Fasting for Spiritual Breakthrough: A Guide to Nine Biblical Fasts (31 page)

Practical aspects
. (1) Determine time limits for the short-term or long-term fast/diet. (2) Determine your diet’s limits before you begin (3) Determine your testimony’s objective before you begin. (4) Determine the sincerity of your vow-decision before you begin.

John Wesley Fast

The founder of Methodism often fasted for several days, eating only bread and drinking only water.

Lipid Fast

In 1996 the American Heart Association released diet guidelines for health and called it fasting. The Lipid Fast includes a total cholesterol of less 200. HDL cholesterol should be greater than 15. LDL cholesterol should be less than 150, or 100 in some patients. Triglycerides should be less than 250. The reduction, or fast, is to reduce the risk of developing coronary artery disease.

Liquid Fast

A fast evidenced by abstaining from solid food but allowing for liquids. Most fasters drink water during their fasts; however, some also drink fruit juices. A few would include coffee, tea and/or milk as acceptable beverages during a liquid fast.

Media Fast

A fast that involves abstaining from exposure to the media, especially television viewing. This may be a variation of the Disciple’s Fast to break addiction and bondage, or the Elijah Fast to overcome habits.

Ministry Fast

Fasting focusing upon the initiation of a new ministry. This may be done privately or in concert with others.

National Fast

Fasting that is performed by the whole nation or a significant segment of that nation (e.g., Christians within a nation), usually at a time of perceived crisis on a national scale. In the Old Testament, national fasts were called during times of war (see Judg. 20:26; 2 Chron. 20:3); when facing widespread pestilence (see Joel 1:13); when the security of the Jews was threatened in the Persian Empire (see Esther 4:16); and when confronted by the threat of imminent divine judgment (see Jon. 3:5).

Partial Fast

A limited fast consisting of abstaining from certain foods for a prolonged period of time (e.g., abstaining from meats during Lent) or abstaining from all foods for a portion of the day (e.g., abstaining from eating before 3:00
P.M
.).

Power Fast

Fasting to increase awareness of spiritual warfare and to release God’s power to accomplish victory in power encounters.

Purpose of Fasting

Among the motives for fasting are (1) a desire to mortify personal lusts (see 1 Cor. 9:27); (2) express personal repentance (see Jon. 3:5-10); and (3) strengthen personal prayer (see Acts 10:30).

Results of Fasting

Results that may be realized through fasting include (1) increased spiritual authority, (2) receiving divine affirmation of ministry, (3) obtaining new direction for ministry, (4) gaining new insights during Bible study that become foundational truths for ministry, (5) an enhanced desire to pray, (6) affirmation through “sense of destiny” experiences, (7) new power for spiritual warfare, (8) guidance and liberty for workers in ministry, (9) victory over satanic strongholds, (10) assurance of divine protection, (11) an increased sense of God’s presence, (12) a breaking of attitudes and policies hindering progress in a new ministry and (13) times when prayer becomes enhanced as a means of effectively wrestling with issues.

Rotation Fast

A rotation fast consists of eating food from only one food group at a time.
Some have called it the Mayo Clinic Diet because it is used in medical research to determine reaction to certain food groups. The rotation diet has two purposes: medical, to determine a person’s allergy or “good addiction” and for cleansing the bodily system.

The medical rotation diet is also called the “diversified rotation diet” to help medical technicians successfully diagnose the food or chemically maladaptive allergic reactions. The obvious goal is to establish control of food intake identifying the causes of physical reactions and their associated addictions. By avoiding these foods or food families, a person may enjoy better health. This kind of rotation diet, and all its scientific restrictions, cannot be successfully done without professional guidance because of the need to monitor combinations of food, possible pesticides in commercial foods, cleansing of the system between food avoidance and so on. The diversified rotation diet is described in terms such as “food avoidance” and “food substance types.”

