Lent is upon us and I want to fast. I also want to lose weight. I think I will give up red meat or chocolate. Maybe I will just give up meat on Fridays. I really want to fast this year. I will try the "Daniel Diet." That sounds like a nice biblical fast. But Why? Why do i even want to fast? It seems like a lot of hard work and self sacrifice. Truly fasting is not about weight loss or eating healthy for a short period of time. Many people think fasting is about giving up something you like that you know is not good for you. HMMM. I know it is not good for me, but I need a special occasion to give it up for a little while. Is this how Christians are called to live? Is this the biblical purpose of fasting. In the bible there are 3 main reasons to fast:
1) To repent and seek God's forgiveness
2) To seek God's help
3) To seek a closer, committed, and submissive relationship with God.
I want to seek a closer, committed, and submissive relationship with God. If you read the entire 6th chapter of The Gospel According to Matthew you will notice 5 seemingly unrelated themes - Giving to the Needy, Prayer, Fasting, Treasures in Heaven, and Do Not Worry. Though they seem unrelated they are closing tied together. In Isaiah 58 God emphasizes the fasting he respects is taking care of those in need. So when we read Jesus teaching his disciples the importance of giving to those in need and giving for the sake of love not to impress other men, in essence Jesus is teaching an important tenet of fasting.
Tenet #1: Fasting is giving to those in need out of love and not out of show.
Throughout the bible we see that fasting is also associated with prayer. When Jonah went to Nineveh and preached their impending doom the king tore his clothes, put on sack cloth, fasted and prayed commanding the people to do the same. Before Esther approached the king to save her people she asked Mordecai to join her in fasting and prayer for 3 days. So we see Jesus teaches is disciples to effectively pray before he teaches them about fasting.
Tenet #2: Effective prayer is necessary for an effective fast.
When we truly fast we connect with God and we take our prayer life to a higher level as we seek a closer relationship with Him. Even as we pray Jesus taught us to start with honoring and worshiping God. We start by submitting ourselves to Him and we pray that His Will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Our fast is to remove self. Our fast is to deny self. Our fast is to recommit to God. Our fast is about a direct relationship with God and has nothing to do with people who sit next to us in church. We do not seek approval of man. So Jesus says do not be like the hypocrites. Wash your face, fix your hair and straighten out your clothes so that it is not obvious you are fasting.
Tenet #3: This is only between you and God!
The things you do for God is between you and Him and only those things will last. Approval of man is temporary. Earthy treasures will not last. A position of authority is temporary. Only the things you do for God will last. You cannot serve 2 masters. Fasting focuses your attention on God and His Will. Fasting helps us to realize that God requires us to put nothing before Him. The main reason we deny ourselves is to put God first. To put God above all things. When you fast remember God's 1st commandment; "You shall have no other gods before me".
Tenet #4: Have no other gods before me.
Many times the cares of the world make it hard for us to truly seek God. We worry about the rent, food, clothes, how our hair looks etc. We worry about our daily needs and this is understandable. As we grow in Christ we realize worrying hinders our growth. But be encouraged. God is the creator and keeper of the earth. The earth is His and the fullness thereof. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. The Lord IS your Shepherd and in Him there is no want. If he takes care of the birds and the flowers how much more will he take care of you His Child? As we fast, as we seek a closer relationship with God he wants us to be comforted and not to worry. God wants us to seek first His Kingdom and His Righteousness and he will take care of all our needs. To seek His Kingdom reflects us building a closer relationship with God and becoming submissive to His Will. To seek His Righteousness goes back to how we treat our brothers and sisters. God says Love Him first and foremost and to love each other as we love ourselves.
Tenet #5: Seek first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness.
So true fasting is not about giving up something that we know is not good for us. True fasting is not about a special diet. A true fast is not about weight loss.
A true fast is to seek God's forgiveness, God's help, or God's relationship.
It's because fad diets do not work! You know what else doesn't work? Diet pills, calorie-counting, and diets that tell you to cut out essential foods and food groups.
But if you want to know the best ways to lose weight quick, it's easy! It isn't a huge list of tasks. Nope, just seven easy simple ways to lose weight quick!
1. Get your mind into it. This is possibly one of the most important ways to help you lose weight. You have to get focused and stay focused. Believe that you can do it. Know deep down that it is very possible for you to lose the weight that you want and to keep it off. Keep your goals in mind all the time and you'll see how easy it becomes to lose weight!
2. Eat more often. Instead of just three square meals a day, go for something like 5 to 6 smaller sized meals a day. By eating more often, you are training your body's metabolism, much like exercise. With a great metabolism that is up for the challenge, losing weight will definitely come easily.
3. Avoid trans fats! Yes, there are fad diets that tell you to cut out certain foods. And yes, I just told you that fad diets don't work and I also just told you to avoid trans fats. Here's the difference though: trans fats aren't actual food and certainly aren't good for you! What are trans fats best for? Clogging your arteries. Not something you want if you are trying to lose weight. So just avoid trans fats all together as much as possible. Along with that go sodas and other highly processed foods.
4. Eat plenty of fresh whole foods. Once you start exercising, you'll want to increase the amounts of protein and vegetables you take in. Throw in some fruits and complex carbs for good measure. Wholesome fresh foods are essential for successful weight loss and for maintaining you slimmer self.
5. Exercise! Start with something like 2 to 3 times a week for starters. Make sure to have plenty of cardio in your workouts. Now, cardio doesn't mean that you have to work out for hours on end 2 to 3 times a week. You could easily get by with 15 to 30 minute cardio workouts 2 to 3 times a week. That would be a great start. Cardio will build your endurance and will help strength your metabolism.
6. Don't forget the strength thing! Resistance training will help you build muscle, which is essential to weight loss. Surprising, I know. But if you think about it, once you start to build muscle, those very muscles that you work in your cardio and resistance workouts will be able to burn even more fat for you. So start with 30 minutes 2 to 3 times a week and gradually increase the time and frequency as you get better.
7. Stay motivated! If you are going from little to no exercising to a 2 to 3 workouts a week, or even if you are going from eating junk foods and fast food to eating wholesome fresh foods, it can get difficult. Make sure to stick to it! On those especially tough days, instead of giving up entirely, allow yourself a treat here or there. By treat, I'm not talking about pigging out at a fast food joint. Maybe a snack here or there that would be on the "avoid" list. Just make sure it's few and far between.
So there you have it. Seven very easy ways to lose weight quick! The more motivated and devoted to your weight loss goals you are, the faster you will lose the weight. Stick with it and you will easily keep the weight off. So go ahead and start to lose weight quickly!
Both Louis Jeffries & are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Louis Jeffries has sinced written about articles on various topics from fast weight loss, Acai Berries and Types of Cancer. Louis JeffriesChristian, Husband, Father, Grandfather, Sunday School and Bible Study Teacher who is committed and passionate about sharing God's Word. Especially as it relates to living a healthy, holy and fit lifestyle for those 40 years and over. That a. Louis Jeffries's top article generates over 40500 views. to your Favourites.
has sinced written about articles on various topics from . . 's top article . to your Favourites.