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What's the meaning of ........... for u ?
+In the name of the Father, the Son , and the Holy Spirit . One God Amen +
Hello every body , it's really my pleasure to share u - the sons & daughters of the King Jesus Christ - with this topic .
it is a tend to discuss a speritual concept with others every week . like confession , repetance , pray , fasting , etc ...
Hope that all of u r interested in this topic , and all of us share with his own opinion and the church's fathers , May the bless touch every heart of ours .
So , let's begin with ;
Fasting
God be with all of us , and Bless our life .
Hello every body , it's really my pleasure to share u - the sons & daughters of the King Jesus Christ - with this topic .
it is a tend to discuss a speritual concept with others every week . like confession , repetance , pray , fasting , etc ...
Hope that all of u r interested in this topic , and all of us share with his own opinion and the church's fathers , May the bless touch every heart of ours .
So , let's begin with ;
Fasting
God be with all of us , and Bless our life .
Comments
To ME fasting is a time period to regain (lost) relationship w/ the Lord. Sometimes we "forget" who he really is. Fasting helps both build the relationship AND make it stronger!
Also fasting helps purify the heart, soul, and spirit. As St. Theodore the Studite said, "While fasting, let us purify our hearts, sanctify our souls, and trample down all vices."
One last thing I would like to add is the definition of fasting. Most people define fasting as: no animal product, no dairy, no fish (sometimes)..etc. Fasting isn't just those things! God should be remembered MORE during these times! Prayer, meditation, repentance! More of those and less "fun time" is what fasting REALLY is.
+mahraeel+
Colossians 3:17
And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
Undertaking any task with sincere prayer and humility is important. Fasting can be a composite of many things:-
1.It is a period of privately acknowledging God for His blessings with a spirit of thanksgiving. Thus, it is less about us and more about Him. The moment we stray from this due to boredom, distractions or thinking of it as a compulsion, its meaning is lost. Hence, its up to us to use the free will given to us as He intended. It is more about observance in the spirit than in the letter.
2. It opens our hearts and minds to the plight and trials of people around us - the persecuted, hungry,sick, the lost and misguided...It urges us to pray for all of them, those who are victims of poor choices, those who are mean and malicious in their dealings - and of course for our spiritual leaders and behind the scenes workers for continuing their good work, in short, everyone.
3. It is a time to re-evaluate life's priorities - does our life's routine and choices reflect what we pray about or is prayer merely an act of assuaging guilt.
4. Private and corporate prayers have their respective benefits. Likewise, private fasting is a test of our faith in the presence of temptations / weakness, be it anger, jealousy, despair, addictions. Corporate or group fasting helps encourage and motivate the weaker ones. In fact, prayer and fasting complements each other and one is not quite complete without the other.What better sources to rely upon and be guided than the early fathers.
I am sure many of us here who have advanced in their spiritual growth can share their experiences for the benefit of the others like me.
God bless,
Paulos
It's when you give up something, some carnal enjoyment, for His sake, telling Him that it is not the earthly things that matter, but being in His presence...
And I think when you make that choice (of leaving earthly pleasure in search of heaven) the Lord fills you with real joy and replaces whatever earthly pleasures you restricted yourself from with many blessings...
God bless you
Please pray for me
Fasting for me is when you chain your body to the ground, restrict it from certain things, so that your spirit can break free and get nearer to God.
It's when you give up something, some carnal enjoyment, for His sake, telling Him that it is not the earthly things that matter, but being in His presence...
And I think when you make that choice (of leaving earthly pleasure in search of heaven) the Lord fills you with real joy and replaces whatever earthly pleasures you restricted yourself from with many blessings...
God bless you
Please pray for me
I've never heard that interpretation of fasting before.. its really nice!
Thanks for sharing that with us!
I guess I'll be the first to add something :D
To ME fasting is a time period to regain (lost) relationship w/ the Lord. [glow=red,2,300]Sometimes we "forget" who he really is. Fasting helps both build the relationship AND make it stronger![/glow]
Also fasting helps purify the heart, soul, and spirit. As St. Theodore the Studite said, [glow=red,2,300]"While fasting, let us purify our hearts, sanctify our souls, and trample down all vices."[/glow]
One last thing I would like to add is the definition of fasting. Most people define fasting as: no animal product, no dairy, no fish (sometimes)..etc. Fasting isn't just those things! God should be remembered MORE during these times! Prayer, meditation, repentance! More of those and less "fun time" is what fasting REALLY is.
