FASTING, A TIME OF CONSECRATION

FASTING, A TIME OF CONSECRATION
Definition:- Fasting – Heb. ‘Sum,’ to cover the mouth; ‘inna napso’ – ‘to humble oneself, to afflict the soul.’ Greek – ‘nesteuo’, to abstain from food. It is a practice found in all societies and cultures throughout the centuries, and is prompted by a variety of objectives and rationales. Although it is a well established spiritual discipline occurring in both Old & New Testament and other religious literature, it is not confined to religious usage only.
The fast of Mahatma Gandhi and the IRA hunger strikes were instruments of political pressure and protest against injustice.
— Andrew Murray says, “Prayer is not merely coming to God to ask something from Him. It is above all, fellowship with God, and being brought under the power of His holiness and love, till He takes possession of us, and stamp our entire nature with the lowliness of Christ, which is the secret of all true worship.”

TYPES OF FAST

1. The Normal Fast –
Matthew 4:2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
It meant abstaining from all food, solid or liquid but not from water. This seems to be the fast that Jesus took. We are told, ‘He ate nothing’ Luke 4:2, but not that He drank nothing. Afterwards it says He was hungry, not that He was thirsty. Though thirst pangs are more intense than those of hunger, Satan tempted Him to eat but not to drink. This would suggest that the fast was an abstaining from food but not from water. In fact the human body could not survive forty days without water. So a normal fast then involved abstaining from all forms of food but not from water.

2. The Absolute Fast –
“For three days he…. Neither ate nor drank” Acts 9:9
This is abstaining from eating as well as drinking. Normally this is not longer than three days, because any longer period might result in physical injury. The body can go for long periods without food and be physically benefited but not without water.
Ezra 10:6
6 Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Johanan the son of Eliashib: and when he came thither, he did eat no bread, nor drink water: for he mourned because of the transgression of them that had been carried away.
He was overcome with grief at the shameful compromise of the people – he says “I rent my garments and my mantle and pulled hair from my head and beard, and sat appalled.” Ezra 9:3. Overwhelming concern drove him to fast not taking food or water.
Esther 4:16
16 Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.
A crisis of enormous proportion threatened the whole Jewish race with extermination. Even Esther herself though being Queen, so she called an absolute fast because desperate situations require desperate measures.
Acts 9:9 And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink.
There was a spiritual revolution taking place inside of Saul that would change his life forever.
NB: There were instances of absolute fast that had to be supernaturally sustained because of the long period. For two periods of forty days & nights Moses sat in the presence of God, neither drinking water or eating anything. (Deut 9:9-18; Exod 34:28). The first occasion was when he received the Ten Commandments from God. The second was immediately following because he broke it after seeing the idol worship of the people. These two fasts were undertaken virtually without intermission and taken together would constitute the longest absolute fast ever in the world – eighty days without food or water.
Elijah’s forty days fast - 1 Kings 19:8
8 And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.
Two leading representatives of the O.T, Moses the law giver and Elijah the restorer (Mal 4:4-6; Mark 9:12) for both had a supernatural ending to their earthly life as well as a supernatural re-appearance with Christ on the holy mount.
The absolute fast is therefore a fast without food or water. It’s an exceptional measure for an exceptional situation.

3. The Partial Fast –
Daniel 10:3 I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.

They did not defile themselves with that which was offered to Babylonian gods, instead they asked for vegetables and drank water. Daniel 1:15
15 And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king’s meat.
The partial fast allows many variations, for example sticking to one type of food for the duration of the fast. It is very beneficial to those who work otherwise and cannot entertain a normal fast.

JESUS SAID, WHEN YOU FAST – NOT IF.
Matthew 6:2,5,16 – When you give alms…when you pray…when you fast.
2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

When you fast – He left us in no doubt that this must be an integral part of our life and ministry.

TO BE HEARD ON HIGH.
Ezra 8:23 So we fasted and petitioned our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty.
FASTING IS DESIGNED TO MAKE PRAYER MOUNT UP AS ON EAGLES’ WINGS. IT IS INTENDED TO USHER THE PRAYING INDIVIDUAL INTO THE AUDIENCE CHAMBER OF THE KING AND TO EXTEND TO HIM THE GOLDEN SCEPTRE. IT MAY BE EXPECTED TO DRIVE BACK THE OPPRESSING POWERS OF DARKNESS AND LOOSEN THEIR HOLD ON THE PRAYER OBJECTIVE.
Joel 2:12 Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
“FASTING HELPS TO EXPRESS, TO DEEPEN AND TO CONFIRM THE RESOLUTION THAT WE ARE READY TO SACRIFICE ANYTHING, TO SACRIFICE OURSELVES TO ATTAIN WHAT WE SEEK FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD.” (Andrew Murray).
“YOU DO NOT QUALIFY TO BE BUSY FOR GOD, IF YOU HAVE NOT FIRST BEEN BUSY WITH HIM”