A Fasting Prayer For Resisting Temptation:
All of us face temptation in life. Even Jesus was tempted in the wilderness and is our example of how to face it.
Matthew 4:1,2 describes, Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry.
Like Satan tempted Eve in the garden with food , he first tempted Jesus with food, too. The tempter came to Him and said, If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread. Jesus answered, It is written Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God .
Although Eve could eat from every tree in the garden except one in order to obey God, , she gave into temptation and ate from it .
Unlike Eve who had plenty to eat, Jesus was without food in the wilderness. Yet, through fasting and obeying Gods word, He resisted temptation and defeated the scheme of the evil one.
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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.
Inspiring Bible Verses For Fasting
Here are ten of our favorite Bible verses to motivate and inspire you to keep the faith during fasting.
There are many spiritual benefits to fasting and many ways to do so. In the Bible, the prophet Daniel fasted for 21 days, eating only fruits and vegetables and drinking only water. Jesus fasted for 40 days in a period we call Lent. If youre considering a fast, check with your doctor before beginning to make sure its medically safe for you to do so. Perhaps you are considering a different kind of fast. Some people choose to give up technology or a social media platform for a period of time. Whether youre fasting as a personal spiritual exercise or as a community, and whether youre limiting your food or your time on Facebook, the Bible offers many words of wisdom on fasting. Here are ten of our favorite Bible verses to motivate and inspire you to keep the faith during fasting.
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Surrender In Fasting And Prayer
Heavenly Father, You deserve more than the few crumbs that fall from my too-full calendar. You deserve my best. A heart of worship, night and day. A willingness to add fasting and more prayer time to my life. Please teach me to be still, to wait, to listen and always to give thanks.
I surrender my thought life to You. Please reveal the fantasies Im using for false comfort. I want to choose Your loving presence in my life instead of worthless mental images. I trust that You will provide for all my needs and help me resist the devil. In Jesus Name, Amen.
The City Of Nineveh Spared
So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.
And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them and he did it not.
What a wonderful example for us of not only the power of fasting and prayer, but also the power of humble repentance! God rewards such fasting and prayer with His mercy! That kind of prayer changes things with God! To the point that God changes His predetermined course of action in answer to their prayers!
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How To Fast According To Scripture
When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, 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 others 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
Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, Why do we and the Pharisee fast, but your disciples do not fast? And Jesus said to them, Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made. Neither is new wine put into old wineskins. If it is, the skins burst and wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved. ~ Matthew 9:14-17
Meg Bucher gives a summary for fasting saying, “Fasting is a form of worship, an acknowledgment that we need God more than food. Fasting is not the same as a diet nor is losing weight the goal of a fast. Gratitude for the food God provides gives worship to God! In all we do, the aim is to keep God on the throne of our hearts, the center of our lives, and the top of our minds.”
Bible Verses About Prayer
But when you pray, go into your inner room, shut your door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you .
And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward .
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Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? .
- Real trust to the Lord
As for me, I call to God, and the Lord saves me. Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice. He rescues me unharmed from the battle waged against me, even though many oppose me. God, who is enthroned from of old, who does not change he will hear them and humble them, because they have no fear of God .
Jesus answered them, Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written: These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me .
When we express our feelings and problems in a conversation with the Lord, it can take place in the form of:
But I enter Your house by the abundance of Your faithful love I bow down toward Your holy temple in reverential awe of You .
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How Do You Prepare Your Body For Fasting
Fasting can be mentally and physically tiring, so people must carefully prepare themselves by:
Prayer Before A Fast Begins
Lord, as I begin this time of fasting, fill me with your strength. Help me to use this as a time of growth, renewal, and healing. Calm my anxiety about what I might be giving up or times of discomfort that I might face.
Provide me with assurance that You will strengthen me during the difficult times and meet me for sweet moments of spiritual growth and surrender.
Help me focus not on what is being taken away, but what Im gaining as I use this as a spiritual discipline. With you leading, Holy Spirit, I am ready.
I dedicate this fast to You, Lord, and to Your glory.
In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
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Scriptures/ Bible Verses On Fasting
Fasting is a spiritual excise for Christians. Fasting weakens the flesh as it strengthens the Spirit of man.
Joel 1:14Consecrate a fast, Call a sacred assembly Gather the elders And all the inhabitants of the land Into the house of the LORD your God, And cry out to the LORD
Matthew 17:21However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.
