Pray and Fast
Updated: 7 hours ago
My Daughter, Take My Hand to Pray and Fast
Matthew 17:18-21 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?" So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."
Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
Isaiah 58:5,6 Is it a fast that I have chosen, A day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush, And to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Would you call this a fast, And an acceptable day to the LORD? "Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke?
Acts 13:2 As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, "Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."
Luke 2:37 . . . and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.
Matthew 4:1,2 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.
Thank You Heavenly Father
Your love, the love of Jesus Christ and the power of Your Holy Spirit will always empower my prayer and fasting.
When Jesus answered His disciple’s questions about why they could not cast out the demon from the boy in Mark chapter 9, He said this kind does not go except by prayer and fasting. The “kind” He was talking about was not the type of demon the boy had. Jesus had already given them the power and authority to cast out all demons. Jesus was talking about unbelief.
The wrong motive behind prayer and fasting is trusting in what we do is necessary to move God to work in a situation. When we believe this, prayer and fasting becomes a work of the flesh rather than a work of the Spirit.
The right motive for a fast is to deny our flesh to weaken our focus on our thoughts and our body. When you do this, you make room to see and hear the Holy Spirit about the situation. The Holy Spirit will use our mustard-seed amount of faith to bring healing, deliverance, and breakthrough.
The truth is God is working in our situation. Our prayer and fasting should be a celebration of God’s goodness to us.
My Daughter, look at Matthew 6:17,18 for Jesus’ words about prayer and fasting:
But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
All scripture above taken from NKJV. See Scripture Acknowledgements page