- Intro and Overview:
- Scriptures:
- Examples in the Essene Practice:
- How to Fast:
- The 7 Physical/Spiritual Health benefits of a 7 day Fast:
Intro and Overview:
Over the years I have taught many people the benefits of fasting for spiritual growth, power and healing and now would like to share this knowledge with you as I get so many questions on the topic. It is a powerful spiritual practice that purifies the person, connects them to God’s Spirit and helps keep them “in the zone” with God imbuing them with power to be overcomers of sin and all evil influences! So let’s take a look at the spiritual benefits of fasting and prayer, and how they can help you stay “in the zone” with God.
In Mark 9:14-29, Yeshua explains that we need to be continually in prayer and fasting in order to be “in the zone” with him and be able to push back the demons from our lives and stay firm in our faith.
In this passage, Yeshua has just returned from the mountaintop where he met with Elijah and Moses and was transfigured. He finds the other disciples in an argument with local religious leaders.
The disciples had tried, unsuccessfully, to drive out the demon who possessed a young boy. They had done such acts before, but were unable to drive this one out. The disciples seemed stymied by their lack of power and the people seemed to be questioning.
Yeshua rebukes the group for their lack of faith. The boy’s father exclaims one of my favorite statements, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” Then, Yeshua drives out the demon and heals the boy.
The disciples later asked Yeshua why they’d been unable to drive out this demon. What was the difference in this one versus others they’d been able to cast out?
Yeshua explained in Mark 9:29, “This kind can come out only by prayer and fasting.”
Yeshua was able to cast out this demon because he’d already been engaged in prayer and fasting. He was already “in the zone” and fully ready after praying and fasting on the mountain.
As we seek to become closer to God and stay “in the zone” with him, we need to keep our eyes fixed on him. We do this by studying God’s Word in the Bible, praying continually, and even fasting regularly.
4 Spiritual Benefits of Fasting
What does it mean to be “in the zone” with God? What are the spiritual benefits of fasting?
1) Fasting reminds you how much you need God and need His Spiritual nourishment.
You give up food and focus on scripture, thereby feeding your true Divine identity instead of feeding the flesh, trusting God to fill you with his nourishment that strengthens the body, soul and spirit!
2) Fasting helps you focus and hear God’s voice.
Instead of eating, spend that time with God. Listen for his voice.
The more you incorporate fasting and prayer into your life, the more attuned you’ll be to God’s voice in your life.
3) Fasting purifies and strengthens your soul.
Fasting can bring actual changes to your body, removing both physical and spiritual toxins and impurities.
4) Fasting helps break the spiritual and generational chains
Fasting breaks strongholds! It can literally set people free from the chains that bind them. But in order to do that, that strong man must be taken care of first. Yeshua said, “For who is powerful enough to enter the house of a strong man and plunder his goods? Only someone even stronger—someone who could tie him up and then plunder his house.” Matthew 12:29 NLT
Did you catch that verse? The strong man is Satan and he has slaves that do his bidding and are yoked, or bound, to wickedness. But prayer WITH fasting can literally break that yoke and set people free from bondage!
How to Incorporate Fasting Into Your Spiritual Life
Before you begin, make sure fasting is right for you – physically, spiritually, mentally. It’s not for everyone in every season.
What NOT to do:
Below are some cautions before you consider fasting:
Don’t fast just because you think you should. Listen for God’s nudge and check with Him in prayer if fasting is what He wants you to do.
- Don’t fast if you’re pregnant, nursing, or have other medical reasons not to. Fasting shouldn’t be forced. Listen to your doctor and to God on whether it’s safe for you to fast.
- Don’t expect fasting to always provide immediate results. You may not hear an immediate answer to your prayers.
- Don’t make a big show about fasting (Matthew 6:16-18). This is your personal time with God to focus on hearing His voice more clearly in your life.
Ideas for what TO do:
If you’ve prayed about fasting, and are sure it’s right for you in this season, here are some tips to help you get started:
- Although the goal is a 7 day water only fast, you don’t have to take on a lengthy fast from the start if it is difficult for you. Start small. Maybe skip one meal a week. Start your fast after dinner and do a one-day fast, only skipping two or three meals. Work your way up to longer fasts, if that’s where you feel called.
