Fasting, why should we do it?

 

Fasting

 

Yesterday I successfully fasted the entire day, no food or water. The last time I had a regular meal was 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday. I have been fasting in essence for 43 hours by the time I eat this morning. I did eat a handful of corn chips and a handful of potato chips Wednesday evening. I went to bed last night around 9:00 p.m. I was tired, a bit hungry and my mind was not exactly mentally alert. I tried to carry on conversations but found it difficult because I did not have the mental energy necessary to carry on those conversations. I tried to watch TV but couldn’t, my mind would not stay focused long enough. I tried to read and could not, again my mind did not have the mental energy it needed to sustain clarity of thought. Food is important to the function of the mind as well as the body. Without proper food intake we are depriving not only our body of the necessary nutrition and energy it requires to operate at peak performance, we are depriving the mind probably more importantly of its essential fuel for optimal energy and thought. Without proper nutrition the mind wonders, it has difficulty sustaining and maintaining rational and logical thought. When you deprive the mind and body of food, you are starving each organ robbing each organ of the fuel it requires to operate at peak performance. Not only am I feeling hunger, I am feeling mentally and physically tired as well. I find it difficult to concentrate, carry a thought through to completion. I found it difficult to sustain any level of concentration. Food is necessary energy for the mind and body. It is as if not more important to feed the mind, for the mind has a psychological controlling effect on the body. An active, alert mind can stimulate the body to perform at a higher level. By feeding the mind we can fuel the body, we can regulate the usefulness of the body by exerting the influences of the mind. Therefore rewarding the mind with proper food and nutrition will greatly increase the function and utilization of the body. We are one in mind, body and spirit. Don’t forget when we feed the mind we are feeding the spirit as well. By depriving the mind of proper nutrition we are disabling its function and thus rendering the spirit and the body to be less active, alert and its ability to operate at peak levels diminished significantly. Fasting has its place, be careful of prolonged fast, we all can certainly fast for one day.

 

What is more important

 

What is more important is to understand that the food we intake into our bodies fuels not only our bodies but the function of our mind as well which greatly impacts our spiritual adherence to our Heavenly Father’s commands. When we lack energy in mind and body it becomes difficult to focus and obey.