What Is the Proper Way to Fast?

My Come, Follow Me studies for this week took me to Isaiah 58-66 with a lesson titled “The Redeemer Shall Come to Zion.” The lesson was introduced by the following information.

Early in His earthly ministry, Jesus Christ visited a synagogue in Nazareth, the village where He was raised. There He stood to read from the scriptures, opened the book of Isaiah, and read what we now know as Isaiah 61:1–2. He then announced, “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.” This was one of the Savior’s most straightforward declarations that He was the Anointed One, who would “heal the brokenhearted” and “preach deliverance to the captives” (see Luke 4:16–21). This scripture was indeed fulfilled on that day. And, like many other prophecies of Isaiah, it continues to be fulfilled in our day. The Savior continues to heal all the brokenhearted who come unto Him. There are yet many captives to whom deliverance must be preached. And there is a glorious future to prepare for—a time when the Lord will “create new heavens and a new earth” (Isaiah 65:17) and “cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations” (Isaiah 61:11). Reading Isaiah opens our eyes to what the Lord has already done, what He is doing, and what He will yet do for His people.

       

This scripture block teaches many principles, too numerous to mention. The focus of this post will be on the principle “Fasting brings blessings” (Isaiah 58:3-12). People who genuinely love the Lord seek to overcome their sins and to draw nearer to the Lord in fasting and pray. The Israelites of Isaiah day fasted, but they did so with a bad attitude. They considered fasting to be a burden as these verses show:

 

3 Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? Wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of our fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours.

4 Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.

5 Is it such a fast that I have chosen? A day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the Lord?

 

The words written by Isaiah show us that the Lord was not pleased with the attitude expressed by the Israelites. Many people of our day – you and I – occasionally consider fasting to be a burden, so maybe we can relate to the people of Isaiah’s time. However, this is not the way that the Lord wants us to fast. He sought to teach the Israelites that there is a proper way to fast and to commune with God. After chastising the Israelites for having a bad attitude, the Lord, through His prophet Isaiah, taught the way to properly fast.

 

6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? To loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?

7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? When thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?

8 Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rearward.

9 Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;

10 And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday:

11 And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.

12 And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.

 

The Savior taught through Isaiah’s words that fasting has a genuine spiritual purpose: it breaks the bands of wickedness, sets free the spiritually oppressed, and provides bread for the hungry and covering for the naked. Bishop John H.Vandenberg explained as follows:

 

I suppose when he speaks of “loosing the bands of wickedness” of “undoing the heavy burdens,’ and the “breaking of every yoke” that he is referring to the wickedness of people who think only of themselves in selfishness, vanity, pride, and having hearts so set upon the things of this world that the two great commandments of loving God and loving neighbor are entirely forgotten. The principles of loving thy neighbor and of loving God are encompassed in the true purpose of the fast.

Certainly, it takes no imagination to understand what is meant when he says, “… that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?”

He meant that in addition to taking care of the poor, that we should watch over our own kin and be responsible for our father, mother, brother, and sister when they are in need.

It is here that I would like to state that the Lord has caused a day of fasting and prayer to be set up in this day so that collectively the Church might join together to fulfil the purposes of fasting.” (In Conference Report, Apr. 1963, p. 28.) 

 

An uncomplicated way to think about fasting is to think of it as doing “the Father’s will” instead of doing “my will.” I can no longer fast from food for health reasons. I need to eat some food every few hours to stay physically healthy. However, I do not need to eat fancy foods or a big feast. I can eat a small amount but enough to care for my health. I can also fast from other things in my life. I frequently fast from social media in addition to eating sparingly.

 

Fasting to Show Gratitude

            The first Sunday of each month is usually Fast Sunday in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Fast Sunday is a day when members over the age of accountability (8 years old) are encouraged to go without food or drink for two meals or twenty-four hours and attend Fast and Testimony Meeting to share some of their blessings.

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            Members are asked to go without eating and then to donate the money they save from not eating those two meals to the Church. This donation is known as a “fast offering.” Fast offerings are used for the specific reason of helping the poor. If the money collected as fast offerings are not needed in the local area, the funds are sent to Church headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah, to be used anywhere in the world.

            Tomorrow is Fast Sunday. This means that I need to start my fast immediately after dinner tonight in order to eat dinner tomorrow night. It also means that I need to determine one or more purposes for my fast. As is my custom I asked the Lord if there was a precise purpose that He would like me to focus on during my fast. I asked some specific questions, such as the following: Is there a particular person that should be the focus of my fast? Does the Prophet need the benefits of my fast? Should I fast for the benefit of the nation?

