Fasting strengthens body, spirit
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Often people petitioned Jesus for blessings — for themselves or for loved ones — as He walked among the multitudes.
On one occasion, "a certain man, kneeling down to him," asked the Savior to have mercy on his son who was possessed of a devil. The man had taken his son to Jesus' disciples, but "they could not cure him."
"Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.
"And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he was departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour." (Matt. 17:14-18.)
When the disciples asked Jesus why they could not cast the devil out from the man's son, Jesus said:
"Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
"Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting." (Matt. 17:20-21.)
At the October 1974 general conference, President Ezra Taft Benson referred to this passage from Matthew and spoke of the power of fasting and prayer.
"A certain kind of devil goes not out except by fasting and prayer, the scripture tells us," President Benson said. "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."
