A battle is being waged for your mind between Christ and Satan. God's health program, including fasting, and prayer will help you physically, mentally, and spiritually to gain the victory over the enemy.
The type of fast that Daniel followed was to abstain from eating the diet of Babylon, specifically the meat and wine. Instead, he chose a diet of organic vegan food and pure water to drink. One author comments: "The true fasting which should be recommended to all, is abstinence from every stimulating kind of food, and the proper use of wholesome, simple food, which God has provided in abundance. Men need to think less about what they shall eat and drink of temporal food, and much more in regard to the food from heaven, that will give tone and vitality to the whole religious experience." Counsel on Diet and Foods, p.188.
Daniel and his three friends looked very vibrant and healthy after only ten days on the diet and gained permission to extend the program for three more years. When brought before King Nebuchadnezzar at the end of the three years, "the king communed with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: ... And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm." Daniel 1:18-20.
Daniel and his friends gained the victory over the perverted diet of Babylon and this victory strengthened them to endure the more severe trials in the future. As we know, the Hebrew worthies refused to bow to the image of Babylon on the plains of Dura and were thrown into the fiery furnace, and Daniel refused to stop praying to his God and was thrown into the lion's den. Their fast of abstaining from "every stimulating kind of food and the proper use of wholesome, simple food" strengthened them for the more severe tests that laid ahead. Likewise, in the wilderness of temptation, Christ conquered the two severe tests that followed His first test on appetite.
Have you ever noticed that Moses, who fasted forty days on Mount Horeb (Mt. Sinai) and was resurrected and taken to heaven (see Jude 9), and Elijah, who also fasted forty days on the same mountain and was translated to heaven without seeing death, were the two patriarchs who later appeared with Jesus at His transfiguration on the mount. (See Matthew 17). Here stood three biblical characters that had completed forty-day fasts. Moses represented the saved of all ages that will be resurrected, and Elijah represented the living saints that will be translated with the resurrected saints when Jesus comes the second time. (See 1 Thess. 4:15-18). These three biblical characters are noteworthy for being the most spiritually empowered men who ever walked the earth, with Jesus being the greatest among them. Fasting and drawing close to God in prayer were an important part of their program for overcoming the devil and gaining the victory over temptation.
Another interesting point to consider is when Peter, James and John returned with Jesus to the other disciples after the most glorious mountain top experience in Christian history, the transfiguration, they were immediately presented with the case of the child possessed with a demon who the disciples were powerless to cast out (Matthew 17:14-21), even though Jesus had before given them power over all devils (Luke 9:1). "I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him. Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? ... bring him hither to me. And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour. Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: ... Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting." Matthew 17:14-21. I find it very interesting that Jesus gave the disciples a lesson on the power of prayer and fasting immediately following His transfiguration with the two other forty-day fasters, Moses and Elijah. Obviously, the three of them had learned from practical experience the power of fasting and prayer.
What a lesson this should be to all Christians on the importance of prayer and fasting in the work of overcoming evil, especially since "as we near the close of time, Satan's temptation to indulge appetite will be more powerful and more difficult to overcome." Ibid, p. 59. How few realize in the warfare for our souls that Satan is using appetite and stimulants to interfere with the clarity of our minds. God wants to seal us in our foreheads, where the moral lobe is located, and Satan wants to block the process. and deceive us in to making wrong choices. He therefore uses stimulants like flesh foods, coffee, tea, nicotine, alcohol, sugar, and the new caffeine-loaded Jolt and ROCKSTAR, with the equivalent of three or more cups of coffee in a serving in the process. God help us! Soon we will be faced with supernatural signs and lying wonders to deceive the very elect. What chance will those who are slaves to a perverted appetite have in that day?
Fasting and prayer are heavens antidote for gaining the victory over appetite, and if the Savior of men with His divine strength felt the need of prayer and fasting when fiercely tempted by the devil, how much more should feeble, sinful mortals feel the necessity of fasting and prayer! "When Christ was the most fiercely beset by temptation, He ate nothing. He committed Himself to God, and through earnest prayer, and perfect submission to the will of His Father, came off conqueror. Those who profess the truth for these last days, above every other class of professed Christians, should imitate the great Exemplar in prayer." Ibid., p. 52. If people's "taste is so perverted they have no appetite for a wholesome diet of fruits, plain bread, and vegetables, .... If they cannot at first enjoy plain food, they should fast until they can. That fast will prove to them of greater benefit than medicine, for the abused stomach will find that rest which it has long needed." Ibid., p.158.
