34 Bible Verses about Abstinence as a discipline

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Leviticus 7:22-27

The LORD told Moses, "Tell the Israelis, "You are not to eat the fat of an ox, a lamb, or a goat. The carcass of an animal that died of its own and an animal torn by wild beast may be used for any purpose except for eating. read more.
Anyone who eats the fat of an animal that has been offered by fire to the LORD is to be eliminated from contact with his people. You are not to eat any form of blood in any of your dwellings, whether it's from birds or animals. Any person who eats any form of blood is to be eliminated from contact with his people.'"

Deuteronomy 14:1-21

"You are children of the LORD your God. You must not lacerate yourselves or shave your foreheads on account of the dead, because you are a holy people to the LORD your God, and the LORD chose to make you his precious possession from among all the nations of the earth." "You must not eat any detestable food. read more.
These are the animals that you may eat: ox, sheep, goat, deer, gazelle, roebuck, wild goat, ibex, antelope, and mountain sheep. You may eat every animal with a divided hoof those with split cloven hooves that chews the cud. However, you must not eat these animals that chew the cud or have a divided hoof: the camel, hare, and rock badger. Even though they chew the cud, their hooves are not divided. Therefore they are unclean for you. And also the pig, because even though its hoof is divided, it does not chew the cud. It is therefore unclean for you. You must not eat their meat or even touch their carcasses. "You may choose to eat from these creatures in the water: you may eat anything with fin and scale, but you may not eat anything without fin and scale, since it is unclean to you. "You may eat all clean birds. But you must not eat from any of these: the eagle, vulture, osprey, buzzard, any kind of kite, any kind of raven, the ostrich, night hawk, seagull, any kind of falcon, the little owl, the great owl, the horned owl, the pelican, the carrion vulture, the cormorant, the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe, and the bat. Any winged, swarming insect is unclean to you. They must not be eaten. You may eat every bird that is clean. "You must not eat any carcass. But you may give it to the alien in your cities so he may eat it or sell it to a foreigner, for you are a holy people to the LORD your God. "You must not cook a young goat in its mother's milk."

Acts 10:9-14

Around noon the next day, while they were on their way and coming close to the town, Peter went up on the roof to pray. He became very hungry and wanted to eat, and while the food was being prepared, he fell into a trance and saw heaven open and something like a large linen sheet coming down, being lowered by its four corners to the ground. read more.
In it were all kinds of four-footed animals, reptiles, and birds of the air. Then a voice told him, "Get up, Peter! Kill something and eat it." But Peter said, "Absolutely not, Lord, for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean!"

Exodus 19:14-15

When Moses went down from the mountain to the people, he consecrated the people, and they washed their clothes. He told the people, "Be ready for the third day; don't go near a woman."

Leviticus 16:29-31

"This is to be a perpetual statute for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month, you (including both the native born and the resident alien) are to humble yourselves by not doing any work, because on that day, atonement will be made for you to cleanse you from all your sins. You are to be clean in the LORD's presence. It's the Sabbath of all Sabbaths for you, so humble yourselves. This is to be a perpetual statute.

Numbers 6:1-4

Then the LORD told Moses, "Tell the Israelis that a man or woman who commits to the vow of the Nazirite, is to be separated to the LORD, then is to remain separate from wine and strong drink. He is not to drink vinegar or strong drink made from wine. He is not to drink grape juice or eat grapes, whether fresh or dried. read more.
During the entire time of his dedication, he is not to eat any product from the grapevine, from the seed to the skin.

Exodus 31:16-17

The Israelis are to keep the Sabbath to make the Sabbath observance a perpetual covenant from generation to generation. It is a sign forever between me and the Israelis, because the LORD made the heavens and the earth in six days, but on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.'"

Numbers 29:7

"You are to hold a sacred assembly on the tenth day of this same seventh month. You are to humble yourselves, and no servile work is to be done.

Judges 13:4

So be sure that you don't drink wine or anything intoxicating, and don't eat anything unclean

Ezra 10:6

Ezra arose in front of the Temple of God to visit the apartment of Eliashib's son Jehohanan. While there, he neither ate nor drank because he was in mourning over the sins of those who had returned from exile.

