Strength in Fasting

5

Elder Andersen asks, "Do they take strength in the stories of Jesus fasting- as we teach them the law of fast?"

Start with Opening Prayer. Sing A Smile is Like the Sunshine (Children's Songbook pg. 267)

Print out THIS and read the story of Jesus fasting and then being tempted by Satan. (New Testament Stories Chapter 11)

In the story, how did Jesus stay strong and avoid falling into Satan's temptations? What are things we can do to exercise our spirit and be strong like our Savior? Let's learn about fasting by going to different exercise stations.

Have 5 different places in your home to do the following as a familiy, counting together too!:

1. Push Ups- Do 3 push ups. Matt. 6: 16, 18 "Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. " In our opening song, what was like sunshine?
2. Sit Ups- Do 10 sit ups. What is fasting and how do I do it? More info HERE.
3. Jumping Jacks- Do 15 jumping jacks. Share the following from Gospel Library/Gospel Topics "On one occasion, the Savior cast a devil out from a child and used this experience to teach His disciples about the power of prayer and fasting. His disciples asked Him, "Why could not we cast him out?" Jesus answered: "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." (See Matthew 17:14–21.)
   This account teaches that prayer and fasting can give added strength to those giving and receiving priesthood blessings. The account can also be applied to our personal efforts to live the gospel. If we have a weakness or sin that we have struggled to overcome, we may need to fast and pray in order to receive the help or forgiveness we desire. Like the demon that Christ cast out, our difficulty may be the kind that will go out only through prayer and fasting. "
4. Squats- Do 10 squats. Share a personal experience of a time fasting has helped you.
5. Strike a Muscle Pose!! Again from the Gospel Library/ Gospel Topics "Isaiah also testified of the blessings that come when we obey the law of the fast: "Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rereward. Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. . . . If thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday: and the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not" (Isaiah 58:8–11)."

We can be strong by following the example of Jesus and fast!! Bear Testimony.