Temporary Sacrifice For Greater Peace
Dear Lord, help me to see how the temporary sting of sacrifice will be worth the peace I will find in You. Today I chose to forego simple pleasures to focus on knowing you better and prioritizing my relationship with You. Please help me to have the courage to say no to things that distract me mentally, spiritually, and physically. I long to be empowered with Your strength and Your peace today. I admit I need You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Answers To Earnest Prayer
The first and most immediate answer is the reward of what our fast is for. What was the specific stated purpose as we rehearsed above? Fasting functions as a kind of assistant to prayer. It comes alongside some specific request were making of God, through the access we have in Christ , and expresses an unusual earnestness. Fasting, as a handmaid of prayer, makes some special plea to God, with an added intensity from normal, everyday prayer.
Fasting is a kind of special measure in the life of faith. Normal life is not fasting. Normal life is steady-state prayer and enjoying the Giver through his gifts of food and drink. Fasting is a special mode, for unusual prayer and for showing the Giver we enjoy him more than his gifts.
The Power Of Bible Fasting
Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting . There are many who feel Biblical fasting is unnecessary because Jesus paid for all at Calvary. This, however, is not according to the Word of the Lord. The Bible teaches fasting for all Gods people never will you have real power with God unless you fast.
In Matthew, the ninth chapter, we read that Johns disciples came to Jesus asking why they fasted while Jesus disciples did not. Jesus answered, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast . After Jesus was taken from them, His disciples did fast.
It is recorded in Mark 9 that a father brought his son, who was possessed by a devil, to the disciples. They were not able to deliver the boy, but Jesus was. Later, the disciples wanted to know why they could not cast out the devil. They were told by Jesus that this kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting . In my services the sick are healed by the numbers, devils are cast out. How is it done? Through fasting, prayer and living in the Word.
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What Is Fasting Understanding Fasting
Fasting is choosing to do without something for a period of time.
The most common type of fasting is fasting from food, which can be done for many reasons and in various ways, including:
Fasting from items other than food is not as common but is practiced as well, including:
- Fasting for spiritual reasons, such as during Lent, commonly practiced in the Catholic church and by other Christians. These fasts can be from food, certain types of food, or non-food items.
- Fasting for a time of prayer and spiritual breakthrough. When you are in need of Gods help with a specific problem, fasting for a time of prayer can provide direction.
Click here for Christian quotes on fasting to read more about what spiritual leaders and prachers teach about fasting.
Spiritual Benefits Of Fasting
The boys were engrossed in a basketball game on TV last night. The teams star was on a hot streak and seemed to make every shot he took. Crazy shots. Off-balance, over the head of a defender who must have been a foot taller. From nearly mid-court. Three-pointers from way beyond the three-point line. He just couldnt miss a shot.
Weve all seen examples like this in sports or in other endeavors where someone is in the zone, totally focused and excelling at whatever theyre doing. Whats the secret to such success and how can we tap into it for ourselves?
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So Why Would We Voluntarily Give Food Up During A Fast
The spiritual discipline of fasting is important. The people of God have fasted for thousands of years, often in times in which securing food was a matter of survival and not convenience. Some early Christians even made it their practice to fast twice per week! Jesus Himself spoke about fasting several times. He always affirmed its importance but also reminded the disciples of its purpose.
Jesus was once asked why His disciples didnt fast like the Pharisees. Jesuss reply is a powerful reminder of why we fast: 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.
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Connecting With The Father
Father, purify my heart, that I would be focused on You and You alone as I surrender to You in me. If I rely on anyones approval but Yours, make it obvious so I can turn that part of my life to You again. As I start my secret life with You, cultivate our relationship and make it something incredible! Amen.
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What Does The Bible Say About Prayer And Fasting
Jesus practiced fasting when he was tempted by Satan, . During those 40 days of loneliness, He ate nothing . In fact, the earlier mention of fasting in the Old Testament were the instructions God gave Moses after leading his people to freedom in Exodus 13:3, Then Moses said to the people, Remember this day in which you went out of Egypt, out of the land where you were made to stay and work. For the Lord brought you out of this place by a powerful hand. No bread made with yeast will be eaten. The book of Acts also records believers fasting before they made important decisions . It allows us to take our eyes off the things of this world, we can more successfully turn our attention to Christ.
One of the many reasons why God called his people to fast had to do with the culture and times. Today, we can have a full meal in three minutes thanks to freezer foods and microwaves. Back then, hours upon hours went into food preparation. Fasting was a way to take the focus off ourselves and put it back on God. Jesus also gave us clear instructions on how to fast because it was meant to be a spiritual breakthrough, not pride.
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.
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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.
What Jesus Said About Fasting And Praying
And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place and it shall remove and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
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Why Do People Fast And Pray
“Fasting and prayer? Didn’t those go out of style decades ago?” The woman who said this to me was a godly woman, a woman who had been in the church all her life, and a woman intent on obeying the Lord. She knew her Bible. She was very serious in her questions.
Yet for some reason, she had concluded — at least subconsciously — that fasting and prayer were no longer intended for believers in today’s world.
The truth is, fasting and prayer are for today! In fact, now more than ever!
The combination of fasting and praying is not a fad or a novelty approach to spiritual discipline. Fasting and praying are not part of a human-engineered method or plan. They are not the means to manipulate a situation or to create a circumstance. Fasting and praying are Bible-based disciplines that are appropriate for all believers of all ages throughout all centuries in all parts of the world.
