Prayer and fasting have always played an important role in the lives of men and women who believed in God. These spiritual disciplines have been used to transform the adverse circumstances surrounding them, helping them emerge victoriously. The power of prayer coupled with fasting has changed the course of the history of entire people and nations. If you find yourself in a constant cycle of generational curses, broken families, disease, poverty, and you lack the strength to break free, then keep reading to know how to be free.

What is Spiritual Fasting?

Fasting is a powerful weapon to tear down mountains, free and bring out every demon that prevents you from doing God’s work correctly. Most people define fasting as abstaining from any form of food as a religious observance and a means of humbling ourselves before God. While it is correct, it is not totally accurate. Fasting means detaching yourself from worldly affairs and solely connecting to God. When you are genuinely fasting, you deliberately push every form of distraction aside and give God your full attention.

Why Do Certain People Criticise Fasting?

Some believers will argue, “There is no need to fast, for Christ did it all.” True, Christ paid the price once and for all for every believer. But, the victory is only registered in the spiritual realms. The bible says that “And hath raised us up together, and hath made us sit together in the heavenly places, through Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6).

The bible says, “The heavens belong to the LORD, but the earth He has given to mankind” (Psalm 115:16). So the victory is not yet in the physical except you enforce it by aligning yourself to the spirit. Thus, fasting is a way of aligning yourself to the spirit to enforce the victory of Christ.

What did Jesus say about Fasting

Jesus taught his disciples that certain circumstances could not be removed except with prayer and fasting. Jesus answered, “This sort cannot come out by anything except by fasting and by prayer” (Mark 9:29). So, fasting gives us the access to gain power and break down any spiritual fortresses. However, Jesus also taught his disciple certain ways to fast and obtain results from God and behave like the Jews (Matthew 6:16).

Spiritual Importance of Fasting

Fasting is a physical exercise with spiritual implications. For example, when we fast and pray, we are endued with waves of power to conquer both the natural and spiritual realms. Here are some of the spiritual benefits of fasting and praying;

Fasting Makes You Sensitive to God:

Due to the different noises around the world, it is quite challenging to hear the voice of God. One of the distractions that often takes our attention away from spiritual communication with God is the concern for food or what to eat. The reason humans concern themselves with so much desire for food is that the strength of the flesh is the blood (Leviticus 17:11). The blood is the organ that carries broken down food to different body organs.

So, when you fast, the strength of the flesh, which is the blood, is without nourishment. Therefore, your flesh is humbled, and your spirit is made alive—as such, praying in the Holy Ghost when your flesh is weak awakens and fires up your inner man. Thus, your spirit is energized, and you can hear God better and sense spiritual activities that are affecting your life and that of others.

Your spiritual sensitivity is the ability of a believer to perceive, understand, and respond to spiritual signals. The Holy Spirit minister to believers about issues that concern them at every point. Still, if your spiritual sensitivity is dead, you will miss several spiritual information from the Holy Ghost. Therefore, fasting enhances your spiritual stimulus to pick up signals from God as the greatest enemy of the Spirit (the flesh) is weak. When the Apostles fasted and prayed, they could hear clearly from the Holy Ghost in the book of Acts.

“As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them” (Act 13:2).

Fasting Builds your Faith:

One of the easiest ways to build your faith is to fast regularly, pray and study the Word of God intensely. When your spiritual sensitivity has awakened, it is very easy to receive revelation from God from scripture. So, when you study the Word of God when fasting, the revelation received builds your faith to believe in God for the impossible.

Spiritual fasting is an effective means of removing the spirit of unbelief from our lives. What is unbelief? It is the lack of faith. So, the next time you find yourself doubting God, quickly take a fast, pray and study God’s Word on the subject matter. You will observe that you will be cleansed from unbelief and filled with faith.

A vivid example of how fasting and prayer build faith is the humiliating experience of the disciples of Jesus when they are trying to deliver a demon-possess boy, but they are completely powerless. They ask Jesus why they could not perform the miracle and set the boy free. Jesus responded that they lack faith.

Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? 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. However this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting (Matthew 17 : 19 – 21).

Fasting Leads to Deliverance:

Several times, what you need is deliverance from Satanic operation or manipulation. Prayer and fasting are effective ways to break loose and command the supernatural. The bible says, “Is this not the fast I have chosen? To lose the bands of wickedness” (Isaiah 58:6).  Also, the bible is clear about the action to be taken when someone is sick and desired to be healed. According to the book of James “Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up.” So fasting and prayer is a way of manifesting the deliverance and healing in Christ Jesus.

In conclusion, praying and fasting are effective tools for humbling the flesh, increasing your sensitivity to God, and commanding the supernatural. Do you think there are more to the reasons given above on the spiritual benefits of fasting and prayer? Or do you need prayer, then feel free to contact us. To know more about the spiritual benefits of fasting and prayer, visit our library to view some of our published books