A man pleasing to God. Pleasant to God

Fetus pleasing to God(Grace). Yuri Shmulyar
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control. There is no law against them. (Galatians 5:22,23) Not because God allows lawlessness, but because they are above the law. By the fruits of the Spirit man fulfills the law. Lives not just according to the law, but exceeds the requirements of the law. This is exactly what Jesus said: “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Holy Gospel of Matthew 5:20) Sometimes we preach such righteousness as only we know. We ourselves invented it, proclaimed it ourselves and correspond to it. The Law was given as a “schoolmaster to Christ.” God, in His mercy, gave us the law so that it would be easier for us to understand Him and what He wants from us.
Goodness. “Taste and see how good the Lord is! Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” Psalm 33:9. Goodness as the fruit of the Spirit. Goodness that has a source. Our Lord is good. When the young man turned to Jesus as a “good teacher,” then “He said to him: Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.” Goodness has a source. There is a standard of goodness. Goodness (or kindness) has distinguished Christians at all times. It is the sign of a converted person. How can you determine whether a person is born again or not? His kindness speaks volumes about this! The Bible says that a righteous person is kind even to animals. Kindness permeates his life so much that he becomes kind to everything that surrounds him. Characteristic feature Jesus had a kind-hearted appeal to people, so the Pharisee, addressing him, calls Him “the good teacher.” When we look at the life of Jesus, we understand what kindness is.
Definition of goodness in the biblical understanding.
Benevolence is an action marked by kindness and charity, a pleasant disposition and concern for others.
Kindness is cordial kindness, cordial disposition towards other people, a sincere desire for true good for them. This is not just something that would be nice to have, it must be present if we have the Holy Spirit in our hearts. This is the fruit of the Spirit's work in the human heart. The person becomes kind.
Goodness is the result of the action of good, as opposed to the action of evil. To understand what good is, you can move from the opposite, from evil deeds. If we died to sin, to the flesh, then there must be the life of a new creation in us. And someone does not want to step over themselves, someone does not want to make an effort, but the will of God is that “the Kingdom of God is taken by force.” Paul says offer yourself as a living sacrifice, acceptable to God for your reasonable service.
Kindness is not wanting to hurt or hurt another (Eph. 4:32; Col. 3:12; 1 Pet. 2:3)
Goodness is not only avoiding evil (not doing bad things and not hurting others), it means doing good by showing goodness in deeds. The goodness that you have in your heart will not be seen or appreciated by anyone. Good in the heart, good in the mind - this is only the beginning of good deeds. Goodness is a virtuous life. This is the intention that motivates a Christian to do good with special love. When everything you do, you do it as for the Lord. Goodness is the kindness of God. There are people who are very kind in heart, but are sterile or unkind in their actions. When you do something for a person and you do it carelessly, you can even offend. You seem to have done something good, but you didn’t finish it. Unfinished good is not far from evil. We ourselves may then be disappointed. It is the same as a sacrifice defiled, as an altar stained with sin, as a priest entering the sanctuary with filthy clothes. This good is not from pure heart. You can sit in Church, but your heart is not here. You may listen to a sermon, but your heart is not in the Word. God calls us to do good from a pure heart.
Goodness, goodness is sacrifice, opposition to egoism, one’s own “I”. If you bring your conscience to the point of insensibility, you will stop feeling the unkindness, bitterness and inconvenience that you cause to people. Goodness is the death of your self. First of all, I strive to hear God. I call upon Jesus to be on the throne of my heart and I will consult Him first. Jesus says, “No one is good except God alone.” Jesus said this so that we would look for an example of kindness not in man, but in God.
The source of goodness is God. The three Gospels repeat the phrase: “no one is good except God alone.” Goodness must be learned, like other manifestations of the Divine character. A Christian can and should imitate God by showing kindness, like sons imitating their father. Matt. 5:43-48: “You have heard that it was said: You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you: love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who use you and persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father in heaven, for He makes His sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what will be your reward? Don't tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what special thing are you doing? Don't the pagans do the same? Therefore be ye perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.” When we look at people, we forgive ourselves a lot, we begin to deceive ourselves. We create an atmosphere in which we begin to live a lie. Be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect! What does this verse mean? Jesus sets the bar high and says that this is something you should constantly strive for. You are a Christian when you set this goal for yourself, when you fulfill the will of the Heavenly Father to the maximum of your strength. “Therefore, if anyone knows to do good and does not do it, it is sin for him.” (Holy Gospel of James 4:17). We should not imitate people, but the Lord. Who should be our measure, our plumb line, our standard - this is the life of Jesus on this earth. Yes, we can say that God is good, but we have not seen God. Jesus lived on this earth to set an example for us. When the disciples asked Jesus to show them the Father, He answered: “I have been with you so long, and you do not know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how do you say, show us the Father?” (Holy Gospel of John 14:9)