            When I exhausted all the people and things that I could think of and continued to receive a negative answer, I finally asked God if I should focus my fast on expressing gratitude for the many blessings that He gives to me. I received a positive answer to this question.

            I know that I am richly blessed and that I should be more grateful. This prompting from Heavenly Father is a good reminder to do so. I was born of goodly parents in the blessed land of America. I have loving brothers and sisters – and their families – who care for me. I have a husband, and we are blessed in every way – life, health, children, and grandchildren. Our children are contributing members of society and are rearing their children to become the same. We have enough money to meet our needs and a few of our wants.

            I know that I am a child of Heavenly Father. I know that He loves me and has a plan for my happiness. I received the wonderful blessing of being born into a family that belongs to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This tremendous blessing gives me a vast knowledge of where I came from, why I am on earth, and where I will go when I leave this mortal home.

            Yes, I have been truly blessed, and I do need to express more gratitude. However, I have a feeling that Heavenly Father has a greater purpose for encouraging me to fast as a show of gratitude. God gives us commandments that we may be blessed, and He commands us to be thankful in all things (1 Thessalonians 5:18) and to express gratitude for our blessings (Doctrine and Covenants 46:32). Prophets and apostles tell us that God gives us commandments in order that we might be happy and disobedience to those commandments makes us feel miserable.

            One of the great blessings that Heavenly Father has given to each of us is the gift of agency or the opportunity to choose. We can choose to be happy, or we can choose to be miserable. President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency spoke about the choice to be grateful. 

So to be happy and to avoid misery, we must have a grateful heart. We have seen in our lives the connection between gratitude and happiness. All of us would like to feel gratitude, yet it is not easy to be consistently grateful in all things in the trials of life. Sickness, disappointment, and the loss of people we love come at times in our lives. Our sorrows can make it hard to see our blessings and to appreciate the blessings God has in store for us in the future.

It is a challenge to count our blessings because we have a tendency to take good things for granted. When we lose a roof over our heads, food to eat, or the warmth of friends and family, we realize how grateful we should have been when we had them.

Most of all, sometimes it is hard for us to be sufficiently grateful for the greatest gifts we receive: the birth of Jesus Christ, His Atonement, the promise of resurrection, the opportunity to enjoy eternal life with our families, the Restoration of the gospel with the priesthood and its keys. Only with the help of the Holy Ghost can we begin to feel what those blessings mean for us and for those we love. And only then can we hope to be thankful in all things and avoid the offense to God of ingratitude.

We must ask in prayer that God, by the power of the Holy Ghost, will help us see our blessings clearly even in the midst of our trials. He can help us by the power of the Spirit to recognize and be grateful for blessings we take for granted….

We all can make the choice to give thanks in prayer and to ask God for direction to serve others for Him…. God the Father gave His Son, and Jesus Christ gave us the Atonement, the greatest of all gifts and all giving (see Doctrine and Covenants 14:7).

Giving thanks in prayer can allow us to see the magnitude of these blessings and all of our other blessings and so receive the gift of a more grateful heart.

            According to President Eyring we have greater capacity to see the magnitude of our blessings when we give thanks for them. This is most likely the reason that Heavenly Father prompted me to focus on gratitude during my fast. I know that I am truly blessed, but He apparently wants me to recognize the great magnitude of those blessings. He obviously wants me to count my many blessings and recognize all that He does for me.

Fasting

                Fasting has been around since the time of Adam and Eve; it is a principle given to mankind to help us draw nearer our Heavenly Father as well as to worship Him.  By His own example, Jesus Christ demonstrated the importance of fasting.  (See Luke 4:1-4.)  The Lord still expects His people to fast as we learn modern revelation.  “Also, I give unto you a commandment that ye shall continue in prayer and fasting from this time forth” (Doctrine and Covenants 88:76).

                President Joseph F. Smith explained that fasting means to go without food and drink (see Gospel Principles, p. 243).  It is good for our bodies for us to fast occasionally and wisely; it is also good for our minds.  Fasting is actually more than going with food and drink; it also includes concentrating on spiritual matters.

                There are several actions we should take when fasting appropriately.  The first action is to include prayer as a necessary part of our fast.  Prayer and fasting are mentioned together throughout the scriptures.  Sincere prayer should accompany our fasting, which should begin and end with prayer.  Without including prayer, we are merely going without food and drink.

