How to do a Godly fast!

What about fasting? What are you fasting for? How do you fast? I’m heard many ways that people fast. Some say, “I’m going on a juice fast. I’m going on a fast from eating eating bread. I’m going a fast from watching TV.” The list goes on and on. Some fast I hear should be simply called, a diet. There’s is a fast, that the Lord God the Father recognize and honour amongst mankind, and here are some examples. The first example is concerning Jonah, his journey after disobeying God, and being swallowed by a great fish, and after 3 days being spit upon land in the great city Nineveh.

Jonah 1: 1-2
1. Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,
2. Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.

((God was angry at the people in Nineveh, so..he set out to warn them by the mouth of Jonah, in hopes that they turn from their evil ways, otherwise he was gonna destroy them. We’re gonna skip to chapter 3. This is after Jonah decided to obey God after being swallowed by the great fish and spit upon land. Check it out.

Jonah 3:1-10
1. And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time, saying,
2. Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.
3. So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days’ journey.
4. And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.

((Hmm…how merciful is God. He gave them forty days, to get their act together. Let’s continue.

5. So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.
6. For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.
7. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water:

((In verse 7: Everybody and even the beast, herds, and flocks fasted, not eating or drinking anything. This is a Godly fast, not eating or drinking anything. Let’s continue.

8. But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands.
9. Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?
10. And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.

((God is merciful, very, yet we have humble ourselves to obtain his mercy. God honoured their fast, even their works. I’ve heard, and maybe you’ve heard this saying, “We don’t have to do any works, just believe.” It written:

James 2:17-24
17. Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
18. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
19. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
20. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
21. Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
22. Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
23. And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
24. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

((Okay, let’s continue to this next example. There was a King named Ahasuerus which reigned, from India even unto Ethiopia, over an hundred and seven and twenty provinces. King Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan the palace. Esther the Jew later became King Ahasuerus’s queen. During his reign he promoted a guy named Haman, an Agagite, which was placed above all the princes that were with him. This Haman, was an enemy to the Jews. He eventually persuaded King Ahasuerus to allow him to destroy/kill the Jews. Esther intervined, and had the commandment of the King changed. Let’s take a look.

Esther 3:13-15
13. And the letters were sent by posts into all the king’s provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to take the spoil of them for a prey.
14. The copy of the writing for a commandment to be given in every province was published unto all people, that they should be ready against that day.
15. The posts went out, being hastened by the king’s commandment, and the decree was given in Shushan the palace. And the king and Haman sat down to drink; but the city Shushan was perplexed.

((Okay, the commandment of the King was sent out. All the Jews were mourning in fear. Let’s continue.

Esther 4: 1-3, 6-17
1. When Mordecai perceived all that was done, Mordecai rent his clothes, and put on sackcloth with ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and cried with a loud and a bitter cry;
2. And came even before the king’s gate: for none might enter into the king’s gate clothed with sackcloth.
3. And in every province, whithersoever the king’s commandment and his decree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, and fasting, and weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.
6. So Hatach went forth to Mordecai unto the street of the city, which was before the king’s gate.
7. And Mordecai told him of all that had happened unto him, and of the sum of the money that Haman had promised to pay to the king’s treasuries for the Jews, to destroy them.
8. Also he gave him the copy of the writing of the decree that was given at Shushan to destroy them, to shew it unto Esther, and to declare it unto her, and to charge her that she should go in unto the king, to make supplication unto him, and to make request before him for her people.
9. And Hatach came and told Esther the words of Mordecai.
10. Again Esther spake unto Hatach, and gave him commandment unto Mordecai;
11. All the king’s servants, and the people of the king’s provinces, do know, that whosoever, whether man or women, shall come unto the king into the inner court, who is not called, there is one law of his to put him to death, except such to whom the king shall hold out the golden sceptre, that he may live: but I have not been called to come in unto the king these thirty days.
12. And they told to Mordecai Esther’s words.
13. Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king’s house, more than all the Jews.
14. For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?
15. Then Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer,
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.
17. So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him.

Note: A godly fast, consist of neither eating or drinking anything, for whatever amount of time agreed upon, whether its 12hrs, 1 day, 3 days, or 5 days. This is the type of fast God recognize, and honour. Anything other than this, is not accepted in God’s eyes as a fast. Some might say, I have to take medicine every day. Well..God understand what’s necessary. If it’s life threaten, you have to do what you have to do, he want hold that against you. For instance take a look at this Matthew 12:10-12,

Matthew 12:10-12
10. And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him.
11. And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?
12. How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.

((This is necessary, or an emergency. It’s lawful to do well on the sabbath day, because, if this happen, and no one pull the sheep out the pit, it could die. This is necessary, just the same as those who have to take medicine. You have to judge within yourself. If you’re paying attention to your body, you’ll most likely know how long your body can go without taking medicine. Can your body withstand not being administered by medicine for a certain length of time? Can you skip a day, and not be affected healthwise? Well that’s it for now.

Until again,

Take care