Скачать или смотреть Preparing for the Fast of Great Lent, Changing Our Hearts, Not God’s Mind!

In this episode, we begin a discussion on fasting as the Church passes through the pre-Lenten period leading to Great and Holy Lent, beginning with Forgiveness Sunday. Father explains fasting as a spiritual discipline meant to humble us and connect us to God, emphasizing it is not for weight loss and not a way to change God’s mind, but a way to change our own mind, heart, and soul. Using analogies of remodeling and medical cleansing, he describes fasting as abstaining from certain things to confront sin, failures, conflicts, and to seek repentance, forgiveness, and spiritual renewal. He points to biblical examples of fasting (Adam and Eve’s command to abstain, Moses fasting 40 days and nights, and Elijah) and stresses that fasting must be joined with prayer. A central focus is Isaiah 58, where God rejects fasting that is paired with selfishness, quarrels, and oppression, and instead calls for humility, feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, clothing the naked, and removing wickedness—promising healing, guidance, and restoration. Theodore shares a study Bible translation highlighting that God answers while we are still speaking. Father encourages listeners to read Isaiah 58–60 during Lent: chapter 58 as a call to action, chapter 59 as consequences for disobedience, and chapter 60 as a vision of restoration (“Arise, shine”). He also references Esther’s call to communal prayer and Abraham Lincoln’s call for national prayer and repentance during the Civil War, and concludes that the nation today needs fasting and repentance. The episode ends by noting fasting is private and not for boasting, with more discussion planned in a future segment.

00:00 Welcome & Setting Up the Lenten Fasting Conversation
02:09 What Fasting Really Is (Not Weight Loss): Humility, Discipline, and Repentance
03:30 Biblical Roots of Fasting: Adam & Eve, Moses, Elijah—and Changing Our Minds
07:31 Prayer + Fasting: Why the Heart Matters More Than the Rules
08:35 Isaiah 58 Explained: The Fast God Chooses (Justice, Mercy, and Charity)
14:13 A Second Translation & The Big Takeaway: Don’t Miss the Point of the Fast
16:10 Isaiah 59–60: Consequences, Restoration, and ‘Arise, Shine’ as the Lenten Journey
18:35 Fasting for a Nation: Esther, Lincoln, and Repentance in Our Time
20:08 Closing Thoughts: Private Fasting, No Boasting, and Next Episode Teaser

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