Like Christ, I have learned to fast and pray when I am fiercely tempted by the devil. The divine combination strengthens me to endure the severest trials of life. I agree with the experts that a true fast is a water fast, and has great value, but I also recommend juice fasting since water fasting can be difficult, and, when done for longer than a week, may require medical supervision. My longest juice fast was for twenty one days. At the beginning of the fast, I craved only citrus juices, but hesitated to drink them because orange juice can give me indigestion at times. Nevertheless, for the first 10 days of the twenty-one day juice fast, I drank only the fresh juices from oranges, tangerines, and pink grapefruits without any indigestion at all because fresh, organic juice contains plenty of live enzymes. Fresh juice is natural and quite different from the dead orange juice we buy packaged in carnauba-waxed cartons/ Carnauba is a carcinogen that we use to wax our cars.
A few days into the fast, I noticed my mind became extremely clear and my vision sharpened. Next, the excess mucus cleared in my throat and my chronic sinus problem disappeared. My energy increased dramatically from the easy-to-digest juices, which surprises many people when they juice fast for the first time. But, about seven days into the fast, I experienced physical exhaustion when playing racquetball too long, even though I had tremendous energy when I started. Now I advise people to avoid exercise when water fasting, other than mild walking, and intense exercise for long periods of time while juice fasting. Be especially cautious when fasting if you feel any strain on your heart or have a serious preexisting condition like cancer. Cancer patients are not advised to do a water fast or any strenuous exercise since they are malnourished and very toxic.
On day eleven, I started craving green vegetables and added green juices to my program which gave me added protein and enabled me to continue the fast for two more weeks. By day twenty one, even though I was juicing seven times a day, my body was calling for solid food, so I broke the fast on small amounts of fruit. While on the fast, I experienced a wonderful spiritual high and had an easier time having victory over my temptations. As I prayed, submitted myself to God, and resisted the devil, he would flee from me as promised in James 4:7 and 8: The good news is that on the juice fast, I cleansed my body, cleared my mind, and with prayer, drew very close to God.
I have done many fasts in my life, most of them for ten days at BellaVita. Here we fast on live juices for the first five days and eat live or raw organic food for the second five days. Another simple fast that most people can do and is a good way to start is to mix a quarter cup of fresh lemon juice and a quarter cup of pure, raw honey in a gallon of pure water. Shake it well and drink a large glass of the mixture every two hours during your waking hours. Consume a gallon of the lemon and honey mixture for three or four days while eating nothing. Some people add a small amount of cayenne to the mixture.
I find on day four of this fast that my appetite for food ends. The honey contains glucose to fuel the brain and keep it clear and alert and the lemon alkalinizes the body, cuts mucus, and cleanses the kidneys and liver. For the first three days you will feel the struggle between the mind and body, and your stomach will be growling but your my mind will be very clear and alert. By praying during the fast and humbling yourself before God, you will gain incredible spiritual strength like did Christ when He defeated the devil. Fasting and prayer strengthened Him to endure the test and gain the victory over the next two temptations, just like Daniel did in the Old Testament. Prayer and fasting is heaven's dynamic duo against temptation!
I am not recommending that you run out and do a forty-day water fast, but perhaps a short water or juice fast or the simple lemon/honey fast for several days. Some Type-2 diabetics have quickly lowered blood sugar levels on a fast of water and lemon only.
We need the clearest mind possible when confronting the enemy -- especially when he assumes disguises to deceive us. Have you ever wondered who Satan impersonated when He sought to deceive Jesus in the wilderness? Do you think he came as himself or did he assume a disguise in his attempt to fool the Lord Jesus? We know that Satan quoted Scripture in his attempt to deceive Christ, specifically the first half of Psalms 91:11 and all of 91:12 which say: "He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone." What Satan left out was the second half of Psalms 91:11 that says: "To keep thee in all thy ways." Now whose ways do you think Christ would want to keep? His Father's of course. Jesus said: "My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work (Matt. 4:34)," and His work was to destroy the works of the devil. No wonder Satan left out the second half of Psalms 91:11.
