FASTING VERSUS SACRIFICE

We have had questions come up as to fasting in the Bible is only speaking of abstinence from food. Sacrifice on the other hand is the act of giving up something. For our main references, we are using the King James Bible [KJV], Merriam Webster’s Deluxe Dictionary [MWDD], and the King James New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance [KJNSEC].
MWDD: fasting: noun; to abstain from food, to eat sparingly or abstain from some foods; the practice of fasting, a time of fasting.
Sacrifice: an act of offering to a deity something precious; something offered in sacrifice; to suffer loss of, give up, renounce, injure, or destroy, especially for an idea, belief, or end.
KJNSEC: fast, fasted, fastest, fasting: HEBREW: to cover over, to fast—at all, to fast; at or upon the side of—against or concerning; fast, forthwith, speed; hunger [as twisting], fasting. GREEK: without [taking] food—fasting; daily, abstinence [from lack of food, or vol. and relig.] to abstain from food, not eating.
HEBREW Sacrifice, sacrificed, sacrificed, sacrificedst, sacrifices, sacrifieth, sacrifieing: HEBREW: the flesh of an animal, by impl. A sacrifice [the victim or the act], offer[ing]; to slaughter an animal [usually in sacrifice], kill, offer. [do] sacrifice, slay; from an unused root mean to apportion, bestow a donation: euphem. Tribute spec. a sacrificial offering [usually bloodless and voluntary]:--gift oblation, [meat] offering, present, sacrifice; A prim root to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application [as follows] accomplish, advance, appoint, apt. be at, become, bear, bestow, bring forth, etc.; from , something brought near the altar, a sacrificial present—oblation, that is offered, offering. GREEK: from sacrifice, the act or the victim, lit. or fig.
It can be said that fasting is a sacrifice, as it is the act of giving up something. Does the Bible speak of negative thinking? From the beginning of the Bible, we have had men and women speak things that are negative. Look at yourselves and think of all the thoughts we have that are not scriptural. How then do we rid our minds of these thoughts? By sacrifice or fasting to abstain from those thoughts: “to refrain deliberately and often with an effort of self denial from an action or practice. I f you cannot fast, abstain sacrifice or give up your wrong thinking to draw closer to God then how can you really believe in God’s Word.”
The point we are trying to make here is twofold. First, we need to change our thinking. Second, whatever you want to call it, it is the act of giving up those things that are working against your growth in the Lord. You can call it what you may, but we encourage you to just do it.
Continued
God Bless
LJG/recj