Nehemiah 1:3-4

They told me, "The survivors of the captivity there in the province are living in great distress and shame. Furthermore, the Jerusalem wall remains broken down and its gates have been burned by fire." When I heard this, I sat down and cried, mourning for a number of days while I fasted and prayed in the presence of the God of Heaven.

Jonah 3:5

The people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least important.

Acts 13:1-2

Now Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius from Cyrene, Manaen, who grew up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul were prophets and teachers in the church at Antioch. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set Barnabas and Saul apart for me to do the work for which I called them."

Matthew 4:1-2

After this, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil. After fasting for 40 days and 40 nights, he finally became hungry.

Luke 4:1-2

Then Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan. He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where he was being tempted by the Devil for 40 days. During that time he ate nothing at all, and when they were over he became hungry.

Matthew 9:14-15

Then John's disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples don't fast?" Jesus asked them, "The wedding guests can't mourn as long as the groom is with them, can they? But the time will come when the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast."

Mark 2:18-20

Now John's disciples and the Pharisees would fast regularly. Some people came and asked Jesus, "Why do John's disciples and the Pharisees' disciples fast, but your disciples don't fast?" Jesus replied, "The wedding guests can't fast while the groom is with them, can they? As long as they have the groom with them, they can't fast. But the time will come when the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day."

Luke 5:33-35

Then they told him, "John's disciples frequently fast and pray, and so do those of the Pharisees. But your disciples keep right on eating and drinking." But Jesus told them, "You can't force the wedding guests to fast while the groom is still with them, can you? But the time will come when the groom will be taken away from them, and at that time they will fast."

Luke 2:36-37

Now Anna, a prophetess, was also there. She was a descendant of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher. She was very old, having lived with her husband for seven years after her marriage, and then as a widow for 84 years. She never left the Temple, but continued to worship there night and day with times of fasting and prayer.

Acts 9:9

For three days he couldn't see, and he didn't eat or drink anything.

Romans 14:6

The one who observes a special day, observes it to honor the Lord. The one who eats, eats to honor the Lord, since he gives thanks to God. And the one who does not eat, refrains from eating to honor the Lord; yet he, too, gives thanks to God.

Acts 15:19-20

"Therefore, I have decided that we should not trouble these gentiles who are turning to God. Instead, we should write to them to keep away from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from anything strangled, and from blood.

Matthew 6:16

"Whenever you fast, don't be gloomy like the hypocrites, because they put on sad faces to show others they are fasting. I tell all of you with certainty, they have their full reward!

Isaiah 58:3-7

"Why have we fasted,' they ask, "but you do not see? "Why have we humbled ourselves,' they ask, "but you take no notice?'" "Look! On your fast day you serve your own interest and oppress all your workers. "Look! You fast only for quarreling, and for fighting, and for hitting with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and have your voice heard on high. "Is this the kind of fast that I have chosen, merely a day for a person to humble himself? Is it merely for bowing down one's head like a bulrush, for lying on sackcloth and ashes? Is this what you call a fast, an acceptable day to the LORD?read more.
Isn't this the fast that I have been choosing: to loose the bonds of injustice, and to untie the cords of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Isn't it to share your bread with the hungry, and to bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him with clothing, and not to raise yourself up from your own flesh and blood?"

Jeremiah 14:10-12

This is what the LORD says to these people: "Yes, they do love to wander, and they haven't restrained their feet. So the LORD won't accept them now. He will remember their iniquity and punish their sin." Then the LORD told me, "Don't pray for the welfare of these people. Although they fast, I won't listen to their cry, and although they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I won't accept them. Instead, I'll put an end to them with the sword, with famine, and with a plague."

Zechariah 7:2-6

The people of Bethel were sending Sharezer, Regem-melech, and their men to pray in the LORD's presence and to speak to the priests assigned to the Temple of the LORD of the Heavenly Armies along with the prophets, asking, "Am I to go about mourning, denying myself throughout the fifth month, as I have these many years?" Then this message from the LORD of the Heavenly Armies came to me: read more.
"Talk to everyone in the land, as well as to the priests. Ask them, "When you were fasting and mourning during the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, were you really fasting for me? And when you eat and drink, you're eating and drinking for your own benefit, aren't you?

Luke 18:11-12

The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed, "O God, I thank you that I'm not like other people thieves, dishonest people, adulterers, or even this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I give a tenth of my entire income.'

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