The power of prayer and fasting

"Fasting and prayer? Didn't those go
out of style decades ago?" The woman who said
this to me was a godly woman, a woman who had
been in the church all her life, and a woman
intent on obeying the Lord. She knew her Bible.
She was very serious in her questions.
Yet for some reason, she had concluded -- at
least subconsciously -- that fasting and prayer
were no longer intended for believers in today's
world.
The truth is, fasting and prayer are for today!
In fact, now more than ever!
The combination of fasting and praying is not a fad or a novelty
approach to spiritual discipline. Fasting and praying are not part of a
human-engineered method or plan. They are not the means to
manipulate a situation or to create a circumstance. Fasting and praying
are Bible-based disciplines that are appropriate for all believers of all
ages throughout all centuries in all parts of the world.
Through the years, I have learned that many people in the church
have never been taught about fasting and prayer, and many have
therefore never fasted and prayed. As a result, they don't know why
fasting and praying are important, what the Bible teaches about
fasting, or how to fast. To many, fasting sounds like drudgery -- or a
form of religious works. To others, fasting sounds extremely difficult.
People tend to stand in awe at reports of those who have fasted for
several weeks. When I hear about such fasts, I no doubt think what
they think: If I fasted that long, I'd die! I couldn't possibly do that!
Let me assure you at the outset of this book that I am not advocating
prolonged periods of fasting for every believer. A fast can be as short
as one meal. Neither do I advocate fasting and praying for the mere
sake of saying with self-righteousness, "I have fasted and prayed
about this." I do not advocate fasting so that the hungry in a foreign
nation might have the food you would have eaten that day -- which is
highly unlikely. I do not advocate fasting apart from prayer.
KEY REASONS TO FAST AND PRAY
I do, however, encourage every believer to fast and pray for two very
important reasons:
1. The Scriptures Teach Us to Fast and Pray
The Bible has a great deal to say about both fasting and praying,
including commands to fast and pray. The Bible also gives us examples
of people who fasted and prayed, using different types of fasts for
different reasons, all of which are very positive results. Jesus fasted
and prayed. Jesus' disciples fasted and prayed after the Resurrection.
Many of the Old Testament heroes and heroines of the faith fasted
and prayed. The followers of John the Baptist fasted and
prayed.Many people in the early church fasted and prayed. What the
Scriptures have taught us directly and by the examples of the saints is
surely something we are to do.
2. Fasting and Prayer Put You into the Best Possible Position for a
Breakthrough
That breakthrough might be in the realm of the spirit. It may be in the
realm of your emotions or personal habits. It may be in the realm of a
very practical area of life, such as a relationship or finances. What I
have seen repeatedly through the years-not only in the Scriptures but
in countless personal stories that others have told me -- is that periods
of fasting and prayer produce great spiritual results, many of which
fall into the realm of a breakthrough. What wasn't a reality . . .
suddenly was. What hadn't worked . . . suddenly did. The unwanted
situation or object that was there . . . suddenly wasn't there. The
relationship that was unloving . . . suddenly was loving. The job that
hadn't materialized . . . suddenly did.
The very simple and direct conclusions I draw are these: First, if the
Bible teaches us to do something, I want to do it. I want to obey the
Lord in every way that He commands me to obey Him. And second, if
fasting and praying are means to a breakthrough that God has for me,
I want to undertake those disciplines so I might experience that
breakthrough!
Every person I know needs a breakthrough in some area of his or her
life. I am no exception. I need breakthroughs all the time -- it may be
a breakthrough in understanding a situation, a breakthrough answer to
a problem, a breakthrough idea, a breakthrough insight, a breakthrough
in financial or material provision, a breakthrough in health. If you
have any need in your life, you need a breakthrough from God to meet
that need! Fasting and prayer break the yoke of bondage and bring
about a release of God's presence, power, and provision.
I certainly have seen this borne out in the course of my ministry.
When I was forty-two years old, I went to an Assemblies of God camp
in Alexandria,Minnesota, to speak for a women's retreat. The first two
days of the retreat went very well, and then I had one day in between
the first retreat and the second -- so many women had registered, the
camp could not host all of the women at the same time. I took that day
in this lovely place in Minnesota to enjoy the lakes and trees -- it was
a gorgeous environment -- and to fast and pray about God's will for
my life. I felt as if I was doing a lot of good things, but I also thought
I might miss God's best for me. I longed to hear from God and to
receive a revelation from Him about my life.
In that day of fasting and prayer, God spoke to me words from
Isaiah 11:9 : "I have called you to cover the earth with the Word."
Through the years, the Lord has confirmed that word to me a number
of times, but this was my initial call to take the message of God's Word
to the whole earth, and it came as the result of one day of prayer and
fasting.
The breakthrough that you may need in your life is a sense of God's
direction -- not only for today and tomorrow, but for the broad scope
of your life. If you long to know God's purpose for you on this earth, I
strongly encourage you to seek God in prayer and fasting.
THE PRINCIPLES OF BIBLICAL FASTING
There are two main overriding principles related to prayer and fasting
in the Bible.