- Always drink plenty of water and liquids. Stay hydrated.
- Set aside time during your fast to focus on God. Spend your meal time worshipping God, praying, and listening for His voice.
- Use your fasting as a time of reflection, self-denial, focus, listening, and cleansing. Allow God to penetrate your soul to cleanse and purify it, strengthening it for the journey ahead.
Scriptures:
In scripture we have many examples of great Godly men fasting and of Moses it is said,
Moses was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant—the Ten Commandments.
-Exodus 34:28
Ezra promoted fasting in connection with humility and protection saying,
…I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions….So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer.
-Ezra 8:21-23
Isaiah also links fasting with humility for God’s people.
As seen in Isaiah, fasting was a means to humility and dying to self. Throughout Israel’s history it was a way to humble themselves before the Lord as they sought Him in prayer for protection…
Other Examples Of Fast For Deliverance And Breakthrough
The Esther Fast:
This fast is done to receive protection from the enemy. According to the book of Esther she and her people fasted to receive the protection of God from the evil one looking to destroy her people. We too can fast and go before God and ask Him to protect us from the plots and schemes of Satan. This type of fast requires you to not eat or drink anything for 3 days and nights. Esther 4:16 says, “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”
The Daniel Fast:
This type of fasting is done for healing and health to the body. It is God’s will that we be in good health and that His healing virtues flow continuously throughout or bodies at all times. This type of fast consist of eating only vegetables and water for 10 days. Daniel 1:12-20 says, “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days. At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead.
To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.
At the end of the time set by the king to bring them into his service, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s service. In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.
Yeshua and The Disciple’s Fast:
As disciples of Christ, we must have freedom to serve him. The disciple’s fast will help to break those sins that prevent us from serving a complete and disciplined life. As shared in the opening overview Matthew 17:14-21 says, “And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.” Then Yeshua answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.” And Yeshua rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.
Then the disciples came to Yeshua privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?”
So Yeshua said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.
The Samuel Fast:
The Samuel fast is done to pray for revival, to demonstrate true repentance and pray that God’s presence be among His people.1 Samuel 7:3-8
So Samuel said to all the Israelites, “If you are returning to the Lord with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” So the Israelites put away their Baals and Ashtoreths, and served the Lord only. Then Samuel said, “Assemble all Israel at Mizpah, and I will intercede with the Lord for you.” When they had assembled at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out before the Lord. On that day they fasted and there they confessed, “We have sinned against the Lord.” Now Samuel was serving as leader of Israel at Mizpah.
When the Philistines heard that Israel had assembled at Mizpah, the rulers of the Philistines came up to attack them. When the Israelites heard of it, they were afraid because of the Philistines. They said to Samuel, “Do not stop crying out to the Lord our God for us, that he may rescue us from the hand of the Philistines.”
Rabbi Shaul’s Fast
This fast is done when you are seeking the Lord for insight and revelation. During this fast you are to pray that all the scales of blindness be removed from your eyes. This is a good fast to do when you are in the midst of decision making and need the Lord God to direct you in your choices. Acts 9:8-20 says, “Saul picked himself up off the ground, but when he opened his eyes he was blind. So his companions led him by the hand to Damascus. He remained there blind for three days and did not eat or drink. Now there was a believer in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision, calling, “Ananias!”
“Yes, Lord!” he replied.
The Lord said, “Go over to Straight Street, to the house of Judas. When you get there, ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying to me right now. I have shown him a vision of a man named Ananias coming in and laying hands on him so he can see again.”
“But Lord,” exclaimed Ananias, “I’ve heard many people talk about the terrible things this man has done to the believers in Jerusalem! And he is authorized by the leading priests to arrest everyone who calls upon your name.”
But the Lord said, “Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel. And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake.”
So Ananias went and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and said, “Brother Shaul, the Yeshua, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Instantly something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized. Afterward he ate some food and regained his strength. Shaul in Damascus and Jerusalem Shaul stayed with the believers in Damascus for a few days. And immediately he began preaching about Yeshua in the synagogues, saying, “He is indeed the Son of God!”
