Benefits of Fasting
Jan 10, 2020
Fasting is defined as - to abstain from all food; eating only sparingly or of certain kinds of food, especially as a religious observance.
Fasting can be great for your overall health spiritually, physically, and emotionally.
Here are 5 benefits to fasting:
1. It is great for your body physically.
It gives your body a chance to reset and detoxify. Our bodies are bombarded with all sorts of toxins and chemicals in the food that we eat and the things that we drink. Toxins are even in the environment and the air we breathe.
Fasting can be great for the liver, heart, colon, and stomach. It can help to lower blood pressure and lower cholesterol. When your body isn’t being bombarded with salts, colorants, sugars, alcohol, and artificial chemicals, it gets a chance to rest – and your body gets a chance to process and get rid of all the harmful chemicals.
2. Fasting can even help in stabilizing your Emotions.
The chemicals that you put into your body can affect your hormone levels. The plastic containers we use can leach into our system and mess with our hormones.
Animals are injected with hormones and antibiotics while they are alive. These antibiotics and hormones filter through the animals.
These hormones can cause imbalances inside your own body. These imbalances lead to mood changes, usually irritability or depression, over time.
3. Spiritually, fasting allows you to hear from the Holy Spirit more clearly.
It causes you to see who is really in control; food, emotions, or God.
When you fast it should be for spiritual reasons, otherwise, it is just a diet. Fasting causes you to think about and rely on God. When we are weak, He is strong. It's a time to be intentional to pray and believe God for answers to things you are praying and believing for.
4. Fasting gives you energy.
When too many toxins accumulate in the body we can become sluggish and lethargic.
The heart is what pumps blood through our body. When our blood is full of toxins and there is not enough water, the blood does not flow freely through our veins. It's like a river that can't flow because of all the debris that has collected.
As you fast, rid your body of toxins and drink water, your blood will begin to flow freely and you will feel energized.
5. Fasting meets one of the 5 human needs.
Uncertainty/Variety is one of the 5 basic human needs. We all have a need for variety, surprise, challenges, excitement, differences, chaos, adventure change, and novelty. If everything is always the same, we get bored.
Fasting changes things up. You learn a new rhythm and eat in a different way, trying new recipes.
Fasting is a great way to press the reset button for your body and digestive system. Let me encourage you to join us during our 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting in January.
Do a 14-day fast, a 7-day fast, a 3-day fast, or maybe a one-day fast. The benefits far outweigh the discomfort.
When you take a break from bombarding your body with certain salts, colorants, sugars, alcohol, artificial chemicals, breads, meats, and the like, you’ll feel much better. You’ll feel happier, and healthier, and have more energy to do the things that really matter.
