Dear Brothers and sisters,
Look at Isa 58:11-12 NIV
The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. 12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
As we discussed last week, as believers, we’re supposed to fast. It is necessary that we fast. There are tremendous benefits to fasting. We also discussed that fasting doesn’t change or coerce God to do anything He didn’t already want to do. Fasting helps you put your flesh under subjection so you can focus on your inner man and on spiritual things. By having fasted and being “prayed up”, you are more sensitive to spiritual things and thus you are able to yield to the Spirit of God so He can use you as He wills.
Matt 17:19-21
19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?”
20 So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.
21 However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” NKJV
Jesus was not telling them that there are certain kinds of demons that wait until you fast before they can obey you to be cast out. No, He was telling His disciples that they ought to have been living the fasted life. They ought to have taken time to pray, put their flesh under subjection and build their faith before going out to minister to that young man. They were unable to cast that demon out because of their unbelief and carnality. So fasting gives you time to focus and meditate on the Word of God so you can build up your faith. Having done that then we can say that fasting helps you eliminate doubt and unbelief in your life so you can walk in the dominion and authority that belongs to you in Christ.
In Matthew 4:1-11 you can read for yourself how Jesus was in the wilderness fasting and when the devil came to tempt Him, He overcame each and every one of those temptations with His faith in the written Word of God. The devil did not find Jesus unprepared; they found Him armed with the Word. So can you live the fasted life to train your spirit for glorious victory when you take time away with God to fast, seek Him meditate on His Word and worship Him singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs delighting in Him. Then the benefits in Isaiah 58:14 become yours.
Isa 58:14 Then you shall delight yourself in the LORD; and I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
Look at Daniel 9:3-4 Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. NKJV
Daniel, a man who God rewarded openly for His life of prayer and fasting, spoke those words. While in Babylonian captivity, his fasting – even partial fasting of certain foods – brought about the open reward of God who blessed Daniel with wisdom beyond that of anyone else in that empire and brought about divine protection and promotion. Later as he fasted and prayed for his nationals to be set free from captivity according to the Word of the Lord, he broke the power of the delayer and released angels of God. As a result, God’s purposes were fulfilled and God brought great favor to Israel through Babylonian kings.
Like Daniel, you too can enjoy your time with God and do great spiritual exploits as you seek the Lord through prayer and fasting.