The Elijah Fast:
The Elijah fast is done when we want to break the negative habits and emotions in our lives that prevent us from fully serving God. This fast invites the Lord our God into our problems and in the strength of God, we are able to go on into victory. 1 Kings 19:1-8 says, “When Ahab got home, he told Jezebel everything Elijah had done, including the way he had killed all the prophets of Baal. So Jezebel sent this message to Elijah: “May the gods strike me and even kill me if by this time tomorrow I have not killed you just as you killed them.”Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there. Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.”
Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree. But as he was sleeping, an angel touched him and told him, “Get up and eat!” He looked around and there beside his head was some bread baked on hot stones and a jar of water! So he ate and drank and lay down again.
Then the angel of the Lord came again and touched him and said, “Get up and eat some more, or the journey ahead will be too much for you.” So he got up and ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to travel forty days and forty nights to Mount Sinai, the mountain of God.
The Essene’s wrote,
Renew yourselves and fast. For I tell you truly, that Satan and his plagues may only be cast out by fasting and by prayer. Go by yourself and fast alone, and show your fasting to no man. The living God shall see it and great shall be your reward. And fast till all evils depart from you, and all the angels of our Earthly Mother come and serve you. For I tell you truly, except you fast, you shall never be freed from the power of Satan and from all diseases that come from Satan. Fast and pray fervently, seeking the power of the living God for your healing…
Examples in the Essenes Practice of Fasting:
Fasting is the most ancient therapy of humanity. Even our forefathers observed that after some days of fasting, a recrudescence of vitality and vigor shows itself in the organism. Nature turns it to account for the purpose of accelerating the functions of elimination, while the marvelous economy of the organism profits by the rest afforded to the digestive functions and by the vital machine’s slackened activity resulting from the fast to cast off the impurities of the organism by every channel. In sickness, nature seeks to eliminate, then to eliminate more, and again more, until the choked-up ducts which are the vehicles of vitality and energy are made free and good health is reestablished. And it is only when elimination is complete and all the embarrassing waste products of the organism have been evacuated, that hunger, exquisite and natural, appears.
On several occasions enthusiasts have embarked on a fast without having studied the question sufficiently or without having accurate ideas on the physiology of the body. They have injured the idea of therapy through fasting in the minds of people by incorrect application of an excellent method. There are some kinds of fasts which must be wholly condemned: irrational fasts, fasts without preparation, fasts of long duration without an experienced guide, and fasts which are only inspired by the wish to follow a system momentarily in vogue. The purpose of this book is to give a dialectical guide to all who want to profit by this most ancient therapy of mankind, without making mistakes in its application.
How to Fast:
What happens in the organism during a fast? We know that a great part of the energy of the organism is absorbed by the work of digestion. When we do not introduce food into the organism, then those forces of the organism which are generally absorbed by the work of digestion are freed. And the forces of the organism which are usually paralyzed by the struggle against waste products introduced into the system, and occupied with the elimination of superfluities and fermentations provoked by an irrational diet, are liberated by the rest which fasting secures. The organism begins to feed upon its own reserves and the liberated forces begin to eliminate various old local accumulations and deposits of waste products, which the organism when occupied with the daily influx of superfluities has neither the energy nor the time to do. During a fast this eliminative process goes on with accentuated intensity. In view of all these useful physiological processes provoked by a fast, we can consider fasting as an excellent therapeutic method. Both from the point of view of the intensity of the metabolic processes which it occasions and from that of the results which it obtains, I do not know of any therapeutic method which can be so effective as the fast.
It is sad, but none the less true, that generally we eat very much more than is necessary for the organism as regards both quantity and quality. Fasting is a good counterbalancing factor against the various alimentary excesses which by our unnatural mode of life we accumulate in the organism. As a general rule more people die of overeating than from malnutrition. And even where the excess food material does not consist of toxic disease- forming material, there is, at the least, a great mass of starchy and fatty substance deposited in the body. Fasting is a radical cure which counterbalances the evil effects of overeating and unwise choice of food. If people were to feed upon a healthy diet and not to overeat, then I should not advise fasting as a therapeutic method, as it would be unnecessary. But since people do, fasting is a very valuable therapy. The value of fasting must always depend on the concrete case. The value and significance of the fast are relative. Those naturopaths who advocate fasting are right for the reason that people are over-nourished. But if they would eat exactly the right diet in quality and quantity, then these naturopaths would no longer be right. The value and significance of fasting thus depends on present habits of eating.