Joel 1:14Consecrate a fast call a solemn assembly. Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD.Matthew 9:14-15Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast? And Jesus said to them, Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.
Let Him Know Youre Here With Your Heart Wide Open
This is one powerful prayer to say, especially when starting your fasting. You need to let him know how remorseful you are, how youre here at his feet with all your heart wide open for him, and how you are waiting and hoping for his powerful hands upon your life. You could say
Oh, Lord! I enter into this sanctuary or fasting with a broken heart. Here I am, at the foot of your cross.
I know you love me, as I could feel the love of your heartbeat. Thank you for the grace to breathe. Thank you for my life. Here are my hands, Lord guide, and lead me. Im waiting, hoping, watching, and listening for your powerful hands in my life, Oh Lord! Im here with all my heart wide open.
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To Express Love And Worship For God
Fasting can show, as John Piper says, that what we hunger for most, we worship.
How should we equip ourselves when God calls us to declare a holy fast? Here are some things to consider as you prepare for fasting:
Pray and confess your sinsA necessary step before fasting is to humble yourself before God and confess your sins . Prayer should be our sustenance throughout the fast, but it is imperative we begin the fast with a contrite heart.
Turn to ScriptureSpend additional time meditating on Gods Word, before and during the fast.
Keep it secretFasting is unbiblical and even spiritually harmful when we do it to show off our spirituality or when we focus more on our own fasting than on the clear needs of others . Dont boast about your fast tell people you wont be eating only if necessary. Fasting should not be done when imposed for false motives .
Prepare your bodyFasting, especially for days or weeks, can have unexpected and even detrimental effects on your health. There is no scriptural warrant for harming yourself to undergo a fast. Be sure to consult a doctor before starting any fasting regimen to make sure you can fast in a healthy manner.
Fasting is an appropriate bodily reaction to the grievous state of our soul. If it is done correctly you can expect many results, including growing closer to God, feeling more solidarity with those who suffer, and increasing self-control.
Jesus Teaches How To Fast And Pray For A Breakthrough
Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.
In Old Testament times some people would fast simply to make a show of how pious they were. Jesus here teaches us to fast in such a way that no one knows we are fasting. I will say, though, that sometimes your spouse will have to know.
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Prayer And Fasting Scriptures For Breakthrough
Prayer and fasting go hand in hand when we would seek God for help in dire circumstances. God desires to deliver His children from all their troubles. But He wants us to ask and seek Him through prayerand fastingas we feel led.
Here are some Bible examples of Gods deliverance in answer to His childrens prayer and biblical fasting.
Esther And The Jews Protected From Haman
Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.
And it was so, when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, that she obtained favour in his sight: and the king held out to Esther the golden sceptre that was in his hand. So Esther drew near, and touched the top of the sceptre.
God honored the Jews and Esthers fasting and protected Esther by granting her favor with the king. And then ultimately by delivering all the Jews from wicked Hamans decree to annihilate them!
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More Bible Verses About Fasting And Prayer
Matthew 6:16-18 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
Acts 14:23 And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.
Joel 2:12 Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:
Joel 1:14 Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders all the inhabitants of the land the house of the LORD your God, and cry unto the LORD,
Acts 13:3 And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent away.
Esther 4:16 Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise and so will I go in unto the king, which not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.
Isaiah 58:1-14 Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.
Ezra 8:21-23 Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance.
Matthew 5:6 Blessed they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Fasting For Holy Spirit Guidance
Father, I pray that You would remind me of Your still small voice. That You would quiet all distractions. I ask for Your call and purpose in my life to be made clear. Remove any and all confusion. I pray for the power of the Holy Spirit to speak to me and guide me as I journey on. Remind me Lord, that You have called your church the set apart ones and I am part of that. All for Your glory, Lord. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.
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King Ahabs Life Spared
And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.
Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his sons days will I bring the evil upon his house.
Biblical fasting is not just going without food, but involves humility and genuine repentance of sins. Fasting done Gods way will help us get our hearts right with God. Only then can God work to answer and bless us. Because Ahab humbled himself repenting of his sins, God chose to spare his life! Wow!
Fasting enhances our prayers and intensifies them, opening doors that might otherwise be closed to us. Some things only come by prayer and fasting.
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