Fast/Intermittent fasting (IF)
Today is Ash Wednesday and Lent 2024 has officially started. Now is the time we should all be preparing our bodies and souls for our Savior to resurrect and to bring us closer to God. Lent is for 40 days, not including Sundays because Sunday’s are Holy Days. 40 days of fasting are for the 40 days that Jesus fasted right before He was crucified for us.
Here are three wonderful verses in the Bible that tell us how amazing fasting can be for us.
1."Prayer is good with fasting and alms more than to lay up treasures of gold Tobias (Tobit) 12:8
What a great reminder that worldly things and all the wealth here on earth are temporary and unimportant, but praying and fasting is better. Here is another verse from the Bible that tells us to give up the treasures here on earth:
“Lay not up to yourselves treasures on earth: where the rust, and moth consume, and where thieves break through and steal.” “But lay up to yourselves treasures in heaven: where neither the rust nor moth doth consume, and where thieves do not break through, nor steal.”
(Matthew 6:19-20)
2. "Now therefore saith the Lord: Be converted to me with all your heart, in fasting, and in weeping, and in mourning"Joel 2:12
We are only here on earth for a small amount of time to Know God, to Love God, and to Serve God until we face our Creator, so what a wonderful time to prepare our bodies and souls as we grow closer to God by fasting and praying.
3. "And he said to them: This kind can go out by nothing, but by prayer and fasting Mark 9:28
In Mark 9:28 Jesus cast out an unclean spirit, a demon.
“And when Jesus saw the multitude running together, he threatened the unclean spirit, saying to him: Deaf and dumb spirit, I command thee, go out of him; and enter not any more into him. 25. And crying out, and greatly tearing him, he went out of him, and he became as dead, so that many said: He is dead. 26. But Jesus taking him by the hand, lifted him up; and he arose.” (Mark 9:24-26)
Many can become possessed by demons. Honestly, we all have demons that we are trying to battle. For us to battle these demons we need to pray and ask our Guardian Angels, Angels, Saints, and Mother Mary to pray for us and to ask God for Mercy on our souls. We also have to fast, carry our crosses, and make sacrifices to get closer to God.