In the future, when man has a healthy diet in both quantity and quality, we shall perhaps no longer be able to say the same of the value of the fast. But fasting is truly very valuable in cases of overeating and in the case of disease caused by over-nourishment. Now let us consider how to fast. We must pay attention to certain factors which limit both the duration of the fast and its intensity. First, we will deal with the question of the duration of the fast. When we fast, there are two chief parallel physiological processes going on in the organism. First, there is the dissolution and elimination of the excesses and superfluities of the organism, and secondly there is the exhaustion of the vital cells and reserves of the organism. These are two parallel processes. The most interesting thing in the physiology of the fast is that the organism first eliminates those parts of the organism which are unhealthy, and only when unhealthy tissues have disappeared, does it begin to consume healthy cells and tissues. This fundamental physiological law of fasting gives us the essential rule to be observed in the fast. We must only fast up to the moment when the elimination of accumulated waste products and diseased cells is complete. We must always stop the fast at this point, before the organism starts to exhaust its healthy cells and tissues, which are necessary for the vital functioning of the organism.
Those who exaggerate in fasting often go beyond this stage in the fast, with the result that progressive starvation and even death may ensue. This extremism is unfortunate, for it only brings prejudice against a method of cure which is really very sound. The number of enemies of fasting is unnecessarily increased. There are also certain derivative rules which change with the individual case. Sometimes an organism is too intoxicated, and the dissolution and stirring up of waste products creates too strong and intensive an elimination. If this happens, the various excretive and eliminative organs cannot keep up with the accelerated rhythm of elimination, and it may happen that this very heightened elimination will exercise such an intensive chemical fermentative influence upon the organism that it can paralyze the activity of various important organs and so cause very serious irregularities and even death. Therefore a fast may be justified from one point of view, but not from another. The result of the over-intoxication of the organism may be that the manifested chemical energy of the latent toxins overcomes the power of resistance of the internal organs. In these cases, it is highly recommended, before undertaking a fast, to follow for a few months a well balanced, purifying and detoxifying diet, such as outlined in The Essene Science of Life. This is the second chief rule of fasting.
The first law, as was mentioned above, is the quantitative law that the duration of the fast should depend on the quantity of unhealthy cells and tissues present in the organism, while the second law of fasting is the qualitative law which says that the intensity of the elimination should depend on the force of the latent chemical energies of the accumulated harmful waste products present in the organism. If we examine those cases where fasting has resulted in accident or death, we shall find that they have invariably occurred from non-observance of these two fundamental laws of fasting. The manner in which one fasts is also very important. I have seen individuals who have fasted remaining shut up in a room. This is not at all an optimal way of fasting. When the organism fasts, it does not receive its customary source of energy from the body, so it is necessary to utilize other sources of energy such as sunlight and deep inhalations of sun-irradiated air, which refresh the nerves, pulmonary cells and circulation of the blood. A large amount of oxygen introduced into the organism aids the oxidation of harmful waste products and increases the eliminative capacity of the lungs, thus preventing possible local accumulations of gas.
Similarly, frequent washing of the skin also increases the capacity for respiration of the epidermis. When there is a large amount of oxygen flowing through the skin, this has the same effect as oxygen inhaled through the lungs. And various noxious substances are likewise removed through the skin. The internal dynamic forces of the fast and the chemical and metabolic energies released by it drive from within to without the various superfluous and unfavorable substances of the organism. These all flow in the direction of the skin. If, during a fast, we wash the skin two, three or even four times a day, we shall always find that the color of the water is much darker than when we are not fasting. The external washing of the skin also has a refreshing influence on the organism. Sun- baths alternated with water-baths also very greatly help the process of elimination. The sun’s rays have a bactericidal and fermenticidal influence. Its chemical rays traverse the whole organism and, passing through the cells, greatly help the process of elimination. The rays of the sun, provided they are used always in moderation, also represent a source of thermic energy for the organism, which replaces the warmth generally supplied by food. It is very pleasant for the organism to have the sun as a source of warmth, for generally during a fast the person fasting is more inclined to feel the cold.