First, biblical fasting is going without food. The noun translated "fast"
or "a fasting" is tsom in the Hebrew and nesteia in the Greek language.
It means the voluntary abstinence from food. The literal Hebrew
translation would be "not to eat." The literal Greek means "no food."
I know people who say they go without television or movies, and they
call these "fasting" times. I'm not opposed to that definition of
fasting-fasting does imply that we are giving up one thing in order to
replace it with something else, and in the Bible sense, specifically to
replace it with prayer. But in the main, I believe fasting has to do with
our abstaining from food. Second, biblical fasting is linked with serious
seasons of prayer. The more seriously we approach prayer and fasting,
the more serious the results we will experience.
I sometimes hear people say, "I'm giving up chocolate" and they regard
this as a type of fasting. I think this is a rather frivolous approach.
The first and foremost purpose of a biblical or spiritual fast is to get a
breakthrough on a particular matter that one lifts up to the Lord in
prayer. A spiritual fast involves our hearts and the way in which we
relate to and trust God. It relates to discerning and receiving strength
to follow through on what God might reveal to us about circumstances in
our lives or a direction we are to take.
I am not against people fasting in order to lose weight. Many people
fast to lose weight or maintain their weight.What I am opposed to is
making the losing of weight your primary goal in a season of spiritual
fasting and prayer. To have weight loss as a goal makes your fasting a
diet plan, not a time of genuine fasting and prayer. If losing weight is
your purpose in fasting, you will be missing out on the full reason for
fasting, and you likely will be concerned only with what you don't eat
rather than with what you are led to pray.
Now there's certainly an issue of food that is associated with many
seasons of prayer and fasting, and let me quickly add this: control of
eating is a valid reason to fast. The purpose is not the number of
pounds you might lose during a fast, but rather, trusting God to help
you regain mastery over food during a fast. Jesus said, "The spirit
is . . . willing, but the flesh is weak" (Matt. 26:41). Fasting is a means
of bringing the flesh into submission to the Lord so He can strengthen
us in our mastery over our own selves. Fasting in the flesh makes us
stronger to stand against the temptations of the flesh. Those
temptations very often deal with food.
Abstaining from food is often God's way of showing that His desire for
us is that we regain mastery over all things associated with our flesh in
order to subdue our flesh and elevate our emphasis on spiritual
matters. God's promise is to help us as we overcome the flesh and put
all carnal temptations into subjection.
ABSTAINING FROM FOOD TO REGAIN MASTERY OF THE FLESH
We are wise to recognize that food was the enticement the devil used to
cause Eve and Adam to sin in the Garden of Eden. In Genesis 2 the
Lord God told Adam and Eve that they could eat freely of every tree
in the garden of Eden, "but of the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof
thou shalt surely die" (Gen. 2:17 ). God did not tell Adam and Eve to
refrain from touching a particular animal or smelling a particular
flower or swimming in a certain stream. He told them to refrain from
taking a particular fruit into their bodies-one type of fruit out of all
the many types He had made available to them.
God had given Adam and Eve authority over all things that He had
created-every bird, fish, beast of the field, and over "every herb
bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree,
in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for
meat" ( Gen. 1:29 ). God did not prohibit Adam and Eve from
interacting with any part of God's creation when He commanded them
to be fruitful, multiply, replenish the earth, and subdue it-except for
this one tree and its fruit. They were not to eat of a particular
tree,what God described to them as the "tree of the knowledge of good
and evil."
Why did God set apart this one tree and its fruit? God was giving Adam
and Eve free will and the ability to make choices and decisions. Free
will isn't really free if a person has no choice.
Adam and Eve had a choice to make about this one tree. God told them
to abstain from eating from its fruit because He did not want His
beloved creation to have a knowledge of evil. He had already given
them a full knowledge of everything He called "good."He wanted to
spare them the heartache of knowing evil. That's true for us today as
Christians. God calls us to pursue only what is good. Paul wrote to the
Philippians: "Whatsoever things are true . . . honest . . . just . . .
pure . . . lovely . . . of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there
be any praise, think on these things" (Phil. 4:8 ). God desires only good
for His children. He tells us in His Word, "Be not overcome of evil, but
overcome evil with good" ( Rom. 12:21 ).
Even as God calls us away from evil and toward good,He gives us a
choice. So many of the problems we have in our world today are the
result of men and women making the wrong choices. They have
knowingly and unknowingly chosen what is evil.And the end result is the
same for us as it was for Adam and Eve: death and all forms of sin
that lead to death (see Rom. 6:23 ).
Let me point out to you two results from the disastrous choice that
Adam and Eve made about the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil.
1. Diverted Attention
First, Eve listened to what the devil had to say to her about the fruit
itself. The devil diverted her attention from whatever it was that Eve
was doing. He called her attention to the tree and its fruit. The Bible
tells us the devil came to her in the guise of a beautiful and subtle
serpent and said to her, "Hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every
tree of the garden?" ( Gen. 3:1 ). There's no indication that Eve had
given much thought to the tree before the devil asked her this question.