                The second action we should include in our fast is to fast with a purpose.  There are many purposes for which we can fast; two purposes are (1) to overcome weaknesses or problems and (2) to ask for help or guidance for others, such as someone who is ill or injured.  We can fast to know the truth.  We can for missionary efforts or any number of righteous reasons.  We can fast to simply give thanks for blessings.  We can fast to ask for forgiveness for wrong doing.

                We should not fast to impress other people.  We should be cheerful when we fast and not advertise our fast to other people.  If we fast appropriately, we can become more humble and feel closer to our Heavenly Father.

                Fast Sunday is held once each month, usually on the first Sunday of the month.  On this day we fast from both food and drink for two consecutive meals or for twenty-four hours.  An example would be to start our fast following the evening meal on Saturday and to end our fast with the evening meal on Sunday.

                Everyone is encouraged to fast if they can do so, but little children, pregnant women, and nursing mothers should not fast.  When our children read the age of eight years and are baptized, we should encourage them to fast but never force them.  Most parents teach their children to fast by asking them to refrain from eating one meal and gradually refraining from eating two meals.

                Fast Sunday is a special day to help us become humble before the Lord in fasting and prayer.  It is a day to pray for forgiveness for our sins and to ask for the power to overcome our weaknesses.  It is also a day to extend forgiveness to others.  It is also a day to meet with other members, to partake of the sacrament, and to bear our testimonies and/or to listen to the testimonies of other people.

                The fast is the Lord’s way of helping the poor.  He asks every member to go without eating for two meals and then to give the money that would have been spent on the food for those two meals to the proper priesthood authority.  We have been asked to give as generously as we are able because our fast offerings are used to administer to the needs of our less fortunate brothers and sisters.

                We know from the writings of the prophet Isaiah in the Old Testament that the Lord promises rich blessings to those who fast and help the needy.  Some of those blessings are peace, increased health, and spiritual guidance.  Fasting also improves our lives and strengthens us to live other principles of the gospel as we draw nearer to God.

                Fasting helps us learn self-control and thus helps us gain strength of character.  By fasting properly, we can learn to control our appetites, passions, and tempers.  Fasting appropriately can also help us feel successful and lead to more self-confidence.  Children who are taught to fast appropriately are helped to develop the willpower to overcome greater temptations in their later lives.

                We can gain spiritual power by fasting appropriately.  We can develop our faith in Jesus Christ by fasting wisely and prayerfully.  To those who fast properly, the Savior said, “Thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly” (Matthew 6:18).

                I did not prepare appropriately on a recent Fast Sunday and found myself not feeling good about my fast.  I went to the Lord in prayer to tell Him how I felt and to ask whether I should end my current fast and start a better one later in the day; I received a positive answer.  I immediately broke my fast by eating the next two meals; then I started my fast again on Sunday night.  I know the Lord accepted my fast and blessed me for my efforts.  I know fasting is a principle that brings great blessings when we are obedient to it.  

Fasting or Just Hungry?

                    Fasting is more than just going hungry.  Fasting accompanied by prayer is an opportunity to seek spiritual growth.  Prayerful fasting is an opportunity to be filled with the Spirit of God.

                    Imagine that you have a basket filled with rocks and you desire to use the basket for apples.  I am sure that you will soon realize that the only way that your basket can be filled with apples is to first dump out the rocks.  This principle is shown in the following scripture found in the Book of Mormon - Another Testament of Jesus Christ about missionaries teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to a Lamanite king.

"And it came to pass that after Aaron had expounded these things unto him, the king said:  What shall I do that I may have this eternal life of which thou hast spoken?  Yea, what shall I do that I may be born of God, having this wicked spirit rooted out of my breast, and receive his Spirit, that I may be filled with joy, that I may not be cast off at the last day?  Behold, said he, I will give up all that I possess, yea, I will forsake my kingdom, that I may receive this great joy.

"But Aaron said unto him:  If thou desirest this thing, if thou wilt bow down before God, yea, if thou will repent of all thy sins, and will bow down before God, and call on his name in faith, believing that ye shall receive, then shalt thou receive the hope which thou desirest.

"And it came to pass that when Aaron had said these words, the king did bow down before the Lord, upon his knees; yea, even he did prostrate himself upon the earth, and cried mightily, saying:

"O God, Aaron hath told me that there is a God; and if there is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee, and that I may be raised from the dead, and be saved at the last day…" (Alma 22:15-18).

