The Power of Fasting and Prayer

Hi today we are going to discuss the joys of fasting! Do you know what fasting is all about? Its about connecting yourself with God........think of yourself as a solar powered device.........everyday in order to run you need energy! You must set yourself before the sun or in this case the Son! Then we have the ability to run and go! But in order to keep ourselves going we need to charge ourselves humbly in Jesus. Let his comfort hold us, and feel his presence! So as we further unfold the powers of fasting let us reflect upon the true spirit of the key ingredients to fasting before the Lord!

Fasting is a form of sacrafice that we all can do even today! But we have to humble ourselves before Him. You have 3 different kinds of fasts that you can do! The type of fasts that you can do is obviously chosen up to you! And it varies from circumstance to situation depending on the reason you are fasting, the length of time you want to sacrafice to God to show your willingness to bow to his will! 1st you have a extreme fast.....this is the fast where you go without absolutely no food and no water. This type of fast should done only in real cases of emergency and depebding on how long you try to do this! It is suggested to only try this for just a short time! Next is the absolute fast! That is one of the most common types of fasting. Thats where a lot of churches invoke corporate fasting. Thats where you can drink water or liquid type broths for nutrients. This is the type of fasts where you plan on several days of fasting. I myself have embarked on this style. This is a really good one to do because in todays world you can still show submission and maintain nutrients! And lastly there is partial fasts. If you remember the story of Daniel then you'll remember he gave up certain things such as wine and meats! Now maybe you drink wine or maybe you don't eat meat. It's between you and God and what you are willing to sacrafice for your petition to God!

Now back to my main point of reconnecting with God! Many people fast as a form of asking God to use their sacrafice to open the door to something in their life. Whether it be a struggle, safekeeping, blessings! Me personally, i fast for healing and peace of mind and for personal growth.  I have been feeling a little lukewarm last week. So i had decided to go into a 3 day fast........Thank the Lord he has bestowed upon me a great blessing! But fasting isn't about starving yourself as some say. By noy eating you are showing God your sacrafice to His will and not yours. It also goes hand in hand with something more powerful..........are you ready!?!?!? PRAYER!

What exactly is PRAYER? Prayer is the act of communication between you and God! Its a form of communication that is more special than any human communication that you will ever come into contact with. Through communication to Him you can proclaim it out loud or just speak it in your thoughts! Remember He is our Creator and Father........He made us! He can read and hear tthe thoughts of our minds and hearts! There during our time of fasting he will search our hearts to the deepest most inner parts to see if we are being true! God is truly amazing in that fact that he is the only  person who can know your heart. And by prayer we are able to talk to Him, give Him glory, give praise to Him.  He loves to hear our obediance and can't wait to pour out His blessing upon us! That or annoint us with His Holy Spirit! 

Now we get to the juicy part........biblical quotes! Yeeea!
Now how or why did i mention prayer amongst fasting? Because they work together to bring about blessing, to stir up Gods work and make you feel it! Many times throughout the Bible it talks about fasting and prayer.......turn into  " Daniel 9:3 - Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes."    Now i don't understand the significance of the sackcloth and ashes are but, later i'll look that up and we'll dive into that! Another quote i really like is    2 Samuel 12:15-23" And the Lord afflicted the child that Uriah's wife bore to David, and he became sick. 16 David therefore sought God on behalf of the child. And David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground. 17 And the elders of his house stood beside him, to raise him from the ground, but he would not, nor did he eat food with them. 18 On the seventh day the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, “Behold, while the child was yet alive,we spoke to him, and he did not listen to us. How then can we say to him the child is dead? He may do himself some harm.” 19 But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David understood that the child was dead. And David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?” They said, “He is dead.” 20 Then David arose from the earth and washed and anointed himself and changed his clothes. And he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. He then went to his own house. And when he asked, they set food before him, and he ate. 21 Then his servants said to him, “What is this thing that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive; but when the child died, you arose and ate food.” 22 He said, “While the child was still alive,I fasted and wept, for I said, ‘Who knows whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’ 23 But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.”    That was a man after God's own heart and he sinned against God and his friend Uriah. But yet he was smart to know that by God's grace can this petition would be answered. Prayer while fasting can also bring about power through the Holy Spirit. I mean look at Jesus and his fast. He went up into the mountains and fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. What happened after that???? He came down and had the power to heal, and other supernatural miracles. Now i'm not saying you are going to be able to perform miracles! Then again i'm not going to say you can't either! That's between you and God! But we are enveloped in a power of God only brought upon us by the Holy Spirit! Look here what Jesus told his disciples about fasting........Mark 9:26-29 " 26 And the spirit cried, and rent him severely, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; so that many said, He is dead. 27 But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose. 28 And when he had come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out? 29 And he said to them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting."    Through prayer and fasting Jesus shows us the power that we have through prayer and fasting. It is not only limited to casting out demons..could be in leadership, pastorial, for some speaking in tongues, others in prayer warriors like no other! It doesn't always mean you are going to receive the same spiritual gift as your fellow brothers and sisters! God touches each and everyone of us differently as to his will be done and not ours!

Finally how does one fast......i feel its opening your heart and telling God......well come on in and help me fix it for you......here is my sacrafice as payment for your guidance. I've always heard the acronym for Bible as:

B.asic
I.nstructions
B.efore
L.eaving
E.arth............

Matthew 6:6  - " 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you."

I encourage you to go into a time of fasting and praying if you feel yourself starting to become lukewarm.....or religous....or distant from God.....but also to grow more Spiritually connected with Him! He loves that! Remember God loves you and I love you and thats the way t should be! Also God may not give you your answers right away, but through your faith and prayer......your answers are aleays there!