But fasting always has this twofold capacity: First, it can bless and deepen your regular prayer. (Google image, Praying woman.."If only we would live in expectancy for
His constant intervention we would experience true kingdom living at its best.")
It is a blessed component of a deep devotional life, of a close walk with God. My father often pleaded when he exhorted his congregations to fast, "Try it! Try it!"
Second, it can intensify your power to prevail in prayer. For those occasions when Satan is long-entrenched and needs to be driven back and expelled, fasting add to prevailing prayer may be imperative.
For those battles where Satan has resisted thus far much militant intercession, add fasting to your prayer. If possible, add collective fasting and prayer.
1. Fasting deepens humility. Ezra humbled himself with fasting (Ezra 8:21). David humbled himself with fasting, "when my prayers returned ... unanswered" (Ps. 35:13).
Earnest seeking of God always involves humbling oneself before God.
Humble yourselves ... under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time" (1 Peter 5:6); see also 2 Chron. 7:14; James 4:10; 1 Peter 5:5). The least bit of pride or self-related ambition can block prevailing prayer. Fasting is a biblical way to deeper humility.
2. Fasting can deepen hunger for God to work. Spiritual hunger and fasting have reciprocal power. Each deepens and strengthens the other. Each makes the other more effective. When your spiritual hunger becomes very deep, you may even lose the desire for food.
All of the most intense forms of prevailing prayer—prayer burden, prayer wrestling, and prayer warfare—can be deepened, clarified, and greatly empowered by fasting.
Your hunger gains tremendous power as you fast and pray—particularly if you set apart time from all else to give yourself to fasting and prayer. It can become a spiritual joy to fast.
3. Fasting intensifies prayer concentration. Fasting strengthens your prayer priorities, focuses your prevailing, and enables you to give more uninterrupted concentration to prevailing intercession.
Satan wants to bring a hundred distractions to disrupt your prevailing prayer. Fasting helps your spiritual nature master your wondering thoughts and helps you triumph over sight and sense.
Fasting helps unclutter and unburden your mind from life's activities, problems, responsibilities, and associations. It permits the wind of the Spirit to blow away your mental and spiritual fog, freeing you and, as it were, cleansing you from much of the external world.
Then it is more easy to be truly alone with God, face-to-face in communion and intercession. Fasting can lead to great calm and peace of soul. On the other hand, it may clear the way for dynamic wrestling in prayer and mighty prayer warfare.
Said R. A. Torrey regarding fasting prayer,
"There is a peculiar power in such prayer. Every great
crisis in life and work should be met in that way."
Andre Murray stated "Prayer needs fasting for its full and perfect development."
4. Fasting solidifies determination. Satan always wants to suggest that we give up and stop interceding. He comes with many forms of attack—lethargy, battle weariness, and discouragement.
He wants to divert you from prevailing until the answer comes. Fasting helps inject iron into your soul, feeds your inner nature with new boldness and single-mindedness, and gives you holy determination. Fasting helps and nerves your importunity and helps express it.
Andrew Murry writes,
"We are creatures of the senses; fasting helps to express,
to deepen, and to confirm the resolution that we are ready
to sacrifice anything, to sacrifice ourselves, to attain what
we seek for the kingdom of God."
Used by permission of the author and Duewel Literature Trust, Inc., Greenwood, Indiana (With Jean's impressions added)
Mighty Prevailing Prayer
#105 Fasting Strengthens Prayer
by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel
(pp. 187 -189) Zondervan
Prayer-
 |
| Lady praying "When men stop praying for God’s Spirit, they place confidence in their own unaided reason,.." (Good word to read!) |
Father, may we find that fasting does actually
bless and deepen our praying.
As spiritual hunger and fasting deepens and
strengthens us, help us to become more
effective in praying, by using them together.
bless and deepen our praying.
As spiritual hunger and fasting deepens and
strengthens us, help us to become more
effective in praying, by using them together.
We understand that Satan doesn't want us
to pray at all, and won't want us to try
coupling it with fasting!
He dreads that, and he'll come against us in
many forms of attack: lethargy, battle
weariness, and discouragement.
Help us be successful in our attempts to
fast, trusting Your Spirit's guidance.
I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Today's Bible verses-
(Job 16:21 KJV) "O that one might plead for a man with God, as a man pleadeth for his neighbor."
(Ps. 18:25 KJV) "With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with the upright man thou wilt show thyself upright."
(Is. 26:3 KJV) "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee; because he trusteth in thee."
Today's quotes-
Today's quotes-
~ George Muller- "We must . . . continue in prayer until the blessing is given to us. Furthermore, we have to believe that God does hear us and will answer our prayer. Frequently we fail in not continuing in prayer until the blessing is obtained and in not expecting the blessing. As assuredly as any individual uses these points, so assuredly will his requests be granted." (Taken from p. 219 of his book, The Autobiography of GEORGE MULLER).
~ Rich Carmicheal- "Our Response to Christ: What a Savior! We can trust Him fully! He is all-sufficient and will be faithful to us as we entrust ourselves and our situations to Him. There is no limit to His power, no limit to His love for us and no limit to His resources. Is not such a glorious, loving Savior worthy of our complete confidence and trust? (Taken from p. 2 of the December 2016 Herald of His Coming).
Upcoming posts-
#106 Fasting Feeds Your Faith
13th- Thursday's post by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel
Hope in the Strangest Places
15th- Saturday's post by Ron Hutchcraft
18th- Tuesday's post by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel
#108 Carrying a Prayer Burden
18th- Tuesday's post by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel
Jean's blog (Click to see snippets of recent posts)
Below, you have an opportunity to leave a comment.
Or email me at jowildflowers@gmail.com
31-day Devotional
+ Jean's testimony
[Maybe just choose a title each
day that interests you]
A sample verse from p. 63-
A Lady Once Waited
for Strength
"So you'll find too that when you try
To obey what you've heard,
He will reveal the reason why
You'll need to heed His Word"
(Published by Lighthouse Publishing
of the Carolinas. Used by permission).
A great gift for someone who may need help
to prepare for marriage, and for those in a
marriage, wanting some helpful advice.
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