ON THE VANGUARD

THE SORT OF FAST
“’Here is the sort of fast I want – releasing those unjustly bound, untying the thongs of the yoke, letting the oppressed go free, breaking every yoke…’”
Isaiah 58:6

I will admit that fasting has always stumped me. A few years ago I really began to seek the Scriptures and consider fasting. With some people I know, and their church, I agreed to take the month of January to fast with them. Little did I know it would be so life-changing. Following the fast I purchased a book by Jentzen Franklin on the topic of fasting and again my eyes were opened to this briefly considered topic. Since that time I have found myself in this behavior often. Now while I do not intend to tell you how you should fast, nor go in depth about my own fasting times, I do want to bring attention to two scriptures that have been playing over and over in my own mind that relate to the power of God in fasting.
First I take you to Mark 9:29. It is in this scripture we see Jesus being brought into a moment with a concerned dad. The dad’s son had what we may term today as epilepsy. The disciples had already tried to cast the demon out but had had no luck. The dad, even more so concerned for his son now, pleads with Jesus that the disciples prayed and could not cast out the enemy. It was Jesus’ turn. In only a matter of minutes, the boy was free and in his right mind. Later on the disciples asked why they could not cast out the evil spirit and heard Jesus’ reply that, “Some spirits can only be driven out by prayer and fasting.” Notice the team of prayer and fasting. This double whammy of power allowed for the spirit of the enemy to be removed.
I now bring us to Isaiah 58:6 where we read that the fast God commands has the end result of releasing the bound, loosening the yoke of slavery, setting free the oppressed, and breaking the grip of the binding spirits. I want to take a minute to look a few of these key words up. First, release, or PATHACH, means to open or free. The word loosen is NATHAR, meaning to tremble, shake up, or undo. Setting free is simply free, CHOPHSHIY. And breaking is NATHAQ, which means to draw away, tear off, or separate. The type of fast that God elects for His people encompasses the complete freedom of His people and the complete ceasing of attacks from the enemy. This then seems to make sense. Unless this is the fast we are doing, we will not have the power to deliver demons and evil spirits from ourselves or others when we prayer.
A fast is not a diet; that is called starvation. A fast is a time of seeking God, with His word as our bread and His Spirit as our drink. It is a time of focusing on Him, allowing Him to direct us and bring clarity. It is a time of listening to His voice and allowing Him to show us our sins for confession. And sadly enough, it is not revered these days. The one who boasts in his fast gets his prize…fame. But the one who seeks God for the anointing of the Spirit to break the chains on himself, as well as in others, finds the true meaning of the fast that God desires. Will that be you?