Fasting?

[Jabez]

When and why?I know a little but iam seeking advice and scripture.Thank you

[btettemer]

I have no scripture to back this up.  I am just sharing my humble opinion.

The way I see it, I sense the need to fast when I am taking things for granted.  Thanking God for all he's given me can become a routine for me.  Every once in a while, I'll ask myself, "Hey, what if God decided to hold back?"  That's when I fast.  Then, at mealtimes I'll remeber I am fasting.  Then I'll remeber why I am fasting.  Then I am truely thanking God for al he proides for me.

Make any sense?

[Mr. 5020]

btettemer makes a great point.  Also, the Bible speaks of fasting assisting in spiritual warfare.

Matthew 17:14-21
¹⁴And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying,
¹⁵"Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water.
¹⁶So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him."
¹⁷Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me."
¹⁸And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.
¹⁹Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?"
²⁰So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, "Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.
²¹However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."

See also Mark 9.

[ElmerGlue]

When and why?I know a little but iam seeking advice and scripture.Thank you

1. How about today? (There is your 'when'.)
2. Because of the Day of Atonement mentioned here...
(There is your 'why'.)
Lev 23:27 Also on the tenth [day] of this seventh month [there shall be] a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

The word atonement is from the Hebrew kippur which is derived from kaphar which means...

Strong's Strong's 03722)
1) to cover, purge, make an atonement, make reconciliation, cover over with pitch
a) (Qal) to coat or cover with pitch
b) (Piel)
1) to cover over, pacify, propitiate
2) to cover over, atone for sin, make atonement for
3) to cover over, atone for sin and persons by legal rites
c) (Pual)
1) to be covered over
2) to make atonement for
d) (Hithpael) to be covered

and the statement to afflict your souls, comes from (using the tense that is used in)
Strongs #06031
c) (Piel)
1) to humble, mishandle, afflict
2) to humble, be humiliated
3) to afflict
4) to humble, weaken oneself

So by fasting, you certainly humble and weaken oneself. And just think, even though this was mentioned first in the old testament, it could still apply today, because as it is written here:

Rom 5:11 And not only [so], but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.
 
Which this word 'atonement' comes from katallage (Strong's 2643) which means in this context to:
2) adjustment of a difference, reconciliation, restoration to favour
a) in the NT of the restoration of the favour of God to sinners that repent and put their trust in the expiatory death of Christ

How perfect for Christians today...

[Left Coast]

Matthew 17:18  And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.
Matthew 17:19  Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?
Matthew 17:20  And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
Matthew 17:21  Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

One of the reasons the NIV translators argue that the 4th century texts were more accurate than the 5th century ones that were used for the KJV is this verse about fasting found in Matthew 17:21.
They rationalized what does going without food have to do with casting out demons?
What you hear them claim is that Gnostics added this to the bible.
What they didn’t understand is, fasting is parabolic language.
My opinion is that the reason the older texts were in such good condition is because they weren’t used. They weren’t used because they were not as accurate. The scribe copying these verses probably felt that it didn’t make sense to him either. So he left it out.
I believe that the solution to Matthew 17:21 is found in Isaiah 58:1-7.

Isaiah 58:5  Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD?
Isaiah 58:6  Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?

To loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, the oppressed go free, we are yoked to sin and eternal death. The gospel conquers sin. To fast is to bring the gospel.
When we understand this is parabolic language then we can see that this demon was cast out by the power of the gospel.