If you want a healthy body: intermittently fast, eat real food and be active. If you want a healthy mind: be grateful, have faith and feed your mind good things. If you want a healthy soul: fast often, pray continually and give your life to God.
In the health realm... if you're paying attention, we hear a lot about intermitted fasting and the benefits it can have in our body like...
Burn excess body fat
Balances hormones
Reduce insulin resistance
Reduce systematic inflammation
Repair damaged cells and regenerates new ones
Boost brain function and heightens awareness
Increase the human growth hormone
Delays the aging process
Block and possibly eliminate tumor growth...etc
But for some reason we never really hear about what fasting can do for our Spiritual Life and since the Mind, Body and Soul are one, I want to share what fasting can do for your Soul.
FASTING IS POWER. FASTING IS LOVE.
Spiritual Awareness Continually filling your internal blackhole with food, addictions, Netflix, social media, shopping etc you strangle your soul and without intervention, kill it.
When we focus on the world, we remove ourselves from the reality of the spirit - in fact God says, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him" 1 John 2:15
When we fast, we withdraw from the senses and lusts of the world and place ourselves into self-denial and sacrifice. If the fast is long enough, you will begin to become more present in the moment and receive a heightened spiritual and mental state. In this awareness you begin to understand how much control the world has on you and how disconnected you are from real reality, spiritual reality and your internal source of life and love- God.
In your beginning days of fasting, you spend a lot of time healing from the inside out. You not only will be repairing damage within the body, but you will also bring up the darkness within your mind and soul- all the turmoil, all the sins and the past/present temptations. If in this you can repent, forgive and master your mind while reconnecting with God, you will gain internal transformation where there is great clarity, beauty and unconditional love.
"Then Jesus left the Jordan, full of the Holy Spirit, and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days to be tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were over, he was hungry.
The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”
But Jesus answered him, “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone.”
So he took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
The devil said to him, “I will give you their splendor and all this authority, because it has been given over to me, and I can give it to anyone I want. If you, then, will worship me, all will be yours.”
And Jesus answered him, “It is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only."
So he took him to Jerusalem, had him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here. For it is written:
He will give his angels orders concerning you, to protect you, and they will support you with their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”
And Jesus answered him, “It is said: Do not test the Lord your God.”
After the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him for a time.
Then Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit (in ministry), and news about him spread throughout the entire vicinity. He was teaching in their synagogues, being praised by everyone."
Fasting isn't just giving up food, but also anything that is "filling the hole in your soul", Netflix, shopping, alcohol, addictions, social media etc. Overall, fasting is SELF DENIAL.
Through self denial, we face what controls us and open the door to true freedom,
"Is not the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?" Isaiah 58:6
and the opportunity to reconnect with God, His love and our true spiritual state through His spiritual food, which ultimately nourishes our souls.
“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work." John 4:34
When we finally reconnect with God and see the full truth of the world, we come back to our real duties here in the world. It's all about doing HIS will, not our own. Our spiritual duties come back at full force and the world around us becomes something to care for, serve and repair instead of something to mindlessly consume. We begin to understand why we are truly here and begin helping others see the truth too by helping them heal and return to God's love through our duties in Christ>
"Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a compliant against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you are called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:12-18
Romans 13:8
1 Peter 5:1-4
Romans 12:14-21
Matthew 7:1-29
Timothy 3:2-7
Matthew 5:44
Proverbs 31:9
Acts 20:28
Matthew 7:21
and many more....
I hope this post helps you understand how powerful fasting can be for your mind, body and soul and I encourage you to release yourself from the bonds of the world and dip your spiritual feet into the vastness of God's presence and love.
If you would like to get started in reconnecting with God, I invite you to attend my 21 Day Spiritual Workshop beginning on February 14th, 2022 in a private Facebook group.
Join my Tribe & message me for more details and to sign up!
