18 Bible Verses about Abstinence as a discipline

And on the next day, as they were pursuing their journey and had come nigh to the city, Peter went upon the house to pray, about the sixth hour. And he was hungry and wished to eat; and while they were preparing a trance came upon him, and he beheld heaven opened, and a certain vessel like a great sheet descending, let down by four corners to the earth,read more.
in which were all the quadrupeds and reptiles of the earth, and birds of heaven. And a voice came to him, Arise, Peter, kill and eat. But Peter said, By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten any thing common and impure.

And there were prophets and teachers in the church at Antioch; Barnabas and Simeon called Niger [the black], and Lucius the Cyrenian, and Manaen the foster brother of Herod the Tetrarch, and Saul. And while they served the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness, to be tempted by the devil. And having fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterwards hungry.

AND Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, being tempted by the devil forty days. And he eat nothing in those days; and when they were completed he was hungry.

Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast much, but your disciples fast not? And Jesus said to them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and then they shalt fast.

And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fasted. And they came and said to him, Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, and your disciples fast not? And Jesus said to them, Can the sons of the bridechamber fast as long as the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast, but days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then they shall fast at that time.

And they said to him, The disciples of John fast much and make prayers; and likewise those of the Pharisees; but yours eat and drink. And he said to them, Can you make the children of the bridechamber fast while the bridegroom is with them? But days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken from them; then shall they fast in those days.

And there was Anna, a prophetess, a daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher; she was far advanced in years, having lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; and she had been a widow eighty-four years, and departed not from the temple, serving God night and day with fastings and prayers.

And he was three days without sight, and neither eat nor drank.

He that observes the day observes it to the Lord, and he that observes not the day observes it not to the Lord. And he that eats eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he that eats not eats not to the Lord, and gives God thanks.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, If any one will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

And calling the multitude, with his disciples, he said to them, Whoever wishes to follow after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me.

And he said to all, If any one wishes to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Let us walk becomingly, as in the day; not in revelries and drinking, not in lewdness and excesses, not in strife and envy;

Wherefore I judge that we ought not to trouble those who turned to God from the gentiles, but to send to them to abstain from things sacrificed to idols, and fornication, and things strangled, and blood.

it is good not to eat meat nor drink wine, nor [do] any thing by which your brother stumbles.

And when you fast, be not like the hypocrites, of a sad countenance; for they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to fast. I tell you truly, they have their reward.

The Pharisee, standing by himself, offered this prayer; God, I thank thee that I am not as other men, rapacious, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican; I fast twice a week; I tithe all I acquire.