Fast, From Mom

Fasting.  Not something many of us think about or even do anymore.  I haven't heard or seen it spoken of in quite a while.  But it's such a strong tool of Christ's body for fighting the evil around us, clarifying our minds and spirits when seeking God's will,  showing repentance and clearing our lives of the junk so easily collected.  Scriptures speaks of it, and Jesus taught it about it.  Here's Mom's thoughts and the information she found as she studied it.

A voluntary denial of food for a time set aside.  Absolute fast:  abstinence from both food and liquids. Normal fast:  abstinence from food only.  Partial fast:  abstinence from certain kinds of foods.

Jonah 3:5  The people of Nineveh believed God's message, and from the greatest to the least, they declared a fast and put on burlap to show their sorrow.  

Our minds become clear.  We get greater understanding of Scripture.  We have increased spiritual discernment.  God's power is released into our lives.  Greater intimacy with the Lord.


 After this, the armies of the Moabites, Ammonites, and some of the Meunites declared war on Jehoshaphat. 2 Messengers came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast army from Edo] is marching against you from beyond the Dead Sea. They are already at Hazazon-tamar.” (This was another name for En-gedi.)

3 Jehoshaphat was terrified by this news and begged the Lord for guidance. He also ordered everyone in Judah to begin fasting. 4 So people from all the towns of Judah came to Jerusalem to seek the Lord’s help.

5 Jehoshaphat stood before the community of Judah and Jerusalem in front of the new courtyard at the Temple of the Lord. 6 He prayed, “O Lord, God of our ancestors, you alone are the God who is in heaven. You are ruler of all the kingdoms of the earth. You are powerful and mighty; no one can stand against you! 7 O our God, did you not drive out those who lived in this land when your people Israel arrived? And did you not give this land forever to the descendants of your friend Abraham? 8 Your people settled here and built this Temple to honor your name. 9 They said, ‘Whenever we are faced with any calamity such as war, plague, or famine, we can come to stand in your presence before this Temple where your name is honored. We can cry out to you to save us, and you will hear us and rescue us.’

10 “And now see what the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir are doing. You would not let our ancestors invade those nations when Israel left Egypt, so they went around them and did not destroy them. 11 Now see how they reward us! For they have come to throw us out of your land, which you gave us as an inheritance. 12 O our God, won’t you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.”

13 As all the men of Judah stood before the Lord with their little ones, wives, and children, 14 the Spirit of the Lord came upon one of the men standing there. His name was Jahaziel son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite who was a descendant of Asaph.

15 He said, “Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. 16 Tomorrow, march out against them. You will find them coming up through the ascent of Ziz at the end of the valley that opens into the wilderness of Jeruel. 17 But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord’s victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!”

18 Then King Jehoshaphat bowed low with his face to the ground. And all the people of Judah and Jerusalem did the same, worshiping the Lord.  19 Then the Levites from the clans of Kohath and Korah stood to praise the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud shout.

20 Early the next morning the army of Judah went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. On the way Jehoshaphat stopped and said, “Listen to me, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be able to stand firm. Believe in his prophets, and you will succeed.”

21 After consulting the people, the king appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the Lord and praising him for his holy splendor. This is what they sang:

“Give thanks to the Lord;
    his faithful love endures forever!”
22 At the very moment they began to sing and give praise, the Lord caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to start fighting among themselves.

When we fast it is a sincere, heartfelt desire admitting our helplessness to God.

vs15:  Do not be afraid nor dismayed.
vs 6.7:  You are my God.
vs12: for we have no power...nor do we know what to do, but my yeys are upon you.

vs3 fasting
vs4-13 prayer
vs21-22 praise

Humble yourself before God.  Seek the Lord God with all your heart.  Set yourself to seek the Lord. Remember, fasting is not a tool by which one manipulates God to accomplish something.  Fasting should be and is simply an outward indication of an inward sincerity, evidence of the urgency we feel when praying for special needs.

Fast: a time set aside to mourn or pray with no provision for one's normal needs. (Word Wealth)  The power of fasting is to prepare us spiritually for God's work in our lives.  It allows us to give Him our individual attention and we begin to see things from His perspective.  With the Holy Spirit's help we will be able to identify areas in us that need to be changed.

Ezra 8:21-23  And there by the Ahava Canal, I gave orders for all of us to fast and humble ourselves before our God.  We prayed that He would give us safe journey and protect us, our children, and our goods as we traveled.  For I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to accompany us and protect us from enemies along the way.  After all, we had told the king, "Our God's hand of protection is on all who worship Him, but His fierce anger rages against those who abandon Him, so we fasted and earnestly prayed that our God would take care of us, and He heard our prayer.  

Pray, humble ourselves before God.  Seek from Him the right way--for ourselves, for our families, for our possessions.  He will answer our prayers.  Seek--His guidance, His assistance.  Allow unanswered prayer to become time for soul searching.

Fasting is to be seen only by God.  Matthew 6:16-18, 9:15  And when you fast, don't make it obvious, as the hypocrites do for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting.  I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get.  But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face.  Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private.  And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.  9:15  Jesus replied, "Do wedding guests mourn while celebrating with the groom?  Of course not.  But someday the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast."

Pray, fast and seek the Lord.  Praise the Lord.  Acts 13:1-3  Among the prophets and teachers of the church at Antioch of Syria were Barnabas, Simeon (called "the black man"), Lucius (from Cyrene), Manaen (the childhood  companion of King Herod Antipas) and Saul.  One day as these men were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Dedicate Barnabas and Saul for the special work to which I have called them."  So after more fasting and prayer, the men laid their hands on them and sent them on their way.  

Fasting is a spiritual exercise, a voluntary restraint from food, a seeking of God for some specific spiritual need or for some specific individual's struggle. Whatever or whoever the Holy Spirit puts into our hearts.  "I pray this fast, Lord, is not merely rote, but I come to you heartfelt and prayerfully. I seek your direction and wisdom at this time."

Fasting for my desire, for a powerful relationship with God--more intimate, deeper.  To un-clutter my spirit, be more sensitive to God's will, to be more hungry for God than food.

Giving, praying, fasting.  Practiced together in the life of a believer will not be easily broken.

From myself.  And might I add to that list, worship, thanksgiving and praise.  Fasting, along with these others, is a spiritual discipline no believer should be living without.  I know I need more of it in my life.

Lord, show us when we need to fast.  Lead us in this practice, for ourselves, for others, for Your glory.  If it's something we've never done before, show us how.  Lord, we need more of You in our lives.  Bring us deeper.  Let us fast to honor, fast to humble, fast to be closer to You, hear You more clearly.  You alone are God.  You alone are our all in all.  Let everything in our lives become faded and secondary to You, to Your will, to Your leading.  Thank You for the powerful tool You've given us in fasting.  Teach us to use it!

Ask the Lord to guide you in a fast this week.  For His purpose, in His way.  Be bold!  You can do it!