Fasting Journal : Fasting Center International

FASTING: A CHRISTIAN'S FCI EXPERIENCE

  [FCI NOTE: As anyone reading this--our Web's premier fasting Website--understands, FCI, blessed to supervise our world's largest, nonresidential fasting clientele, takes quite seriously its legal responsibility to caution anyone against ever attempting a prolonged fast--for any reason(s)--without skilled, veteran supervision (as opposed to, say, reading books, or similarly flying by the seat of one's pants with only some prayers and a handful of superficial suggestions from a 'Do's and Don'ts' listing by some dilettante who may be long on religious enthusiasm, but is woefully short regarding experiential knowledge and supervision wisdom, perhaps having just survived, say, his first and only 40-day fast a couple of years previously, himself).
   Recently, for eg., a Kentucky hospital emergency team called FCI, frantic to know how they should begin refeeding a dazed couple who'd been hospitalized while attempting a 40-day, primarily-water, 'religious' fast. . . wholly on their own. The emergency doctors also wanted to know what effect prolonged fasting has on lactase, who fasting may well be contraindicated for, and a host of other questions they'd obvoiusly never heard addressed in their US medical schools. Thus, although the following Christian's testimonial is incredibly inspiring, this is not something to be tried at home on one's own, by anyone valuing her or his physical or spiritual well-being.]
"WARNING!----The following letter is written with the precondition that the BIBLE is "God-breathed" and infallible. It is intended for those who accept this axiomatically, and does not intend to debate or clarify for those of a different mindset.

"I don't like hype; I like truth. Truth is Real. Truth passes the test of time: Truth doesn't change. Truth is Cool.

"This means that, as a Christian, I look for Truth in everything I do. I realize that there are laws and truths, and then there are higher laws and truths. And this is where the struggle begins for us. The struggle for truth demands that I keep my eyes upon the Higher Truth, or I won't be able to walk on the water; I'll sink.

"I was ailing. I was near death. At 39, I knew I wasn't supposed to die. I could see the facts, though. I was nearly bedfast. I was always tired. My mind was always cloudy. I was always hungry. I was fat. I had virtually no energy to function productively with the time I spent out of bed. I'd been close to death before. I recognized it. I had people pray for me. I really didn't have the energy to pray much for myself.

"Doctors had finally diagnosed Hepatitis-C and Chronic-Fatigue Immune-Deficiency Sydrome. They gave me Interferon for 6 months. It made me sick and poor, but not healthy. The end result? I had spent my living, and had suffered much at the hands of physicians, but grew no better, only worse. Western Medicine had no answers for me.

I prayed. I knocked. I sought. Gradually. . .over a period of two years, a way became evident. I was being led to alternative practices of medicine. . .old stuff. . . grandmother stuff. . .old-wives'-tales stuff. I doubted. . .but I had no better way to go. I began to see small changes. Homeopathists, nutritionists, herbalists, all kinds of 'new' and strange treatments, born of the wisdom of the ages, began to have small but measurable effects upon me. I began to get better. . .but not enough.

"My chiropractic-nutritionist suggested that I go to Dr. Scott's fasting clinic in Cleveland. It is a water-fasting program lasting a month. The room and board (ha!) are free, but there is a charge for a daily chiropractic visit, as well as for the extensive bloodwork. Additionally, the program mandated total bed rest, and total isolation from the outside world. I would lose income. The cost and relocation would set me back around $8,000. I couldn't afford this. There had to be another way.

"I began searching for alternatives on the Web. I came across Dennis Paulson's home page for Fasting Center International, Inc., for which he is the Founder/Director. This was a juice-fasting program which claimed to give more energy. This is always interesting to a bedfast person. It claimed to take weight off. Yes! I needed that, too! It also claimed to detoxify the body. Bingo! That seemed to be the core of my problem. My systems were shutting down from toxicity, according to the specialists I'd seen, and it seemed to be the direction of heading, anyway. This program--to totally detoxify my body--needed more than a month. Actually, the number of days for total detoxification was my age number [39] plus 17 [56], plus 5 days to transition in and 5 out [66]. Cost? $669.99 for 60 days, plus $9.95 x 6 days = $728.70 This program claimed I would save that much in decreased food intake. Wow! Besides, $8,000 - $728.70 = $7,271.30 I wouldn't have to spend. Sounded great! But, should I do this?

