Fasting? Consecration? Me? How Can I Do That?

What is this all about?

What about “consecration?” It’s a sort of "old-fashioned" term, writes pastor Rich Deem. “It is found most often in the Bible in the Old Testament in reference to items that are to be set apart as holy for the purposes of worshipping God.” For example, the boy Samuel was consecrated to God’s service at an early age and served the Lord his entire life. So did John the Baptist. The holy items in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple were consecrated or given to God. That’s why it was such an outrage when the Babylonian king Belshazzar ordered that consecrated goblets be used at a drunken orgy. The Almighty was furious – and, if you remember, responded with the “Handwriting on the Wall” incident and the defeat of Babylon.

What is this all about?

In Exodus, chapter 24, “consecration” applied to all of the Israelites who had been delivered out of slavery in Egypt and were wandering around the Wilderness en route to the Promised Land, according to the Catholic Encyclopedia. Moses, by a solemn act of consecration, designated them as the People of God by building an altar and designating twelve memorial stones (to represent the twelve tribes). He also selected twelve youths to perform a burnt offering and read aloud the covenant between God and Israel. The people then made their profession of obedience, Moses sprinkled upon the people the blood of the animals which were sacrificed. Later, the Chief Priest, Aaron, and his sons were consecrated in a formal ceremony.

What is this all about?

In the Old Testament, such people as Samson and Samuel were Nazirites – who were consecrated to the Lord as children and who never drank alcohol, never ate certain foods and never cut their hair. Evangelical leader and author Lou Engel tells of how his 13-year old son “asked permission with determined insistence to take the Nazirite vow of Numbers 6:1-21. In his persistence, he said to me, ‘Dad, I don't want to cut my hair until’” a large nationwide conference, which was eight months away. The boy told his father, "I don't want to eat meats and sweets and I want to go on a juice fast the 40 days beforehand. And Dad, I don't want to play baseball this year. I want to run with you and pray for revival in America."

What is this all about?

Engel says he was startled, but “the voice of the Lord could not have been any clearer. I could hear the Lord saying to me through that encounter: ‘Lou, do not hinder your son from being extreme for Me. Let the young man go for it. Let him go as far as he can go with his consecration before Me. With fear and trembling, I knew what He was saying and I knew the holy admonition of Amos 2:11-12 where God thundered, "I raised up some of your sons as prophets, and some of your young men as Nazirites.” Consecration and fasting are a personal thing between each person and the Almighty. It can be a dramatic step in one’s spiritual walk. It can lead the Christian to a more powerful and deeper relationship with the Lord.

What is this all about?

Fasting must be entered into with care. Those who are under strict medical supervision should seek instructions from their medical doctor before committing to a fast. It’s also possible to “fast” from things other than food, such as TV, sports or entertainment. The Bible mentions three different varieties of fasting: The Normal Fast: In this type of fast, the person abstained from food but not water. The duration can be that which the individual or group feels led to set. Jesus fasted for 40 days (Matthew 4:2). However, the more common practice of a normal fast appears to be from one to three days. The Partial Fast: In this type of fast, the emphasis is placed on the restriction of diet, rather than abstaining completely from eating. Examples are: Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego eating only vegetables and drinking only water (Daniel 1:15), and later on Daniel practiced a partial fast for three weeks (Daniel 10:3). The Absolute Fast: An absolute fast is one in which the person refrains from both food and water. Such fasts are described throughout the Bible, such as in 1 Kings 19:8, Deuteronomy 9:9-18 and Exodus 34:28). The prophet Elijah went on such a fast in 1 Kings 19:8. The great leader Ezra did so in Ezra 10:6. Queen Esther and her household fasted in Esther 4:16). The Apostle Paul fasted in Acts 9:9.