"For forty days He fasted and prayed. Weak and emaciated from hunger, worn and haggard with mental agony, His visage was so marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men." Now was Satan's opportunity. Now he supposed that he could overcome Christ." Counsels on Diet and Foods, p. 185. Since the devil quoted Scripture and conversed with Christ suggests that Satan came as an imposter clothed as an angel of light. After all, why wouldn't he assume a disguise in his devious effort to overcome the Son of God, since the Bible says that we also will have to contend with "false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:13)."
One famous religious author, E. G. White, who authored the book Counsels on Diet and Foods, agreed and wrote many years ago: "He [Satan] claimed to be the angel who stayed the hand of Abraham, as the knife was raised to slay Isaac, and that he had now come to save the life of the Son of God, to deliver him from a painful death by starvation, and assist him in the plan of salvation." The Spirit of Prophecy, Vol. 2, p. 90. Besides this, she continues: "[Satan] declared that a powerful angel of heaven had been banished to the earth, and that Christ's appearance indicated that instead of being the King of heaven, He was this fallen angel, forsaken of God and deserted by man." (The Bible Echo, November 15, 1892). Amazing! The artful deceiver and father of lies accuses Christ of being Satan!
Why did the fast help Christ to endure and gain the victory over the devil? Because during a fast the following takes place physically:
1) The natural process of toxin excretion increases while the influx of new toxins is reduced. This results in a reduction of total body toxicity.
2) The energy usually used for digestion is redirected to immune function, cell growth, and eliminatory processes.
3) The immune system's workload is greatly reduced, and the digestive tract is spared any inflammation due to allergic reactions to food.
4) Due to a lowering of serum fats that thins the blood, tissue oxygenation is increased and white blood cells are moved more efficiently.
5) Fat-stored chemicals, such as pesticides and drugs, are released.
6) Physical awareness and sensitivity to diet and surroundings are increased.
7) Due to these effects of fasting, a fast can help you heal with greater speed, cleanse your liver, kidneys, and colon, purify your blood, help you lose excess weight and water, flush out toxins, clear the eyes and tongue, and cleanse the breath. See Prescription for Nutritional Healing, James and Phyllis Balch, pp. 548-550.
8) On a mental note, the cognitive powers become extremely clear and sharp.
9) Through fasting and prayer, one gains spiritual strength from the throne of God which brings with it grace, blessings, and guidance.
The Israelites often fasted without specific commandment in time of distress; some were communal while others were private individual acts of fasting. The Israelites often fasted when they wanted God to hear their prayers:
1) They fasted in war or at the threat of it (Judges 20:26).
2) They fasted when loved ones were sick, as when David fasted and wept for his son when the boy was ill (2 Samuel 12:16-23).
3. They fasted for seven days when loved ones died (1 Samuel 31:13).
4. They fasted when they sought God's forgiveness (Jonah 3:4-10; Daniel 9:3-5).
5. They fasted when they faced impending danger (2 Chronicles 20:3; Esther 4:3, 16).
6.They fasted to commemorate certain calamities (Jeremiah 52:12, 13; 2 Kings 25:1).
7. They fasted on the day of Atonement which was the only day that God required a fast. This fast was done purposely to "afflict the soul (Leviticus 23:26-32). The purpose of such affliction was not for the body, but to humble the soul (Psalms 35:13). The Israelites believed that by such humbling they would more likely incur the favor of God (Ezra 8:21-23; Isaiah 57:15; 66:1, 2).
In the New Testament Jesus fasted and prayed in the wilderness of temptation. Matthew 4:1-9. He also spoke on the blessings of fasting, when done for the right reasons, on the Sermon on the Mount: "When thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly." Matthew 6:16-18. Christ admonished the disciples to fast and pray in certain cases when faced with demon possession. Matthew 17. The New Testament church fasted and prayed at Antioch in preparation for sending our Paul and Barnabas. Acts 13:1-3. Every church fasted and prayed as a group when appointing elders. Acts 14:21-23. In 2 Corinthians 11:27, the great Apostle Paul said he fasted often. Husbands and wives may devote themselves to fasting and prayer for a specific time. 1 Cor. 7:5.
As we have seen, fasting and prayer often go hand in hand, utilized whenever there was a strong desire for God's blessing and guidance. Should we not follow the example of the early church and our Savior Jesus and include fasting and prayer in our lives as Christians, especially as we approach a time like there never was a nation.
God bless you as you fast and pray,
Danny Vierra