Through the years, I have learned that many people in the church have never been taught about fasting and prayer, and many have therefore never fasted and prayed. As a result, they don’t know why fasting and praying are important, what the Bible teaches about fasting, or how to fast. To many, fasting sounds like drudgery — or a form of religious works. To others, fasting sounds extremely difficult. People tend to stand in awe at reports of those who have fasted for several weeks. When I hear about such fasts, I no doubt think what they think: If I fasted that long, I’d die! I couldn’t possibly do that!
What Is The Daniel Fast
Daniel abstained from meat, bread, wine, and oils for his skin for 21 days .
These would have been things that satisfied Daniel, good food, and relief from dried skin. He abstained after being captured and brought to Babylon. It was likely the royal food was not kosher according to Daniels customs. When Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah, and other young Israelite men were taken into Nebuchadnezzars service, they were to be given food and wine from the kings table while undergoing a three-year training program. But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way .
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How Long Should You Fast For God
The length of the fast also depends on what you are fasting. If you are fasting both food and water, you shouldn’t fast for more than two or three days. Furthermore, if you are abstaining merely from food, you can fast for longer. Some people will fast from food and water but will drink juice to maintain energy.
Principle : Fasting Helps Us Subdue The Natural Man
Fasting requires discipline. Fasting helps us accomplish one of the vital purposes of life: developing self-mastery.
King Benjamin referred to this self-mastery as overcoming the natural man. He taught that the natural man is an enemy to God, always has been, and ever will be. If we donât overcome the natural man in this life and become âa saint through the atonement of Christâ , we will never live with our Father in Heaven again. Our physical bodies are created in such a way that we can have a spiritual victory over the natural man each time we properly fast.
âWhen a person starts a fast, biochemical adjustments begin in the bloodstream to compensate for the lack of food. A carbohydrate substance known as glycogen is released from storage areas in the liver and the muscles. The body uses glycogen as food to keep cells supplied with energy. After 24 hours this food source is used up, and another source of energy is needed.
âDr. Siegfried Heyden of Duke Universityâs Department of Community and Family Medicine says when this happens, the body starts looking for other energy sources. âThe first thing happening after a 24-hour fast is the breakdown of fat cells. And these fat cells, when they break down, produce ketone bodies, as they are called. And these ketone bodies seem to have an effect on our psyche in that they make us no longer hungry.ââ1
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You Cant Fast Or Pray To Receive What Is Freely Given
There are certain things that people fast and pray for that has already been freely given. When we accept Jesus Christ as our lord and savior, He gives us ALL certain gifts. I believe the enemy keeps many Christians stuck because they believe they have to do something to get the gifts and breakthrough. Or, they become prideful when they received more of these free gifts and breakthroughs than others.
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The sanctification process happens as God purifies our hearts and mind, so that we are not blind to what has ALWAYS been ours. In other words, God has to undo lies and remind us that He created us in His perfect image . Christs death and the free gift of the Holy Spirit gives us the power to operate in the purity that He intended in the garden. When we accept Christ We get the free gift the Helper who helps us AVOID sin.
Great Victories Were Achieved By Kings Through Prayer And Fasting
Psalm 109:24
My knees are weak through fasting and my flesh faileth of fatness.
Jeremiah 36:9
And it came to pass in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, in the ninth month, that they proclaimed a fast before the Lord to all the people in Jerusalem, and to all the people that came from the cities of Judah unto Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 20:3-4
And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the Lord: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.
Daniel 9:3
And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:
Joel 2:12-13
Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.
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How To Break A Fast
There are some who can drink juices when breaking a fast. If you cannot take juices on a weak stomach, however, then corn flakes or a cooked cereal with milk and NO sugar will be fine. Gradually you may take a little broth at short intervals with a little cooked rice added. The length of the fast determines how slowly you should get back to solid foods. After a long fast, for a number of days treat yourself as you would a baby because your stomach will have become tender and delicate. NEVER overeat when coming off even a short fast. Do not give vent to your appetite.
Spiritual Preparation For Fasting And Prayer
In preparation for this special time with God, cru.orgs guide to fasting urges that you examine your heart. Ask God to help you see your brokenness clearly so that you can confess your sins and repent. In Scripture, God frequently calls upon people to repent of their sins before listening to their prayers.
You can look to King Davids example in Psalm 66:16-20:
Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for me. I cried aloud to him, and he was extolled with my tongue.If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.But truly God has listened he has given heed to the words of my prayer.
Blessed be God,
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Results From Your Fast
Fasting will put self more under subjection to God. Doubts will be dispelled and faith will take their place. Jesus, speaking of faith to remove mountains, said to the disciples, nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting . Come to Grace Cathedral and see Gods miracle power in operation through fasting and prayer.
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Abstaining From Food To Regain Mastery Of The Flesh
We are wise to recognize that food was the enticement the devil used to cause Eve and Adam to sin in the Garden of Eden. In Genesis 2 the Lord God told Adam and Eve that they could eat freely of every tree in the garden of Eden, “but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” . God did not tell Adam and Eve to refrain from touching a particular animal or smelling a particular flower or swimming in a certain stream. He told them to refrain from taking a particular fruit into their bodies-one type of fruit out of all the many types He had made available to them.
God had given Adam and Eve authority over all things that He had created-every bird, fish, beast of the field, and over “every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed to you it shall be for meat” . God did not prohibit Adam and Eve from interacting with any part of God’s creation when He commanded them to be fruitful, multiply, replenish the earth, and subdue it-except for this one tree and its fruit. They were not to eat of a particular tree,what God described to them as the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”
Why did God set apart this one tree and its fruit? God was giving Adam and Eve free will and the ability to make choices and decisions. Free will isn’t really free if a person has no choice.
1. Diverted Attention
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