Pleasant Bread

Daniel fasted from pleasant bread.
This would hint that fasting would include giving up pleasant things like television or deserts, not just giving up full-blown meals. I have been thinking a lot about fasting. WELL ok, so maybe not a lot. My mind is usually filled with thoughts of homework. That is sad to say. It should be filled with thoughts of Jesus! But yeah.
SO anyways, fasting.

What does it mean to fast? I wonder this. Is there a hard and fast definition? Or is it just a play-by-ear thing? Like, does God tell us when we should fast, or are we supposed to just be responsible enough to know when something is becoming an addiction? Cause then we should fast from that.
OR are we just supposed to give up things that are taking up a lot of time so that we can spend more time with God? Cause if the purpose of fasting is to spend more time with God, than how can fasting from desert truly be fasting? Seriously, I know that not eating a slice of chocolate cake will not shorten up my dinner time any sooner so that I could spend more time with God. Which is why it seems that fasting would only be considered so if you are giving up a chunk of time for God. Like a meal or hours of television. This is what I am pondering tonight...

I read through a book called, "A Commonsense Guide to Fasting" by Kenneth E. Hagin. It is good, but it doens't solve my questions because it does not truly back up all of what it says with sound scripture. I need to solve this question. I want to know how to truly fast for the purpose of knowing God! Loving God! Being more sensitive to the things of God! For fasting changes YOU, not God. I know this for sure because God is the same yesterday, today, and FOREVER! (Heb. 13:8) Amazing. He is so faithful and consistent! I need that in my life.

I also know that fasting does not give us power over the devil. That I read up on a lot, though it is a bit long to share for right now. All the power that we have over the devil came to us when Christ broke the bonds on the cross! We can use the name of Jesus to cast out demons and to have power and authority whether we fast or not. Yet, if we fast, can we not have MORE power? Or maybe be more sensitive to the power God gives us? This I wonder. . . .

1 Pet. 5:8___Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Self-control is what fasting is about, right?
1 Cor. 7:5___Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
This is powerful! It says a lot about fasting. Only for a time, do not cause yourself to be deprived (no sleep fasting? or just not to the point where you are exhausted.) Give this extra time to GOD. But do not weaken yourself to lacking self-control. YET you need to fast to show you have self-control. Hmm. This requires a lot of thinking on my part. TIME TIME TIME is the issue here! Time for God. Time for thinking about things. Gah. Not enough of it.

Mark 16:17___And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues.
If we just believe in God we can use His name to drive out demons. No fasting needed?
Because our power is from God, who is in us.
1 John 4:4 ___You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
James 4:7___Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
If we can submit ourselves to God better through fasting, then with the devil flee faster? :\


Again, this I ponder. . . .