When we talk about goodness, we speak only in comparison with the kindness of Jesus Christ. Human goodness is imperfect. The Pharisee, when he stood in the temple, prayed, looked at the one standing next to him and thought: “God, I thank You that I am not like other people: thieves, swindlers, unfaithful spouses, or like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give tithes on all my income.” (Holy Gospel of Luke 18:11-12). We must aim at God! This is the only way to true spirituality - when you compare yourself not with people and do not measure yourself with people!
“Jesus said to him, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind: this is the first and greatest commandment; the second is similar to it: love your neighbor as yourself; On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (Holy Gospel of Matthew 22:37-40). The second commandment does not work without the first! “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” When God is in our first place, then the second commandment is revealed to us. Are you having problems with your neighbor? I'll tell you who you have problems with first. You have problems with God! “If you bring your gift to the altar and there you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Make peace with your opponent quickly, while you are still on the way with him, lest your opponent hand you over to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the servant, and they throw you into prison.” (Holy Gospel of Matthew 5:23-25). Know, to extend your hand first, you are primarily interested, to ask for forgiveness - you are primarily interested. You must do everything that depends on you. It is impossible to do good without loving. If you don't love, you won't do good.
What contributes to the manifestation of goodness in our lives:
Rom 12:9-10: “Let love be unfeigned; turn away from evil, cling to goodness; be kind to one another with brotherly affection; warn one another in respect." What is real kindness? This is to warn each other in respect. Good Samaritan did not find out on what path and where the person who was robbed was going. He put him up in a hotel and asked him to feed him on credit. The Samaritan was a man who was known, respected, trusted, and had a good reputation. “Let love be unfeigned; turn away from evil and cleave to good.” Do what God wants you to do. Cling to goodness. Cling yourself to goodness! Mortify your flesh and cling yourself to goodness again and again!
John 1:11 Beloved! do not imitate evil, but imitate good. He who does good is from God; but he who does evil has not seen God.” When we do evil, we did not see God on this day. For some reason, we did not meet with Him that day. If you have done good, it means that you got it from somewhere. “No one is good except God alone.” We must practice goodness.
Practice goodness. Titus 3:8: “This saying is true; and I want you to confirm this, so that those who believe in God will try to be diligent in good works: this is good and beneficial to people.”
“Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” (Titus 2:14,15). If you do good, then this is a testimony and a sign that the Holy Spirit is in you. Good not for yourself. There is good that God calls good. Biblical goodness is not selfishness. This is when I bad person I do good. The Bible says that when I do this, I do not submit to evil, but overcome evil with good. When you do this to your abuser, you put your abuser in a very uncomfortable position. “If your enemy is hungry, feed him with bread; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink: for [by doing this] you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you” (Prov. 25:21-22) When you do this, you are giving room to God. You do this for a specific purpose - you invite God into this situation. When you do this, God will come in!
The Bible encourages us to love and good deeds, and encourages us to be considerate of one another. Thank people for everything! You encourage good deeds, you fulfill the will of God - this is not a small thing! We thus serve each other!
The Bible teaches and instructs us that we must humble ourselves before Jesus Christ and take His good yoke! “My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” We must put on goodness as clothing.
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete unto every good deed cooked." (2 Timothy 3:16,17). All scripture, every line is filled with the Holy Spirit. The Bible came into existence because the Holy Spirit inspired someone and insisted that it be written down. The Bible says so. This is a tool that brings benefits. Do we think that we will be corrected? Let's allow the Holy Spirit to guide and teach us. When the Holy Spirit speaks, He speaks tenderly. God tenderly speaks into our lives: “for correction, for training in righteousness.” May the man of God be complete, equipped for every good work! We must consciously submit ourselves to Scripture so that God's goodness can manifest itself in our lives. Scripture is inspired by God. There is no need to argue with this. Humble yourself under strong hand God!
“The Lord is my Shepherd; I will lack for nothing: He makes me lie down in green pastures and leads me beside still waters, He strengthens my soul, He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff - they calm me.” (Psalm 22:1-4). The rod and staff are scripture, this is divine power. “So may goodness and mercy accompany...” - do you want this? Humble yourself before God!
People may not accept your faith, your religion, but they will easily accept your goodness. This is the absolute and universal currency with which the Lord sent us into this world to acquire people. How should we win people's hearts? When you do good, people may not know about your God, but their hearts are already open to you!

