Fasting and prayer are spiritual disciplines that have been part of religious practice. They are two crucial tools used to walk with God, seek guidance, and gain clarity when making decisions.
In this post, we’ll uncover the true meaning of fasting and prayer, why it’s vital to our spiritual journey, recognize what may hinder it and embrace the power it unlocks.
What is Fasting?
Fasting is a means of divine concentration. It involves refraining from food and water to devote attention to God. It could also include refraining from distractions such as work, social media, entertainment, and other things that prevent spiritual growth.
The main aim shouldn’t be to punish the body but to focus and connect our mind and spirit to God.
What is Prayer?
Prayer is addressing God with spoken or unspoken words. It is a direct and personal conversation with our maker.
These two tools serve as motivators for one another. They help us boost our spiritual strength and break loose things that seem difficult. If this must happen, then we must fast and pray.
Reasons for Fasting and Prayer
- Range of darkness: The entire world is whole of wicked people who operate in darkness, and for you to arrest the tide of wickedness as a believer, you must continue to use this weapon of fasting and prayer to truncate and frustrate their agenda over our lives Ephesians 6:12, Psalms 2.
- Seek God’s face: It’s a way to seek God’s presence, as seen in Daniel 9, where Daniel prayed for Israel’s deliverance during exile, and God answered.
- To secure power: Fasting will transform you from powerlessness into divine empowerment. In this process, fasting will subject and mortify your flesh. Once that happens, God will prevail, and your spiritual strength will increase when you pray.
The more you fast and pray, the more you draw raw power from God. - Ignite our Altar: It refuels our spiritual being and sets ablaze every form of coldness on our spiritual altar, making us linger more in prayer before the Lord.
- Personal Purification: It makes us consecrate our heart and body as a living sacrifice to the Lord and ensures we distance ourselves from things that can defile the temple of God.
Hindrance to Fasting and Prayer
The devil is not ignorant of the havoc fasting and prayer wreak on his kingdom. Therefore, he tries to weaken those who serve as a threat to his kingdom by strategically hindering them from using this weapon. Some of the ways through which people are interrupted are:
- Iniquity: One of the major hindrances to fasting and prayer is sin. The devil knows that fasting and sin cannot coexist; that is why he keeps impacting us with sin to hinder us from being holy, which also prevents us from seeing his glory and makes us enemies of God. If we genuinely want fasting and prayer to work for us, holiness is essential.
- Illiteracy: There are many illiterates in the school of fasting and prayer. Unfortunately, the kingdom of darkness is more knowledgeable in this realm than we so-called believers. What we don’t know is that members of the dark kingdom can abstain from food until they accomplish their aim (Acts 23:12). The devil and his agents are afraid of any Christian who understands the use of this weapon.
- Overconsumption: Some people can’t control their appetite, so it is difficult for them to fast because they love food. Jesus Christ says in Matthew 4:4, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God,” and one of the words that came forth out of His mouth is in Mark 9: 29. We must get to the point where food means nothing to us; that is when fasting and prayer will be a thing of ease.
- Laziness: Indolence is another hindrance to this extraordinary weapon. Lazy people try to avoid fasting whenever there is an opportunity to do so. In doing so, they open the door to trouble, unaware of themselves and their loved ones.
- Unfaithfulness: Some people fasted and prayed but never mixed with faith in their hearts. Without strong faith, our fasting and prayer mean nothing to the devil. We must believe that God will answer all our prayers. Don’t let faithlessness rob us of what God is about to do in our lives.
- Prayerlessness: Some fast but are too busy to pray; they prefer to rest on a chair and watch TV, sleep throughout the day, or surf the web on their phones to whittle away time, which amounts to nothing but a wasted effort. What we are ignorant of is that prayer is the seed we are to plant to have a massive harvest. Fasting without prayer is a wasted effort.
The Power of Fasting and Prayer
- Repentance: It brings about remorse for doing wrong; It’s a way we humble our hearts and seek forgiveness from God to retrace our steps back to His will (Joel 2:12).
- Strong Faith: When fasting blends with prayer, it deepens our faith, sharpens our spiritual mind, and encourages us to continue in prayer, granting us the certainty that nothing is impossible for God.
- Divine Interest: One of the powers of fasting and prayer is that they draw God’s attention. When we embark on this practice to seek guidance in decision-making, the hosts of heaven are on alert to bring us answers without delay (Daniel 10:12).
- Divine Revelation: This practice gives uncommon revelations that can result in everlasting breakthroughs. The Lord will grant us insight into divine secrets that will remain unforgettable in our lifetime.
- Divine Healing: Genuine fasting coupled with prayer can lead to healing, fighting off germs and reviving dead cells, and may also bring about restoration and renewal of souls (Isaiah 58:8).
In conclusion
Fasting and prayer are not ways to bribe God. But powerful spiritual disciplines that deepen our relationship with Him. They carry the potential to bring spiritual growth, clarity, and healing and stop the enemy’s influence in our lives. If you’ve been longing to experience a fresh move of God, this may be the breakthrough you’ve been searching for.
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