Her Pursuit is a christian blog set to walk with the twenty first century young woman so that, even as she endeavours to pursue life’s best she may not lose touch with her ultimate pursuit who is Christ, Her Groom. for she is first His before she is anybody else’s.
If you are of the fold, one time or the other you must have fasted. Praying and fasting is one thing that you cannot go for long without. Some of us are forced into the communal prayer and fasting for the church or the departments we serve in while other take individual fasts.
“…and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.”
I must admit that I am not a fun of fasting. I am yet to see a person who loves fasting. To me fasting is like a discipline I need to have and most of the times I fail terribly. I have found myself purposing to fast and while we get to lunch time, I feel like I would die if I do not take a bite at something.
Let us have one thing clear, fasting is important both health-wise and spiritually. In this series, we shall discuss fasting in depth. We shall start with the spiritual importance of prayer and fasting in this post.
Examples of people that Fasted in the Bible
The bible is full of people that fasted and obtained results from God. We have Moses who fasted for 40 days twice. Nehemiah fasted for 3 weeks seeking the Lord concerning Jerusalem. Daniel fasted for 3 weeks pleading for an answer for the king. Esther fasted for her people when she heard that they were scheduled for extinction. Jesus fasted before starting his ministry. Paul was a man of fasting as well.
Prayer and Fasting as our Mandate
“…to be ruled by your belly is to be ruined by your belly.”- Bishop David Oyedepo
Prayer and Fasting is our spiritual responsibility for securing our glorious destiny in Christ. To be ruled by our belly is to be ruined by our Belly. Pleasure is an enemy of destiny, Woe unto them that are at ease in Zion. Fasting is not a religious punishment, but it is a spiritual platform that establishes profitable triumphant living. May our glorious birth rite In Christ not be lost to our Belly.
“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.”
The Benefits of Prayer and Fasting
Empowerment into next level
The destruction of Yokes
Access to outbreak of revelation
Speedy restoration of health and vitality
Access to next level of sanctification
Express answers to prayer
Access to divine guidance
Facilitates access to realms of Supernatural breakthroughs
Access to speedy delivery of our inheritance
Let’s now delve into the individual benefits of prayer and fasting. Our main reading will be in the book of Isaiah 58.
1. Prayer and Fasting Empowers Into the Next Level
The apostles received power when the Holy Spirit came upon them. In Acts 4 they had great power. When Jesus in Luke 4:14 the Bible records that Jesus returned in the power of the spirit in Galilee. Moving forward to Luke 9:43, “And they were all amazed at the mighty power of God…” These are indicators that power is in levels. Engaging in prayer and fasting enables one to get into that next lever of power.
Therefore, fasting is about your level of empowerment which enhances your next level of Authority.
When Jesus was being baptized, the Holy Ghost said “this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.” Luke 4:14.
But after having come from His 40 days prayer and fasting the same spirit add, “ Here him.” This is a proof that his level of authority in the spiritual realm had changed. After this he gave his disciples power and authority against unclean spirits. Power is always accompanied by authority.
Levels of Prayer and Fasting
As the man went eastward with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a thousand cubits[a] and then led me through water that was ankle-deep. 4 He measured off another thousand cubits and led me through water that was knee-deep. He measured off another thousand and led me through water that was up to the waist. 5 He measured off another thousand, but now it was a river that I could not cross, because the water had risen and was deep enough to swim in—a river that no one could cross. 6 He asked me, “Son of man, do you see this?”
Ezekiel 47
In the school of the spirit, people operate in levels. Unfortunately, we think that speaking in tongues is the end of empowerment. However, in the school of the spirit, speaking in tongues is only but a registration in the school power.
Prayer and fasting not only changes things, it changes people. You are being changed as you fast. Have an understanding of the serious personal benefits that fasting has for you. Your words are thus filled with power when you fast. When you say it, it comes to pass.
Some temptations come to all men, but all temptations come to the idle
Billy Graham
2. Prayer and Fasting enables the Destruction of Yokes
Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the [c]heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke?
Isaiah 58:6
Prayer and fasting is a platform that helps in breaking yokes. Yokes represent things that choke people for a long time. These are things that we try to break by our own strength and power but never seem to actually overcome. Prayer and fasting helps in the breaking of these yokes.
And the yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing oil.
Isaiah 10:27
3. Prayer and Fasting gives Access to Outbreak of Revelation
2 Corinthians 4:4- whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.
Prayer and fasting brings forth access to the outbreak of revelation. Next to salvation, our greatest asset in the kingdom is revelation. Salvation rescues us from destruction while revelation rescues us from frustration and devastation. Many may be saved as passing through fire but there is value of redemption traceable in their lives. The reason for this us because of spiritual ignorance_ lack of access to light.