Tεκcoνι μέσα Πεχριcτoc , i am so galde u share in this topic , and it's nice for me to know these good opions that u have about Fasting . Really there r many things that i was attracted to , i just glow them .
May God bless ur life , and deep u more in His realtionship and make it more stronger .plz don't forget to mention me in prayers
To me, fasting is a test. Its God's way of seeing your spiritual ability. its a time to see how close u are to him and how much you love him. [glow=red,2,300]It is a period in life to get closer to him and be his friend[/glow]. [glow=red,2,300]Its best to grow in spiritual birth.. Fasting may be "boring", but it is up to us howw much we love God=][/glow]
+mahraeel+
mahraeel , nice to receive ur nice share about the topic " Fasting " really u presented the last result or the purpose of Fasting { To Love God More } . The " 1st Corinthians 13 " really represent the base of Christianinty . thx so much for ur share mahraeel , May God bless ur life and deep u more within His Love . plz don't forget to mention me in prayers .
Glory be to God in the Highest.
Colossians 3:17
And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
[glow=red,2,300]Undertaking any task with sincere prayer and humility is important[/glow]. Fasting can be a composite of many things:-
1.It is a period of privately acknowledging God for His blessings with a spirit of thanksgiving. [glow=red,2,300]Thus, it is less about us and more about Him.[/glow] The moment we stray from this due to boredom, distractions or thinking of it as a compulsion, its meaning is lost. Hence, its up to us to use the free will given to us as He intended. It is more about observance in the spirit than in the letter.
2. [glow=red,2,300]It opens our hearts and minds to the plight and trials of people around us [/glow] - the persecuted, hungry,sick, the lost and misguided...It urges us to pray for all of them, those who are victims of poor choices, those who are mean and malicious in their dealings - and of course for our spiritual leaders and behind the scenes workers for continuing their good work, in short, everyone.
3. [glow=red,2,300]It is a time to re-evaluate life's priorities [/glow] - does our life's routine and choices reflect what we pray about or is prayer merely an act of assuaging guilt.
4. Private and corporate prayers have their respective benefits. Likewise, private fasting is a test of our faith in the presence of temptations / weakness, be it anger, jealousy, despair, addictions. Corporate or group fasting helps encourage and motivate the weaker ones. In fact, prayer and fasting complements each other and one is not quite complete without the other.[glow=red,2,300]What better sources to rely upon and be guided than the early fathers. [/glow]
I am sure many of us here who have advanced in their spiritual growth can share their experiences for the benefit of the others like me.
God bless,
Paulos
Paulos , i am really have a nice feeling to read ur share , thx for ur kind , organized words :) . i have a simple comment on the glowing sentence in phase 1 { Thus, it is less about us and more about Him } .
To reach God= you(through battles against sin) + God (through His Grace) .
as anyone who enter battles alone , without help of God he will fall.
aslo the Will and Grace of God won't enforce u to be away from the sin and close to God unless u want to do this . God respect our will.
but if we wanna weight the two sides of equation . it's 99.9 or more for the grace of God and the rest is related to or will and tendency and the acts we do .
Pleased to recieve ur share , God bless ur life . plz don't forget to mention me in prayers .
Fasting for me is [glow=red,2,300]when you chain your body to the ground, restrict it from certain things, so that your spirit can break free and get nearer to God. [/glow]
It's when you give up something, some carnal enjoyment, for His sake, telling Him that it is not the earthly things that matter, but being in His presence...
[glow=red,2,300]And I think when you make that choice (of leaving earthly pleasure in search of heaven) the Lord fills you with real joy and replaces whatever earthly pleasures you restricted yourself from with many blessings...[/glow]
God bless you
Please pray for me
Godislove260 , nice spiritual share i've read ,also Tεκcoνι μέσα Πεχριcτoc comment on ur nice share . to fast really is to go nearer to God , and really we can't uless we leave the earthy things that chain us . Nice , blessed share , thx so much Godislove260 . plz don't forget to mention me in prayers .
Tεκcoνι μέσα Πεχριcτoc , mahraeel , rpm , Godislove260 .
May God bless urlife . and support u in ur life .
have a simple comment that i heared before from one of blessed fathers . it's the fasting is like the bird . with two wings , the bird can't fly high or even can't fly anyhow if the wings were defected of broken . these wings is : " donation & prayer "
To pray : we connect God more , as we refresh and increase the love relationship between God and we .
To donate : is to express this love, as we feel the other .and really my brothers & sisters we should realize that the donation isn't only money donation .