This king was in the process of repenting for his rebellion against God and offered to give up his kingdom and all his possessions in order to receive the Spirit of God or the Holy Ghost.  Aaron taught the king that he needed to bow down before the Lord in prayer and repent of his sins.  Unlike most people, this king was ready to give up all his sins - not just one or a few but all - in order to receive the Holy Ghost.  He was willing to dump out all his rocks (sins) in order to fill his basket (soul) with apples (the Holy Ghost).  We can make room for the Holy Ghost in our souls by ridding ourselves of our unrighteous thoughts, words, and actions.

                    One very important way to overcome our weaknesses and rid ourselves of our sins is to regularly fast and pray.  Many people think that fasting is merely giving up food and drink.  Going without food is merely starving ourselves if we do not make the effort to gain spiritual strength.  We can be uplifted spiritually through the experience of fasting and prayer.  Our fasting can be more joyful and spiritually uplifting when we prepare properly for the experience and include prayer.  Even though our bodies are physically empty when we abstain from food, we can receive the Lord's Spirit when we partake of spiritual nourishment during the fast.

                    When Jesus Christ visited the inhabitants of the American continent after His resurrection, He told them:  "And blessed are all they who do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled with the Holy Ghost" (Book of Mormon - Another Testament of Jesus Christ, 3 Nephi 12:6).

                    Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints go without food and drink for two consecutive meals one Sunday each month.  We call it "fast Sunday."  On that day we attend fast and testimony meeting, and we make a donation called a fast offering to the bishop in order that he might have the necessary funds to help the poor and needy.  This donation is at least the amount that we would pay for the two meals.  Many members give many times more dollars as a fast offering.  My husband and I give about one percent of our monthly income for our fast offering in addition to the ten percent we pay as tithing.

                    In addition to the monthly fast, we can also fast any time we feel the need for extra spiritual help or in case of an emergency in our family or community.  We are not required to pay a fast offering on any of these occasions.

                    Why do we fast?  There are numerous scriptures that teach us of the importance of fasting.  Please notice the many scriptures that counsel us to include prayer with our fasting.  The scriptures are listed in the following order: Old Testament, New Testament, Book of Mormon - Another Testament of Jesus Christ, Doctrine and Covenants.

                    "Is not this the fast that I have chosen?  To loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?

                    "Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house?  when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? (Isaiah 58:6-7).  Purpose given is to feed the hungry and to clothe the naked.

                    "Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning" (Joel 2:12).  Purpose given is to draw closer to God.

                    "And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day" (Luke 2:37).  Purpose given is to serve God.

                    "And he caused that the priests should assemble themselves together; and they began to fast, and to pray to the Lord their God that he would open the mouth of Alma, that he might speak, and also that his limbs might receive their strength - that the eyes of the people might be opened to see and know of the goodness and glory of God.

                    "And it came to pass after they had fasted and prayed for the space of two days and two nights, the limbs of Alma received their strength, and he stood up and began to speak unto them, bidding them to be of good comfort" (Mosiah 27:22-23).  Purpose given is to receive special blessings, such as healing. 

                    "Behold, I say unto you they are made known unto me by the Holy Spirit of God.  Behold, I have fasted and prayed many days that I might know these things of myself.  And now I do know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit; and this is the spirit of revelation which is in me" (Alma 5:46).  Purpose given is to gain a testimony.

                    "Nevertheless the children of God were commanded that they should gather themselves together oft, and join in fasting and mighty prayer in behalf of the welfare of the souls of those who knew not God" (Alma 6:6).  Purpose given is for the conversion of people who are not yet members of the Church of Jesus Christ.   

                

                    "But this is not all; they had given themselves to much prayer, and fasting; therefore they had the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and when they taught, they taught with power and authority of God" (Alma 17:3).  Purpose given is to gain the spirit of prophecy and revelation and the ability to teach.

  

                    "Behold, now it came to pass that the people of Nephi were exceedingly rejoiced, because the Lord had again delivered them out of the hands of their enemies; therefore they gave thanks unto the Lord their God; yea, and they did fast much and pray much, and they did worship God with exceedingly great joy" (Alma 45:1).  The purpose given is to worship God and to show gratitude to Him.

                    "Also, I give unto you a commandment that ye shall continue in prayer and fasting from this time forth" (Doctrine and Covenants 88:76).  Purpose given is to be obedient to God's commandment.

                    Numerous people understand that we can gain many blessings by observing the fast properly, but some people do not yet have this understanding.  The Lord told His people through the Prophet Joseph Smith that we should feel joy as we fast.

"And on this day thou shalt do none other thing, only let thy food be prepared with singleness of heart that thy fasting may be perfect, or, in other words, that thy joy may be full.