The Additional Practice of Internal cleansing with water Enemas:
Another application during the fast is the washing of the intestines. The question of the enema is a cause of great disputes among naturists and naturopaths. There are those who say that the enema is an entirely unnatural thing. They say that animals living in a state of nature never have such a thing. They also hold that enemas remove certain mucus material from the lining of the intestines and for this reason, too, they disapprove of them. To them I would answer: Is the consumption of refined and processed foods, laden with chemical additives and preservatives, a natural thing? Have we ever seen wild animals eating cooked food, or white sugar and white flour? We have not. It is natural, therefore, that they should not require enemas. Nor would human beings need them if we were to live naturally. But if we have introduced unnatural things into our bodies, then we have to eliminate them. One unnatural custom breeds another.
During a fast, a great quantity of harmful waste products and other superfluous substances enter the intestines and accumulate there. If they are not eliminated, these substances can create an intense fermentation which can exercise such a local pressure on particular organs and general pressure on the nervous system as to give rise to dangerous consequences, having regard to the general weakness of the organism during a fast. If we take an enema during a fast, we cannot fail to remark the dense color of the liquid discharged, its contents and smell, from which it is easy to see that it would be less advantageous to leave such material in the intestines than to remove it with the help of a little plain water. If we do not take an enema, all this matter is left in the intestines, with the result that the organism must make a great effort to eliminate all these substances by the usual channels of excretion. This unduly taxes the strength of the organism and also immensely extends the duration of the fast. The longer such substances remain in the organism, the slower the metabolism becomes, and no complete elimination of additional poisons is possible for some time. But as soon as we eliminate them by the enema, then the internal forces of the fast immediately produce new eliminatory secretions. The enema may be repeated to advantage every day of the fast.
In view of our unnatural habits, I do not consider an enema at all unnatural. Fasting itself is not natural, for nourishment is a natural process and its suppression is not. But when we have been unnatural in our eating, then we must counterbalance and repair it by other unnatural applications, by fasting and enemas. Whether a thing is natural or unnatural is relative. If we did not have an unnatural diet, resulting in excess, superfluous matter clogging the organism, then fasting and enemas would both be unnatural. But since there is superfluous matter accumulated in the organism, then fasting and enemas must be regarded as necessary and even natural processes, for we must help nature get rid of the harmful waste products in the organism. Elimination is a natural process which we must always help. Of course we do not see animals in the forest fasting and taking enemas, but neither do they deviate from the laws of nature regarding their diet. For the completely denatured individual living in our present artificial civilization, an enema as an adjunct to successful fasting is a very necessary thing.
The effect of having an unnatural diet for some years is that the intestines are full of unwholesome matter and inferior fermentations. In such an environment, a large number of parasites, both visible and invisible, multiply constantly. In most cases, evacuation of the bowels is not regular or normal and the waste matter is never entirely discharged from the intestines. It is for this reason, particularly in the large intestines, but in the others as well, that inferior stratified layers are formed. The nutritive juices are absorbed into the organism through the inner surface of the intestines and consequently they always reach the blood infected with this fermented liquid in the intestines. As a result, all the juices of our cellular life are infected in turn and this condition increases our liability to disease.
The microbes of the inferior fermentations multiply by division, and though they are due to a previous flesh diet, they and all their parasites continue to thrive even in the contents of the intestines derived from a vegetarian diet and may remain for several years. They can therefore form the permanent precondition of contagious diseases. For all these reasons, the enema is necessary at the beginning of our new life. After the fermentations, former parasites and harmful waste products have been eliminated, the intestinal system will regain its vitality and elasticity, particularly if, at the same time as we adopt the new natural diet, we begin the renewal of the body. If we do, normal absorption of the nutritive juices is a certainty. Where reform of life follows on an unnatural diet extending over dozens of years, the intestines should be washed out every day for a week. At the beginning of a fast, the enema may be taken morning or evening, but not less than eight hours after the last meal. After only a few days there will be an improvement in the complexion, indicating the cleansing process within.
