Ellen Chat Conversation

Ellen White taught that true fasting involves "abstinence from every stimulating kind of food, and the proper use of wholesome, simple food" (LDE 82.3). She emphasized that while God's people should set aside days for fasting and prayer, "entire abstinence from food should not be required" (13MR 330.2). In her counsel, she explained that the primary goal of fasting is to shift our focus from physical desires to spiritual needs. She noted that "men need to think less about what they shall eat and drink, of temporal food, and much more in regard to the food from heaven" (CD 90.1). This practice helps to give "tone and vitality to the whole religious experience" (CD 90.1) and allows the "appetites and passions" to be held in subjection to the "higher powers of the mind" (1MCP 308.2). Crucially, Ellen White warned that the physical act of fasting must be accompanied by sincere heart work. She stated that "fasting and prayer will accomplish nothing while the heart is estranged from God by a wrong course of action" (CH 377). Before engaging in this work, there should be "the closest self-examination to discover if there are not sins which need to be repented of, confessed, and forsaken" (HL 236.3). For practical application, this means choosing a "plain, simple diet" rather than total starvation, and using the time to engage in "genuine humiliation and most earnest prayer" (13MR 330.2). By exercising temperance and denying the "gratification of their appetites," believers can better "comprehend the truth in its beauty and clearness" (1T 618.3). Ultimately, fasting is a spiritual discipline intended to prepare the soul for the "important crisis" ahead by ensuring we are "wide-awake and watching" rather than trusting in our own wisdom (13MR 330.2). --- 💡 **You might also want to explore:** • What did Ellen White say about the connection between diet and spiritual health? • How does she describe the "food from heaven" we should focus on? • What is the role of self-examination in our prayer life? --- 📚 **thousands of passages found** containing these search terms — [Explore in Full-Text Search](/advanced-search?q=How+does+one+go+about+fasting)