There's no record that she longed for it or had any curiosity about it.
She certainly didn't crave it, because she had never tasted it!
In many ways, the devil uses this same tactic today. He calls our
attention to how beautiful and refreshing certain foods and beverages
appear. It's difficult to go through a day without seeing enticing food
and beverage commercials on billboards, on television, and in
magazines. Foods are presented in the most tempting ways in stores,
restaurants, and on menus. The devil says the same thing to us he said
to Eve:"Has God really said you can't have a bite of this?"
A woman once said to me, "If there's a piece of pie in my house, it
calls out to me. It says to me, even in the middle of night, 'Eat me.
Come eat me.' I can't resist."
Now I'm certainly not linking the devil to a piece of pie, but I am saying
this: the devil will always call your attention repeatedly to the thing
that is harmful for you, but he will do it in a way that makes you feel
deprived if you don't indulge in eating, drinking, or partaking of what
is harmful. The implication of the devil is always: "This is so good. Has
God really said you can't have any of this good thing?"
Never forget that the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil was the knowledge of good and evil. There was an element of good
in that fruit, not just evil. The devil told Eve specifically that the fruit
of the tree was "good for food, and that it was pleasant to the
eyes" ( Gen. 3:6 ). All Eve had to do was look to see that the fruit was
pleasant. She made a bad assumption, however, that what was visually
pleasant would also be "good for food." In that, the devil was very
wrong!
What about us? There's an element of good in foods and substances
that are ultimately bad for us, even if it's just the good appearance,
smell, or taste. Have you ever noticed how beautiful all the colored and
distinctly shaped bottles look in a bar? Those bottles always seem
lighted in just the right way to make them look very special, very
festive, very appealing. Many foods are pleasant to the eyes. Many
drinks are presented in ways that make them appear pleasing. We buy
into the lie that what is pleasing is also nutritious and beneficial.
Fasting calls us to turn away from food. Fasting calls us to redivert our
attention back to the things of God and His commandments. Fasting
calls us to face and overcome the devil's call: "Has God really said you
can't have this?" Fasting calls us to abstain from all things harmful
for us, and in most cases, from all food for a period of time. The
devil's insistent question is likely to become very loud in our minds as
we begin a fast: "Has God really said you can't eat? Not anything? Not
the things you love the most? Has God really called you to fast- to
abstain totally from this thing that you have labeled as 'good'?"
Our answer must be a firm "Yes! God has called me to fast. He has
called me to give my full attention to Him and to His commandments.
He has called me to obey Him fully in all things. And God has called me
to say no to you, devil!"
2. Temptations Toward False Benefits
Eve listened to what the devil had to say to her about the benefits of
eating what God had prohibited. The devil always points out the would-
be and usually short-term benefits of sin. Many substances that are
ultimately harmful for us taste good or feel good or bring pleasure. In
some cases, the partaking of the substance makes us feel like adults,
feel accepted by others, or feel more powerful and in greater control.
Some people say about certain foods and substances that they "give me
quick energy," "make me more alert," or "help me relax."
The devil told Eve that the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil would make her wise-she would be as a "god," knowing
good and evil.
In the short term, the devil was right. Eve suddenly had a knowledge
of evil. She really knew in her own experience as a human being that
evil existed. This was the first time in her life she had ever known the
contrast-up to that point, all things had been good.
What the devil failed to mention to Eve was the ultimate consequence
that God had associated with eating of this fruit: "You shall surely
die." The devil failed to mention any downside to her disobedience. In
fact, he dismissed God's consequences with a sarcastic question.
The devil comes at us the same way. The devil never tells us that
drinking alcohol can make a person an alcoholic. He never tells a
person that smoking cigarettes can cause him or her to have lung
cancer. He never tells a person that eating too much of the wrong foods
can lead to chronic illness and premature death. The devil points out
only short-term benefits, never long-term disasters.
When we fast, we are suddenly aware once again of what is good and
evil. We have a heightened awareness not only of God's goodness and
of God's commandments, but of the evil that abounds in the world
around us.
A man once said to me about fasting, "It seems that when I fast the
world seems much more black and white, at least for a period of time.
I see right and wrong much more clearly. I see good and bad, blessings
and cursings, benefits and negative consequences, what is godly and
what is ungodly. I am much more discerning about what lines up with
God's commandments and what falls into the category of 'man's
commands.'"
I asked him what happened after he stopped fasting. He laughed and
said, "I am still very clear on these things, but there's also a time
after I end fasting that the whole world seems more vivid and more
colorful than ever before. I can distinguish tastes again. The sky seems
bluer than before. The air seems crisper in the mountains. All of my
senses seem to be heightened toward what is God's creation-which is
always good- and what is man's invention-which very often has an
element of evil to it."
Those who fast often experience greater discernment of good and evil.
In fact, it seems to be a major by-product of fasting. God seems to
give us an opportunity as we fast to take a look again at our lives and
the world around us and to discern what is good and what is evil.