"I looked for Biblical precedent. I checked out Jesus's fasting. Water only? Sounds serious, but I noticed that he had angels come and minister to Him at the end of it. Angels don't show up unless there's a real need for them, so I would have to assume that Jesus needed this assistance, and badly, by this time. Okay, that didn't show me what I needed.

"Elijah also fasted, or did he? What's that part about the angels waking him up and feeding him "angelfood" twice, and it says he went the time in the strength of that food? Angels again. So, was that a real fast? I don't think so. I've not seen any angels offering food. Well, I thought, let me take a look at Moses.

"Moses also went 40 days without food (fasting), but he also drank nothing (thirsting) for that same time. Whoa! How could this be? Well, he was in the presence of God, Himself! Life, Himself! No wonder! He didn't need any food! I'll bet he never felt hungry or thirsty at all! He was so filled with the glory of God that he glowed in the dark. I can't apply this to myself, at all. Who's left?

"'. . .And the Lord struck the child that Uriah's wife bare unto David, and it was very sick. David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted and went in and lay down all night upon the earth. And the elders of his house arose and went to him, to raise him up from the earth: but he would not, neither did he eat bread with them. And it came to pass, on the seventh day, that the child died. . . .Then David arose from the earth. . .and he did eat." [II Samuel 12:15-18, 20 KJV] So David fasted for a week. That's a little closer to what I was looking for, but I decided to keep looking.

"'In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three full weeks. I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled." [Daniel10:2-3] There it is! Three weeks of partial fasting, a biblical precedent. Daniel's results were great, too. Another angel showed up!

"So now I had precedent, but I wanted more information. I found Isaiah 58:6-8: "Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? Then shall thy light break forth, as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily." Whoa! That's what I was looking for! Yes! There's a lot more in these references than what I've written here. . .really great stuff, but you get the point.

"I went for it.

"I lost 50 pounds; 6 came back [as it should have]. Net loss: 44 pounds. Energy level: 80-85%, with peaks to 90-92%, and my mind is clear, once again. The weight stayed off. I passed oily black goo, parasites, and encrusted fecal matter; I'm sure you want to know this. I'm cleansed. I'm alive. My mind is clear.

"I went back to my doctor. After bloodwork, he babbled like a child with a new toy. He was beside himself with astonishment: "It worked!" Hepatitis-C from a transfusion caused my liver problems; fasting remedied them. While this is not a panacea, and my problems are not all completely fixed, I can surely use this tool of Healing Wisdom to my benefit, for the rest of my life. What a gift!

"Should you do it? You probably already know the answer to that. In your spirit. . .you know. As Christians, we are mandated to fast. It isn't optional. But while many restrain themselves from alcohol, extramarital sex, pornography, drugs, smoking, etc.--all those harmful activities--they feel they've nothing left to "celebrate with" but food. But gluttony is a sin, too.

"However, the church is more guilty of ignorance than gluttony, as a whole, for the church doesn't know how to fast.

"Spiritual direction and clarity of mind; bodily cleansing [health wisdom] and removal of excess weight and unwanted tissues, are all reliable, tangible, guaranteeable benefits of fasting.

"Yes, you need to fast. All Christians do! It's that simple. If you've read this far, you can look inside yourself and recognize whether or not you need to fast now or not. It isn't hard. You won't feel hungry. FCI's Website has all the explanatory and contact information you need. Contact them. Dennis will talk with you, and I know they've got countless more letters and testimonials from folks all willing to share their experience with you. This is the truth. This is a higher truth. Fasting works.
"Sincerely, Steven W. Cook"

Please come back soon for new additions to FCI's online, archived FASTING JOURNAL!

Any questions, email or phone FCI. Email: FastMaster@fasting.com; phone: 818-590-2536 (know that the best time to catch Founder/Director Dennis Paulson, himself, with the least interruption, is between 10-4, California time). For the Fasting Center International home page, click here: www.fasting.com

Now Accepting: Visa / Mastercard / American Express / Discover