34 Bible Verses about Abstinence as a discipline
Most Relevant Verses
Jehovah continued to speak to Moses: Tell the Israelites: 'Never eat any fat from bulls, sheep, or goats. The fat from an animal that dies naturally or is killed by wild animals you may use for any other purpose. However, you must not eat it.read more.
Those who eat the fat from an animal they sacrificed by fire to Jehovah must be excluded from the people. Never eat the blood of any bird or animal no matter where you live. Those who eat any blood must be excluded from the people.'
You are the sons of Jehovah your God. Do not cut yourselves nor shave your forehead for the sake of the dead. You are a holy people to Jehovah your God. Out of all the people on the face of the earth Jehovah has chosen you to be a people for His own possession. Do not eat any detestable thing.read more.
These are the animals you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat, the deer, the gazelle, the roebuck, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope (chamois) and the mountain sheep. You may eat any animal that divides the hoof and has the hoof split in two and chews the cud. Do not eat of these that chew the cud, or among those that divide the hoof in two: the camel and the rabbit and the shaphan. Even though they chew the cud, they do not divide the hoof. They are unclean for you. The pig, because it divides the hoof but does not chew the cud, it is unclean for you. Do not eat any of their flesh nor touch their carcasses. These you may eat of all that are in water: anything that has fins and scales you may eat. Do not eat anything that does not have fins and scales. It is unclean for you. You may eat any clean bird. These are the ones you should not eat: the eagle and the vulture and the buzzard, and the red kite, the falcon, and the kite in their kinds, and every raven in its kind, and the ostrich, the owl, the sea gull, and the hawk in their kinds, the swan, the great owl, the white owl, the pelican, the carrion vulture, the cormorant, the stork, and the heron in their kinds, and the hoopoe and the bat. And all the teeming life with wings is unclean to you. Do not eat them. Do not eat anything that dies by itself. You may give it to the alien who is in your town, so that he may eat it. You may sell it to a foreigner, for you are a holy people to Jehovah your God. Do not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.
The next day they journeyed to the city. As they drew near, Peter went to the housetop to pray. It was about the sixth hour. He became very hungry. While the meal was being prepared he fell into a trance. He saw heaven opened, something like a great sheet lowered by the four corners was descending to the earth.read more.
In it were all kinds of animals, reptiles and birds. Peter heard a voice say: Kill and eat. But Peter said: No Lord for I have never eaten any thing that is defiled or unclean.
Moses went down from the mountain to the people. He consecrated the people, and they washed their garments. He said to the people: Get ready for the third day. Do not go near a woman for sexual intercourse.
The following regulations are to be observed for a long lasting time to come. On the tenth day of the seventh month the Israelites and the foreigners living among them must fast and must not do any work. On that day the ritual is to be performed to purify them from all their sins, so that they will be ritually clean. That day is to be a very holy day, one on which they fast and do no work at all. These regulations are to be observed for a long lasting time to come.
Jehovah said to Moses: Tell the Israelites: 'A man or a woman may make a special vow to live as a Nazirite dedicated to Jehovah. Nazirites must never drink wine, liquor, vinegar made from wine or liquor, or any kind of grape juice. They must never eat fresh grapes or raisins.read more.
As long as they are Nazirites they must never eat anything that comes from a grapevine, not even grape seeds or skins.
The Israelites must observe the Sabbath and celebrate the Sabbath throughout their generations as a long lasting covenant. It is a long lasting sign between the people of Israel and me for the reason that Jehovah made heaven and earth in six days. Then He ceased from work and was refreshed on the seventh day.'
Call a holy assembly on the tenth day of the seventh month. Humble yourselves do no work.
Then Ezra got up from before the house of God and went into the room of Jehohanan, the son of Eliashib. When he arrived there, he took no food or drink, for he was sorrowing for the sin of those who had come back.
They said to me: The small band of Jews now living there in the land is in deep trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem has been broken down, and its doorways burned with fire. After I heard these words I sat down on the ground and cried for days. I ate no food and offered prayer to the God of heaven.
