Thursday, February 21, 2013

Fasting Devotion - Types of Fasts (Day 5)


This is an abbreviated chapter from a book I'm studying out of:  Gordon Lindsay's Prayer & Fasting. Everything in today's devotion comes from him; I'm just putting it in my own words.

There are a few different kinds of fasts in the Bible:
  • supernatural fasting
  • total fasting,
  • what we commonly refer to as the Daniel fast, and
  • the non-total fast.
The Supernatural Fast
There are few times that we see God call someone to a supernatural fast - one without food or water, but that is exactly what He called Moses to when he gave the Mosaic covenant to Israel (see Ex. 34:27, 28). Naturally, the body needs food and water to live, so unless divinely inspired and well-practiced in fasting, we should not attempt this for any length of time. Esther fasted food and water for only 3 days before breaking the law and going to the king to plead for her people (Est. 4:16). When Moses left the glory of God after his fast of 40 days and 40 nights, even his face shown a physical glow resulting from having been in the presence of Almighty God (Ex. 34:35). 

The Total Fast
Ordinary fasting excludes any eating but includes drinking water. Our bodies are 80% water, and it is essential to life. This fast must be weaned into and out of. If at the end of the first day, you are too physically weak to function, then you should take a little nourishment. By the second or third day, your body will be more acclimated to not having the food. When ending the fast, you should start with only juices for 2-3 days, followed by a diet of light fruit, and then gradually include heavier foods. If your body is not functioning even enough to pray, then how can you expect spiritual fruit to come from your fast? Do not be condemned if you have to condition your body for the total fast!

"No Pleasant Food":  The Daniel Fast
In Daniel 10:3, the prophet says, "I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth". He didn't stop eating altogether, but he gave up choice foods. We want to be able to fast and pray effectively so that we experience victory in our fast instead of defeat from a total fast that we are not physically prepared or spiritually mature enough for. 

The Non-Total Fast <---That's a funny name for a fast, but that's what he calls it in the book. :)
For those who can fast totally, God bless them. Many people must still have sustenance to complete their normal daily work though, and a total fast is impossible for them to do - at least at the beginning of their practice of prayer and fasting. Be encouraged that when you come up against battles that can only be won by prayer and fasting, you can do the non-total fast. [I would like to insert here that I believe a non-total fast can include any-thing, but Gordon Lindsay's book still only refers to fasts of food.] The non-total fast is simply drinking juices. They have enough minerals and vitamins to supply the body with some nourishment, but still allow your body to get into the true state of a fast. The juice fast can also be broken in a shorter period of time than a total fast. 

The Key to Fasting:  Prayer
Prayer is the key to fasting - whether you simply "pray without ceasing" or are able to devote greater lengths of time in audible prayer. Gradually the spirit of intercession should become as natural as breathing. Fasting with prayer is the master key to making the impossible possible!

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Fasting Devotion - Declaring Your Fast (Day 4)

So many times we can choose to fast and once arriving into the throes of our fasting, get weak. The summer we lived in Brazil, we fasted ALL.THE.TIME. The church we worked with was a fasting and praying church. It's one of the things I remember best about the congregation.

Unfortunately for me, Brazil also has the best smoothies I've ever tasted - rich, "healthy", and best of all you drank them through a straw. Can you see where I'm going yet? Every time we fasted I would wake up thinking, "I'm not going to eat anything until sunset". That was a typical fast for the church. But by the time lunch came around, my stomach was screaming to go to the cafe next door for (are your ready for this?)...a drink. I'm not saying that your fast can't include juices or smoothies, but mine definitely should not have in those days. I was just weak, and my mind started justifying.

We have so many examples in Scripture that encourage us in how to not fall into this temptation though. Look at Jonah 3:7:  the king "issued a proclamation and it said, 'In Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles; Do not let man, beast, herd, or flock taste a thing. Do not let them eat or drink water.'" If we declare our fast to God before beginning, I have no doubt that we would be much more successful in seeing it through.

In Brazil, I had simply said "I'm not going to eat." That left a door open for me to fall into temptation. It was better for me to tell God, "Today, I'm not going to have anything but water until sundown." This didn't leave me any wiggle room and when my flesh grew weary, I would have had a more specific word to stand on.

