Fasting

Why do we fast? We're told in the scriptures by pretty much every prophet to fast, but so we know why?

An article in the June 2001 Ensign says "For fasting to help increase spirituality, it must be accompanied by fervent prayer. Further, contributing to the fast-offering fund softens the heart and opens the windows of heaven.

"When we [fast], we are blessed as the Nephites who “did fast and pray oft, and did wax (or grow) stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding (or giving) their hearts unto God”

So we fast to:

  • Help increase spirituality
  • Soften our hearts
  • Open the windows of heaven
  • Gain humility
  • Build faith
  • Purify our hearts
  • Sanctify our hearts
  • Yield our hearts to God. Or, because we yield our hearts to God, we are given these things 

But how does going without food do this for us?  Earlier in the article, it says "If we 'come unto Christ' and offer our 'whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end,' we will be saved. Since the soul consists of both body and spirit, we offer our whole souls when we place the desires of both body and spirit in subjection to the will of our Heavenly Father. Fasting and prayer help us learn to control our appetites; they also help us to 'hunger and thirst after righteousness'. Fasting...can refine the spirit, strengthen its control of the body, and bring into our lives the joyful influence of the Holy Ghost."

 So fasting gives us the opportunity to:

  • Offer our whole souls to God
  • Give the desires of both body and spirit to His will
  • Control our appetites (or things we desire)
  • Hunger and thirst after righteousness
  • Refine our spirits
  • Strengthen our self-control
  • Invite the Holy Ghost into our lives

Fasting and prayer give us a chance to open our hearts and minds to ourselves and to God, to do an inner self-evaluation and grow where we are lacking.  It gives us a chance to think about the needs of others and to become more humble as we understand their trials and struggles, and more compassionate as we ponder what we can so to serve them.  It gives us a chance to remember that we are children of God, with eternal souls and a purpose beyond this life.  It gives us a chance to look for and realize the blessings God gives us daily. It lets us see how much He loves us, and how much we love Him.





https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2001/06/increasing-our-spirituality-through-fasting-and-prayer?lang=eng

 

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