Here's the thing... i understand what the church says about fasting, and i know its important but abouna always tells us that fasting should bring u closer with God and that its an important thing but.. whenever i fast i don't feel that i have actually fasted and changed spiritualy. I just feel that i havnt had a burger in a long time. Am i fasting wrong? cuz i just dont feel that preventing myself from certain foods has made me closer with God..does anyone else get that feeling 2?
Comments
Forever,
Coptic Servent
Simultaneous to the prospect the Ninevites undertook, fasting is an incoherent process if prayer is not employed as well. While the deprivation of the body's desires allows for liberation of the spirit, spirutale prayer must substitue as the supplement for spirtual growth. My question to you is this; are you accompanying your fasting with an increase in prayer to God? Only after you have placed life's anxieties and cravings under the subjection of our Lord, can you begin to have a conversation with God in prayer. Only when have attained that conversational atmosphere with Christ in prayer, can you begin to feel the actual fruits of fasting in its entirety. I myself am constantly struggiling to conquer fasting and not to let fasting conquer the means by which I live.
Please be sure to ask your Father of Confession for extra advice as well.
May God bless you.
Here's the thing... i understand what the church says about fasting, and i know its important but abouna always tells us that fasting should bring u closer with God and that its an important thing but.. whenever i fast i don't feel that i have actually fasted and changed spiritualy. I just feel that i havnt had a burger in a long time. Am i fasting wrong? cuz i just dont feel that preventing myself from certain foods has made me closer with God..does anyone else get that feeling 2?
one of the reasons for fasting is to control your body. don't let the devil tempt u with any wordly food or anything like that. don't forget that it as the 1st thing that he tried to tampt our lord with, BREAD. so by controling your body, u'll be able to stand to the devil physicly, and latter spritually.
pray during any fasting and while not fasting as well
love lots,
CopticChica21
i didnt read all the responses, but most of them sound great!
i'd like to throw in my 2 cents here, so if i'm being repetative, i apologize!
In the book 'The way of the Pilgrim' (which i suggest to all that you read it if you haven't, its a great book!).... it mentions briefly about fasting.... to paraphrase it, it said somthing like:
When you fast, you are depriving your body of ceritan foods, but its not limited to that. Food is just one step, you need to deprive yourself of certain habits.
When you fast, and you start crave somthing, or want to eat somthing but you remember you cant, you realize in this that you made a commitment to reduce sin in your life.... so basically, when you crave somthing, its a physical reminder that your soul is also deprived of things (such as God Himself, certian virtues, God's word, etc), and when you get that feeling of hunger, direct it to the heart not the stomache, and feed your soul... you remember why you're not eating burgers and remember to fulfill the commitment of you wanting to be a better person....
So basically, when we look at that nice cup of milk (i love milk... its driving me crazy that we cant have it during the fast!! lol) and you think "i cant have you right now".... you also should thing "there's somthing better i can have, God's word/God Himself"....and we go open our bibles and read, or a spirtual book and read, or learn a hymn, listen to a sermon, memorzie a psalm, do some meditation, etc.....
We increase our spiritual routines....
Hope that wasn't too confusing or repetative....
And as all of you said.... Fasting and prayer go hand in hand.... they're useless without each other!
If i said somthing wrong, im open to correction....
Take Care and God bless