FASTING AND PRAYERS INSIGHTS

 

INTRO

Prayer and fasting is a great tool the Lord makes it available to believers to help us achieve breakthrough in those stubborn areas of our lives. Since those times and situations in our lives wont change, no matter what we do, Fasting and Prayers becomes one of the potent tools to tell the Lord, we need your help.

When the enemy holds ground in one part of our life, it tends to consume most of our thoughts. That one area can cost us emotional health, quality relationships, and even the ability to enjoy life. But we don’t have to put up with it.

It’s time to fight back!

Fasting is God’s secret weapon against the enemy’s strongholds. Jesus even said that some evil spirits cannot be cast out except by prayer and fasting. That should tell us a lot about the power of this weapon—it’s basically God’s nuclear option.

WHY PEOPLE FAST?

When you ask many people, different people might have an underlying reasons for fasting and praying, however as a corporate body, it is most of the time, setting precious time to deny oneself world pleasures to encounter God for Him to help us reach a certain objective beyond our human capability. It is our human cry to show God that we are incapable in the flesh, and we are serious for His spiritual interventions.

Reasons for Prayer and Fasting

There are various reasons to fast and each person’s circumstances will be different. However, the Bible does give us plenty of examples. The biblical accounts often include a specific reason the person or group fasted. Here are a few such examples.

Praying for Health or a Crisis Situation

David pleaded with God for the child. He fasted and went into his house and spent the nights lying on the ground. – 2 Samuel 12:16 (BSB)

Praying for Safety and Protection

There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions. – Ezra 8:21 (NIV).

As an Act of Repentance

When they had assembled at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out before the LORD. On that day they fasted and there they confessed, “We have sinned against the LORD.” – 1 Samuel 7:6 (NIV)

As a Sign of Mourning

They mourned and wept and fasted till evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the army of the LORD and the nation of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword. – 2 Samuel 1:12 (NIV)

Before Starting Ministry

Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust. – Acts 14:23 (NIV)

Praying for Victory

Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah. The people of Judah came together to seek help from the Lord; indeed, they came from every town in Judah to seek him. – 2 Chronicles 20:3-4 (NIV) 

The Jericho Prayer

Heavenly Father, just as You used Joshua to lead the Israelites, Lord, let the Holy Spirit lead us in this time of prayer and fasting.

Give us the instructions for our victory just like You did for Joshua. Equip us, Lord, with power and strength.

Give us the courage to overcome what is standing in front of us. Lead the way.

We know it’s not by our power, but by You and through You, that we will destroy the walls in our life.

Lord, we are standing on Your promises. We believe and trust in You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Credit: Rhoda Faye Diehl

What We Need to Know Before We Fast

When we fast, we are acknowledging that we need spiritual help. We are humbling ourselves and acknowledging that we cannot solve our own problem. We’re acknowledging that the natural isn’t enough, and that we need to tap into the spiritual.

We’re exercising our faith in God by saying, “Lord, I cannot fix this on my own. I can’t bring down these walls. Nothing good is going to happen unless You move!”

The Bible, as well as Christian history, has much to tell us about prayer and fasting. There are just a few quick things I’d like to note here.

Fasting is a Personal Event

When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret will reward you. – Matthew 6:16-18 (NIV)

Can we fast beside food?

The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body but yields it to her husband. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over his own body but yields it to his wife. Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. – 1 Corinthians 7:3-5 (NIV)

What did Jesus Note That His Followers Would do?

They said to him, “John’s disciples often fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating and drinking.” Jesus answered, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; in those days they will fast. – Luke 5:33-35 (NIV)

Is Fasting a Form of Worship

And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. – Luke 2:36-37 (ESV)

Fasting is Powerful

Moses, Elijah, Ezekiel, and Daniel fasted and prayed. Jesus fasted for forty days. Paul and the early Christians fasted. The early church fasted on Wednesdays and Fridays. Martin Luther was criticized for fasting “too much.” John Calvin fasted and prayed until the greater part of Geneva turned to God. John Knox fasted and prayed, and the wicked Queen Mary of Scotland (aka Bloody Mary) said she feared no armed force as much as she feared the prayers of John Knox.

Jonathan Edwards, who was God’s instrument in a revival known as the Great Awakening, fasted and prayed. He was not known to be an eloquent or powerful speaker, but God would move to save thousands when he preached. He credited this to prayer and fasting.