Even now, said Jehovah, turn to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning!
The people of Nineveh believed God and they proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.
There were prophets and teachers in the congregation at Antioch. This included: Barnabas, and Simeon called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered to God, and fasted, the Holy Spirit said: Set Barnabas and Saul apart for the work I have called them.
God's Spirit led Jesus into the desert wilderness. There he was tested (tempted) by the Devil. He fasted forty days and nights, and was very hungry.
Jesus was full of God's Holy Spirit when he returned from the Jordan. Holy Spirit led him into the wilderness. He spent forty days in the wilderness being tempted by the devil. He did not eat anything during those days so when it was over he was hungry.
The disciples of John asked: Why do your disciples not fast? They frequently fasted, and so did the Pharisees. Jesus replied: Should the wedding guests mourn and also celebrate with the groom? The days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them. Then they will fast.
John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. They came to him and asked: Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast but your disciples do not? Jesus replied: Will the friends of a newly married man practice fasting while he is with them? As long as they have him with them they will not go without food. But the days will come when the husband will be taken away from them. Then they will fast.
They said: The disciples of John fast often and make supplications. So do the disciples of the Pharisees. But yours eat and drink. Jesus replied: Could you make the sons of the bride-chamber fast while the bridegroom is with them? The days will come and when the bridegroom will be taken away from them. Then they will fast.
Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher was a very old prophetess. She had been a widow eighty-four years. She never left the temple. She worshipped and fasted with supplications day and night.
He who regards the day regards it to God and he who does not regard the day does not regard it to God. He, who eats, eats to God, for he gives God thanks. He who does not eat does not eat to God and he gives God thanks.
He said to the people: Get ready for the third day. Do not go near a woman for sexual intercourse.
Then Jesus told his disciples: If any man wants to follow me (be mine), let him deny (disown) himself, and take up his stake and follow me (Greek: akoloutheo moi, let him be following me) (accompany me) (be in the same way with me).
He then spoke to both his disciples and the crowd. He said: If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his stake and follow me.
He told them all: If any man would come after me let him deny himself. Let him take up his stake (of self-denial) daily, and follow me.
Let us walk honestly as in the daytime, not in rioting and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and loose conduct, not in strife and jealousy.
Therefore it is my decision not to trouble those of the nations who have turned to God. We should write to them that they should abstain from things polluted by idols, from fornication, from things strangled and from blood.
It is good neither to eat food, nor to drink wine, nor any thing that causes your brother to stumble or be offended and weakened.
When you abstain from food, do not be like the hypocrites, with sad faces to be seen by men. They have received their reward.
Why have we fasted and you do not see? Why have we humbled ourselves and you do not notice? Behold, on the day of your fast you find desire, and mistreat all your workers.' You fast for contention and strife and to strike with a wicked fist. You do not fast today to make your voice heard on high. Is it a fast like this which I choose, a day for a man to humble himself? Is it for bowing one's head like a reed (rush) and for spreading out sackcloth and ashes as a bed? Will you call this a fast, even an acceptable day to Jehovah?read more.
Is this not the fast I choose to loosen the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free and break every yoke? Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into the house? When you see the naked, should you cover him and not hide yourself from your own flesh?
This is what Jehovah says about these people: They love to wander. They do not keep their feet where they belong. Therefore Jehovah is not happy with them. He will remember their crimes and punish their sins. Jehovah said to me: Do not pray for the good of these people. Even if they go without food, I will not listen to their cries for help. Even if they sacrifice burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not be pleased with them. But I will destroy these people with wars, famines, and plagues.
Now they of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regemmelech, and their men, to request the favor of Jehovah. Therefore speak to the priests of the house of Jehovah of Hosts, and say to the prophets: Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these many years? Then came the word of Jehovah of Hosts to me:read more.
Speak to all the people of the land and to the priests, saying: 'For the past seventy years did you fast for me when you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months? Did you eat for yourselves and drink for yourselves?
The Pharisee stood and prayed like this: God, I thank you, that I am not like the rest of men, extortionists, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice per week. I give tithes of all that I get.
