The LDS Daily WOOL Home Page
(2/7/97)
Fasting and prayer is a positive experience. It is a form of worship
especially commended by the Lord. As we fast with prayer, we demonstrate
our deep purpose, commit that we will do all in our power, and consign
the outcome to the Lord. Commitment to act is the key to exercising any
gospel principle. We must actually do what the principles require.
Doing, in conjunction with fasting and prayer, is in itself a prayer of
faith. The principle of doing is one of the great messages of the
scriptures. Alma did preach with power after fasting and prayer. The
Savior, being strengthened by fasting, did reject Satan's every
proposition and did rebuke him. When we fast, we must work in
appropriate ways to do everything we can to accomplish the purpose of
our fast. The fast is most effective when we have done all that is
within our power. Often this commitment involves the willingness to
change, to put aside feelings and attitudes standing in our path, to
forgive, to be strong, to make sacrifices, to exert energy toward our
righteous goal. — Bishop Victor L. Brown, General Conference, October
1977
(2/8/97)
It is evident that the acceptable fast is that which carries with it the
true spirit of love for God and man; and that the aim in fasting is to
secure perfect purity of heart and simplicity of intention—a fasting
unto God in the fullest and deepest sense—for such a fast would be a
cure for every practical and intellectual error; vanity would disappear,
love for our fellows would take its place, and we would gladly assist
the poor and the needy. — President Joseph F. Smith, Teachings of
Latter-day Prophets, p. 199
(2/9/97)
Let me promise you here today that if the Latter-day Saints will
honestly and conscientiously from this day forth, as a people, keep the
monthly fast and pay into the hands of their bishops the actual amount
that they would have spent for food for the two meals from which they
have refrained; and if in addition to that they will pay their honest
tithing, it will solve all of the problems in connection with taking
care of the Latter-day Saints. We would have all the money necessary to
take care of all the idle and all the poor. Every living soul among the
Latter-day Saints that fasts two meals once a month will be benefited
spiritually and be built up in the faith of the gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ--benefited spiritually in a wonderful way--and sufficient means
will be in the hands of the bishops to take care of all the poor. —
President Heber J. Grant, Gospel Standards, p. 123
(2/10/97)
It seems to me it is a source of strength, a source of power, a source
of blessing that perhaps as a people we are not using enough; that it
does have tremendous spiritual value to those who observe the law, and
who apply it faithfully…. The Saints by fasting and praying can sanctify
the soul and elevate the spirit to Christlike perfection, and thus the
body would be brought into subjection to the spirit, promote communion
with the Holy Ghost, and insure spiritual strength and power to the
individual. By observing fasting and prayer in its true spirit, the
Latter-day Saints cannot be overpowered by Satan tempting them to evil.
— Elder Delbert L. Stapley, General Conference, October 1951
(2/11/97)
The regularly constituted fast consists of abstinence from food once
each month, from the evening meal of Saturday to the evening meal on the
following Sunday; that is, it means missing two meals on the first
Sunday of each month. The value of those two meals given as a voluntary
donation for the relief of those who are hungry or otherwise in distress
constitutes the fast offering. Think what the sincere observance of this
rule would mean spiritually if every man, woman, and child were to
observe the fast and contribute the resultant offering, with the sincere
desire of blessing the less fortunate brother or sister or sorrowing
child! The great Tolstoy, sensing the need of this bond of sympathetic
brotherhood in Christ, once wrote that he had no right to eat his crust
of bread if his brother had none. Can you not see associated with this
simple act the divine principle of service as expressed in the Master's
words: "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my
brethren, ye have done it unto me"? (Matt. 25:40.) — President David O.
McKay, Gospel Ideals, p. 210
(2/12/97)
Our difficulty is that we have not all used the Lord's plan as we
should. What ought that contribution, our fast offerings, be, to be the
equivalent of two meals? I would like to suggest that there isn't
anything that this present generation needs so much as the power of
self-control; appetite is stronger than will. Men's passions dominate
their lives. If there is one thing that we need to recover, it is the
power of self-control over the physical body; to deny it good food . . .
for two meals, [is to obtain] a mastery over self; and the greatest
battle any of us shall ever fight is with self. — Elder Melvin J.
Ballard, Sermons and Missionary Services of Melvin J. Ballard, p. 157
(2/13/97)
Fast with purpose. We must ever remind ourselves and all members of the
Church to keep the law of the fast. We often have our individual reasons
for fasting. But I hope members won't hesitate to fast to help us
lengthen our stride in our missionary effort, to open the way for the
gospel to go to the nations where it is not now permitted. It's good for
us to fast as well as to pray over specific things and over specific
objectives. — President Spencer W. Kimball, General Conference, April
1976
(2/14/97)
The Lord has instituted the fast on a reasonable and intelligent basis,
and none of his works are vain or unwise. His law is perfect in this as
in other things. Hence, those who can are required to comply thereto; it
is a duty from which they cannot escape; but let it be remembered that
the observance of the fast day by abstaining twenty-four hours from food
and drink is not an absolute rule, it is no iron-clad law to us, but it
is left with the people as a matter of conscience, to exercise wisdom
and discretion. Many are subject to weakness, others are delicate in
health, and others have nursing babies; of such it should not be
required to fast. Neither should parents compel their little children to
fast. I have known children to cry for something to eat on fast day. In
such cases, going without food will do them no good. Instead, they dread
the day to come, and in place of hailing it, dislike it; while the
compulsion engenders a spirit of rebellion in them, rather than a love
for the Lord and their fellows. Better teach them the principle, and let
them observe it when they are old enough to choose intelligently, than
to so compel them. — President Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine, p. 243
(7/19/01)
"The personal benefits derived from fasting are substantial. The
scriptures
tell us that a certain kind of devil goes not out except by fasting and
prayer.
