Fasting, the discipline of abstaining form food, usually for a short period of time but, God may call us to a longer fast. Why would we want to do that voluntarily? There are plenty of reasons, the main one being for SPIRITUAL HEALTH reasons. There are also very good physical health reasons as well.
Fasting can be great for our overall health: It gives our body a chance to reset and detoxify. These days, our bodies are bombarded with all sorts of artificial colorants and chemicals – it’s in the food we eat, in the things we drink. It’s even in the environment we live and breathe. Fasting gives our body a chance to start again, and it’s great for people who want to make A NEW, HEALTHY START.
FASTING IS GREAT FOR:
- THE LIVER: Fasting can be great for the liver; when our body isn’t being bombarded with salts, colorants, sugars, and artificial chemicals, IT GETS A CHANCE TO REST – and our body gets a chance to process all of the harmful chemicals.
- MOOD IMPROVEMENT: The chemicals that we put into our body can affect our hormone levels: These hormones can cause imbalances inside our own body, especially if we eat a lot of hormone-containing foods like pork and chicken. These imbalances lead to mood changes, usually irritability or depression, over time. Fasting can help our body get the chemicals causing these mood changes out of our system so that we can feel healthier – and very often happier.
- BLOOD PRESSURE: Fasting can help our blood pressure TO STABILIZE, normal blood pressure should be 120 over 80; small variations in blood pressure measurements are normal.
- HEART HEALTH: There are plenty of good things that fasting can do for your heart. All of the things you eat on a daily basis puts a lot of strain on your heart, especially if your diet is very high in fats and salts, and not so high in vegetables. Fasting forces your body to slow down and gives your body a chance to get rid of all of the toxins it has accumulated. When you are able to reset your body by fasting, you basically GIVE YOUR BODY AN ENTIRELY NEW START when you begin eating again – and this time, start by eating healthier, more natural foods.
- COLON HEALTH: All of the foods you eat will accumulate directly in our colon, and our colon could be the reason why we are feeling tired, lethargic, and generally unhealthy. Fasting gives our colon a chance to go back to basics: When we fast, we manage to clear the toxins out of our body – and the waste out of our colon. And we will be extremely surprised at just how much of a difference this can make TO OUR OVERALL HEALTH.
- STOMACH HEALTH: Everything we eat goes directly to our stomach, and most people simply just don’t follow a completely natural and healthy diet. Fasting allows our stomach to reset itself just as much as our body, and it gives our stomach the time that it needs to recover. If we have a stomach ulcer, we might even be given the order to fast at least partially by our doctor while our stomach recovers.
- REMOVAL OF TOXINS: Our body accumulates plenty of toxins over time: It’s in the food we eat, the air we breathe, it’s even in the soil we walk on. Fasting is one of the best ways to detox – though we should remember to combine a fasting routine with plenty of fluids, including milk and water.
“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, HONOR GOD WITH YOUR BODIES.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
Your Personal Pastor -Bill Stockham