Fasting For Clarity
“Then Elijah said to Ahab, ‘Go get something to eat and drink, for I hear a mighty rainstorm coming!’” - 1 Kings 18:41
As we continue to look at the story of Elijah in 1 Kings 18:41, I want you to understand what made this miracle happen. Yes, it was the combination of God’s power and Elijah’s faith as we have discussed over the last couple of days. But how was this possible? How was Elijah able to demonstrate such strong faith?
Well, he fasted. As verse 41 opens, scholars tell us that both Elijah and Ahab had fasting during the time they appealed to their respective deities for fire. After Yahweh won the contest, Elijah told Ahab that he could end his fast and return to eating, while he himself went back to the top of Mt. Carmel to pray.
Since Elijah was seeking a major move of God and the outpouring of rain, he kept fasting—in this instance abstaining from food and drink—so he could better hear from God. He fasted while he prayed so that he could tap into something in the spirit realm and better hear from heaven.
Fasting is simply the act of self-denial; and according to Jesus in Matthew 6, it should be motivated by sincerity and not selfish ambition or public recognition. Fasting is necessary for believers to practice because there are some demons that can only be cast out by prayer and fasting. Fasting must always be God-centered, God-initiated, and God-ordained.
If you want God to perform a miracle in your life, you might try fasting, but not out of selfish ambition. It is not a tool to bribe God into giving you what you want. But it is to find clarity; and in doing so, it will strengthen your faith as you continue to trust God and wait for Him to deliver that which you are waiting upon.
As we continue to look at the story of Elijah in 1 Kings 18:41, I want you to understand what made this miracle happen. Yes, it was the combination of God’s power and Elijah’s faith as we have discussed over the last couple of days. But how was this possible? How was Elijah able to demonstrate such strong faith?
Well, he fasted. As verse 41 opens, scholars tell us that both Elijah and Ahab had fasting during the time they appealed to their respective deities for fire. After Yahweh won the contest, Elijah told Ahab that he could end his fast and return to eating, while he himself went back to the top of Mt. Carmel to pray.
Since Elijah was seeking a major move of God and the outpouring of rain, he kept fasting—in this instance abstaining from food and drink—so he could better hear from God. He fasted while he prayed so that he could tap into something in the spirit realm and better hear from heaven.
Fasting is simply the act of self-denial; and according to Jesus in Matthew 6, it should be motivated by sincerity and not selfish ambition or public recognition. Fasting is necessary for believers to practice because there are some demons that can only be cast out by prayer and fasting. Fasting must always be God-centered, God-initiated, and God-ordained.
If you want God to perform a miracle in your life, you might try fasting, but not out of selfish ambition. It is not a tool to bribe God into giving you what you want. But it is to find clarity; and in doing so, it will strengthen your faith as you continue to trust God and wait for Him to deliver that which you are waiting upon.
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