The 58th chapter of the book of the prophet Isaiah describes a fast pleasing to God. “This is the fast that I have chosen: loose the chains of unrighteousness, untie the bands of the yoke, and set the oppressed free, and break every yoke; divide your bread with the hungry, and bring the wandering poor into your home; When you see a naked person, clothe him, and do not hide from your half-blood” (Is. 58:6-8).

Let's look at its main components:

"Loosen the chains of untruth." What does it mean? We need to free ourselves from all lies. We all come from a world ruled by the devil, the father of lies. We are saturated with this lie. Cunning, hypocrisy, exaggeration - all these types of lies are in us. During fasting, ask the Lord to help you free yourself from all untruths. Make an effort to tell the truth always and to everyone.

“Loose the bands of the yoke, and set the oppressed free, and break every yoke.” What could be a yoke for you that needs to be broken? Perhaps it is an addiction to watching TV or “hanging out” on the Internet, from which you cannot tear yourself away even to communicate with loved ones, not to mention devoting time to prayer. Some people pass by the TV early in the morning and can’t help but turn it on, and in the evening they can’t fall asleep without it. Others are unable to spend a day without being on social networks.

Your yoke may be debts, broken promises, or vows you made to God in your prayers. Pray that the Lord will show you the yoke that you must untie, break and remove from your life.

“When will you stop raising your finger and saying offensive things.” Here we're talking about about condemnation, hypocrisy. If you have harmful inclinations, then confess to God through fasting and prayer and, with His help, free yourself from all this. Try not to judge people, not to criticize them. Let God work with that person against whom you have a grudge and whom you constantly condemn or criticize.

"Share your bread with the hungry"

“Don’t hide from your half-blood” means put your relationships with your relatives in order. During fasting, pray to God for them and ask for love for them.

BLESSINGS TO THOSE WHO KEEP A FAST PLEASING TO GOD

Isaiah 58:8-12: “Your healing will arise like the dawn,” i.e. During fasting you can pray for health.

“Then your light will rise in the darkness, and your darkness will be like the noonday.” The Lord promises His guidance and success in business.

“You call and the Lord will hear.” The Lord is ready to answer your every request and satisfy every need pleasing to Him.

“And they will be built by their descendants.” The Lord speaks about the restoration of your family or your lineage.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF POST

Individual post

The Bible describes several types of fasting. Sometimes fasting even influenced the course of history, in other cases it was a means of resolving difficult situations.

The Forty Day Fasts of Moses

The first fast occurred when Moses ascended the mountain and the Lord revealed to him a vision of how to build the tabernacle (Ex. 24:18).

During the second forty-day fast, God gave Moses revelations of the Ten Commandments, which he wrote down on tablets (Ex. 24:28). These fasts were supernatural, because Moses did not eat or drink for forty days, but God supported him supernaturally: “And Moses remained there with the Lord forty days and forty nights, neither eating bread nor drinking water; And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the ten words.”

Forty Day Fast of Jesus Christ

“Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert. There for forty days He was tempted by the devil and did not eat anything during these days; and after they had passed, he was finally hungry” (Luke 4:1-2).

Jesus did not eat at all during these forty days, but it does not say that He did not drink. We can conclude that Jesus abstained from food, but not from water.

Christ was in fasting in order to receive the power of the Holy Spirit for His ministry. At the end of Lent, “Jesus returned in strength of spirit to Galilee” (Luke 4:14).

Daniel's Fast

This fast is described in the book of Daniel 10:2-3: “In these days I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks of days (7 * 3 = 21 days). I did not eat tasty bread, meat and wine did not enter my mouth, and I did not anoint myself with ointments until the completion of three weeks of days. And on the twenty-fourth day I was on the banks of the Tigris River and I lifted up my eyes and saw..."

Daniel was old, he was already eighty-six years old, but he still had enough strength to perform a special, intense prayer. For three weeks he mourned. Refused any tasty food, did not eat meat, stopped using aromas that were widely used in the East to refresh the body. Daniel deeply humbled and humbled himself. And he sent down to him a vision about the fate of the people of God and what will happen at the end of the world.

Collective post

Fast of Queen Esther

In the Bible. The book of Esther describes the greatest crisis facing Jewish people. Persian king issued a decree that on a certain day all Jews were to be exterminated.

Esther, a Jew, accepted the challenge. Together with their uncle, Mordecai, they agreed that he would gather all the Jews in the city of Susa and the Jews would fast and pray without food or drink for three days and three nights. The result of the collective fast was that the entire policy of the Persian kingdom completely changed in favor of the Jews. The enemies of the Jews throughout the Persian Empire were completely defeated. Mordecai and Esther became the two most influential persons in the politics of the Persian king. All this happened due to the collective fasting and prayer of God's people.

Fast of the Ninevites

There is another example of how God responded to the collective fasting of the people living in Nineveh.

The city of Nineveh was the capital of Assyria. In this city there lived people full of cruelty and violence. The city abounded in idols, and the Lord decided to punish this city for its sins. God called Jonah to go and tell Nineveh of the impending destruction. At first Jonah refused to go there because the Assyrian kingdom was an enemy of his own people. However, having suffered severe punishment from God, Jonah went to Nineveh. The message of the sermon was extremely simple:

“Another forty days and Nineveh will be destroyed.” The Ninevites' response was immediate. “And the Ninevites believed God, and declared a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them. This word reached the king of Nineveh, and he rose from his throne, and took off his royal vestments, and put on sackcloth, and sat down on ashes, and commanded that it be proclaimed and said in Nineveh in the name of the king and his nobles: “Whatever the people, neither the cattle, nor the oxen, nor the sheep ate anything, did not go to pasture and did not drink water, and that people and cattle were covered in sackcloth and cried out loudly to God, and that everyone turned from his evil way and from the violence of his hands. Who knows, maybe God will have mercy and turn away His burning anger from us, and we will not perish” (Jon. 3:5-9).