The 7 Physical/Spiritual Benefits of a 7 Day Fast:
7 days fasting is a long term fasting where a person cannot take anything except of a drink fresh water as the dietary intake. You might start questioning if this method is okay. This method is done for some purpose such as health. Therefore, this method will give you health benefits of 7 days fasting below:
- Weight loss
As we know, the main key in losing weight is managing your diet. More you eat the more weight you gain. In this case, fasting is the best solution for you. Although the weight loss diet ideally should be accompanied by exercise, some people might don’t have any time to do exercise. If this is the condition, you might think to skip the exercise and put harder effort on diet. Well, 7 days fasting is the perfect solution for you.
The first few days, might be difficult for you. It is because you need to fight with hunger and fatigue. However, you will lose about 1 – 2 pounds a day. It is possible since you burn fewer calories than you eat in daily basis. Such a significant weight loss, isn’t it?
On the other hand, you spend your water and protein in your body to supply your energy. After that, your body will use fat as the fuel. In this phase, your weigh may decrease for about 1 pound in every 2 days. In this phase, you will be able to deal with hunger. Based on certain study, this kind of diet will decrease about 20 in seven days. Based on medical view, this kind of method is alright, as long as we keep the intake of water. The water will supply the water for the cell, so that the organs will keep working well as well as help flush out any toxins.
- Cell repair
Besides the benefits for weight loss, 7 days fasting also attributes to cell cleaning. On the daily basis, we eat anything we want. The consumption pattern sometimes force our body cell piled up by waste and junk. Further, the cell may prone to damage caused by the waste.
In this case, 7 days fasting will be a good effort to repair the cell damage. This function of fasting is even suggestible for someone with normal weight. The cell repairmen will also be useful to slower aging. Yes, 7 days fasting gives you the effortless anti-aging benefits.
In addition, for those with the intention of body building, this method of fasting will also recover your muscle from post workout damage.
- Detoxification
The effect from eating junk food is that our body will also filled by lots of junk. It is not good either for digestive organ or for the cell. As the 7 days fasting doesn’t allow us to take anything except fresh water, it is good for our digestive organs. It is enable the digestive organs to take a break.
Instead, it will process the waste inside, and release it. This process will keep our digestion completely clean from waste and residue. When our body clean from the waste, it is possible to run a better circulation of blood and oxygen within the body.
- Good for hypertension
A study entitled Medically Supervised Water-Only Fasting in the Treatment of Hypertension proved that 7 days fasting is a safe and effective method to normalize blood pressure. The study took 174 hypertension patients with blood pressure exceed 140/90 mm Hg as the subject of the study.
As the result, almost 90% patients’ blood pressure reached lower than 140/90 mm Hg. The average decrease is about 37/13 mm Hg. The other activity which has been proven good for hypertension is regular exercise.
- Mental health
Besides the physical benefits, 7 days fasting can also bring the benefits from our mental health. This is one of the ways to reset our mind about eating. Sometimes we find that the reason for eating is not because we are hungry. Sometimes we just feel like want to eat something when our body actually doesn’t need it.
In this case, health benefits of 7 days fasting will set you free from the mindset of emotional eating. When your digestion is taking a break from eating, we can say that our mind will do some kind like meditation to break free from the craving of foods. On the other hand, when it doesn’t come easily it reveals the flesh and ego is trying to stay alive and in control and we need to die to self to thrive in the Spirit!
- Spiritual cleansing
Often times a person feels a lack of self control or certain cravings for unhealthy things and wonders how they can overcome this. It was taught by the Essene community in the 1st century that different spirits can attach to different parasites in the body and that’s only come out after starving out those parasites through a 7 day water only fast. only helps reset the physical system of the vessel but also the spiritual walk and it’s a great benefit to ones spiritual growth facilitating them to walk as the great tzadikim of the past.
- Overcoming temptation and sin
All of the great examples of great spiritual men and women in the scripture engaged in fasting on a regular basis to maintain that spiritual connection with God and overcome temptation and sin! do can tap into the power of dying to self through fasting, prayer and meditation and we hope this study has blessed you with the knowledge you need to begin this new course in your spiritual walk And encourages you to make it a regular part of your spiritual practice!
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Teaching and illustrations by Rabbi Isaac. © 2021 Assembly of Called-Out Believers. Use by Permission.
One Comment
Shalom! Many thanks for this thorough teaching, extremely detailed. The health benefits alone are prompting me to commit to longer fasts, which have been a struggle. A timely teaching, especially now. Thank you again! L’Chaim!