THE POWER OF PRAYER AND FASTING

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TEXT: Mark 9:17-29

INTRODUCTION

Prayer and fasting can be defined as voluntarily going without food in other to focus on prayer and fellowship with God. When prayer and fasting are combined and dedicated to God that they reach their full effectiveness. This is a way of forcing yourself to focus on God and rely on him for the strength, provision and wisdom you need.

The power of prayer and fasting is quite evident in the life and ministry of Jesus. His disciples however did not fast in those days. When someone asked Jesus why his disciples ate and drank, while the disciples of John and the Pharisees fasted often and made prayers. Jesus let them know that his disciples would fast after He has been taken from them.

* What they loose by his absence they would gain through fasting.
* The Pharisees fasted twice a week – this was a powerless ritual that gained them little more than weight loss and the acclaim of their peers.

Why did Jesus Fast
The lengthy time Jesus spent in the wilderness was not without purpose. It produced a dimension of power he could not get in other ways. Jesus was ready for every occasion of life and ministry because, He developed a lifestyle of Fasting and Prayer. The same goes for Christians today, there are some depths and dimensions in God that you can’t get into except you employ the weapon of fasting and prayers. E.g Ezekiel.

John Maxwell – “you have to give up to go up in life”. Life is always filled with tradeoffs. What will you be willing to give up to go up in life. Examples of Moses (Heb 11:25-26) He made some tradeoffs that looked ridiculous to the Egyptians, but his choices later paid great dividends. Esther (Esther 4: 15-16)

Some Christians will say why not just pray? What difference does fasting make?

i. Fasting adds focus to our prayers by allowing us to concentrate on God more fully.
ii. It fuels more passionate prayer by combining a great burden with real sacrifice.
iii. Fasting gives us strength that we miss when we just pray.

WHAT DOES IT ACCOMPLISH

Spending time in prayer and fasting is not automatically effective in accomplishing the desire of those who fast. I John 15:14-15 “This is the confidence we have is approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if he hears us … we know that we have what we ask of him”. In Isa.58:3-4 the people grumbled that they have fasted yet God did not answer in the way they wanted. Isaiah responded that the external show of fasting without the proper heart attitude is futile.

1. Fasting is a spiritual weapon that God expects us to use: we are in real spiritual battle and spiritual battles require spiritual weapons.

2. Fasting breakdown strongholds and barriers in the spirit realm.

3. Prayer with fasting enables us to see the unseen, hear the unheard, know the unknown and understand the mysteries of God. The bible becomes a living book.

4. Godly fasting with prayer releases breakthrough power e.g Yonggi Cho, Pastor with the largest church if ever he had to counsel anyone. He recommend that they go to the prayer mountain, fast for one week and if the problem still remain, he increases to 10days up to 40days and they come back with great testimonies.

5. It releases the anointing: Moses ascended Mount Sinai and his forty days fast produced more than a holy glow on his face; it also resulted in the giving of the law.
What do we stand to loose if we don’t fast and pray?

Judges 1:19 – God was with them, they had the advantage of the mountain. They were overwhelmed by the Iron chariots.

Dr. Udoh
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