The Old Testament does not describe another such deep and universal repentance on the part of an entire society. All normal activity in the city ceased. For three days the unfed cattle mooed and screamed. There was crying throughout the whole city. It was deep contrition and humility before God. And the answer from the Lord came: “And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way, and God regretted the calamity which He said He would bring upon them, but did not bring it” (Jon. 3:10).

RCEC based on materials from the website of the Bethany Church, Krasnodar

Often we hear a call in church to fast and pray on a specific day or period of time. However, few people understand the true meaning of this act, and the act of fasting itself has turned into one of the church rituals, the meaning of which not everyone can understand. Usually church ceremonies in the Orthodox or Protestant churches are based on direct instructions on how Old Testament, and the New Testament. In the case of the ritual of fasting, there are no explicit instructions to do this in Scripture.
Then we are faced with the question, what exactly is fasting? What is its purpose? And what kind of fast is pleasing to God? All these questions are answered by the Lord Himself in His Word - the Bible.

First of all, it is necessary to understand the very meaning of the word “fasting”. Hebrew word צום (tsom) is most likely an inverted word of the Old Slavic word "post". In the ancient Greek language in the New Testament, the word nhsteia (nesteia) is used to denote fasting, apparently derived from the ancient Slavic word “not to eat” or “not to eat.” Here the very concept of fasting is already manifested - not to eat, not to taste food. According to Dahl's dictionary, fasting means: ...fast, observe, keep a fast, not eat at all...
Now let's find out in Holy Scripture, where fasting is applied and in what cases we need to observe it.
The first person to practice fasting was Moses. This event is described in the book of Exodus chapter 34. Moses climbed Mount Sinai for the second time to receive God's commandments and the Lord spoke to him. Moses did not eat or drink for 40 days. Moses' fast was associated with the most important event in the history of Israel - the 10 commandments of the Lord.
The book of Judges chapter 20 describes other events associated with fasting. The people of Israel decided to go to war against Gibeah and the children of Israel came to God to inquire about this, verse 26: “Then all the children of Israel and all the people went and came to the house of God, and sitting there they wept before the Lord, and fasted that day until the evening, and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord.". And here we see the post is connected with the most important event - the war with Gibeah. The people of Israel asked the Lord to make a decision.
The book of Esther describes a time of fasting for the people of Israel. However, the fast was directly related to events related to the future fate of Israel. We all remember this moment when Esther had to go to receive the king and the people of Israel fasted and prayed for the king to accept his wife and listen to her.
Further, a lot of events are described when the post was appointed. Please note that the post was assigned to Israeli people only when the most important events occurred historical events in the life of Israel, which could influence the future of this people and their destiny. They fasted, abstained from food and prayed to their Lord.
Now let’s look at the application of fasting in a person’s personal life. An example is King David. After David sinned with Bathsheba, the Lord decided to punish David by killing his unborn child. And what action did David take? He fasted and prayed, asking God to forgive him. The fast of David was associated with very important point his life. He realized that he had sinned before God and wanted to resume his relationship with Him again. David was very worried about his sin. "And David prayed to God for the child, and fasted David retired and spent the night lying on the ground" (2 Sam. 12:16).
We see the effect of fasting in other people whose lives are described in the Bible. But in all the events described, fasting was for them a time when people sought God’s will, His decision, and relationship with the Lord. People refused food not because it was necessary. They couldn't even think about it; they had no time to eat. They were worried.
Based on all of the above, it can be assumed that fasting is not a ritual as such, but a spontaneous action related directly to important event in the life of a person or an entire people. The Lord never forced a person to fast. I don't see this in the Bible. The man himself refused food of his own free will. And it cannot be any other way. If one of us experiences significant events in life or some difficulties that require the intervention of the Lord, then such a person simply has no time for food or anything else. Such a person needs to make a decision, very important decision, to figure out what he doesn’t understand, to figure it out before the face of God. Fasting is when a person seeks God.
The Lord, through the prophet Isaiah in the 58th chapter, reveals the meaning of fasting, which is pleasing to Him. The Lord explains that human fasting has become a ritual. God tells people that they are fasting for Him, praying to Him, but He does not hear them. And all because people perceive fasting as some kind of rule, order. People deliberately oppress themselves, pacify their souls, and abstain from food. And to this the Lord says: "Here fast which I have chosen: loose the chains of wickedness, untie the bands of the yoke, and set the oppressed free, and break every yoke.". Does anyone see the instruction to abstain from food? Me not. So what kind of fast is pleasing to God? It turns out that a fast pleasing to God is not abstinence from food, but repentance before God, the search for a relationship with Him, knowledge of His will, the consequence of all this is good deeds. And the action of fasting is nothing more than a person’s voluntary refusal of food. And the Lord does not require this at all. This is the decision of the person himself.
Some Christian churches fasting was turned not just into a ritual, but into a recipe for weight loss. Sometimes I hear Christians say things like, “I fast every Tuesday.” I call this a recipe for weight loss. There is no other way to call it. This is not a fast pleasing to God. Sometimes the church appoints days of fasting, but it is not clear why. Usually they say that we will pray because there are some needs. But I hasten to ask: how important are these needs, or rather, how worried are we about these needs that we are going to fast? How close are these needs to our hearts that we actually cry out to God to ask Him? Let everyone ask this question to themselves.
And one last thing. During Christ’s life on earth, the disciples of the Pharisees and John approached Him and asked why Christ’s disciples did not fast. Christ answered them: "...can the sons of the bridal chamber fast when the bridegroom is with them? As long as the bridegroom is with them, they cannot fast, but the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days." By this, Jesus Christ meant - why should the disciples fast, because Christ Himself is with them, the Lord is with them. The disciples saw Jesus every day, He could solve all their difficulties on the spot, why fast? But when Jesus goes to heaven, then the disciples will fast, seek His face, His will, and so on.