The reason the rotation diet might benefit the average person is that it promotes cleansing. Some have suggested that a person follow this diet for six days, eating only from one food group each day for a week. While taking one food group each day, the other food groups are eliminated for approximately one week. The body’s molecular system takes energy from ingested food and eliminates the toxins and poisons—including fats—from the cells. When too much of a certain kind of food and its accompanying toxins are ingested, the cells become overloaded in the limitation process.

The rotation diet helps cleanse the cells by allowing the toxins and poisons from each food group to be eliminated and cleansed during a six-day period. The six food groups—Food Family Pyramid: (1) Grains: cereal, pasta, bread, etc.; (2) Dairy products: milk, cheese, yogurt, etc.; (3) Poultry products: chicken, eggs, etc.; (4) Vegetables: leafy, root, etc.; (5) Meats: red meat, fish; (6) Fruits: nuts, juice, etc.

Saint Benedict Fast

The Saint Benedict Fast was written by Saint Benedict of Italy in the sixth century and was taken from
The Rule of the Master
. The community eats its meal (only one meal a day) at the sixth hour (midday on Thursdays and Sundays) and at the ninth hour (3:00
P.M
.) the other days. In Lent, the meal is pushed back until after vespers, a time that also holds for the Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays two weeks preceding Lent.

The sick eat three hours earlier at the third hour (9:00
A.M
.). Children less than twelve fast only in winter on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

Brothers on a journey do not fast in the summer. In winter they fast till evening on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.

In Paschal the community meal is eaten at noon.

Taken from
To Love Fasting
by Adalbert le Vogue. Petersham, Maine: Saint Bede’s Publications.

Saint Paul Fast

Problem
. A fast to solve problems or seek wisdom, usually about a major issue or life-turning direction.

Key Verse
. “He was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank” (Acts 9:9).

Prescription
. (1) Set aside a time to fast and listen to the voice of Jesus. (2) Ask and answer self-searching questions. (3) Recognize the unchangeable solitude of truth. (4) Stop all self-effort and yield to God. (5) Pay attention to the physical. (6) Pay attention to the spiritual. (7) Obey what you learn from God. (8) Your answer may be an embryonic seed, not a full-grown tree. (9) God may use others to give you insight/wisdom. (10) People may not understand your Saint Paul’s Fast or what God is doing in your life.

Practical aspect
. (1) The more weighty your decision, the more often or longer you should follow the Saint Paul’s Fast. (2) Plan Bible reading that is unrelated to your decision. (3) Gather all information and bring it to the Saint Paul’s Fast. (4) Study and apply principles of decision making to the Saint Paul’s Fast. (5) Write and rewrite the decision you need to make to clarify your thinking. (6) Write all facts influencing your decision and review them constantly during the fast. (7) Write out all possible solutions before attempting to make a decision. (8) Make a commitment to fulfill your decision.

Samuel Fast

Problem
. Fasting to bring the presence of God to revive a lethargic people, providing renewal for believers and salvation for the unsaved. The Samuel Fast is for both “atmospheric revival,” in which people feel the presence of God, and individual revival.

Key Verse
. “So they gathered together at Mizpah, drew water and
poured it out before the Lord. And there they fasted that day” (1 Sam. 7:6).

Prescription. Pre-fast
—(1) Recognize your bondage. (2) Renew allegiance to God’s presence among His people. (3) God’s leaders must be in place.
During the fast
—(4) There must be a corporate gathering. (5) God’s people must demonstrate sorrow for sin. (6) God’s people must search out hidden sin and separate from it. (7) Corporate confession of sin. (8) Apply the power of the Word of God. (9) God blesses symbols.
Post-fast
—(10) Expect post-fast attacks. (11) Enact a continuous process of fasting, not just a one-time event. (12) Continue deeds that grow out of ongoing fasting. (13) Look for victory signs. (14) Victory is an ongoing process, not just a one-time event. (15) Celebrate with victory symbols.

