What does Ellen White write about...
Adventistische Schriften über: "Guide to Biblical Fasting"
Answer
Biblical fasting primarily means submitting one's will, heart, and mind completely to God. It is not only about abstaining from food, but a work of the heart that must be accompanied by deep humility, confession of sin, and practical charity. True fasting is demonstrated by refraining from stimulating foods and instead choosing simple, easily digestible food, while spiritually aligning oneself with God.
The Nature of True Fasting
»The spirit of true fasting and prayer is the spirit that subjugates the mind, heart, and will to God... True fasting, which should be recommended to all, is abstinence from any kind of stimulating food and the proper use of wholesome, simple food that God has provided in abundance. People must think less about what temporal food they should eat and drink, and much more about the heavenly food that gives strength and vitality to the entire religious experience.«
Prerequisites for Effective Fasting
»Fasting and prayer will accomplish nothing as long as the heart is alienated from God by a false way of acting... It is a work of the heart that the Lord requires, good deeds that spring from a heart filled with love. All should carefully and prayerfully examine ... their motives and actions. God's promise to us is tied to the condition of obedience, to the fulfillment of all His requirements.«
Fasting as Service to the Neighbor
»The fasting that God can accept is described as follows: It means sharing your bread with the hungry and bringing the poor, the outcast, into your house. Do not wait for them to come to you... You should stretch out your soul toward them. You should reach upward with one hand and, in faith, grasp the mighty arm that brings salvation, while with the other hand of love you reach the oppressed and relieve them.«
Practical Application and Moderation
»The people of God ... should set aside days for fasting and prayer. A complete abstinence from food may not be required, but they should eat modestly of the simplest food... All the fasting of the world will not take the place of simple trust in the Word of God... There is no merit in such a fast [forty days]; but there is merit in the blood of Christ.«
Purpose of Fasting: Wisdom and Purification
»For certain matters, fasting and prayer are recommended and appropriate. In God's hand they are a means to cleanse the heart and promote a receptive spiritual attitude. We receive answers to our prayers because we humble our souls before God... Let the brethren unite in fasting and prayer for the wisdom that God has promised to abundantly grant.«
The Proper Attitude in Fasting
»Christ taught his disciples to appear natural, so that they would not appear as fasters before people... Although the old custom of anointing the head no longer exists today, the duty to fast remains the same, as does prayer and the giving of alms.«
Original Sources (English)
Stephan Krol
Founder of EGW Vision
Why I built EGW Vision
Hello, I am Stephan Krol. I started this Ellen White website to make the writings of Ellen G. White and the Adventist pioneers easier to access for everyone.
EGW Vision helps you find topics, statements, and quotes faster, especially when many original sources are not yet fully available in your language. The tool searches semantically, groups relevant content by topic, and presents matching results as clearly as possible in your language.
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