Let us adhere to true fasting, pleasing to God.

Each of us has our own idea of ​​fasting. Some people confuse fasting and dieting and, out of ignorance, call the diet they are on fasting. For example, some are vegetarians and do not eat any meat. This is not fasting, this is a vegetarian diet.
So, what is the difference between fasting and dieting?
The first difference is in the attitude towards food. Diet is selective consumption of food. Fasting is abstaining from food. The second difference is in the purpose and purpose of diet and fasting. The goal of a diet is either to lose weight, or improve health, or something else, but first of all, it is to take care of the body. The purpose of fasting is (first of all) caring for the spirit
The Bible talks a lot and often about fasting. Even the Lord Jesus Christ himself fasted in the desert for 40 days: Matthew 4:1-2 “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil, and having fasted forty days and forty nights, he was finally hungry.”. The same thing is recorded in the Gospel of Luke as follows: Luke 4:1-2 "Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert. There for forty days He was tempted by the devil and haven't eaten anything these days, and after they were over, he was finally hungry".

As you can see, during Lent the Lord Jesus did not eat or drink anything!

Now let's get acquainted with the conditions under which people observed fasting.

I. FASTING AS A MANIFESTATION OF GRIEF WHEN SOMEONE DIES

1 Samuel 31:13 And they took their bones and buried them under an oak tree in Jabez, and fasted seven days.
2 Kings 1:11-12 Then David grabbed his clothes and tore them, as did all the people who were with him. And they wept and cried and fasted until the evening about Saul and about his son Jonathan, and about the people of the Lord and about the house of Israel, that they fell by the sword.

II. FASTING AS A DISPLAY OF HUMILITY

Psalm 34:12-16 Unrighteous witnesses have arisen against me: what I do not know, they interrogate me; They reward me with evil for good, with orphanhood for my soul. I during their illness I dressed in sackcloth, I exhausted my soul with fasting, and my prayer returned to my bosom. I acted as if I were my friend, my brother; I walked mournfully, with my head bowed, as if mourning my mother. And when I stumbled, they rejoiced and gathered together; Scolders gathered against me, I don’t know why, they vilified me and didn’t stop; with hypocritical scoffers gnashed their teeth at me.

III. FASTING AS A MANIFESTATION OF REPENTANCE (as its component)

Nehemiah 9:1-3 On the twenty-fourth day of this month all the children of Israel gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and ashes on their heads. And the seed of Israel separated from all the strangers, and they stood up and confessed their sins and the crimes of their fathers. And they stood in their place, and for a quarter of the day they read from the book of the law of the Lord their God, and for a quarter they confessed and worshiped the Lord their God..

Jonah 3:5-10 And the Ninevites believed God, and declared a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them. This word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and took off his royal vestments, and put on sackcloth, and sat down on ashes, and commanded it to be proclaimed and said in Nineveh in the name of the king and his nobles: " so that neither people, nor cattle, nor oxen, nor sheep should eat anything, did not go to pasture and did not drink water, and that people and cattle were covered in sackcloth and cried out loudly to God, and that everyone turned from his evil way and from the violence of his hands. Who knows, maybe God will be merciful and turn away His burning anger from us, and we will not perish." And God saw their deeds, that they turned from their evil way, and God regretted the disaster that he said he would bring upon them, and didn’t direct them.

IV. POST - TRADITION

Luke 18 10-14 Two people entered the temple to pray: one was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed to himself like this: God! I thank You that I am not like other people, robbers, offenders, adulterers, or like this publican: I fast two times a week, I give a tenth of everything I acquire. The publican, standing in the distance, did not even dare to raise his eyes to heaven; but, striking himself on the chest, he said: God! be merciful to me, a sinner! I tell you that this one went to his house justified more than the other: for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted..
Practicing Jews have a tradition of fasting twice a week: on Wednesday and Friday. In Jesus' time, the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees were required to fast twice a week. And for many, fasting has become something ordinary, a tradition, an “obligation.”

