Powerful Prayer And Fasting Scriptures
God want to show people His glory and power always and everywhere whenever they humble themselves before Him.
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Ephesians 6:12: For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Galatians 5:17: For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.
1 Corinthians 7:5 ESV / 3 helpful votes Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
Acts 14:23: And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
Luke 2:37: 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.
Matthew 6:1-34: Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you
Matthew 4:2: And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.
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Grow In Spiritual Strength
After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.
Matthew 4:2
Jesus fasted for forty days.
Forty days.
Its hard for me to fathom what His body would have felt like during that time.
Im imagining His human form felt quite weak.
Yet, He stood strong against the relentless temptation Satan kept shoving in His face.
He wasnt relying on a protein-filled breakfast or a good night of sleep for his mental sharpness to stand up to the devil.
He relied completely on Gods strength during His fast.
Fasting can strengthen us spiritually when we choose to stand on Gods Word in our own human frailty.
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How To Experience More Of Gods Supernatural Blessing
Do you want to experience more of God’s supernatural blessing in your life? God is good in His nature, and every good thing comes from Him, but He also will not give you more than you can handle. It’s God’s job to do what He wants to do, but it is our job to be prepared for what He is about to do
While you certainly can’t make God move, you can make room for God to move so that you experience more of His supernatural blessing in your life and in your community. To find out more about how to position yourself for more of God’s supernatural blessing, check out this message from Elan Church.
Prayer To Align With Gods Heart
Lord, I want to get Your Word so deep into my heart that it becomes MY word! I want to see things the way You see them, hear things the way You hear them, and feel things the way You feel them. I want to get so aligned with You that our hearts beat in syncopation together. I thank You that once Your Word gets that deeply rooted in my heart, my spoken words will release rivers of power and authority against the works of the devil that he has designed for my destruction! I thank You that just as Your words created the universe, my spoken words of faith create a change in my atmosphere! I pray this in Jesus name!
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What Are The Benefits Of Fasting And Prayer
Fasting is a very common practice in all religions. When you combine fasting with prayer, it is a more disciplined approach towards attaining a sinful life. What is fasting? Fasting is the complete abstinence from food and sometimes water. Fasting along with prayer is more of a spiritual fasting which helps us to connect with God and brings us closer to him.
Its a common belief amongst many that fasting is a difficult process. But in reality, it is indeed a simple and an extremely powerful act which can be practiced by all. Fasting can be for a short period or can be for long durations and both have their benefits.
In many religious scriptures fasting has been mentioned as a common practice. Fasting along with prayer is a humble surrender to god. Fasting is a voluntary and an individual commitment and through prayer you devote yourself to god. As per ancient scriptures, fasting and prayer is a natural process to express your belief. The body and the mind is in sync with each other and therefore it becomes a natural process to respond to a sacred calling. Your hunger for seeking God can be fulfilled when you fast along with prayer.
Fasting is one of the scared ways to reconnect with God. Prayer along with fasting has great benefits and the same is illustrated below.
Why Do Christians Fast
In Matthew 6:16, Jesus looks tells His followers, When you fast and proceeds to give specific instructions about how they are to fast and pray. Its interesting that Jesus didnt say if you fast, He said when you fast. This tells us that Jesus assumed His followers were going to fast. This means fasting is a spiritual discipline that every Christian must devote themselves to.
All throughout The Bible, Gods people consistently took time to fast and pray in order to grow closer to God and experience breakthroughs in specific areas. If you are wanting to deepen your relationship with God or see Him move supernaturally in a specific area, this is a great time to fast and pray.
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Ideas For What To Do:
If youve prayed about fasting , and are sure its right for you in this season, here are some tips to help you get started:
- You dont have to take on a lengthy fast. Start small. Maybe skip one meal a week. Start your fast after dinner and do a one-day fast, only skipping two or three meals. Work your way up to longer fasts, if thats where you feel called.
- Always drink plenty of water and liquids. Stay hydrated.
