Fasting for Spiritual Breakthrough: A Guide to Nine Biblical Fasts (13 page)

The Samuel Fast exemplifies fasting as a symbol not of our own power to move God by abstaining from food, but of our faith in His power to bring revival.

1
. H. L. Willmington,
Willmington’s Guide to the Bible
, (Wheaton, III.: Tyndale House Publishers, 1987), pp. 292-294.

T
HE ONLY TIME A REGULAR FAST WAS REQUIRED IN
S
CRIPTURE WAS ON
the Old Testament’s Day of Atonement (see “Fast, required” in Glossary). Fasting is not required in the New Testament, but is allowed as a tool that provides answers to prayer when correctly implemented. Jesus didn’t command that we fast, but He recognized that we would use this tool. “When ye fast...fast unto my Father” (Matt. 6:18).

The Elijah Fast is taken from Isaiah 58:6, “Is this not the fast that I have chosen...that you break every yoke?” It is a fast to help break negative emotional habits.

Elijah was the bold prophet who stood alone on Mount Carmel to challenge 450 prophets of Baal. Many Israelites had begun to worship the false god Baal, but Elijah challenged: “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, then follow him” (1 Kings 18:21,
NIV
).

Elijah was not only bold before his opponents, but he also challenged God. To prove the reality of God versus Baal, Elijah defied the prophets of Baal to have their god light the fire on a sacrificial altar. When they could not, Elijah had his own altar drenched with water, then challenged God:

Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word (v. 36).

God honored Elijah’s challenge and fire fell from heaven, lighting the altar of the Lord. It was such a mighty display of power that the people arose at Elijah’s command and killed the false prophets.

This so enraged wicked Queen Jezebel, who had sponsored Baal worship in Israel through her husband, King Ahab, that she swore to kill Elijah. And “Elijah was afraid and ran for his life” (19:3,
NIV
). Fleeing to the wilderness, Elijah lapsed into terrible despondency, and perhaps became paranoid.

Those who saw Elijah’s bold public display would never have thought he had mental or emotional problems, but there in the wilderness the prophet’s negative habits emerged.

Elijah’s problem was not Jezebel. He was like some of the extroverts who are the center of attention at an office conference—those who must be in total control—over meetings, over others and over themselves. During alone times, however, they suffer chronic depression or despondency. Elijah’s problem was himself.

Jezebel’s threat revealed to Elijah that he was certainly not in control. So he not only fled from her, but he also isolated himself from his people, the nation of Israel. Journeying to the south, he left his servant in Judah and went a day’s journey into the desert (see v. 4), deliberately choosing to go where there was no food. There Elijah prayed that God would take his life. Elijah had an emotional problem. Like many today, his inability to remain in control and to know that his future was secure left him feeling abandoned and deeply depressed. Many in similar situations have committed suicide. Like Elijah, they are victims of their own negative emotional habits.

Everyone has certain habits of thought and feeling, some good and some bad. A good habit is saying “thank you” when someone does something nice for you. A family member may have a good habit of cleaning out the sink after using it.

Some people have superstitious habits. For example, a ball player
must wear a lucky hat. For others, it’s not stepping on the crack in the sidewalk. An instinctive habit could be stuttering or scratching an alleged wound after it has already healed. Some of these habits and behavioral responses are relatively harmless; however, others can be serious.

We are not born with these mental and emotional habits. They are acquired as we grow. My granddaughter refused to say “thank you” when I gave her a gift, so her mother withheld the gift until she said it. Gratitude is an acquired habit. A baby is born with clutched fists and must be taught appreciation.

A habit is defined as a behavior pattern acquired by frequent repetition that is reflected in regular or increased performance. The word “habit” comes from a root meaning “clothing that is usually worn”—such as a nun’s habit. Habits may express themselves in simple outward traits, or in complex emotional responses and habitual attitudes toward life—in habits of the heart.

God promises that fasting can break self-destructive habits. “Is not this the fast that I have chosen?...that ye break every yoke?” (Isa. 58:6,
KJV
). The Elijah Fast is especially useful in breaking negative attitudes and bad emotional habits.

The Elijah Fast is not a common corrective device to be used for freeing yourself from minor habits. It is called for in severely negative cases of mental and emotional response. It often works because it is a discipline that builds self-discipline and self-esteem. But more important than psychological esteem, the Elijah Fast invites God into the problem. Then in the strength of God, victory is possible.

Habits reflect themselves differently. Because life is a choice, people who have bad attitudes have chosen to have bad attitudes. They get up in the morning grumpy and choose to be irritated at their spouses, children and coworkers. By frequent repetition, they have chosen a constant state of irritation or anger. They have chosen to have negative personalities.