V. FASTING AND PRAYER (turning to God for help)

Fasting and prayer (conversation with God) are inseparable. That is why fasting is a search for God's guidance, intercession for relatives, friends or acquaintances, and a means of achieving spiritual strength.

1. Fasting as a search for God's guidance.
Acts 13:2-3 When they served the Lord and fasted, The Holy Spirit said: Separate Barnabas and Saul for Me for the work to which I have called them. Then they, having completed fasting and prayer and laying hands on them, sent them away.

2. Fasting with prayer as intercession before God for someone.
Daniel 9:1-17 And I turned my face to the Lord God with prayer and supplication, in fasting and sackcloth and ashes. (Daniel intercedes for the entire nation of Israel)

Acts 14:23 Having ordained elders for each church, they prayed with fasting and gave them over to the Lord in whom they believed. (Disciples intercede for ministers)

3. Fasting as a means of acquiring spiritual strength
Matthew 17:14-21 When they came to the people, a man came up to Him and, kneeling before Him, said: Lord! have mercy on my son; On new moons he goes berserk and suffers greatly, for he often throws himself into fire and often into water. I brought him to Your disciples, and they could not heal him. Jesus answered and said: O faithless and perverse generation! How long will I be with you? How long will I tolerate you? bring him here to Me. And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him; and the boy was healed at that hour. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why couldn’t we drive him out?” Jesus said to them: Because of your unbelief; For truly I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed and say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you; this same race is being driven out only prayer and fasting .

The same is recorded in Mark 9:28-29 And when Jesus entered the house, His disciples asked Him privately: Why could we not drive him out? And he said to them, “This generation cannot come forth except from prayer and fasting.

VI. JESUS ​​ABOUT FASTING.

1. Answer to the disciples of John the Baptist:
Matthew 9:14-15 Then John’s disciples come to Him and say: Why do we and the Pharisees fast a lot, but Your disciples do not fast? And Jesus said to them, “Can the sons of the bridal chamber mourn while the bridegroom is with them?” But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.

2. Behavior during fasting:
Matthew 6:16-18 Also, when you fast, don't be sad, like hypocrites, for they put on gloomy faces in order to appear to people as fasting. Truly I tell you that they are already receiving their reward. And you, when you fast anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may appear fasting not before men, but before your Father, Which is secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you openly.

Fasting is a very personal event, like prayer and repentance, in the life of a believer. This is your relationship with the Lord God. Therefore, there is no need to trumpet at every corner about your decision to fast; there is no need to brag about which day you fasted or how many days you “stretched” without food. Also, you should not make a “lenten” facial expression and demonstrate your “suffering” and feigned holiness to others. If you fast only to demonstrate your righteousness to others, then you are wasting your time, because such fasting is displeasing to God. Fasting is not feigned holiness, but inner humility.

APOSTLE PAUL: FASTING AND PRAYER.

Pay attention to the example of fasting pleasing to God. This is the story of the humility and repentance of the Apostle Paul (formerly Saul) after meeting Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus.

Acts 9:1-9 Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, came to the high priest and asked him for letters to Damascus to the synagogues, so that whoever he found following this teaching, both men and women, would be tied up and brought to Jerusalem.
As he walked and approached Damascus, a light from heaven suddenly shone around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him: Saul, Saul! Why are you persecuting Me? He said: Who are you, Lord? The Lord said: I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It's hard for you to go against the grain. He said in awe and horror: Lord! what do you want me to do? and the Lord said to him: “Get up and go into the city, and it will be told to you what you need to do.” The people walking with him stood in a daze, hearing the voice but not seeing anyone. Saul rose from the ground, and with open eyes didn't see anyone. And they led him by the hands and brought him to Damascus. And for three days he did not see, and did not eat, and did not drink .

HOW DOES THE BIBLE DESCRIBE FASTING THAT PLEASES GOD?

Isaiah 58 Cry loudly, don't hold back; lift up your voice like a trumpet, and show my people their iniquities, and the house of Jacob their sins. They seek Me every day and want to know My ways, like a people who do righteousness and do not forsake the laws of their God; they ask Me about the judgments of righteousness, they want to draw closer to God: “Why do we fast, but You don’t see? We humble our souls, but You don’t know?”
Behold, on the day of your fast you do your will and demand hard work from others. Behold, you fast for quarrels and strife, and in order to strike others with a bold hand; you do not fast at this time so that your voice will be heard on high. Is this the fast I have chosen?, the day on which a man languishes his soul, when he bends his head like a reed, and spreads rags and ashes under him? Can you call this a fast and a day pleasing to the Lord?
This is the post I have chosen: loose the chains of unrighteousness, untie the bonds of the yoke, and set the oppressed free, and break every yoke; divide your bread with the hungry, and bring the wandering poor into your home; When you see a naked person, clothe him, and do not hide from your half-blood. Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly increase, and your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will follow you.
Then you will call, and the Lord will hear; you will cry out, and He will say: “Here I am!” When you remove the yoke from your midst, stop lifting your finger and speaking offensively, and give your soul to the hungry and feed the soul of the sufferer: then your light will rise in darkness, and your darkness will be like the noonday; and the Lord will always be your guide, and in times of drought he will satisfy your soul and make your bones fat, and you will be like a garden watered with water and like a spring whose waters never fail. And the deserts of centuries will be built up by your descendants: you will restore the foundations of many generations, and they will call you the restorer of ruins, the renewer of paths for the population.