(See Matt. 17:21.) The supremacy of the spirit over the appetites of the
body is
affirmed by the mental discipline of fasting. This strength fortifies us
in our
combat with other temptations prompted by physical appetites that, if
uncontrolled, would be destructive to our welfare. While some have
physical
conditions that preclude fasting, most people are not excluded on this
basis. To
me, a successfully completed period of fasting from food and drink on
fast day
brings a degree of self-confidence. Fasting is real evidence to oneself
and to
his maker of gratitude for the gift of health and strength which permits
one to
be able to fast. Surely this is a great privilege and blessing."
Russell M. Nelson
"I Have a Question,"
"Ensign," Apr. 1976, p. 33
(7/20/01)
"Periodic fasting can help clear up the mind and strengthen the body and
the spirit. The usual fast, the one we are asked to participate in for
fast
Sunday, is for 24 hours without food or drink. Some people, feeling the
need,
have gone on longer fasts of abstaining from food but have taken the
needed
liquids. Wisdom should be used, and the fast should be broken with light
eating.
To make a fast most fruitful, it should be coupled with prayer and
meditation;
physical work should be held to a minimum, and it’s a blessing if one
can
ponder on the scriptures and the reason for the fast."
Ezra Taft Benson
"Do Not Despair,"
"Ensign," Nov. 1974, p. 66–67
(7/21/01)
"When your stomach begins to growl halfway through fast and testimony
meeting, you probably do not think of fasting as rejoicing, yet this is
the way
fasting has been scripturally defined: 'Verily, this is fasting and
prayer, or
in other words, rejoicing and prayer.' (D&C 59:14.) Rejoicing means
to
express joy, and joy is the reason for man’s existence. (2 Ne. 2:25.)
Fasting,
then, is an activity that brings us back to the state of being for which
we were
created."
Robert J. Matthews
"What the Scriptures Say About: Fasting,"
"New Era," Sept. 1972, p. 32
(7/22/01)
"Commitment to act is the key to exercising any gospel principle. We
must
actually do what the principles require. Doing, in conjunction with
fasting and
prayer, is in itself a prayer of faith. The principle of doing is one of
the
great messages of the scriptures. Alma did preach with power after [page
84]
fasting and prayer. The Savior, being strengthened by fasting, did
reject Satan’s
every proposition and did rebuke him."
Victor L. Brown
"A Vision of the Law of the Fast,"
"Ensign," Nov. 1977, p. 83–84
(7/23/01)
"Sometimes it’s easier to try to work on our relationship with God
through fasting, prayer, and scripture study than to love and serve his
other
children or to repair broken human relations. Just as we can sometimes
avoid
confronting our real spiritual need to change and repent by
intellectualizing
about gospel principles, so also can we escape dealing with pulsating
spiritual
needs and service hungers by theatrical and/or excessive fasting. Unless
otherwise directed by the Spirit to fast more frequently, we can gain
the
blessings of fasting by following the Church practice of fasting for two
consecutive meals once a month on the designated fast Sunday."
Stephen R. Covey
"Q&A: Questions and Answers,"
"New Era," Sept. 1974, p. 15
(5/22/05)
"We should all give some attention to
the matter of fasting. We haven't really called on the Lord so that we
can reach him intimately if we don't fast occasionally, and pray
often. Many of our personal problems can be solved by so doing. Do you
remember what the Savior said to his disciples who couldn't cast out
the evil spirit, after they had asked why they couldn't do it when
Jesus had done it so easily? He replied, 'This kind goeth not out but
by prayer and fasting.' (Matt.
17:21.)" - Marion G. Romney, "The
Blessings of the Fast," Ensign, July 1982, 4
1/31/09
"Fasting
and prayer go hand in hand. An old Islamic proverb states that 'prayer
gets us halfway to heaven, fasting gets us to the door of heaven, and
generous alms open the door.'
Fasting for spiritual purposes goes together with charitable giving
for the benefit of the poor. This is an inspired concept. It is
designed as a system to take care of the poor and needy. Very few
people today, aside from the Latter-day Saints, combine fasting with
giving to the poor. We have our monthly fast of two meals (twenty-four
hours), and we give to the poor the money that is saved by forgoing
those meals. Then we add even more so we can do what President Spencer
W. Kimball asked: Give generously several times more than the value of
two meals—'much, much more—ten
times more.' (See Conference
Report, April 1974, p. 184.) "
- Robert E. Wells, "The Mount and the
Master," p.145
6/11/09
“Throughout the scriptures the term fasting is usually
combined with prayer. ‘Ye shall continue in prayer and fasting from
this time forth’ is the Lord's counsel (D&C 88:76). Fasting
without prayer is just going hungry for 24 hours. But fasting combined
with prayer brings increased spiritual power.” -
Carl B. Pratt, “The Blessings of a Proper
Fast,” Ensign (CR), November 2004, p. 47
5/1/10
"To discipline
ourselves through fasting brings us in tune with
God, and fast day provides an occasion to set aside the temporal so
that we might enjoy the higher qualities of the spiritual. As we fast
on that day we learn and better understand the needs of those who are
less fortunate." - Howard W. Hunter,
"Fast Day," Ensign (CR), November 1985, p. 72
11/1/14
Our prayers and desires thus come
closer to being like the prayers and desires of the Savior as we
fast to become more meek, teachable, and loving. And as He did, we
pray to know the Father’s will for us and to do it. - Henry
B. Eyring, “The
Prayer of Faith,” Ensign, October 2014