Eating Issues and Fasting

If someone has struggled with food or body image issues in the past, should she wait until the manifestation of her healing has been made complete in that area of her life before fasting?

Fasting can take a variety of forms and the main purpose is for spiritual submission and breakthrough. Food issues and body image should not be limitations, but it would depend on the faith maturity of the person before I would just say go ahead. Not that they have to be mature, but they do need to be able to focus on Christ and hearing from him. I am referring to emotional eating here, anyone suffering anorexia or bulimia should not abstain from food, but abstain in others ways suggested below. The spiritual principles apply the same.

Food issues reflect a double spiritual stronghold, at least. One is the deep level of insecurity, which can be healed as one hears affirmation from Jesus and transfers faith to believing his truth rather than the lies. The second is the belief that food, or the lack of it, is the answer for beauty. This would indicate a compulsive behavior based on a lie that is linked to the insecurity lies.

A day or time of fasting will probably not be the immediate breakthrough from food issues but it could help put your spirit and mind in the proper order. The purpose of the fast is to let your spirit take dominion over your body and soul. It is in and through your spirit that you hear from the Lord and receive strength, peace and encouragement. Your mind or feelings alone are not sufficient to form overcoming strength. In other words, you can’t overcome an eating disorder or poor body image just by wanting it to go away. You must receive strength from the Holy Spirit and the truth of God.

By fasting from food you are denying yourself what your body is craving by making a willful choice. When you continue to deny yourself for a day, or three days, or whatever time-frame, then your spirit is taking leadership/dominion over your body. When your spirit is leading then you can hear from God more clearly. Don’t fast for the sake of healing the eating disorder, but rather fast to open your spiritual ears and hear from Jesus. When you begin hearing from Jesus you will find peace and wisdom. There is healing in the peace and wisdom. Peace and wisdom bring deep level security by knowing and believing who you are in Christ. You can read Psalm 139:13-16 and Ephesians 3:16-21 for encouragement.

There are other types of fasting rather than abstaining from all food: partial food fasts, skipping breakfast and lunch but eating dinners for three days, half-quantity fast, eating vegetarian, or cutting out sweets or other parts of the regular eating pattern. There are other spiritual disciplines like silence or solitude, cutting out media and all reading except for Scripture. 

May the Lord bless you with healing.

INCREASE YOUR FAITH – 4

The apostles said to the Lord, Increase our faith (that trust and confidence that spring from our belief in God). Luke 17:5 (AMP)

It is possible to live a moral life without knowing Jesus Christ as your Lord. But when the Holy Spirit dwells in you through your faith commitment to Christ a moral life is one of the natural outcomes.

Take this admonition for example:

“Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience.” Romans 13:4-5

·        To keep your conscience clear means that there is no offense to hide before God or man.

Or this one:

“The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” 1Timothy 1:5-6

·        A pure heart is one that is cleansed, or sanctified, by cooperating with the Holy Spirit.

·        Sincere faith means a faith that has no secrets, there is nothing to hide or fake.

“They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons.” 1Timothy 3:9-10

·        Deep truths are revealed by the Holy Spirit to a clear conscience or spirit.

·        Leaders are held to this high standard, but all believers should walk with a clear conscience.

MORAL FAITH (Your Conscience)

1. Live by God’s wisdom and commandments.

2. Don’t give in to legalism, the belief that following Christ means following rules.

3. Let your love for God increase so that nothing comes between your heart and His.

But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. 

1 Peter 3:15-17

 

INCREASE YOUR FAITH – 3

The apostles said to the Lord, Increase our faith (that trust and confidence that spring from our belief in God). Luke 17:5 (AMP)

Do you want an idea of what Jesus would do? Take a look at Luke 19. Jesus is heading to Jerusalem to begin the final stages of his life on earth. He speaks prophetically about a colt that will carry him into the city. People are shouting and rejoicing because he is entering the city. Upon seeing a view of the city he begins to weep and prophesies the spiritual condition and consequences of the city for their lack of receiving from God. He then goes to the Temple and clears out the money changers who represent the spirit of corruption that was infecting the whole nation spiritually. Shortly after that the religious leaders were plotting to kill him. That can be considered emotional stress.

Jesus came to save people who hated him, denied him, and rejected him. His heart was broken for them and he forgave them. He even paid the price for their hateful, murderous, and corrupt sins.

Following Jesus is overwhelming if you try to do it in your own strength. You can expect to fail. The only possibility of success is to be filled with his Holy Spirit and allow your emotions to come into order with him. You can increase your emotional faith.

EMOTIONAL FAITH (Your Feelings)

1. Develop compassion, pity, sorrow, relational understanding, peace, and joy. (Gal. 6:2).

2. Feel as Jesus felt; pity for the lost, compassion for the poor and sick, anger at the self-righteous, frustration with the lack of faith. (Mark 6:6).

