The Daniel Fast: Fasting for all the wrong reasons. How are you doing on your fast? Need help? Be sure and drop me a comment here or email me at ynannette@gmail.com. I would be happy to assist! You can catch up on our 31 Days of Fasting in January here. Be blessed and encouraged in this difficult day. God sees, He hears and He is speaking to His people. Fasting will help us to hear that voice and block out the things of the world that would distract us. 

Fasts are not to be used against others. Sounds ridiculous to even say it, but Jezebel tried it!

Ahab, King of Samaria, was not one of the nicest people in the world, back in the day.

As a matter of fact, only one person was known to be WORSE than ‘ole King Ahab and that was his wife, whose name has since become synonymous with a manipulative, controlling, and even wicked individual. Maybe you have heard it said that one has a Jezebel spirit. It is not a compliment!

King Ahab married Jezebel out of the will of God and relinquished his power as king to her. 1 Kings 1

Their roles were reversed from the get-go and it spelled disaster.

Ahab came home one day upset because there was a beautiful vineyard that he wanted to have next to the palace but it was owned by a man named Naboth. He wanted to keep it in his family and did not wish to sell. Ahab offered him a very fair price but still Naboth declined. Ahab became so upset that he would not eat.

Jezebel was furious with Ahab for his weak ways and declared that the vineyard would be his (or better yet, hers). She began to plot her plan.

She wrote letters to the elders and the nobles saying, “Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people: And set two men, sons of Belial, before him, to bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst blaspheme God and the king. And then carry him out, and stone him, that he may die.” 1 Kings 21:9-10.

Naturally her minions followed her instructions and Naboth was killed. But did you catch what has happened here?

Jezebel has proclaimed a fast!

Obviously religion was the furthest thing from her mind, or Ahab’s either. But in order to make it all look good, she must order the fast, as if to appear that either a threat had been made on Ahab’s life or a calamity was coming upon the kingdom.

She sat Naboth on high among the people, not necessarily as the guilty one, but because of his high honor in the community. Then, when the two men that had been planted to tell lies against him started their stories, Naboth was seated up where the guilty usually sat, where everyone could see him.

It worked; just as she had planned. He was convicted, and stoned to death.

When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he hurried down to take possession of the vineyard. News traveled fast because the Lord also told Elijah…

“Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who is in Samaria; behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone to take possession. ¹⁹ And you shall say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Have you killed and also taken possession?”’ And you shall say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: “In the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick your own blood.’” 1 Kings 21:18-19 ESV.

But that wasn’t all. Elijah had much to say to Ahab that day and began to tell him of all his wicked ways and how he was about to come face to face with judgment for the evil life that he had lived. His time was up!

You just don’t play around with the things of God and get by with it forever; there are consequences for sin.

Sometimes it is in this life, sometimes it is not until Judgment, but there are consequences.

Fasting and prayer are effective, life-changing, powerful ways to see things happen in the spirit world.

But…

God does not honor efforts that are used against others for harm & evil influence.

God was letting Ahab know there were to be consequences for the actions of his wife and that Ahab was just as guilty of murder as if he had pulled the trigger.“But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.” 1 Kings 21:25 KJV .

The New Living Translation says, “No one else so completely sold himself to what was evil in the LORD’s sight as Ahab did under the influence of his wife Jezebel.”

But something must have struck a chord in Ahab for the Bible tells us that he was listening to the prophet Elijah.

“And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.” 1 Kings 21:27 KJV.

He was fasting again. Not because Jezebel had told him to. Not because he was trying to deceive anyone and not because he was trying to murder anyone.

“And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? Because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son’s days will I bring the evil upon his house.” 1 Kings 21:28-29 KJV.

He was fasting because he was broken, scared and humbled.

And the Lord said because he HUMBLED himself, he spared Ahab the judgment in HIS days. Jezebel still came to an untimely end as promised. She didn’t humble herself one bit as far as the scriptures tell us. But Ahab had learned his lesson for now.

There are fasts that are NOT pleasing to God.

• Fasts that are only to be seen of men.

• Fasts that make US look good or holy.

• Fasts that are just to make us lose weight; we call those diets! (Of course we know if you lose weight from fasting, that is another matter entirely. We have had testimonies of lives changed permanently through fasting for their health. Our lives SHOULD be changed from fasting!)

Fasts are also not to be used against others. Sounds ridiculous to even say it, but Jezebel tried it.

The fast that works is the kind that is coupled with prayer, humility and brokenness. A fast should keep you on your knees and searching for more time with the Savior. Clean out the old and allow God to fill you up with more and more of His spirit.

Nothing is too hard for God. If he can humble a man like Ahab, there is hope for all of us!

Let our fasting be done with humility of heart and for the right purpose: to draw closer to Him, to reach for others and to seek the perfect will of God for our lives.

 

In The Daniel Fast Devotional, we talk about a different person in the Bible who sought God by fasting every day of the 21 day fast. Some of them were desperate like Hannah, she just HAD to fast too! Others did it out of selfishness as with Ahab and Jezebel. Each story is true, intriguing, and will teach us the good and the bad motives behind fasting. Also, at the end of each chapter, there are wonderful recipes that are Daniel Fast approved. Get your copy today!