark cubbyholes of your life and getting sincere with your calling. God will honor that. More than anything, God wants our willingness. He is a gentleman and will not barge in. He wants to be invited. Your decision to fast is an invitation.

If you still fear fasting, keep reading. After a few fasts, first-time fasters will see you as a veteran and you will become their guide. It is just a matter of time.

When I was younger, I studied the writings of Confucius, The Tibetan Book of The Dead, Buddhism, Astrology, Tarot and every interesting and weird philosophy I could find. Playing bass for a heavy metal band called Black Mass, I became morosely depressed and entered a state of continual torment. Strange things started to happen. Lamps flickered when I entered a room. The guitarist and I almost died. We passed out from a drug overdose and the band practice hall, which was in a barn, caught fire. We were on a farm in the middle of nowhere, but someone entered, dragged our barely-conscious bodies from the fire and put it out. I saw his feet through the smoke. Then he vanished. I did not care; I was becoming suicidal, and life no longer mattered. The next day, at the same time and without talking to each other, two friends visited me with the same message that I was possessed and had to go to a certain church. I flopped into the seat of the truck, and the electrical system died. They prayed and the truck started. I walked into the church, and the pastor kept looking at me and appeared unable to concentrate. I just sat there in some weird trance. Suddenly, he ended the service, and asked everyone to leave, but I was asked to stay. When the pastor spoke to me, I got dizzy and ran to the bathroom with extreme vomiting and diarrhea. When I finally left the bathroom, there were 20 people in a circle and one chair in the middle that I knew was for me. Now, I am free from bondage and living with the protection of Christ. I will never forget the dangers of the spirit realm

The Bible states that there is a war between light and darkness; that Satan is alive and active on planet Earth and to be aware of his schemes. To get right with God, you have to repent of all the cult stuff in your life. If you have old Black Sabbath albums, crystal balls used for séances, Ouija boards, tarot cards or cult books, you need to destroy them. Remove anything in your house that is an insult to God. If you are reading this chapter because you want the best from God, remember that He is a jealous God and will have no other idols before Him.

Before you start fasting, take some time to think about why you are fasting. Jesus did not fast to lose weight. He was to be stripped naked, and hung bleeding on a Cross. His purpose in fasting was for the strength to complete His ministry. Healing, better health, weight loss and clearer thinking are worthy goals but what is the purpose of your life? The Bible says that each of us is called and God has set out our purpose from the beginning of time. Are you ready to live your purpose?

During the fast, the day-to-day world fades in significance. The world of thought, memory and emotion heighten in intensity. Connection with God clarifies. The foolishness of modern living becomes repulsive. Questions of who am I and where am I going, demand answers. Fasting is the accelerator of the process. It demands you to live for a higher purpose and that will cause you to become different from the people around you. Fasting unplugs you from the Matrix. You will never be “normal” again.

Here are all the Bible scriptures that mention fasting

1Ki 21:9 In those letters she wrote: “Proclaim a day of fasting and seat Naboth in a prominent place among the people.

Ne 9:1 On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and having dust on their heads.

Es 4:3 In every province to which the edict and order of the king came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping and wailing. Many lay in sackcloth and ashes.

Es 9:31 to establish these days of Purim at their designated times, as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had decreed for them, and as they had established for themselves and their descendants in regard to their times of fasting and lamentation.

Ps 35:13 Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth and humbled myself with fasting. When my prayers returned to me unanswered,

Ps 109:24 My knees give way from fasting; my body is thin and gaunt.

Isa 58:3 `Why have we fasted,’ they say, `and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?’ “Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers.

Isa 58:4 Your fasting ends in quarrelling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high.

Isa 58:6 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?

Jer 36:6 So you go to the house of the LORD on a day of fasting and read to the people from the scroll the words of the LORD that you wrote as I dictated. Read them to all the people of Judah who come in from their towns.

Jer 36:9 In the ninth month of the fifth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, a time of fasting before the LORD was proclaimed for all the people in Jerusalem and those who had come from the towns of Judah.

Da 9:3 So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.

Joe 2:12 “Even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.”

Mt 4:2 After fasting for forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.

Mt 6:16 “When you fast, do not look sombre as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.

Mt 6:18 so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Mr 2:18 Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came and asked Jesus, “How is it that John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?”

Mr 9:29 He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer.”

Lu 2:37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshipped night and day, fasting and praying.

Ac 13:2 While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”

Ac 14:23 Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.