Praying With Assurance: Keys to Profit and Progressනියැදිය

THE PLACE OF FASTING WITH PRAYER

Prayer is powerful, but when combined with fasting, it gains an added edge in the spirit. Jesus said in Matthew 17:21, “Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.” There are stubborn situations that will not bow to ordinary prayers; they demand the sacrifice of fasting. Fasting does not change God—it changes you. It quiets your flesh, sharpens your spirit, and gives your prayer greater penetration. Many believers pray but refuse to fast, and so they lack power to handle certain battles. Fasting is not starvation for dieting purposes; it is consecration that focuses your spirit on God.

Isaiah 58:6 says, “Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?” True fasting is not a hunger strike—it is a spiritual weapon. It is not merely staying away from food but separating yourself unto God, breaking yokes, and lifting burdens in prayer. Fasting amplifies intercession and weakens satanic resistance. Jesus Himself began His ministry with forty days of prayer and fasting. If the Son of God needed fasting, who are we to treat it as optional? Many of the giants of faith we read about carried unusual fire because they embraced fasting regularly.

Beloved, embrace fasting as part of your spiritual discipline. Let it not be only when the church declares it; choose personal seasons to combine fasting with prayer. Approach it with the right heart—humility, repentance, and focus on God. Do not fast and quarrel or gossip; such fasts are wasted efforts. Use the time you would have eaten to pray, study, and seek God’s face. As you do, expect stubborn yokes to break and doors to open. Fasting makes your spirit sensitive and your prayer altar sharp. Today, ask the Lord to give you the discipline to add fasting to your prayer life. In this generation of comfort and distraction, fasting remains a forgotten weapon. Recover it, and you will see uncommon victories.

THOUGHT TO PONDER:
Do I see fasting as a burden or as a weapon? How can I incorporate fasting into my prayer life for sharper results and deeper encounters?

PRAYER:
Lord, strengthen me to embrace fasting with prayer. Let every stubborn yoke in my life break, and let my altar carry fresh fire and uncommon results. Amen.