                    "Verily, this is fasting and prayer, or in other words, rejoicing and prayer" (Doctrine and Covenants 59:13-14).

                    Do you feel joyful when you are fasting?  Do you know how to feel more joy in your fasting?  The answer is proper preparation and prayer.

                    When I plan ahead and look forward to fast Sunday, my fast is much more enjoyable.  Some of the things that we can do to make our fasts more joyful are as follows:  1) pray at the beginning of our fast as well as during the fast; 2) concentrate on our fast;

3) decide to make the fast a meaningful spiritual experience.

                    One of the most important ways that we can prepare for our fast is to choose a purpose for our fast.  Fasting with a purpose can make our experience more meaningful and may make the experience easier for us.  If it is an emergency fast, we would have an immediate purpose, but here are some suggestions for our monthly fasts:  1) choose a specific person or group of people who are in need of divine help; 2) choose a personal weakness to overcome; 3) fast for knowledge about a specific problem - such as a job offer or move; 4) fast for spiritual strength or for special blessings for ourselves or others.

                    It is very important that we include prayer with our fasting.  Our prayers can be 1) requests for strength in fasting;

2) opportunities to discuss our purpose for fasting with Heavenly Father; 3) expressions of our gratitude to Heavenly Father for the opportunity to fast and receive spiritual growth.

                    We may feel physically weak while we are fasting because we are depriving our bodies of food and drink; however, we can gain strength in other areas of our lives.  Bishop John H. Vandenberg gave the following counsel while he was serving as our Presiding Bishop:  "Fasting and prayer equip a person with a much greater degree of strength and power than would otherwise be his if he were left to his own devices.  Fasting and prayer can bring an individual to a point of humility and faith where the Lord can give him the extra strength and power needed to complete a task or to solve a problem" ("The Presiding Bishop Talks to Youth About:  Fasting," Improvement Era, Feb. 1969, 71).

                    I am very grateful for my many opportunities to fast and pray.  I consider these instances as two of the most valuable spiritual tools I can use.  I am grateful for my testimony of the purpose of the fast as well as for my positive attitude about it.  I know that spiritual strength and blessings can come through fasting and prayer.  I encourage you to remember to prepare for your next fasting experience and to include prayer with your fasting so that you can receive spiritual fulfillment instead of just going hungry.

  

                                       

Law of the Fast

The law of the fast is an ancient law. God's people from the time of Adam have used this law to draw nearer to God and to worship Him. To fast properly means to go without food and drink voluntarily for a certain period of time. To prepare yourself and others to receive God's blessings, you must combine fasting with prayer.

Jesus Christ indicated the importance of fasting by His personal example when He fasted for forty days in the wilderness. (See Luke 4:1-4.) He taught His disciples about the power of prayer and fasting when He cast a devil out of a child. When His disciples questioned, "Why could not we cast him out?" Jesus replied, "Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting." (See Matthew 17:14-21.)

This account teaches how prayer and fasting go together to strengthen us in our personal efforts to live the gospel of Jesus Christ and to bless the lives of other people. When attempting to overcome a weakness or sin, especially after an extended time of struggling with the problem, we may need to add fasting to your prayers for help. The problem may be like the example above and be the kind the goes out only through prayer and fasting.

Fasting means to go without food and drink, and an occasional fast is good for the body and invigorates the mind. I once worked with a woman who "fasted" (going without food) one day each week in order to cleanse her body. She understood that fasting helped her physical body, but she did not understand that fasting could also benefit her spiritually. A purposeful fast is more than simply going without food and drink; it also includes a need to concentrate on spiritual things.

Going without food or drink is simply starving our bodies. There are many people who use this type of fast to draw attention to something or someone. Other people think that they are "fasting" when they are simply starving. In order to benefit the whole soul, fasting must be accompanied by sincere prayer. Each fasting period should start and end with prayer. To make the fast even more beneficial, it should have a purpose. Fasting accompanied by sincere prayer can be used to overcome weaknesses and to solve problems. We can fast and pray for help or guidance for ourselves or for others who may be ill, injured, or otherwise in need of a blessing. Fasting can help us know the truth, become more humble and feel closer to Heavenly Father. It can also bring comfort in times of sorrow and mourning. (See Mosiah 27:22-23 and Alma 28:4-6.) We should be cheerful when we fast. We should not advertise the fact that we are fasting to others nor fast to impress others. (See Matthew 6:16-18.)