May God be with all of u . and we feel His Blessed presence with us.
Dears , plz don't forget to mention me in prayers .
thank you
+mahraeel+
God Bless you
Please pray for my weakness
To constantly remind myself:
1. To remove the plank in my eye so that I could see clearly and help remove the speck in another person's eye.
2. That when you point a finger at someone, 3 fingers point back at you.
3. That God gave us one mouth and two ears, therefore to use them in proportion.
4. One can never pray enough. Hence, in addition to our regular prayer, to specifically pray for (and patiently bear with)
persecutors, enemies, the lost & misguided, the mean and malicious, the hopeless and sick.....
Acknowledgements:
The following are taken from the Internet edition of the Orthodox Prayer Book compiled for Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church, Lowell, Massachusetts by Father Peter Gregory.
Prayers for Repentance
God, my good and loving Lord, I acknowledge all the sins which I have committed every day in my life, whether in thought, word or deed. I ask for forgiveness from the depths of my heart for offending You and others and repent of my old ways. Help me by Your grace to change, to sin no more and to walk in the way of righteousness and to praise and glorify Your Name, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
O Lord my God, I confess that I have sinned against You in thought, word and deed. I have also omitted to do what Your holy law requires of me. But now with repentance and contrition I turn again to Your love and mercy. I entreat You to forgive me all my transgressions and to cleanse me from all my sins. Lord, fill my heart with the light of Your truth. Strengthen my will by Your grace. Teach me both to desire and to do only what pleases You. Amen.
Prayer for Our Enemies
Lord Jesus Christ, in Your great mercy You prayed for the forgiveness of those who crucified You, and You taught us to love our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us. Lord, I pray that You forgive those who treat me unjustly and speak out against me, and that You bless them and guide them according to Your will. Take away any bitterness I may have in my heart against them. Lord, may Your forgiveness, goodness and love be revealed in all of us, to Your praise and glory. Amen.
Prayer of St. John Chrysostom
Lord, Jesus Christ my God, forgive the faults and sins which I, Your unworthy servant have committed from my youth to this day and hour, whether knowingly or in ignorance, whether by words, deeds, intentions or thoughts and whether by habit or through any of my senses. By the prayers of Your pure and Virgin Mother, make me worthy without condemnation to receive Your precious, immortal and life-giving Mysteries for the forgiveness of sins and eternal life. May the Eucharist sanctify, enlighten, strengthen and heal my soul and body and thus destroy my evil thoughts, intentions and prejudices. For Yours, Christ our God, is the Kingdom, the power, the glory, the honor and worship with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and ever. Amen.
Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi
Lord make me an Instrument of Your peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
Divine Master, grant that I may not seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen
God bless,
Paulos
There's not much I can add really, I think you guys said it brilliantly already, but I was thinking of this:
Humility is knowing that you deserve all the bad things that happen to you and much more, and it's only through God's mercy and love that you're spared of your true punishment, and realizing that you are unworthy of all good things that you come across, for you have done nothing good in His sight...
God bless you
Please pray for my weakness
and thx for God is love for handling the topic and i hope u continoue as i really have some duties, that make me away from log in and also i am about to have my exams . So great to go on through the topic. change the topic and so on .
and again i thank all people who share and cause benefits to us . May God Lord Jesus Christ be with all of u and bless ur life.
Don't forget to mention me in prayers also for exams ! :)
Peace to all of u
I have a questine to ask to continue this topic.
What is faith?
to eat foul and tameya... ;D
For me that's like luxury :D
Thanks God, I have back again .. However is the way i have met this site again, I am here now. i am pleased that i am among u now
As I see there is two concepts to share, Humility and Faith. I am sure we can cover both of them and more through the blessing coming days.
Let's begin with Faith ... then turn to Humility.
God be with all of you [mention me and Egypt in ur prayers]
Humility
I am so valued only because i am His son
I am so sad because of my sin, but all times there is a Hope from Him. There is the grace of Repentance given from Him.
I know myself. Not good to over estimate it or underestimate it.
To know is to acquire and learn something new.
Also to know is to life. " My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge " [Hosea4:6]
Wisdom is from God, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." [James 1:5]
it is to say and act when it is needed and to be silent and stop acting when it is the time to stop and to be silent.
Wisdom is a gift from God when He fulfill the heart and the mind, so u feel peace in mind and God leads u.
Thanks mary for ur share and wish to share us in Humility :)
To be sure totally that all things around u go together for ur benefit.
To know that you are stranger, and to do for ur eternal life.