Fasting for Spiritual Breakthrough: A Guide to Nine Biblical Fasts (23 page)

His Nazirite diet
. Before John the Baptist was born, his father, Zacharias, was told that his son would follow the Nazirite vow. “For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink” (Luke 1:15). This was one of the requirements of the Nazirite vow, which is named after a Hebrew word meaning “vowed” or “dedicated.” Another qualification was that a person could not cut his hair. So John’s vow would make him different from the average person on the street. When people saw his long hair, they would identify him as a Nazirite—a dedicated or consecrated man. He would be perceived to be influential before both God and man.
John the Baptist was Spirit filled
. Not only did John have an outward testimony of long hair, but he also had an inner power that touched people. His father, Zacharias, was promised before John’s birth that “he will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb” (Luke 1:15).

Those who enter the John the Baptist Fast will not automatically be filled with the Spirit by refraining from eating. The “filling of the Spirit” means the Holy Spirit controls you. To be filled with the Spirit you must follow God’s prescription, “Do not be drunk with wine...but be filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18).

The evangelistic effects of John’s testimony
. Zacharias was told that his son would be different from other children, and that he would be filled with the Spirit. This would result in John’s evangelistic success and powerful influence upon his generation:

He will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, “to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,” and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord (Luke 1:16,17).

Establishing your influence
. Although John the Baptist’s testimony was the greatest seen at that time, his influence was not for selfish or ego-building purposes. We must not enter the John the Baptist Fast for self-centered reasons. We want to influence others, but we must realize our sinfulness, failure and shortcomings. When we come to recognize our “nothingness” in God’s sight, then He can use us.

Realizing that we are “the least in the Kingdom” establishes our foundation for being a greater influence than was John the Baptist: “He who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he” (Matt. 11:11).

Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matt. 5:6). He was not referring to physical
fasting, but to spiritual hunger and thirst. Denying ourselves food and drink for a time, however, can sharpen our spiritual appetites, and move us closer to realizing Jesus’ promise: “For they shall be filled.”

Step 1: Attach Your Diet/Fast to Your Desire for Influence

Begin the John the Baptist Fast knowing the kind of influence you want to be. Remember, there are not only positive and negative influences, but also degrees of influence. On a scale of 1-10, Phil may be a 7, Kara may be only a 2. Much of the difference among various influences depends on desire.

It was predicted about John the Baptist, “he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink” (Luke 1:15). Although the angel told John’s father, Zacharias, that John was to accept a Nazirite vow, that decision had to be desired and confirmed by John. There is power in that kind of decision—one that controls your life. You must make a decision to serve God, then you must daily make that decision work.

There is also power in a separated life. Some want to imitate their friends in dress, music and entertainment to avoid being viewed as weird or “spiritually fanatic.” The world is drifting into a lifestyle of pleasure, ease, lust-fulfillment, homosexuality and rebellion against God. Christians must dare to be different from the world to be influential for God. Just as the flower children and hippies of the 1960s established a counterculture to communicate their values and lifestyles, so Christians today will have to establish a godly counterculture.

Step 2: Write Out the Testimony You Want

When you begin the John the Baptist Fast, write down specifically what you want to accomplish. Decide (a) the areas in which you want to influence others; (b) the people you want to influence; (c) the events you want to influence; (d) the place where you want to establish your testimony.

John the Baptist had a unique mission in life. “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light” (John 1:6,7). The purpose of John’s testimony was to be a light for Jesus Christ. What is your purpose in life? God has a
unique purpose for you to accomplish. Why were you sent into the world?

Step 3: Determine to Be a “Person of the Vow”

John the Baptist was dedicated as a Nazirite from birth. The word “Nazirite” comes from
nadar
, “to vow”; hence, a Nazirite was “a person of the vow.” He was one who decided to serve God and to reflect his decision in the food he ate, the clothes he wore and the length of his hair.

A Nazirite vow could be either temporary (usually 30 days) or permanent. The vow was usually initiated by stress or trouble. In John the Baptist’s case, the nation of Israel was enslaved to Rome, blinded by its legalism and spiritually in trouble. Because of its distress and trouble, God called John to a lifelong Nazirite vow to influence an entire nation.

Nazirites were not celibates, nor did they live monastically (i.e., apart from people). They lived among people, but lived by different standards:

If any of you want to dedicate yourself to me by vowing to become a Nazirite, you must no longer drink any wine or beer or use any kind of vinegar. Don’t drink grape juice or eat grapes or raisins—not even the seeds or skins. Even the hair of a Nazirite is sacred to me, and as long as you are a Nazirite, you must never cut your hair...you must never go close to a dead body, not even that of your father, mother, brother or sister. That would make you unclean. Your hair is the sign that you are dedicated to me, so remain holy (Num. 6:2-8,
CEV
).

Likewise, when you undertake a John the Baptist Fast, you establish a distinct diet while living among people. You “vow a vow” to God, and you demonstrate your vow by being different. You eat differently and you live differently because you expect a different influence from your life than people of the world expect from their lives.

