Lack in testimony of fasting


CACO12
 Share

Recommended Posts

I have never understood fasting. I know we do it because 1: we are commanded to. 2: fast offering to further charity work 3:.... just those two things actually. 

 I was studying this weeks Come Follow Me lesson and was reading Matthew 4 where Christ spending 40 days and nights fasting in the wilderness and it occurred to me that even though I do fast and know the basic temporal reasons why, I have no testimony of it. I realize fasting with prayer provides a very real strength and power to the spirit and body giving one the spiritual sensitivity and physical strength to do works which could not be done otherwise as well as increased miracles provided through faithful prayer.

But what I don’t understand and the reason I may lack testimony is what it is about faithful fasting and prayer that allows those things to happen. I know we don’t need the reasoning behind everything and need to ACT in faith, which I do. I guess I just don’t get it. As I research and pray about it, any insight from y’all would be helpful. Thanks! 

Edited by CACO12
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi @CACO12, welcome to the forums!  (Ok, I realize that you're not brand new here, but I still haven't said hi yet).

4 hours ago, CACO12 said:

I know we do it because 1: we are commanded to. 2: fast offering to further charity work 3:.... just those two things actually.

And 3. To cultivate a more spiritual state in ourselves

(As you allude to later)

4 hours ago, CACO12 said:

I was studying this weeks Come Follow Me lesson and was reading Matthew 4 where Christ spending 40 days and nights fasting in the wilderness and it occurred to me that even though I do fast and know the basic temporal reasons why, I have no testimony of it. 

Great self-awareness.

4 hours ago, CACO12 said:

 I realize fasting with prayer provides a very real strength and power to the spirit and body giving one the spiritual sensitivity and physical strength to do works which could not be done otherwise as well as increased miracles provided through faithful prayer.

But what I don’t understand and the reason I may lack testimony is what it is about faithful fasting and prayer that allows those things to happen. I know we don’t need the reasoning behind everything and need to ACT in faith, which I do. I guess I just don’t get it. As I research and pray about it, any insight from y’all would be helpful. Thanks! 

Prayer is always powerful, but there are things which can be done to cultivate more powerful prayers.  One of these is humility-- which fasting helps cultivate.  Another is a sense of reverence / attention, again which fasting helps cultivate.  A third is just placing spiritual things before temporal things, which fasting is an act of.     

All of these things help focus our minds / humble our spirits to be better and more willing servants of Him.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, CACO12 said:

I have never understood fasting. I know we do it because 1: we are commanded to. 2: fast offering to further charity work 3:.... just those two things actually. 

 I was studying this weeks Come Follow Me lesson and was reading Matthew 4 where Christ spending 40 days and nights fasting in the wilderness and it occurred to me that even though I do fast and know the basic temporal reasons why, I have no testimony of it. I realize fasting with prayer provides a very real strength and power to the spirit and body giving one the spiritual sensitivity and physical strength to do works which could not be done otherwise as well as increased miracles provided through faithful prayer.

But what I don’t understand and the reason I may lack testimony is what it is about faithful fasting and prayer that allows those things to happen. I know we don’t need the reasoning behind everything and need to ACT in faith, which I do. I guess I just don’t get it. As I research and pray about it, any insight from y’all would be helpful. Thanks! 

You know, I've had a similiar problem. For years I fasted just because I was told to, I had no testimony of it. In fact for a long time (over 2 years more or less) I did not fast at all. I still paid my fast offerings, I had a testimony of helping the poor, but unlike other areas of my spirituality, I just had not received any kind of witness that fasting was worthwhile. It seemed like I was being asked to be miserable for a day once a month. But I started applying myself to gaining a testimony of fasting; after all if every other part of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is true fasting must be too, and I worked at it and I'm finally getting there. For me there are two reasons that have helped me see why fasting is important, in addition to the ones mentioned by @Jane_Doe. First obedience to God. By obeying his commandment to fast, I receive additional blessings. Second, submitting my body to my spirit helps me set aside the natural man, and focus more on godly things, which in turn strengthens my prayers. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a strong testimony about Fasting and its younger sister, Abstinence.

I have one reason for Fasting - to strengthen my spirit by overcoming the natural man.  Yes, I learned to fast because Jesus fasted (I was Catholic) but I didn't do it because the Catechism commands it or because of Fast Offerings.  I did it, and continue to do it, for that one reason.

Target shooters kinda go through a similar process.  When focusing on a target, they focus every bit of their consciousness on their strong eye to the point that their weak eye is rendered useless.  So, they wouldn't need to close that weak eye because their brain is not seeing out of it even if it is open.  The focus is so intense that nothing outside of the bullseye registers in the brain.  When a sniper is in that zone, bombs could be exploding all around him, he's not going to notice.  And then you make the decision to pull the trigger, everything is so in focus, even a mile away, that you can feel every beat of your heart such that you distinguish the space in between those beats and that's when you pull the trigger.

Fasting is the same in a way.  You are so focused in the prayer and the communication between your spirit and the Holy Ghost that you forget you are hungry and thirsty.  The hunger is the gauge that your focus is on the natural man.  So you shift the focus solely on your spirit by prayer and the purpose for the fast to the point that you don't feel the hunger anymore.

