Prayer and Fasting

In his book simply titled, "FASTING", Pastor Jentezen Franklin reminds us that Satan hates when you pray with fasting. The Devil knows when you succeed in your endeavour you will be empowered to disrupt plans and destroy his strongholds. So he makes it his business to discourage you and distract you from your time of prayer and fasting.

Remember that Jesus preceded His earthly ministry with a 40-day season of prayer and fasting. Satan was determined to derail this part of Jesus' preparation for ministry. Before the fast was complete, the Devil cunningly suggested Jesus use His creative ability to turn stones into bread. And bread was one of the very things for which Jesus was, no doubt, hungry. But Jesus would not be derailed from His plan. He refused the temptation to put before Him something He determined to resist. Jesus knew that the benefits of a time of prayer and fasting would not be fully released until the 40 days were complete.

Satan will try, as he did with Jesus, to get you to focus on the increasing absence of your "bread" rather than the increasing presence of Christ's power!  Don't lose your focus. Jesus didn't. And when He completed His time of prayer and fasting, the Scriptures state, "Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit ..."

At the end of your time of prayer and fasting, others will see you acting and speaking with clear evidence of the mighty power of the Holy Spirit working in you and through you.

Prayer and Fasting

William Secker, a 17th Century Puritan Pastor, offered this excellent insight into prayer and fasting, "By fasting, the body learns to obey the soul; by praying the soul learns to command the body."

When the disciples could not stay awake in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus succinctly described the disciples' problem with the words, "The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak." Their spirit had expressed a desire to pray but their flesh was too weak to accommodate their spirit's willingness to pray. The weakness of the flesh persists even to this day. 

However, when it comes to fasting, it seems like the opposite is sometimes true. You, like I, may have discovered that the spirit is willing but the flesh is strong. The flesh demands to be given what it wants. The strength of the flesh threatens, and sometimes succeeds in its ability, to overpower our spirit. Fasting demands that a willing spirit takes authority over a flesh that can be remarkably strong.

A great Scripture for your spirit to affirm daily is "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." The Spirit of Christ can give strength to the flesh during the time of prayer and to the spirit during the time of fasting. 

Pray with me, "Thank you, Lord Jesus, for this opportunity to spend these days in prayer and fasting. I welcome your Holy Spirit to rise up within me and give strength to my body when my flesh is weak and weary in prayer. I welcome your Holy Spirit to empower my spirit to withstand every demand of my body in the time of fasting. I am determined to experience victory and blessing during this time of prayer and fasting, through Jesus Christ, my Lord.