I am sure you might have heard about people sharing their experiences of fasting and praying. Praying and fasting should go hand-in-hand. The whole idea of fasting and praying should bring you nearer to God. But some times you may find it difficult due to physical and mental problems. In this article, we present you some practical instructions during fasting and praying.
Decide the Reason: First you should decide why you are fasting. Are you fasting to get rid of some problem in your life, like your career, relationship or money etc. There can be many other reasons for fasting and praying. The higher purpose, however, is to fast as a mark of gratitude to the Lord for Him being very merciful and good to you. Include this feeling in your prayers to the Lord. This is first step towards success in fasting and praying.
Decide the Kind of Fast: There are many kinds of fast on health basis and the most common being not eating and not drinking anything. In addition, one has to do media fast as well. You may ask what is that? Media fast means not to watch television, read the newspaper or listen to music during the fast and till some time after fast. The reason being media fasting lessens your distractions from the actual goal of fasting. This helps you to realize inner aspects of yourself. You will get deep prayers spontaneously.
Decide on How Long to Fast: Think how long you can fast in the mood of praying. If you are not used to fasting try for shorter periods. Try for twelve hours initially and later you can have juice and water. Keep praying intensely during this period.
Focus on Prayers: Begin the fast with prayers and keep praying throughout the fast. Read the Bible, Quran or Bhagavad Gita. Listen to devotional music. Focus on the prayers and contemplate on them atleast for sometime.
Have Faith and Success is Yours: Have complete faith in God that He will answer your prayers and make your fasting and praying a great success. Happy Fasting!
