Matthew session 3

The third session of Matthew led by Chuck Missler covering chapters 3 & 4.

Not a lot to say about this other than what it is. I would suggest looking into fasting. Both biblically and nutritionally. I was going to write my personal experiences with it (though limited) and it just ended up being all tangled about and pretty awful - the writing, not the fasting. So I'm not feelin' it lol.
This is take two-
I can do intermittent fasting easily, I've gotten quite used to it.
But fasting for 48 hrs or 3 days is another matter entirely. Also I've never done it for more than 3 days at a time.
I've also failed a number of times before I succeeded.
Intermittent fasting I've done plenty, going 2 months or so eating all my calories in a 4 hour window, say 4 pm to 8 pm. Not very difficult at all.
But why? why do it?
I'll tell you my opinion of what it felt like to me - the 3 day fast that is.
It felt a lot like confronting sin in myself, sinful thoughts, putting off sinful desires.
With a constant and creeping yearning and pull for food the desire of the flesh to get what it wants can be STRONG. It wants to overwhelm the mind and override the soul. It felt just like quitting any other addiction to my like drinking (alcohol) and smoking. I discovered it went about the same ways also. The first couple days were awful, then once the 3 day barrier was passed, the pull became less and less. Now the times and the amount of pull were different in all 3 categories (alcohol, cigarettes, food) but they all became gradually easier. Your (I should say MY) head constantly wanted to play head games with me. I had to pray a whole lot the Lord to get through. I failed over, and over again, until I succeeded. But I never quit quitting. And sooner or later I succeeded (with the Lord).
It definitely taught me that I can't do ANY of it without God's help and intervention. It taught me how much (or how little) I WAS depending on the Lord in each categories.
And it felt JUST like confronting all the sinful thoughts of pride, ego, lust, greed, etc in my mind (psyche/soul). So it's very much like practice versus sin.
Chuck is only partially correct in his assessment of fasting - our bodies only "kind of" shut down. They burn through all the sugars in our bodies first then switch to manufacturing our own food internally from fats, and later will turn to muscle even if carried on long enough.
HOWEVER- the body will ALWAYS start getting rid of the carppiest stuff first and seriously "cleaning house" internally.
That feeling when we are "starving" is not exactly hunger- it is sugar dependence. The bodies desire to run on sugars (cheap fuel readily at hand) and glucose/glycogen. And this is where it begins to get technical and I'm not going into the whole thing other than to say look into it yourselves if interested.
But it ABSOLUTELY can make you stronger- mentally, and physically.
And as I said before to me it felt just like confronting all my other addictions.
At first my mind was saying; eat, eat, eat...but as I got through that it would go away entirely. There came whole swaths of time I didn't think about eating at all-
but then, out of nowhere....
eat. And it became subtle, and conniving lol.
I was at war with my own body and mind.
And I would get through that...and it would abate again.
It was EXACTLY like getting sober.
It also taught me that I can get rid of anything not meant BY the Lord,
WITH
the Lord (that is, with His help).
SO where does all my power (or lack thereof) come from?
It comes from God, that's where.

All opinion, all just my personal experience. Take it for what it's worth-
A great guy to look into if you're interested is Dr. Eric Berg-

https://rumble.com/c/DrEricBerg

Some parting advice/points:
Don't be afraid to "fail"
You're just finding out about yourself.
It's far easier for my head to get through something the more I know what to expect- it's the unending "fear of the unknown,"
or I should say "this feeling will never go away/end." It's not true, all the feelings go away and come back- it's all in cycles, that goes for life aswell.
Just because you failed last time doesn't mean you won't succeed this time.
Everything is conquerable/beatable with the Lord.
Jesus talks a decent amount about fasting- look it up and do what He says.
Start small and ease into it.
Oh yeah -I almost forgot - a great first start would be just to try eating keto --like cutting out all the sugar/carbs and going high fat/high protein for a couple of days. You'll be hungry feeling *but NOT hungry feeling. Aka you'll feel the sugar craving/hunger feeling but WAY lesser because you are full on good oils/fats/proteins - a great way to ease into it/get used to it.

«And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not. He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me. And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming. And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us. Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him. And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead. But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose. And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately , Why could not we cast him out? And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.»

Mark 9:17-29