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Water Fasting
by
Ron Lagerquist
"Jesus
knew the taste of dust and the weakness of human flesh. He understood the
paradox of strength that can arise from weakness.
"
 Water
fasting is a complete contradiction to the high-octane rush of the North
American lifestyle. Think of water fasting as a stripping down time, a period of
brokenness, humility and profound inner reflection.
Due to a high metabolism, I find fasting on water difficult. Water fasting
for me is crawling under the covers in warm flannel pajamas, entering deep into that inner place of
prayer with a bible beside my bed. The outside world becomes obscure and far away. Everything
moves in slow motion and the
things that yesterday were all too familiar, become strange and
unimportant. Values systems make quantum shifts, what was
impossibly urgent becomes frivolous. It is a deep dreamy state, an altered consciousness.
Water Fasting With a Slow Metabolism
Not everyone finds water fasting
so. Those who have slower metabolisms find fasting on water a
breeze. They walk for miles, exercise and generally feel energetic. But
no matter what kind of metabolism you have, water fasting is a profound experience. Mystics down through the ages have discussed its spiritual qualities.
Jesus fasted 40 day in the desert on
water preparing for the confrontation with His arch-enemy Satan. We, like Jesus,
need to be prepared for battle. Water fasting is a preparation to face the
world with all its entrapments with a brand new perspective. It becomes a
point of comparison, for in the state of water fasting, everything is
stripped to its bear essentials and the things that really matter come
to the forefront, like love, our connection with God, our goals and worthy dreams, what we
are becoming and who we have become. Material possessions reduce
in value when fasting. Relationship with God,
and who we are in Christ, become the nourishment
to a groaning body.
Humble
Yourself
Our position with God is unchangeable, forgiven, perfect and pure,
because of the work of Christ on the cross. It is our posture that
must change. Surrounded with all our false props, we often become a
proud independent people, where God becomes an appendage to our lifestyle,
until trials hit, demanding us to go deeper. Fasting is a posture of humility, falling
prostrate
before God in silence. It is a time to remember just how dependant we are
on Him. We are weak frail flesh and during water fasting you will taste
your frailness. Think of water fasting as a Humility Maintenance
Program. Don't be alarmed by the
word humility, many of the most powerful people in history were the people of great
humility. Moses was considered the meekest man
on all the earth but also one of the greatest leaders we have ever seen. Pride and
independence are weakness, a cover-up for spiritual famine within.
Fasting strips away cover-ups and shows us our
deep need for humility.
Water fasting and Detoxification
I have been on a thirty-day juice fast where I accomplished more, worked
harder and experienced a greater sustaining energy than I did in a non-fasting state. When day 20 hit, it was like fireworks.
My co-workers couldn't keep up with my zipping and zinging
here and there, joyously
whistling as I worked, every cell energized with fresh juices. I did have
some detoxification
dips, but they were not immobilizing and after an enema and an extra
ration of carrot juice, I was fine. Not so with water fasting. For
me water is one big long detoxification, the deep detox. The body is fully focused on burning
up and clearing toxins. Blood is saturated with carcinogens, mucus,
trans-fatty acids and other byproducts
of the North American diet.
I recommend juice fasting for those who have never fasted, unless you
have a calling by God to water. And this is an important
point, God leads people to water fasting even in the 21 century, and he will
sustain you during a called fast. But you can also call yourself to a fast
as a result of being sick and tired of your spiritual apathy.
Preparation for Water Fasting
Water
fasting demands mental preparation. If you are fasting for the weekend, clear the calendar, the
fast will be an event enough. The less pressure and responsibility you
have during a water fast the better. Think of it a holiday away from
the normal patterns of living. I also recommend the week before your
fast, drink fresh juices and eat mostly raw fruits and vegetables to cleanse the body so
that the detoxification during water fasting will be less aggressive.
Healing
Water
fasting cleanses the body aggressively removing toxins rapidly and can be more beneficial than juice fasting in combating more persistent forms of
cancer, cleansing the tissues more aggressively.
Water
Fasting for Weight Loss
If you have a slow metabolism and are juice fasting, a few days on water will intensify
the fast and assist with weight-loss. Dropping into water is something you
can do during a day of little or no activity.
Tips
1. Avoid water straight from the faucet. Distilled water is the best for
cleansing because of its inherent, magnetic properties and ability to absorb
and suspend large quantities of toxins, flushing them from the body. The
value of mineral water is misleading because the inorganic
minerals are like huge boulders to the cellular membranes, making them
impossible to assimilate. Plants are able to break down the minerals from
the soils, allowing them to be completely absorbable to the cells of the
body. The best water is distilled, secondly, spring or filtered. A Brita
type filtration system is inexpensive and effective, but change the filter
regularly.
2. There are no calories or nutritional value in water.
On a
water fast you have given your body no options but to turn to its internal
stored energy for fuel. This can create a problem when you have spent
years eating dirty fuel. Living exclusively on stored dirty fuel during a fast
requires tremendous courage, strength and prayer. To ease into water fasting,
we recommend juice fasting with periods of water fasting. For example 3
days on juice, 2 days on water, 5 days on juice, then 3 days on water.
You can juice when you have to work and water fast on the weekend when
you can rest. This is my preferred method of water
fasting.
Water Fasting Concerns
It is not advisable to water fast under the conditions of
hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia, schizophrenia or a chronic heart condition—but
God rules over hyperglycemia, diabetes, schizophrenia and chronic heart
conditions.
Dizziness: Be careful of dizziness and black outs. The heart is resting as
much as it can during water fasting. Before you stand up, take one or
two deep breaths to get the heart pumping. If you start to back out, sit
down or crouch down on one knee. This will immediately stop the
dizziness.
Read:
Juice Fasting
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detoxification, healing, colon