- Set aside time during your fast to focus on God. Spend your meal time worshipping God, praying, and listening for His voice.
- Use your fasting as a time of reflection, self-denial, focus, listening, and cleansing. Allow God to penetrate your soul to cleanse and purify it, strengthening it for the journey ahead.
The Secret Benefit Of Fasting
Executive Editor, desiringGod.org
Were prone to think of fasting in negative terms. Its understandable. Fasting is abstaining. Its going without food and drink, or some other otherwise good gift from God. Perhaps the reason so many of us fast so infrequently is because we think of fasting mainly as what were going without rather than what were getting.
But Christian fasting is not only going without. It is not simply abstaining. The goal of Christian fasting, in fact, is not going without but getting. Our abstaining always serves some greater end and purpose some eventual gain, not loss. Christian fasting is abstaining for the sake of some specific Christian purpose, or it is not truly Christian.
Jesus did not waffle as to whether his church would fast. When you fast, he said not if . They will fast, he promised . And so the early church fasted , and for two millennia Christians have fasted. And when we have done so in truly a Christian way, the end result has not been loss but gain. But in order for Christian fasting to become a spiritual feast, we have to rehearse its purpose and benefits.
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Amazing Benefits Of Fasting And Prayer
There are several benefits of fasting and prayer, but today well explore the spiritual and biblical importance, the types and concepts of fasting and prayers. Basically, it is not only Christian that do fast, other religions are also fast. Now, it is important that you understand the scriptural guideline in order to enjoy the benefits of fasting and prayer.
In Christendom, fasting and prayers go beyond starvation of food, drinks, and pleasure. A fasting period is usually a solemn time to seek Gods face, in truth and honor, for renewal of spiritual strength, power, miracles, or anything.
The book of Ezra 8:21There, 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.
This means, during fasting and prayer, you are to humble yourself before your maker and ask him for whatever you want. Before Jesus Christ began His ministry, He fasted forty days and nights in the wilderness. The Bible also recorded that Moses fasted for 40 days.
Personally, I do fasting and prayer, though not 40 days, the longest I have done was 9 days. And anytime I fast and pray, I always experience God in a new dimension. In this article, well extensively discuss the benefit of fasting and prayers from the bible and my personal experience.
Page Contents
What Is Spiritual Fasting
Spiritual fasting is to deny your body its physical needs so that moves your focus from the physical to the spiritual .
In simple terms, it is fasting for spiritual growth because it helps you to grow closer to God and is often a regular part of prayer life.
All throughout history, there were seasons of feast and famine. The body and soul naturally went through times of hard work and lack and times of ease and abundance.
However, today in western culture, we have 365 days of abundance. Our diet is not dependent on weather, season or location.
We can eat all kinds of foods anytime we want. We can have Chinese food at midnight if we so desire.
However, with all this abundance of foods comes a greater need for self-control. We must decide on the kinds and amounts of food that are appropriate for a healthy lifestyle.
But even with a healthy standard for eating, we most likely wont experience famine without choosing it. Our bodies were designed to experience both feast and famine. We feast to celebrate. We fast to transform.
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Types Of Biblical Fasting
To conclude this post on benefits of fasting and prayers, it will be well also for you to know something of the different types and kinds of fasting practiced in Scripture.
1. Absolute fast
Absolute fast is when you fast food, water and all other pleasure completely for a time or period of time.
Moses, Elijah and Paul practiced this kind of fast.
2. Total fast
Total fast is when you fast only food for a time or period of time.
Jesus and Paul practiced this kind of fast.
3. Partial fast
Partial fast or denial is when you fast drink , TV, internet or other things that gratify the flesh for a time or a period of time.