John Wesley, who also saw thousands respond when he preached, fasted twice a week. Charles Finney, one of the greatest spiritual leaders in history, was a man who fasted and prayed. Evangelist D. L. Moody was another great Christian leader who often fasted and prayed.

PERSONAL TESTIMONIES

Our individual fasting impacts abound hence as frequent as we can do. At the corporate level, it's impacts necessitate for us to make it repeat annually as a church indicating our ultimate on God alone. 

Choosing Our Types of Fast

There are four main types of fasts we can consider. Each one has different aspects, so the choice of fast will largely depend on the circumstances and goals of each individual.

Time of Day Fast (Intermittent Fasting)

Sometimes people choose, during an extended period of time, not to eat during certain hours of the day. For example, the Jews sometimes used to fast during daylight hours on certain days and at certain times of the year.

Selective Fast

Some people only choose to give up certain foods. There is an example of this in Daniel chapter 10. Daniel says that for three weeks, he ate no “delicacies” or “choice foods.” He also did not eat meat or drink wine during that time. You could give up certain foods, do only a liquid diet (e.g. smoothies, juices), etc. The point is to deny the flesh and devote yourself to prayer, so you can choose to give up some of the things that you know your flesh really wants. 

Total Fast

In this type of fast, no food is eaten. There are several examples in the Bible of extended total fasts. Both Jesus and Moses fasted for 40 days, but those examples are miraculous. Outside of the miraculous, total fasts should be limited to three days for most people. Though some people with more experience do choose to fast longer.

Soul Fast

Sometimes people give up things like TV, music, or social media when they fast. This is especially helpful when people have medical problems that prevent them from doing food-related fasts. 1 Corinthians 7: 5 describes a married couple mutually agreeing to fast from sexual relations so that they can devote themselves to prayer.

What You Shouldn’t Do When You Fast

There are a few things we should not do in regard to fasting. First, we should never fast to impress others. Also, we shouldn’t allow our fasting to become an undue burden on others. We should consult our spouse and children beforehand and make sure they are willing to walk through this with us. They don’t have to fast with us, but they should understand that it will affect our home environment and our relationships. We’ll be drawing near to God and away from normal activities.

After praying and thinking about it, pick one of the types of fasts to do for the next 7 days. Choose wisely. The more fleshly desires you give up, the more of God’s presence and power that can be released into your life. But you also want to make a commitment that you know you can hold to.

In the story of Joshua, in chapter 2, we see that he first scouted out the land. Joshua didn’t just charge into the city. He wasn’t anxious. He employed wisdom by sending in spies first. Joshua wanted to make sure the walls of Jericho were going to fall. But that result wouldn’t come by being hasty, rash, or foolish. When we fast, we have to think through the kind of commitment we’re making. We don’t want to set ourselves up for failure, but we do want to make a significant commitment.

One thing to keep in mind is that if you start out with a selective fast, you can always take it up a notch later on. So for example, you could start out on day one just fasting meat, bread, and sweets. By day three, as you’re getting closer to God and denying your flesh, you might decide to do liquids only. By day five, you might decide to do the last three days in a total fast.

What you don’t want to do, especially if you have never fasted, is start out overly zealous, decide hastily that you’re going to do a 7 day total fast, and then end up eating on day two.

Ask for Wisdom

So, step one, pray before you fast and ask the Holy Spirit to give you wisdom and guidance:

Dear Heavenly Father, I come to You, Lord, with a humble heart and ask You to strengthen me for this battle. Show me what I need to fast, and reveal to me what I need to do before I undertake this time of fasting and prayer. Give me the wisdom and strength to overcome fear of this situation. Go before me and put a hedge of protection over me. Cover me in the blood, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

When you humble yourself in this way, the Lord will give you spiritual eyes and a spiritual outlook. Then you can be aware and alert and awake, like Rahab. She was spared from destruction because she helped hide the spies who had come there from Israel. It was because of her willing spirit and her faithfulness that she was spared. Not only did she make a deal to hide the spies, she followed through. She did her part.

This is just my best guess, but I believe Rahab was already praying to the God of Israel to spare her and her family from the impending judgment on Jericho. When the two spies came through, she believed it was the providential opportunity for which she had been praying, and she began to demonstrate her faith by action.

This is your opportunity. You’ve been asking for a way out of your situation. Stuck for a long time, you’ve asked for change but it hasn’t come yet. God is giving you a way out. He’s offering to rescue you and your family, but you have to make a commitment and then be faithful.

Credit: Rhoda Faye Diehl