Today, I encourage you that if you've had difficulty keeping to your fast in the past, declare it before you begin it. Give a specific word to God of what you will not have in order to humble yourself before Him - to say that He is more important than whatever you choose to be lacking.


Monday, February 18, 2013

Fasting Devotion - The Question I Hate (Day 2)

"It is not the fasting that changes God's mind, but it is what that fasting demonstrates."
---from Responding to God in Fasting by Tim Temple

Here is the question I hate - "What are you fasting for?"

Every time I hear it, I get the heck confused out of me. Not because I don't understand what they're saying, but because there's a word play on that simple three letter word, "for". I have told a few people:  I'm well-taught in fasting, just not very well-learned. What I mean is that I've received a lot of teaching, read a lot of books, but still have not received that rhema revelation and passion for the practice in my life. Basically, all I'm saying is that even though I understand a lot of aspects of fasting, it's sure easy to get me off-track with it, because there's a disconnect between my head and my heart.

Often times when hearing the question I hate, I (and I believe many in the Church) automatically think of receiving something for what we are doing. What that comes down to is earning it. I'm fasting for an answer to prayer or to see God move. The connotation is that what I'm doing (fasting) earns the result (answered prayer).

Let's look at it from the other direction - the way it's meant to be understood. When hearing the question I hate (what are you fasting for?) and wrapping my head around it before responding in my heart, I can clearly understand that no matter what I do I can't earn anything from God. The nature of God is to give. All our gifts are given freely from Him and I could never do enough to earn them anyway. So, it is still true to say that I'm fasting for an answer to prayer or to see God move, which is exactly what I said in the previous paragraph, it was just in the wrong context.

It may seem to you that I've just talked myself in a circle, and I probably did. But if you're in the same place as me, you'll get what I'm saying. We must pray for a heart-to-head connect. We must pray that what we know in our minds (the logos word of God) would become revelation to our hearts (the rhema word of God). While fasting, our minds can get cloudy. We're not eating, we're probably not sleeping that well, and all our bodies can think about is that which we are lacking. So while I fast, I'm going to make it my purpose to study about it, at least until I really "get it" - until this question doesn't throw me into a tail-spin every time I think about it. I pray that as we meditate on God's Word that revelation would come to our hearts.

***Please forgive me for not including any Scripture references or editing my loads of run-on sentences, but Samweli's already awake and ready to start the rest of his day! Blessings to your family!

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Fasting Devotion - Some Basics (Day 1)

From The Nelson Study Bible

fasting - [Heb. trum] [Est. 4:16; 2 Sam. 12:23] Strong's #6684

The Hebrew root word simply means "to abstain from food." At times fasting meant abstaining from:

  • drinking, 
  • bathing, 
  • anointing with oil, or 
  • sexual intercourse as well. 
In essence, fasting acknowledges human frailty before God and appeals to His mercy. 

Fasting was a common practice in the ancient world, associated with:
  • mourning for the dead (2 Sam. 12:21, 22),
  • intercessory prayer (Est. 4:3, 16),
  • repentance and contrition for sin (Jer. 36:9; Jon. 3:5),
  • and times of distress (Judg. 20:26; Neh. 1:4).
Fasting was required for the Day of Atonement (see the phrase "afflict your souls" in Lev. 16:31). There were also four fast days that commemorated the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians (Zech. 8:19). Fasts varied in length from one day (1 Sam. 14:24; Dan. 6:18) to seven days (1 Sam. 31:13) and could even last up to forty days on extraordinary occasions (Ex. 34:28). The strict fasts lasted from sunset to sunset, whereas the more lenient fasts lasted from sunrise to sunset.

But no matter what type of fasting was performed, the prophet Isaiah admonished his people to participate in acts of righteousness and social justice with their fasting (Is. 58:3-9).

I encourage you to go back through this word study and look up the Scriptures listed. Some of the references would require you to read the context around each verse to receive a full understanding of each meaning.

Allow God to guide you in deciding what to fast, why you are fasting, and for what time.