18 Bible Verses about Abstinence as a discipline

The next day, while they were still on their journey and were getting near the town, about noon Peter went up on the house-top to pray. He had become unusually hungry and wished for food; but, while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance. The sky had opened to his view, and what seemed to be an enormous sail was descending, being let down to the earth by ropes at the four corners.read more.
In it were all kinds of quadrupeds, reptiles and birds, and a voice came to him which said, "Rise, Peter, kill and eat." "On no account, Lord," he replied; "for I have never yet eaten anything unholy and impure."

Now there were in Antioch, in the Church there--as Prophets and teachers--barnabas, Symeon surnamed 'the black,' Lucius the Cyrenaean, Manaen (who was Herod the Tetrarch's foster-brother) While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for Me, now at once, Barnabas and Saul, for the work to which I have called them."

At that time Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the Desert in order to be tempted by the Devil. There He fasted for forty days and nights; and after that He suffered from hunger.

Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was led about by the Spirit in the Desert for forty days, tempted all the while by the Devil. During those days He ate nothing, and at the close of them He suffered from hunger.

At that time John's disciples came and asked Jesus, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not?" "Can the bridegroom's party mourn," He replied, "as long as the bridegroom is with them? But other days will come (when the Bridegroom has been taken from them)

(Now John's disciples and those of the Pharisees were keeping a fast.) "Can a wedding party fast while the bridegroom is among them?" replied Jesus. "So long as they have the bridegroom with them, fasting is impossible. But a time will come when the Bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast.

Again they said to Him, "John's disciples fast often and pray, as do also those of the pharisees; but yours eat and drink." "Can you compel the bridal party to fast," replied Jesus, "so long as they have the bridegroom among them? But a time for this will come, when the Bridegroom has been taken away from them: then, at that time, they will fast."

There was also Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, belonging to the tribe of Asher. She was of a very great age, having had after her maidenhood seven years of married life, and then being a widow of eighty-four years. She was never absent from the Temple, but worshipped, by day and by night, with fasting and prayer.

And for two days he remained without sight, and did not eat or drink anything.

He who regards the day as sacred, so regards it for the Master's sake; and he who eats certain food eats it for the Master's sake, for he gives thanks to God; and he who refrains from eating it refrains for the Master's sake, and he also gives thanks to God.

Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If any one desires to follow me, let him renounce self and take up his cross, and so be my follower.

Then calling to Him the crowd and also His disciples, He said to them, "If any one is desirous of following me, let him ignore self and take up his cross, and so be my follower.

And He said to all, "If any one is desirous of following me, let him ignore self and take up his cross day by day, and so be my follower.

Living as we do in broad daylight, let us conduct ourselves becomingly, not indulging in revelry and drunkenness, nor in lust and debauchery, nor in quarrelling and jealousy.

"My judgement, therefore, is against inflicting unexpected annoyance on those of the Gentiles who are turning to God. Yet let us send them written instructions to abstain from things polluted by connexion with idolatry, from fornication, from meat killed by strangling, and from blood.

The right course is to forego eating meat or drinking wine or doing anything that tends to your brother's fall.

"When any of you fast, never assume gloomy looks as the hypocrites do; for they disfigure their faces in order that it may be evident to men that they are fasting. I solemnly tell you that they already have their reward.

The Pharisee, standing erect, prayed as follows by himself: "'O God, I thank Thee that I am not like other people--I am not a thief nor a cheat nor an adulterer, nor do I even resemble this tax-gatherer. I fast twice a week. I pay the tithe on all my gains.'