Daniel practiced this kind of fast in the Bible
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Different Kinds Of Fast
Daniel and his friends fasted from meat, fine foods, and wine, and later Daniel specifically fasted in order to usher in Gods promises to Israel. And boy, did he get some answers! You can easily find out more information about how to do a Daniel fast on the internet. Esther led the whole Jewish community to fast from all food and water completely for three days, which led to a miraculous turnaround from disaster. Rescued from the brink of annihilation, the Jewish people gained freedom and favor instead, and many gentiles joined them, seeing the goodness and power of God. However, fasting from both food and water is extreme and should only be done for a maximum of three days.With water and juices, it is possible to go for up to forty days without food. There are several examples of this in the Bible, but it is not advisable to dive right into the deep end at first. It is better to start by skipping a meal or abstaining from food for one day a week. On Yom Kippur, Jewish people fast from sundown to sundown, which some prefer to do instead of fasting from morning to night.Each fast is different but God honours each one.
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Fasting Subdues Your Flesh
The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Matthew 26:41
Sometimes our natural circumstances can dominate our thoughts. You know, those up-in-your-face details you cant seem to get past? You want to operate in faith, you want to stand on the Word, but the facts are so blaring, the truth in Gods Word has inadvertently taken the back seat. So, how do you get God back in the drivers seat?
You have to clear away your flesh. You see, if we let it, our flesh will hijack our spiritual life, dominate our thinking and ultimately determine our outcomeunless we stop it. Sometimes, increasing our prayer time and doubling up on the Word of God will take care of it. But, if you need to hear divine direction from the Lord, fasting subdues your flesh and opens your spiritual ears to receive it.
Maybe youve been stuck in the same place, feeling like you havent received a manifestation of Gods promises, or perhaps you are seeking instruction from the Lord regarding a particular situation. Biblical fasting may pave the way for you to hear what God has been saying to you all along.
Whatever the purpose, fasting isnt just about abstaining from foodit is the act of separating yourself exclusively to God. It is the deliberate pushing of everything asidesubduing the fleshand giving Him your full attention. This allows your spirit man to dominate, and your spiritual ears will be wide open.
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Does It Have To Be Food
Today we often hear of people fasting from Facebook and social media, from chocolate or sugar, or from television. Is there merit in these forms of self-sacrifice?Food is an obvious choice because we need food and abstaining from it hurts! It brings us to that necessary point of desperation and dependence, affliction and submission. But we can also grow dependent on sugar, social media, and other things, to the degree that abstaining from them is very hard. We develop addictions without even realising it, and get in the habit of turning to these things for comfort instead of God.
On Pastor David Wilkerson made the transformational decision to sell his television. He only used to watch it for a couple of hours at the end of each day to wind down, but felt God was asking him to give that time to him instead. Wilkerson put the TV up for sale, saying the deal was off if it didnt sell within the first half hour, but at minute 29, it was sold!
Slowly, the pastor learned how to spend that length of time in prayer. It didnt come easily, and at first he would often find himself stuck after quite a short while. But gradually he became more and more acclimatized to his special nightly times with the Lord.He grew more attuned to Gods voice.
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Fasting Leads To Deliverance
Is this not the fast I have chosen? To loose the bands of wickedness.Isaiah 58:6
We have been delivered from the power of darkness through the sacrifice of Jesus. The price has been paid. If there is any oppressive yoke, the believer can and should be free of it. Yet, anyone failing to receive deliverance from bondage is being held back by one thingunbelief.
This is what happened to Jesus first disciples. Jesus had given them power to cast out the devil , and they even experienced some of that power . But in Mark 9:28, we find them stumped by a particularly tough situation when they were unable to drive a demon out of a young boy. When they later asked Jesus why they had failed, He said, This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting .
Now fasting, in this instance, would not have changed God or His will concerning the boy. But it would have changed the disciples. Jesus had already directed the disciples to cast the demon out. That demon was undoubtedly stubborn, and when he resisted, the disciples slipped into unbelief. Had they been fasting and praying, they would have been strong in the spirit, and they would have been able to do what Jesus didcast the demon out!
If youre born again and you begin to face a temptation to submit to darkness, start fasting and praying. Get into every Holy Ghost meeting you can find until you get enough of the Word of God in you to separate you from the things that are trying to pull you back.
A Word of Caution