Synonyms for Fasting

The Scriptures use several expressions to describe the practice of fasting. Two different Hebrew expressions are translated “not eat bread” (see 1 Sam. 28:20; 2 Sam. 12:17). The expression “afflict oneself” describes the fasting of Ahab when confronted with the imminent judgment of God (see 1 Kings 21:29). The most frequently used synonym for fasting is “to afflict one’s soul” (see Lev. 16:29).

Spiritual Alertness

Our ability to perceive God’s direction in this life is directly related to our ability to sense the inward promptings of the Holy Spirit. Spiritual alertness is God providing a specific activity to assist us in doing His will.

Telephone Fast

A fast that involves abstaining from the use of the telephone. See also Media Fast.

Testimony of a Fasting Schedule

When I have to make an important decision or when I have been asked to deliver an important message, I set aside a 24-hour period of fasting prior to the meeting or the time the decision needs to be made. The 24-hour fast is from evening to evening. The following are the items I include in my day of prayer and fasting.

Evening
. Reading large sections of Scripture. I read or scan as many significant sections of Scripture as possible for general content and key ideas related to the subject of my needs.

Marking significant sections for future study
. When I find particular sections that are significant to me, I make special notation for the purpose of studying them further the following morning.

Sleep
.

Morning
. My first job in the morning is to enjoy a time of personal edification from the Psalms and Proverbs. This usually puts me in tune with the Lord.

Studying significant sections
. I reread the significant sections marked the previous evening and begin studying each one of them. This involves outlining the section, making special word studies, looking up cross-references and writing out practical applications.

Prayer
. I spend a significant amount of time praying through my daily, weekly and monthly prayer lists. I cover all of these items on my day of fasting.

Intercession
. The items for which I am fasting become the specific target of intercession. I remember those items each hour. I also remember that God created the evening as the beginning of the day. “The evening and the morning were the first day” (Gen. 1:5).

I realize that the important thoughts in the evening are the beginning of my fast. It is important to begin my fast with strength and to continue into the morning and afternoon hours. It is also important that I begin my fast by praying for the decision or meeting ahead of me. Then I continue to pray for that concern every hour throughout my fast.

Worship and fasting
. The New Testament teaches that fasting can become an act of worship, i.e., “giving the worship to God that He deserves.” One can include music, poetry, praise and fasting in worship as Anna “served God through prayers and fastings daily” (Luke 2:37). We are not told how she fasted daily to worship God. Also, the Early Church fasted in connection with worship. “They [the Church] ministered [from
leiturgeo
, giving us the word “liturgy”] to the Lord and fasted” (Acts 13:2).

Total Fast

A fast that involves abstaining from both food and water. Although Moses engaged in this kind of fast for 40 days, total fasts are now usually observed from 1 to 3 days.

Violated Fast

The violated fast happens when a person (1) does not keep the spiritual
vow to fast or (2) has broken the physical restraints of the fast (i.e., eating or drinking what he/she promised to abstain from). Sometimes the person absentmindedly eats or drinks. At other times the person intentionally eats or drinks, just as purposely as a person chooses to sin.

Obviously, breaking the fast is not the same as violating the fast, because every fast must reach a terminal point (see Breaking the Fast).

The Bible is silent about principles, illustrations or actions to take when a fast is violated. We must, therefore, draw principles from the general body of doctrine (our principles must be in harmony with and not violate biblical doctrine). Also, we can learn from parallel practices of vow breaking, such as principles of breaking the Nazirite vow.

1.
Nonjudgmental
. Because all sins have been forgiven at calvary (see Ps. 103:12), what you have done is covered by the grace of God.

2.
Nonbenefit
. If you eat or drink and break your vow, you will probably not receive the benefits for which you fasted and prayed. Note what God said of those who broke their Nazirite vows. A Nazirite could not touch a dead body, but, “If anyone dies very suddenly beside him, and he defiles his consecrated head, then he shall shave his head” (Num. 6:9). What benefit did he receive for the days he fasted? “The former days shall be lost, because his separation was defiled” (Num. 6:12)—meaning he received no benefit from his vow.