Step 4: Submit Your Total Lifestyle to Christ

To become an influence for God, bring your total life into conformity
with Jesus Christ. The success of the John the Baptist Fast begins with repentance—a heartfelt turning from sin. Remember Israel’s problem, “Why have we afflicted our souls, and You take no notice?” (Isa. 58:3). The answer was that the result of fasting is determined by more than an outward physical abstinence from food. There must be a heart response to God, and a total life commitment to being a testimony for Jesus Christ.

Clothes
. The way we dress must bring honor to Jesus Christ. “John himself was clothed in camel’s hair” (Matt. 3:4). Some people believe this was camel
skin
, but the peasants wore cloth woven with camel hair, and this may be what John wore.

We don’t have to wear peasant clothes to be effective today. During the John the Baptist Fast we will dress like other people, unless their dress is immoral or sends a wrong message. We must want the way we dress to bear a Christlike testimony. We should wear modest clothes to protect ourselves from sending the wrong signal about our bodies or our desires.

Christians should not call undue attention to themselves by the clothing they wear. They should avoid distasteful fads. When my children were growing up, questions arose about wearing what the world wore, such as skirt lengths and the kinds of jewelry that could be worn. Very early I taught my children a principle that was repeated often within our home.

Our clothing should not be so outdated that we bring attention to ourselves by looking odd. Nor should we wear the latest fads before they are accepted by society.

There are two factors to consider about clothing. (1) Do not offend your own personal conscience. “If you don’t do what you know is right, you have sinned” (Jas. 4:17,
CEV
). (2) Do not offend the “corporate conscience” (i.e., the conscience of the Christian community or the local church). You must live by what they expect of you if you intend to extend your Christian testimony.

Food
. The Nazirite vow prohibited drinking strong drink and the fruit of the vine. The Bible indicates what John ate: “His food was locusts and
wild honey” (Matt. 3:4). Some teachers have claimed that the word “locust” is a corruption of the original term “lotus plant,” meaning that John the Baptist was a vegetarian; but there is no basis to support that view in Scripture. The locust was simply an insect that was “clean” food in the Jewish dietary law, and was specifically approved for eating (see Lev. 11:22).

On one of the islands off South Korea, a village of elderly people boast that some of their women live to be 200 years old by eating locusts and honey. They grind up the locusts, mix them with honey and sell the mixture in jars to the tourists. The validity of their claim has not been verified; but many elderly people do live there, and what they sell represents what John the Baptist ate.

Those who follow the John the Baptist Fast may prohibit themselves from certain foods, usually for the rest of their lives. They also maintain lifelong separated lifestyles.

No strong drink
. Those who participate in the John the Baptist Fast will separate themselves from strong drink. The John the Baptist Fast requires making a strong statement of separation from alcohol of any kind. This says nothing about the harmful effects of alcohol on your body, but it says everything about your testimony—especially your witness to small children, your spouse, the Christian community and the world.

Home
. John did not live in a house as did ordinary people. The Bible identifies “the wilderness” as the place where the Word of God came to John (see Luke 3:2). We are not told whether he lived in a cave, a man-made shelter or outdoors. Scripture simply indicates that John did not live in town among people. Some Nazirites lived among people, but John the Baptist separated himself from people. You can live a normal life and go to work during the John the Baptist Fast; however when you pray, you must seek a quiet place to spend time alone with God, as did John the Baptist.

Step 5: Decide Whether Your Fast Is an Event or a Process

Some fasts are for crisis events (the Disciples Fast) and some fasts are lengthy (the Daniel Fast), but the John the Baptist fast can be both because our testimonies have ongoing influence.

Fast-event
. Although John the Baptist maintained his strict diet throughout his entire lifetime, there were times when he entered a fast-event.
He and his followers fasted “often” (see Matt. 9:14). This meant that on certain occasions they fasted for a specific purpose. Similarly, you should enter the John the Baptist Fast on certain occasions for your testimony/influence.

Diet/Process
. The John the Baptist Fast may require a lifelong diet adjustment as an ongoing process, resulting in a stronger testimony to yourself, God, other Christians and the world. Just as a Nazirite could alter his testimony either for 30 days or for a lifetime, so you may need to alter your diet as a long-term process.

Step 6: Adjust the Fast’s Duration to the Problem

The act of separating yourself for spiritual purposes may be a lifelong practice, depending on the nature of the testimony for which you fast. Alcoholics who go to Alcoholics Anonymous make lifelong commitments never to drink again. They recognize that within their bodies lurks an alcoholic who if given one drink will drink continually. Therefore they take lifelong pledges never to drink again.

Each of us is susceptible to the menacing cancer of addiction. When we take pain drugs, we subject ourselves to the potential of becoming drug addicts. If we ignorantly and naively take drugs, we can become slaves to them. The point is that the John the Baptist Fast should alert us to the ongoing risk of lapsing into habits that damage our influence.

Step 7: Short-Term Fasting for Your Testimony

When an issue concerning your Christian influence distresses you, you should fast immediately and specifically for that issue. Sometimes the issue is not clear and you are confused about the problem, such as when a friend suddenly seems distant or estranged. That is all the more reason you should enter the John the Baptist Fast. You begin (1) praying for
insight to understand the problem, (2) praying for a strategy to solve the problem, (3) praying for strength to deal with the issue and (4) praying for God to providentially work behind the scenes to restore your influence.