A fast pleasing to God does not consist in the fact that we deny ourselves food, but in the fact that we seek the face of God and His will. Fasting, unlike dieting, primarily strengthens us spiritually. Refusal to eat in this case only serves to weaken the flesh.
However, fasting can mean not only giving up food or drink, but also giving up favorite things that please our flesh. This could be a refusal to watch TV - a favorite series, a football or hockey match, a movie or some other TV show. It can also be giving up your favorite company, a favorite habit (usually a bad one), and so on.

However, fasting is not only about giving up something. Simply refusing to eat is called fasting. Fasting implies spiritual effort. That is, by refusing carnal food, a person must feed himself spiritually. What is spiritual food?

Jesus himself said that “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4). So, food for the spirit is the Word of God. The Bible is God's Word. And nothing else can nourish our spiritual person.

Romans 10:17 Faith comes by hearing, and hearing comes by the word of God.
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword: it pierces to the dividing of soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intentions of the heart..

The state of spiritual coarsening or savagery in modern times it is very difficult and dangerous, because getting out of it again on the right road is much more difficult than getting on this road for a beginner who is just beginning. Often many people, when they come to church, think that praying once is enough for God to hear us. After some time, they understand that this is not at all true.

Accustoming yourself to prayer is very difficult, and accustoming yourself to attentiveness during divine services and attentive prayer has always been a lot of work. Just an abstract presence at a divine service brings little benefit to a person. In this state of loss of a living sense of God, all external activity, which apparently has the goal of bringing a person closer to Him, is condemned to complete spiritual futility. First of all, prayer, one of the main means of spiritual life, ceases to be effective. It doesn't reach God.

“Remember,” writes Father John of Kronstadt, “that if during prayer you do not idle, but say the words of prayer with feeling, then your words will not return to you thinly, without power (like a husk without grain), but will certainly bring you those the very fruits that are contained in the word, like a fruit in a shell. This is the most natural thing, just as the fruit and its shell are natural and ordinary in nature... The more sincerely, more heartily you pronounce each word, the more fruit from each word, as; a grain will bring you spiritual fruit, like a ripe ear... But if you throw away words in vain, without faith, without feeling their power, like a husk without a kernel, then you throw the husk empty, and the husk will return to you.” .

There is an old legend that clearly shows us how fruitless our prayers can sometimes be.

A long time ago there lived a holy elder who prayed a lot and often grieved over the sins of men. And it seemed strange to him why it happens that people go to church, pray to God, but still live just as badly. Sin does not decrease. Lord, he thought, do you really not listen to our prayers? People constantly pray to live in peace and repentance, but they just can’t. Is their prayer really in vain?" One day, with these thoughts, he fell into a sleep. And it seemed to him as if a luminous angel, hugging him with a wing, lifted him high, high above the earth... As they rose higher and higher, they became weaker and weaker. The sounds coming from the surface of the earth became weaker. Human voices were no longer heard, songs, screams, and all the noise of the bustling worldly life died down. Only sometimes harmonious, gentle sounds floated out from somewhere, like the sounds of a distant lute.

What is this? - asked the old man.
“These are holy prayers,” answered the angel, “only they are heard here!”
- But why do they sound so weak? Why are there so few of these sounds? After all, now all the people pray in the temple?..
The angel looked at him, and his face was sorrowful.
-Do you want to know?.. Look...

A large temple could be seen far below. With miraculous power its vaults opened, and the elder could see everything that was happening inside. The entire temple was full of people. A large choir was visible on the choir. The priest stood in full vestments at the altar. There was a service going on. It was impossible to say what kind of service, because not a single sound was heard. It was visible how the sexton standing on the left choir was reading something quickly, quickly, slapping and moving his lips, but the words did not reach up there. A huge deacon slowly came out onto the pulpit, straightened his lush hair with a smooth gesture, then raised his orarion, opened his mouth wide, and... not a sound!

On the choir, the regent handed out notes: the choir was preparing to sing. “I’ll probably hear the choir...” thought the elder.

The regent tapped the tuning fork on his knee, raised it to his ear, extended his arms and gave the sign to begin, but there was still complete silence. It was amazingly strange to watch: the regent waved his arms, stamped his foot, the basses turned red from the effort, the tenors stretched out on their toes, raising their heads high, everyone’s mouths were open, but there was no singing.

