FASTS and other fad diets

I was reading some posts around the site, and many people were sharing their "cabbage soup for a week" diet and so on....   We all realize this is a fad diet and not the way to attain healthy weight loss or maintenance.  I also realized that this is a type of a fast.  This is not such a bad idea, actually Biblical.  The Lord has told us to come to Him by prayer and fasting.  When we do this, it actually clears our mind, and does some purging of toxins in our system.  Some people fast on a regular basis such as one day a week (devote this as a day of prayer) or a few days in a row, monthly.  Of course, it depends on what you are eating, to make it work.  Ideally it would be something like a cabbage soup, which is actually very healthy.  The best fasts would be fruit or vegetable (vs chocolate or potato chips, LOL!!  just teasing)  with only water or tea to drink.  Anybody can do this safely for a day or even up to a week, the only problem is a matter of willpower.  It is a fact that when we pray during the times of temptation, that the Lord sustains us and we draw closer to Him.  This can be such a wonderful experience that you may want to repeat on a regular basis.

I was just reading an article about Fasting in Today's Christian Woman May/June issue.

It talks about 3 methods which are used to draw closer to God:

A dry fast:  You don't eat or drink anything.  When Moses went to the top of Mount Sinai, he stayed 40 days, undergoing a dry fast.  (Note: Obviously, a 40-day fast isn't something a normal person can endure!).

A total fast:  You don't eat anything but do drink liquids.  Much of the fasting in the Bible was probably done this way.  Most people drink water or fruit juice.

A partial fast:  You abstain from certain types of food, particularly meat, nonessentials, or fine foods.  Sometimes people cal this a"Daniel fast" because Daniel "mourned for three weeks" and "ate no choice food, no meat or wine touched (his) lips, and (he) use on lotions at all"  (Daniel 10:2-3).  Partial fasting sticks with the basics of simple food - vegetables, fruit, seeds, and no meat.

Whatever method we choose, God honors all types of fasting.  His leading and our physical capacity may determine which one we do at any give time.

My pastor has been teaching us on fasting for over a year (not continuously hahah) and I have been convicted that fasting is a spiritual discipline that I need to make a regular part of my life.  I fast one day a week.  The spiritual benefits of fasting are priceless.  My pastor just finished a 40 water only fast and he has been talking to us about it.  He told us there was a stronghold in his life regarding food and this fast, which was called by God, broke that stronghold.  His wife and are are accountability partners and we too are fighting this stronghold in our lives.  I don't feel called to a 40 day fast (because lke my pastor said....it can be very dangerous if it is not done correctly and you must be called by God to do it!!) but like I mentioned I do make it a regular discipline. 

Anyway, it is my prayer that this stronghold in my life is broken and I no longer give satan a foothold to wreck havoc upon my life.  Amen and amen.