3. Be expressive with emotions in praise, worship and repentance. (Ps. 145).

4. Using self-control on emotions such as rage, jealousy, lust, or hysteria. (Gal. 5:22-23).

5. Be honest with your own feelings, not in denial or self-deception. (Gal. 6:7-10).

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it. 1 Thess 5:23-24

 

 

 

INCREASE YOUR FAITH - 2

The apostles said to the Lord, Increase our faith (that trust and confidence that spring from our belief in God). Luke 17:5 (AMP)

Our human will is powerful enough to resist God and quench the Holy Spirit, but it is not powerful enough to lead us into salvation or righteousness. Jesus answered the wealthy young man when he asked how to enter the Kingdom of God. “Sell all your possessions and follow me.” But the man turned away because his will and identity were in bondage to his wealth.

We can use self-determination to be disciplined in matters of faith. However, the Holy Spirit’s presence in our heart is the only acceptable indication of righteousness in God’s eyes. (Eph. 1:13)

To increase our faith we have to understand how to yield our will to the Holy Spirit.

VOLITIONAL FAITH (Your Will)

1. Bringing your will into cooperation with God’s will. (Gal. 5:22,25)

2. Understanding what God’s will and expectations are for Christians. (Heb. 12:14)

3. Recognizing that human will alone is insufficient power to know or

live in the truth. (Rom. 3:23)

Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation — but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Romans 8:12-16

INCREASE YOUR FAITH

The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" Luke 17:5

I am beginning a new series on how to increase your faith. If understanding faith was simple we would all be like the Apostle Paul. If living by faith was simple we would already be like Daniel or Esther. So, let's make a study of faith, be inspired by truth, and obey the Holy Spirit into increased faith.

I like using the Amplified Version to compare scriptural meaning. The apostles said to the Lord, Increase our faith (that trust and confidence that spring from our belief in God). Luke 17:5 (AMP)

This helps us see that our faith flows like a spring or is produced like fruit from our beliefs. As you believe that Jesus Christ is the Truth then you will not put faith in other teachers and you will begin to discern false teaching even if it is subtly camoflauged.

Faith influences and is formed in your mind, emotions, will, conscience, relationships and the presence of the Holy Spirit. Through the series we will break down each of these areas:

INTELLECTUAL FAITH (Your Mind)

1. Encouraged by the reading, studying, meditating in God’s Word. (Psalm 1)

2. Receiving knowledge of the truth and revelation in the truth. (Eph. 1:17-18)

3. Reading and evaluating other resources that support Christian truth. (Phil 1:9-10)

4. Recognize that the soul needs more than intellectual propositions. (Romans 8:16)

5. Knowledge of Christ includes experiences in his presence. (Acts 4:31)

6. Avoid the temptation of over dependency of intellectual faith. (John 5:39)

7. Avoid the temptation of anti-intellectual faith. (2 Timothy 2:15)

Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; Romans 8:5-6 (NIV)

The NEED FOR DISCERNMENT Series #7

The Truth Revealed
True belief in Jesus requires a revelation from God himself. He calls you unto himself by his kindness. He gets your attention by a preaching or a teaching and prayer. He comes in when you surrender a place in your heart for him. He sets before you a divine plan of salvation from sin and death and a journey in freedom to be set apart from the entanglements of the old sinful character in your soul. The Holy Spirit brings understanding to the Word of Truth deep in your spirit. Understanding the Bible by intellect alone is religious knowledge. Knowing Jesus Christ because he has been revealed in your spirit by the Holy Spirit is worshiping in spirit and truth. This is a step that other belief systems try to produce by teaching that you have “divine” power of your own accord. They deny that a huge sacrifice was required to open the door that we might be restored to a relationship with the Divine.

Views of who Jesus Christ is:
Buddhism – Man, Wise and enlightened man who taught similar things to the Buddha.
Hinduism – Man/god, Incarnation of God akin to Krishna, or wise man.
Islam – Man, True prophet sent by God, but superseded by Muhammad.
Mormonism – Man, Son of God, Savior, originally one of the spirit beings that all humans used to be. Has a physical body.
Universalism – Man, Great teacher, faith-healer, "incarnation of God's love."
New Age, Free Masonry, Theosophy, Kabbalah – Man, Great teacher who understood earth energy like other great religious leaders.
Christianity – Fully man/fully God, Incarnation of God, second person of the Trinity, Son of God, Savior.

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. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood. 1 John 4:4-6

But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. 1 John 2:20

Rather, let our lives lovingly express truth [in all things, speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly]. Enfolded in love, let us grow up in every way and in all things into Him Who is the Head, [even] Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). Eph 4:15 AMP

THE NEED FOR DISCERNMENT Series #6

A Leap of Truth Through the Gospel of John

John 1:14
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 3:3
In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.

John 4:22-24
Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."

John 8:31-32
To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth , and the truth will set you free."

John 14:6
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

John 16:12-14
But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.

John 17:16-17
Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.

John 18:37
Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."

If anyone has trouble believing that Jesus Christ is the true Truth, they should ask in prayer for God to reveal this in their spirit and soul. If you genuinely want to know God you should seek him by asking for that revelation even if it takes more than once or over several days. Trust and wait. The Holy Spirit will meet you and make the truth known, and believing grows deeper and deeper.