"What is it?" - thought the old man. He turned his eyes to the worshipers. There were a lot of them different ages and positions: men and women, old people and children, merchants and simple peasants. They all crossed themselves, bowed, many whispered something, but nothing was heard. The whole church was silent.

Why is this? - asked the old man.
“Let’s go down, and you will see and understand...” said the angel. They slowly, unseen by anyone, descended into the temple itself. A smartly dressed woman stood in front of the entire crowd and, apparently, was praying earnestly. The angel approached her and quietly touched her with his hand... And suddenly the elder saw her heart and understood her thoughts. “Oh, this nasty postmistress!” she thought. “Five in a new hat! The husband is a drunkard, the children are ragamuffins, and She’s forcing things!.. Look, she’s staring out!..”

A merchant in a good cloth coat stood nearby and looked thoughtfully at the iconostasis. The angel touched his chest, and his hidden thoughts were immediately revealed to the elder: ...What a shame! Cheaper... Now you can't buy a product like this! I must have lost a thousand, or maybe a thousand and a half..." Next, a young peasant guy could be seen. He hardly prayed, but all the time looked to the left, where the women stood, blushed and shifted from foot to foot. The angel touched him, and the elder read in his heart: “Oh, Dunyasha is so good!.. She took everything: her face, her demeanor, and her work... I wish I had such a wife! Will it work or not?

And many were touched by the angel, and everyone had similar thoughts, empty, idle, worldly. They stood before God, but did not think about God. They only pretended to pray.
-Now you understand? - asked the angel. - Such prayers do not reach us. That is why it seems that they are all definitely mute...

At that moment, suddenly someone’s timid childish voice said clearly:
-God! You are good and merciful... Save, have mercy, heal poor mother!..
In the corner, on his knees, pressed against the wall, stood a little boy. Tears sparkled in his eyes. He prayed for his sick mother. The angel touched his chest, and the elder saw the child’s heart. There was sorrow and love.
-These are the prayers that are heard here! - said the angel. Thus, our hypocritical, purely external prayers do not reach God and do not bear fruit.

These people draw near to Me with their lips, says the Lord, and honor Me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me; but in vain they worship Me (Matthew XV: 8-9). Moreover, such prayer angers God.
“...Many of us,” writes Fr. John of Kronstadt, “perform services and sacraments, prayers reluctantly, sluggishly, carelessly, hastily, with omissions, wanting to quickly finish the holy work and rush to the vanity of everyday life. What a terrible seduction and what a grave sin! At the same time, you involuntarily remember the terrible word of the Lord to the careless performers of His works: cursed is everyone who does the work of the Lord with negligence. I said: what a terrible deception! services, we neglect the very thing that for us, with real care and zeal, would serve as a source of sweet peace, joy in the Holy Spirit, and even a source of bodily health, for the words of prayer during services and sacraments, read with faith, reverence, and fear of God, calmly, with a burning spirit, they have an undoubted and wonderful property, together with the soul, to revive, strengthen and heal our very body. This is proven by experience, I say, because by carelessly performing the sacraments, we blaspheme the shrine of the Lord... Do modern Christians think? - hypocrites, that they pray hypocritically and live hypocritically? - They don’t think so. They pray daily, perhaps for a long time, they pray out of habit, with their lips, and not with their hearts, without heartfelt contrition, without a strong desire for correction, just to fulfill the established rule and think of offering service to God (John XVI, 2), while with their prayer they only bring upon themselves the wrath of God. We are all more or less sinful in that we pray hypocritically, and we will accept great condemnation for this.”

But if long-term service to God leads to habit, and habit can cause formal, purely external and hypocritical performance of religious duties, then there arises important question: how to avoid this danger? For if we fail to do this, then the sad end of our spiritual life is inevitable. The answer to this question lies partly in the above words of the Kronstadt shepherd: with real care and zeal, the sacraments, services, prayers serve as a source of peace, joy in the Holy Spirit and even a source of bodily health. For some they serve as a blessing, while for others they bring curses. It all depends on the person’s attitude towards them.

If a Christian does not invest in his service to God all the attention, all the zeal, all the warmth of his heart that he is capable of, then the habit of careless and superficial performance of religious duty soon begins to develop in him. A person does not reach this suddenly, but gradually.

Then, an ingrained habit defeats all efforts when, realizing the danger of the situation, they try to fight it. The tongue rushes forward by itself, rapidly throwing out words, the thought that cannot keep up with it jumps from the fifth to the tenth word or rushes around, and the hands and body themselves make memorized and acquired gestures. It is even worse when a person does not even realize that he has ceased to be a priest and a man of prayer, that he is nothing more than a talking automaton. Here the oppression of God’s curse for negligence begins to be felt, for it is said: Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord with negligence (Jer. XLVIII, 10).

Prepared by S.V. Storchevoy, lecturer. PDS