Spiritual and Physical Benefits of Fasting and PrayerFasting and Prayer is found throughout every major religion on the planet and can be found in the Old and New Testament, the Quran, the Upanishads, and the ancient Buddhist texts. It is also something that is highly recommended if you are suffering from black magic, voodoo, or demonic possession. Why, you ask? What is its significance? When the body is fasting, it goes into a state of automatic purification. The digestive system slows down, as does the metabolism and all other bodily functions. It is through the deprivation of food, when your body begins to actually release toxins that have been stored up in all of your cells. As a result, you become light headed. When you are becoming what happens to be called "light headed" the energy of your body is actually becoming lighter, it is becoming a higher vibration. When there is no food to burn, it turns to your fat reserves for energy. The focus is taken away from your digestive system and redirected to your immune system. When this happens, those energies that are in you that are not of that high vibration, and do not match it, are forced out. Both physically and spiritually. Every religion may have a different explanation or reason for fasting and prayer but the reason I wrote above is the main reason it is advised in all these religions. Spiritual fasting is done to raise your energetic vibration and to force out those energies within us that are not pure. As most people know, it is not exactly a pleasurable experience. Hunger is perhaps the most intense discomfort people can feel. Our bodies recognize fasting as an emergency state. Autonomic nerves that were hibernating become alive and react very sensitively and violently. They begin to throw away all the unnecessary things, leaving only the minimum needed for survival. In this process, all the waste and toxins are being eliminated, says Prof. Shin Hyun-dae at Kyung Hee Medical Center.
In most religions, as in Judaism on Yom Kippur and Muslim fasting done on Ramadan, it is done as a way to ask for forgiveness from our sins. It is done to take on a spirit of self-sacrifice, humility, patience, and self control in the eyes of God so that we may be forgiven from what we may have done wrong. We take on the what can be seen as "self punishment" done through fasting and prayer, in order to obtain God's Grace and healing. Even in the Bible it is indicated that we should fast to expel certain demons and spirits and to obtain a desired end from God. By doing so, we are displaying our love and devotion to God and the seriousness of our efforts in prayer. Fasting and prayer done together should always be consciously dedicated to God. In this way, it is clear that you are doing fasting and prayer for no other reason than out of your love for Him. Fasting and prayer done strictly out of love and devotion, and not to obtain any particular end, desire, or spiritual power, is the highest type of prayer that is possible. This is how you should begin and end your fast; by dedicating it to God. This is not a suggestion to take spiritual fasting to an extreme and go fasting for 40 days. Everything in life should be done and practiced in moderation, especially fasting and prayer. Water fasting for one day is incredibly challenging. In fact, for some people, fasting may actually be detrimental to your health so it is recommended to research it thoroughly if you decide to do any fast over 24 hours. I do recommend consulting a doctor, but understand that most doctors are unaware of the spiritual benefits fasting and prayer offers. And some may suggest you not to fast as a result. I do advise doing thorough research on your own and using your own judgement as to whether you feel your body and mind could benefit from fasting, or if you may be too sick or not strong enough to do so. Rely instead on your own inner knowing, and not on what a doctor tells you. You should implement it as another healing method to assist you in obtaining grace from God. It is recommended by many holy people to fast at least one day per week. And if you are a victim of black magic or possession, I strongly recommend it as well. I would advise fasting for as long as you are able, but you must listen to your body and not overdo it. A headache is common, and to alleviate a violent headache, you can take a piece of sugary fruit as you feel it coming on. Even eliminating all but one or two pieces of fruit will have a great effect on your body and mind over the course of a fast. Fasting for many days can induce altered states of consciousness. When the brain goes without food or nourishment it is accustomed to, hallucinations may ensue. This is not a negative thing, however, as is often sought by religious and spiritual aspirants. Even Buddha went on a very serious fast in order to realize God. But attainment of powers or visions should not ever be the main goal of fasting and prayer. You should fast out of humility, forgiveness, and devotion to God. Juice fasting is quite common where people consume only fruit or vegetable juice, or broth for several days up to even 21 or more. Fasting and prayer may be done with or without water. It is obviously much more difficult to go without both food and water. A water fast should be done with extreme caution, as dehydration is a serious risk. In third world countries, it is commonly known that if you are suffering from a stomach bacteria or ailment, fasting is the best way to attempt to cure it because the foreign bodies need the food to live off of. Without it, they must die. Therefore, fasting and prayer is not only beneficial spiritually, but for health reasons as well. I strongly suggest anyone suffering from stomach or digestive issues to undergo a safe and well researched fast for your healing. Here are some physical benefits of fasting:
Fasting on its own is a spiritual practice with tremendous benefits. However, in combination with a day of prayer and meditation on God, the effects and benefits of fasting are magnified exponentially both physically and spiritually. For more information about Healing Prayers please click here. To exit Fasting and Prayer and Return to the Home page, click here |
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