All members of this Church know about fasting and that it is usually for every first Sunday of the month. Here, I wish to provide you an account of my experiences with fasting, to show the value of it for our faith rather than do an instructional article. Be aware that what I relate here is on the basis that no medication is required and health is reasonable to good.
Fasting is not just for the first of each month, it is for any time that a person wants to seek God’s help, gain enlightenment or just spiritually cleanse or purge the body, mind and soul. Fasting is always like getting your car a new oil change, it simply helps everything run better and cleaner. So it is with your body and spirit, because after all, your spirit does suffer from the sludge caused by mortality and the flesh as would your car engine suffer from it’s form of sludge caused by oil that has become dirty or well used.
I begin this practice with a entrance prayer to the Father for the fast to state my intention, to seek his will and support, including the statement to the Father that things he sends are in accordance to his will. The beginning of the fasting can be a bit sluggish. I found in my experience that this occurs because fasting requires a general shift in focus and intention with the body and spirit from what is normally done each day. If a meal was eaten first, it seems to take several hours before anything spiritual occurs, but if no meal was eaten first, then it seems that spiritual things to begin earlier.
Speaking on the basis of taking no meal prior to the start of the fast, what I have felt at first are the desires for food, water and comfort. Sensitivity to food smells increases and thoughts of food and drink occur. Devotion to the purpose and intention of the fast is paramount at this time because this is the weak period, the time where temptation increases. There could be other temptations, but I believe that is dependent on the person. The obvious key here is to resist temptations and remain steadfast to the fast, but what I found is that because the sensitivity to temporal things increased, so has the effect of temptations. This testing period can be used as a catalyst for the move to the spiritual state. Faith and devotion to the fast, while resisting temptation does have a physical and spiritual effect. These physical needs will subside (if resisted) and the mind will begin to clear. This is where I have experienced a “lightening” effect.
Next there seems to be a plateau of sorts, almost like a contemplation or meditative place in the heart and mind. I have experienced this when performing the fast on my days off as opposed to while I am working. When working, the meditative state is felt which is similar to a slowing of sorts, but this slowing is not as much during work because I was focused into the world to do my work. Fasting while working, I found that spiritual changes take a bit longer compared to being on days off, simply because during work, I was trying to balance a spiritual “inward” focus with an “outward” focus of work and both require energy.
During this plateau or soon after I have moved into a reflective state and it is here that some insight or personal revelation has occurred. What I have found is that revelation was given in relation to myself, because the revelation, I found, was to teach as well as cause a personal change within me. I found that personal revelation can be about anything God deems necessary. It can be scriptural to natural. The natural is to refer to a teaching about mortal life and how I relate to it or my place in it. The understanding about the natural has greatly helped me understand human behaviour, limitations, weaknesses etc, which is a greater appreciation of my mortal life. Any spiritual understanding was doctrinal, but within the context of life itself. This means an understanding and comprehension in the context of my life in mortality and spiritually and I assure you God is quite capable of showing this. This fits with the words of Christ in John 6:63, “the words I speak are spirit and they are life” (paraphrased). This is an example of how I have received confirmations that the gospel is real and true, both for the Bible and the Book of Mormon.
Other times, shortcomings have appeared instead of personal revelation. This is where a shortcoming arises and comes to mind, in both memory and in “feeling”, including the feelings of emotion that are related to the shortcoming. I have found this to be a spiritual state, even though the shortcomings relate to my life in the mortal sense, because God relates the mortal shortcoming in spiritual terms. This I found fits with the gospel passage of DC 29:32, where God does things spiritually first. This is where I have been lead by the Spirit to see any past errors, the true weight of that error along with a true and clear understanding of the real impact of that error or sin, both spiritually and temporally. I have learned the wrong versus the right in it. When this occurs, I have always become “humbled”, because the “revelation” and understanding was always humbling. One such event occurred a little while ago where the Lord led me to realize that a past impatience was a “sin”, showing that the impatience was caused by selfishness and pride.
The “revelation” of shortcomings, I have found, was to teach me more about myself, to overcome those errors that still resided in me and to repent them. In the fasting state I have found that repentance was far more powerful than out of the fast because there was sincere sorrow for the sins and the desire to forsake them was stronger.
Through the fast I have experienced a realignment, a cleansed and peaceful state. Even though life’s issues may remain, it does renew and does give a boost to endure. I have experienced the Holy Ghost through fasting and realized from that, that the teachings of God to keep a spiritually clean body for the Spirit to enter are very true.
As for some temporal concerns during fasting, cleaning the body is important. This seems to complete a fullness of the fast as it is spirit and body that is cleansed and made pure. I have found that when cleaning the body, I had to remain focused to the purpose of the shower or bath. I had to avoid taking “pleasure” of the bathing because the intent of the fast. The intent of the fast was always to subjugate the body and taking pleasure for the body to “relax” in the bath or shower is against the fast. I had to keep it purposeful, not pleasurable because the real joy is the staying in the spiritual fast state.
Fasting has helped me resolve issues, spiritually cleanse the body and mind, realign myself to the Spirit, experience more of the Spirit, feel truly spiritual and faithful. It has helped and increased my scriptural study because the focus for the fast and scriptural study are exactly the same – for faith and Spirit.
Through and by fasting I have sustained my testimony of this Church, increased it, rooted it further and fed it as well. If you have not fasted enough or not at all, I strongly suggest and advise that you do. You do not need to wait until the first of the month, do it any time.
Amen
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