These people won’t be told to “cheer up” or “lighten up.” Some habits have people in bondage—psychological, physical or social bondage. Bondage enslaves people to their habits. When people have spent their lifetimes becoming depressed, they cannot become optimists by listening to one sermon. Nor does one counseling session change a lifetime of bad decisions. The Elijah Fast involves a total response extending for several days, or a one-day fast repeated throughout a specified time frame.

People suffering from mental problems and emotional habits similar to those of Elijah often struggle with one of several kinds of self-image problems.

Because of his mental or emotional habits, when problems arose that threatened his control over circumstances, or his self-image, Elijah had a tendency to withdraw from people and run from his problems, slip into despondency and/or depression (“He prayed that he might die,” 1 Kings 19:4) and become either emotionally burned out or suffer from self-pity.

How can God break the cycle of pessimistic despondency? The answer is found in the example of Elijah.

What can we learn from Elijah’s style of responding to difficulty?

Defeat Often Follows Victory

There was no doubt that “the hand of the Lord was on Elijah” (18:46,
KJV
). By prayer, he brought fire from heaven. He commanded the execution of the prophets of Baal, and completely thwarted evil King Ahab. Yet when Queen Jezebel threatened to kill him, he ran away and prayed that God would take his life.

Was Elijah’s boldness at the contest with the prophets of Baal only a cover-up for his deeper insecurities and fears or habits of pessimistic withdrawal? Was his despondency a recurring phenomenon that only appeared when Jezebel threatened him, and not at other times?

Other men of God have had similar defeats following great victories. Noah preached against the drunkenness of an entire generation, yet his children were judged because of Noah’s sin of drunkenness (see Gen.
9:24,25). Abraham trusted God by faith, yet lied about his wife (see 12:12). Moses was the meekest man on the face of the earth (see Num. 12:3); however, he was not allowed to enter the Promised Land because he selfishly struck the rock to bring forth water. The disciple Peter claimed he would never deny the Lord, but within 24 hours of that affirmation, denied Him with cursing (see John 13:37,38).

Be careful when you have a great success for God. You are a prime candidate for special satanic attacks. The Bible teaches, “If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” (1 Cor. 10:12,
NIV
).

God Knows the Heart and Its Habits

Elijah was known for his boldness. He boasted, “As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely present myself to [Ahab] today” (1 Kings 18:15). Apparently, Elijah meant what he said. He stood against the prophets of Baal, calling down fire out of heaven in a great victory over them.

Was he just “grandstanding?” If not, why did his boldness suddenly disappear when evil Queen Jezebel threatened to make his life “as the life of one of them”(19:2)? In the crisis of the moment, Elijah ran away. But God knew all along what was in his heart.

We Can Get Depressed Doing God’s Work

It’s obvious that God worked through Elijah. He was the only one to stand for God when others compromised by worshiping Baal. He even boasted, “I alone am left” (v. 10). He was wrong. God told him that there were 7,000 in Israel who had not bowed to Baal. Elijah’s problem was his “self-centeredness.” He was so focused on himself that he could not see what God was doing in the lives of others. He couldn’t see the greater picture. God had to distance Elijah from the problem so Elijah could see the big picture. The Elijah Fast can enable you to see the big picture.

It is possible for you to be so chained to and focused on a habit of thought or emotional response that you cannot see what God wants to do for you or what He’s done for others. Your habit has you blinded to the power of God.

Past Victory May Not Break Bad Habits

Having been used greatly of God in the past does not mean you are presently ready to serve God. In business you often hear, “What have
you done for me lately?” The same can be said of your spiritual life. Yesterday’s victories do not guarantee tomorrow’s successes. After Elijah’s victory over 450 prophets of Baal, he ran and sat under a weeping willow tree. Symbolically, Elijah himself was weeping under the weeping willow, lamenting, “Now they are trying to kill me, too” (v. 10,
NIV
).

Do any of Elijah’s responses to difficult challenges in life sound familiar? If so, you may be a candidate for the following remedy.

Step 1: Prepare Physically and Emotionally

As you consider fasting, do not act prematurely or fly off on a tangent. Many people afflicted with habitual negative emotional responses are also impetuous. They do things on the spur of the moment rather than out of a carefully calculated purpose. Prior to a fast, take three measured steps: (1) vow to God that you will fast; (2) prepare for the fast; then (3) fulfill your resolution.

How did Elijah prepare for his inadvertent fast? He lay down and fell asleep! (see v. 5). Sometimes people are despondent or otherwise vulnerable to negative emotional habits because they are physically weak.

Without the physical stamina to resist the inclination of our inner person, we may fall into uncontrollable habits. Sleeping at least gave Elijah physical strength. Then he broke his fast and ate: “There by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again” (v. 6,
NIV
). “The food and water made him strong enough to walk forty more days” (v. 8,
CEV
).