FASTING OR ALMS (WORKS)
mt 4-4 But He answered and said."It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
JOH 10-3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.
1CO 3-20 And again, The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.
HEB 4-12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart, and there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
HEB 4-7 Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts.
1CO 11-31 For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.
1CO 2-15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one.
MT 6-16 Moreover when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.
MT 6-2 Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.
MT 6-21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
MT 6-17"But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,"so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
MK 2-18 And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting. And they came and said to Him,"why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?"So Jesus said to them,"Can the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast."But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.
MT 9-14 Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying,"Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?"And Jesus said to them,"Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast."No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse. Nor do people put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.
LK 11-41"But rather give alms of such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you.
ACT 10-1 There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always. About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him,"Cornelius!"And when he observed him, he was afraid, and said,"What is it, Lord?"So he said to him,"Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God.
Matt 6:16-18
16 "Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.
17 "But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,
18 "so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
(NKJ)
XXX Some things are only rewarded when done in secret. The act of fasting is between you and God. And the reward will appear openly to you. Fasting is giving up something that you think you need. Mostly it would be food. But one can fast on other things. When one is in need of an answer to a prayer that hasnt come yet, fasting will encourage God to answer it.
Fasting is a preparation in the beginning for the future of giving up things. People are all torn up when they loose something in their lives. Fasting is a training that will help you later.
2 Cor 4:16-18
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.
17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,
18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
(NKJ)
Mark 9:26-29
26 Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, "He is dead."
27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.
28 And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, "Why could we not cast him out?"
29 So He said to them, "This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting."
(NKJ)
1 Pet 2:11-14
11 Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul,
12 having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.
13 Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether to the king as supreme,
14 or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good.
(NKJ)
1Thes 5:21-22
21 Test all things; hold fast what is good.
22 Abstain from every form of evil.
(NKJ)
1Thes 4:3-8
3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality;
4 that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor,
5 not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God;
6 that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified.
7 For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness.
8 Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit.
(NKJ)
mt 4-4 But He answered and said."It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
JOH 10-3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.
1CO 3-20 And again, The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.
HEB 4-12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart, and there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
HEB 4-7 Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts.
1CO 11-31 For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.
1CO 2-15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one.
MT 6-16 Moreover when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.
MT 6-2 Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.
MT 6-21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
MT 6-17"But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,"so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
MK 2-18 And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting. And they came and said to Him,"why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?"So Jesus said to them,"Can the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast."But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.
MT 9-14 Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying,"Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?"And Jesus said to them,"Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast."No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse. Nor do people put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.
LK 11-41"But rather give alms of such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you.
ACT 10-1 There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always. About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him,"Cornelius!"And when he observed him, he was afraid, and said,"What is it, Lord?"So he said to him,"Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God.
Matt 6:16-18
16 "Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.
17 "But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,
18 "so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
(NKJ)
XXX Some things are only rewarded when done in secret. The act of fasting is between you and God. And the reward will appear openly to you. Fasting is giving up something that you think you need. Mostly it would be food. But one can fast on other things. When one is in need of an answer to a prayer that hasnt come yet, fasting will encourage God to answer it.
Fasting is a preparation in the beginning for the future of giving up things. People are all torn up when they loose something in their lives. Fasting is a training that will help you later.
2 Cor 4:16-18
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.
17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,
18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
(NKJ)
Mark 9:26-29
26 Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, "He is dead."
27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.
28 And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, "Why could we not cast him out?"
29 So He said to them, "This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting."
(NKJ)
1 Pet 2:11-14
11 Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul,
12 having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.
13 Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether to the king as supreme,
14 or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good.
(NKJ)
1Thes 5:21-22
21 Test all things; hold fast what is good.
22 Abstain from every form of evil.
(NKJ)
1Thes 4:3-8
3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality;
4 that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor,
5 not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God;
6 that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified.
7 For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness.
8 Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit.
(NKJ)