There is a satanic interference to your access of revelation. Most of these resistance can only be countered by prayer and fasting. Every believer will be limited to access to revelation if they do not engage in the covenant obligation of prayer and fasting. There is an outbreak of revelation that only comes from prayer and fasting.
Most scriptures will make sense to us only when we fast and pray.
“…but the people who do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.”
Daniel 11:32
The Lord does not have an up and down agenda for anyone. There is an outbreak of revelations in the place of prayer and fasting that decorates destinies. The outbreak of revelations restore dignities.
The light of God manifests when we pray and fast and everything becomes clear because of the revelations that He gives us.
Then shallthy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward.Isaiah 58:8
4. Prayer and Fasting gives Speedy Restoration of Health and Vitality
“…and thine health shall spring forth speedily…” – Isaiah 58:8
Fasting and Praying restores one quickly in health and vitality. Most sicknesses that Jesus healed were oppression from the devil. Some of these oppressions will not give way unless we pray and fast. When the disciples were unable to cast out a demon from a child, they asked Jesus why they could not heal the child.
Jesus responded to them and said, “Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.” When the root is removed the plague ceases. When the devil was permitted to attack the health of Job, the Devil attacked him with boils. In the natural look, it might have looked normal, but it was spiritual. Jesus rebuked the fever that was on Peter’s mother-in-law, meaning that it was an attack.
Satanic oppression has no medical solution. Sometimes, there are direct satanic attacks on your health. Prayer and fasting will route any oppression against your health and set you free.
5.Prayer and Fasting gives Access to Next Level of Sanctification
“…He gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out…”
Prayer and fasting gives you access to next level sanctification. Whatever disqualifies a man from making heaven needs attention. There are spirits of defilement whose sole purpose is to disconnect us from God and turn us to losers in the kingdom.
Anger, pride, immorality, lies and every filthy thing that separates us from pleasing God are destroyed by prayer and fasting. There is no satanic installation that will resist the authority of Faith, coupled with prayer and fasting. When we grow in power, we begin to mortify the deed of the flesh.
It takes the empowerment of the spirit to live a sanctified life. Fasting and praying is a platform for this sanctification. The Holy Ghost is a refining fire and he knows how to purge His own.
6. Prayer and Fasting gives Express Answers to Prayers
"...then shall thou call and the Lord shalt answer; thou shalt cry, and the Lord shall say, Here I am..."
Elijah prayed earnestly and the Lord answered him. Elijah won’t stop until God had answered him. Absent minded, bored kind of prayer will not receive an answer. Most times we even immediately forget what we were telling the Lord_not this kind of prayer.
Focused prayer, faith-deliberate prayer, prayer on a mission, prayer with a determination to return with an answer, fervent and heart-felt prayer receives answers.
7. Prayer and Fasting gives Access to Divine Guidance
“…and the Lord shall guide thee continually…”
Prayer and Fasting gives you access to divine guidance. The awesomeness of divine guidance gets you off the dry seasons of life. You become like a watered garden whose water fail not. When the Israelites were led in the desert, they did not thirst. The reason for this was that the Lord guided them.
When the Lord guides you, you never suffer confusion in life. You never miss your steps or run a trial and error kind of life. You are able to get clear directives from the Lord.
When you secure divine guidance and only the Lord leads you. Then you emerge an eagle believer and are made to ride on your high places. You suck honey out of the rocks and oil out of the flinting rocks when the Lord alone leads you. It is in this guidance that you become a living wonder.
8. Prayer and Fasting Facilitates Access to Supernatural Breakthroughs
“…and they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shall raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, the restorer of paths to dwell in.”
You children shall be greater than you in all respects according to Isaiah 58:12. You shall be a pacesetter in the order of breakthroughs that shall come through you. This is the scripture. Abraham though his beginning was small He was destined to be a father of nations.
A little one shall become a thousand and a small one a strong nation: I the Lord will hasten in His timeIsaiah 60:22
9. Prayer and Fasting Facilitates speedy Delivery of our Inheritance
“…I will hasten my word to perform it…”
Fasting provides the platform for outbreak of light and light entitles you to outstanding speed of accomplishment. By reason of the light by which you are walking. When you see well, you provoke speed. The brighter your light, the greater speed you gain.
Conclusion
Whatever disqualifies a man from making heaven needs attention” – Bishop. David Oyedepo
In conclusion, Prayer and fasting is not a cup of coffee for most people, and it is understandable. However, if you are of the fold, you cannot entirely avoid it. Avoidance of prayer and fasting will make a Christian live a defeated kind of life in this earth and that is not the will of God for any of us.
It is His love for me that keeps me writing and talking about Him. Seeing the Lord daily even in the littlest ordeals, faithfully pursuing Him and enjoying the adventure of His pursuit. Am HIS BETROTHED