I've had many deep spiritual moments while fasting and abstaining.  But the most important one is when I received my most important testimony while investigating the LDS church.  I was at that fork in the road where there is one question that had to be answered before I can move forward - did the Apostolic Authority of Peter transfer to the Bishop of Rome or not?  Because, if it did, then the Apostasy did not happen and the Catholic Church is the true Church.  If it didn't then the Catholic Church is not the true Church.  I fasted for a weekend and sat on the beach in New Smyrna to pray and read and study to the point that I couldn't feel hunger and thirst any more.  And I received the answer from the Holy Ghost.

Edited by anatess2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, CACO12 said:

I have never understood fasting. I know we do it because 1: we are commanded to. 2: fast offering to further charity work 3:.... just those two things actually. 

 I was studying this weeks Come Follow Me lesson and was reading Matthew 4 where Christ spending 40 days and nights fasting in the wilderness and it occurred to me that even though I do fast and know the basic temporal reasons why, I have no testimony of it. I realize fasting with prayer provides a very real strength and power to the spirit and body giving one the spiritual sensitivity and physical strength to do works which could not be done otherwise as well as increased miracles provided through faithful prayer.

But what I don’t understand and the reason I may lack testimony is what it is about faithful fasting and prayer that allows those things to happen. I know we don’t need the reasoning behind everything and need to ACT in faith, which I do. I guess I just don’t get it. As I research and pray about it, any insight from y’all would be helpful. Thanks! 

To me, the bolded part constitutes a testimony. How would learning "about" the "spiritual mechanics" change that?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 2/5/2019 at 1:33 AM, CACO12 said:

I have never understood fasting. I know we do it because 1: we are commanded to. 2: fast offering to further charity work 3:.... just those two things actually. 

 I was studying this weeks Come Follow Me lesson and was reading Matthew 4 where Christ spending 40 days and nights fasting in the wilderness and it occurred to me that even though I do fast and know the basic temporal reasons why, I have no testimony of it. I realize fasting with prayer provides a very real strength and power to the spirit and body giving one the spiritual sensitivity and physical strength to do works which could not be done otherwise as well as increased miracles provided through faithful prayer.

But what I don’t understand and the reason I may lack testimony is what it is about faithful fasting and prayer that allows those things to happen. I know we don’t need the reasoning behind everything and need to ACT in faith, which I do. I guess I just don’t get it. As I research and pray about it, any insight from y’all would be helpful. Thanks! 

I would first propose that fasting is an act of discipline.   It is a step towards mind (or spirit) over matter.  Usually we think of fasting as going without food or drink but there are other kinds of fasts.  I will suggest a few:  Fasting from social media, from certain kinds of music, from things that are habit forming like soda, TV, video games, or certain entertainment.  There are no prescribed time limits on a fast.  For example one could fast from becoming angry for a day, week or a month.

I believe it is also possible to combine several kinds of fasts – like during a normal fast from food (like in preparation to Fast Sunday – one could consider fasting from violent entertainment (movies and video games).  Or one could consider fasting from certain kinds of language (swearing) during their normal Fast Sunday fast.

Sometimes fasting is not just an individual activity – I believe it is good for married couples, families and communities to fast together.  I am a great believer in husbands and wives fasting together to accomplish greater unity and understanding. 

I also believe that fasting can be inclusive as well as exclusive.  What I mean by this is that while we are fasting from food, drink or something else – we can also concentrate on including other activities – such as an extra hour of scripture study, daily attendance at the temple or the old scout kind of thing of doing a secret good deed daily or twice daily – or something that I struggle with – hugs. 

One of the most effective fasting “inclusions” for me is what I call meditation.   I separate meditation from prayer for a reason – to me prayer is when we pour out our feelings, thoughts and questions to G-d but meditation is when we put aside our feelings, thoughts and questions and listen.  I do not mean listening with our ears – but with our heart, might, mind and strength.  Stretching to be aware of what G-d or our fellow travelers have to contribute.  In essence seeing beyond what our eye can see and hearing beyond what our ears can hear.  Riding my bicycle, skiing alone or going for a walk are physical things that help me with spiritual awareness or meditation.

I am going to add something I believe in very strongly that assists in one’s fasting.  While fasting from food and drink – attend an endowment session at the temple – write down some names of individuals you know could use some spiritual uplifting (including yourself if so prompted) on the prayer roll of the temple – join in the temple circle of prayer – and then spend an hour or two in meditation in the temple.  Not in the attitude of prayer where you pour out your heart in prayer but where you sit reverently listing and trying to be aware.  I will give a caveat of warning here – often in such attitudes of meditating I have felt that I have failed and wasted my time – only to learn later (sometimes much later) that I received very subtle and sacred promptings that at the time or at the moment I thought were distractions.  I will give an example – one may notice someone crying and be prompted to say something and find themselves involved in someone else’s trivial, ridiculous or seemingly silly problem.

 

The Traveler

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share