The Savior taught the true form of fasting in His Sermon on the Mount. He described hypocrites as those who, when they fast, "disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast." Instead of trying to impress the people around us by our appearing to fast, we should fast "unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly" (Matthew 6:16-18).

Isaiah, the Old Testament prophet, taught the people of his day - and ours - of the true spirit of the fast: "Is not this the fast that I have chosen? To loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?" (Isaiah 58:6-7).

The prophet Isaiah also taught about the many blessings that come by obeying the law of the fast: "Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rereward. Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am…. If thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday: and the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not" (Isaiah 58:8-11).

To properly observe the fast we should go without food or drink for two consecutive meals. We should not fast too frequently or for excessively long periods of time. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints designates one Sunday each month - which is usually the first Sunday - as a day for fasting. Members of the Church are taught that a proper observance of fast Sunday includes attendance at fast and testimony meeting and giving a fast offering to help care for those in need as well as going without food and drink for two consecutive meals. Of course, members of the Church can also fast at other times for special blessings for themselves or others.

I know by personal experience that fasting brings many blessings. It improves our lives, gives us increased strength, and helps us to live other principles of the gospel by drawing us closer to God. It helps us improve our character as we learn to control our appetites and passions. Fasting helps us to prove to ourselves that we have self-control. Children can learn to develop spiritual strength if we teach them to observe a proper fast.

Wise and prayerful fasting helps us develop faith, and increased faith brings greater spiritual power. The Savior promised that proper fasting brings blessings from God: "Thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly" (Matthew 6:18).

Fasting

God's people from the time of Adam have fasted in order to draw nearer to God as well as to worship Him. Jesus Christ indicated the importance of fasting by His personal example. (See Luke 4:1-4.) God still expects His people to fast and pray often as shown through latter-day revelation. (See Doctrine and Covenants 88:76.) Fasting means to go without food and drink, and an occasional fast is good for the body and invigorates the mind. I once worked with a woman who "fasted" once each week in order to cleanse her body. She understood that fasting helped her physical body, but she did not understand that fasting could also benefit her spiritually. A purposeful fast is more than simply going without food and drink; it also includes a need to concentrate on spiritual things. Going without food or drink is simply starving our bodies. In order to benefit the whole soul, fasting must be accompanied by sincere prayer. Each fasting period should start and end with prayer. To make the fast even more beneficial, it should have a purpose. Fasting accompanied by sincere prayer can be used to overcome weaknesses and to solve problems. We can fast and pray for help or guidance for ourselves or for others who may be ill, injured, or otherwise in need of a blessing. Fasting can help us know the truth, become more humble and feel closer to Heavenly Father. It can also bring comfort in times of sorrow and mourning. (See Mosiah 27:22-23 and Alma 28:4-6.) We should be cheerful when we fast. We should not advertise the fact that we are fasting to others nor fast to impress others. (See Matthew 6:16-18.) Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints observe a day of fast one Sunday each month. We neither eat nor drink for two consecutive meals, meaning that we fast for a period of twenty-four hours. This means that if we eat dinner on Saturday evening, we would not eat again until the evening meal on Sunday. The fast day is a special day to help us become more humble, to ask for forgiveness from our sins, and for the power to overcome faults and forgive others. All members who are physically able to fast should do so. Little children, pregnant and nursing women, and members who are ill are not expected to fast. Children should be encouraged but not forced to fast after they are baptized at age eight or older. On fast Sunday, members meet together in fast and testimony meeting to partake of the sacrament and to strengthen ourselves and each other by bearing testimony. Fast day is also a day to help others by donating through the proper priesthood authority the money that would have been spent for food. We have been asked to give as generously as we can because the fast offerings are the Lord's way to administer to the needs or less fortunate members of the Church. An Old Testament prophet named Isaiah wrote about the Lord's rich promises to those who fast and help the needy. He wrote of promised peace, improved health, and spiritual guidance: "Then shall thy light break forth as the morning and thine health shall spring forth speedily; and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy reward. Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am" (Isaiah 58:8-9). I know by personal experience that fasting brings many blessings. It improves our lives, gives us increased strength, and helps us to live other principles of the gospel by drawing us closer to God. It helps us improve our character as we learn to control our appetites and passions. Fasting helps us to prove to ourselves that we have self-control. Children can learn to develop spiritual strength if we teach them to observe a proper fast. Wise and prayerful fasting helps us develop faith, and increased faith brings greater spiritual power. The Savior promised that proper fasting brings blessings from God: "Thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly" (Matthew 6:18).