Benefits of Prayer and Fasting
Isaiah 58: 6-12
6 "Is this not the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh?
8 Then your light shall break forth like the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
9 Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and He will say, ’Here I am.’ "If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
10 If you extend your soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul,
Then your light shall dawn in the darkness, and your darkness shall be as the noonday.
11 The LORD will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought,
And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
12 Those from among you shall build the old waste places; you shall rise up the foundations of many generations; and you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, the Restorer of Streets to dwell in. NKJV
12 specific benefits:
1. Revelation
2. Healing and wholeness
3. Righteousness
4. The presence of Shekinah Glory
5. Answered prayers
6. Continual Guidance
7. Contentment
8. Refreshing
9. Strength
10. Work the endures ( Like an ever flowing spring)
11. Raising up of future generations
12. Restoration
Fasting and prayer is a powerful spiritual weapon that will effectively defeat sinful habitation is your life. It is the spiritual equivalent to the work out of an athlete in a gym.
As you fast and seek Gods face he will begin to implant His authority in your spirit born out of intimacy with him. The spiritual evil will know you have the relationship with God to defeat them by sensing the power of God in your life.
If you are seeking a physical healing from the Lord you need to fast and pray before believers seek God for your healing with you. If your marriage is having difficult times your need to fast and pray for a season before your expect your marriage to change. If your or someone you love has any form of chemical addiction they need to fast and pray so deliverance can actually happen in their life. Continual habits and temptations can be defeated if people will fast and pray.
Many of the chronic behavioral problems, mental problems, addictions, are explained in scripture as being caused by demonic forces. Listen church we are at war and one of our most effective weapon is fasting with prayer.
Fasting develops a holy atmosphere around you that pushes the evil away and beckons the holy into your soul.
I want you to see people who are in bondage all around you. People are broken, hurting, desperate, under he attack of Satan. This kind of spiritual bondage will not be helped by a Christian psychologist or the best psychiatrist. Words of encouragement will fail. Simple little prayers in the name of Jesus will not be effective.
Matt 17:21… But this kind of demon won’t leave unless you have prayed and gone without food." TLB
Mark 9:29… And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting. KJV
When ever the Christian becomes serious about getting out of bondage. If the believer becomes desperate enough to follow the instruction of the bible.
We will then be able to stop the demonic forces, who invade our families and lives whenever they choose and bring to us continual pain and frustrations.
• Are you willing to pay the price to set the captives free?
• Are you willing to set into motion the events of fasting and prayer that will defeat the habits in your life?
• Are you willing to discipline your life to the extent necessary to see complete victory for you family.
The greater the needs that are around you = the greater the need for you to fast and pray.
II reasons to fast:
1. We fast in obedience to Gods word.
Fasting is embedded in God’s word. It has always been the toll for victorious leaders in both the old and new testaments. If the biblical record is any indication that winners, fast and losers do not.
Scripture:
2 Sam 1:12… They mourned and wept and fasted till evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the army of the LORD and the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword. Mourning
Dan 9:2-3… I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the LORD given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. 3 So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes. Community
1 Sam 7:6… On that day they fasted and there they confessed, "We have sinned against the LORD." Confession
Neh 9:1-3… the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and having dust on their heads. 2 Those of Israelite descent had separated themselves from all foreigners. They stood in their places and confessed their sins and the wickedness of their fathers. Confession
2. We fast to humble ourselves before God and obtain His grace and power
How often do we need grace? Do you need God’s power to accomplish your calling and vision?
Fasting keeps the Christian honest about your spiritual life. Fasting regularly, one day a week or month keeps our attitude right.
James 4:10… Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. NKJV
3. Fast to overcome temptations in areas that keep us from moving into God’s power.
If the anointing is not flowing freely through you, it is God’s sign that you need to fast and pray. Luke 4 speaks of Jesus coming out or the wilderness in power. He had fasted and prayer , defeated the temptations of Satan and then came forth with power.
4. We fast to be purified from sin and to help others to become pure.
Scripture is very clear that Jesus defeated sin on the cross yet it is also very clear that all of us continue to deal with besetting or entanglements of sin which keep popping up.
God want us to defeat all those entanglement sins in our life and then go further to intercede for others. An effective intercessor has already been victorious with in their own life through fasting and prayer.
Daniel was a great intercessor and has a model prayer for us in Daniel 9:3-5. Dan 9:4-5… we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled NKJV
Joel 2:12...’Even now,’ declares the LORD, ’return to me with all your heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning.’ repentance
Fasting for purity can be a bit confusing because of the nature of the cleansing process.
Ill temper: If you have a temper buried deep in you life that only God and your spouse see, when you fast it will come to the surface and other will see it to.
All the hidden and covered sins you thought had long been dealt with will be exposed to the light where God can do the complete work.
Fasting for purity takes patience and God will soon clean you out and set you free.
5 We fast to become weak before God so God’s power can become strong.
Fasting is a choice for God and against the flesh. When you fast, you are making a mental, physical and emotional decision that you want God’s power in your life. You want God’s answers not yours.
2 Cor 12:9.. "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."
6. We fast to obtain Gods support in order to accomplish Hid will.
Acts 13:2-3… While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off. Ministry
Acts 14:23… Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust. Church assignments
7. We fast in times of crisis
Est 4:16… "Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish." Protection/ favor
Just in case you haven’t noticed, America is in a crisis, Odessa is in a crises, Open Door church is in a crisis and we need God’s Help!
8. Fast seeking God’s direction
When confusion sets we need to fast.
When many directions to travel look right we need to fast.
When making a important decision we need to fast.
Who to marry = fasting
Where to work = fasting
How to minister = fasting
9 We fast for understanding and divine revelation.
As believers we need more than direction, we need revelation and understanding.
Jer 36:6… You go, therefore, and read from the scroll which you have written at my instruction, the words of the LORD, in the hearing of the people in the LORD’s house on the day of fasting. NKJV
WE have these reasons to fast for God wants to do a mighty work.
I challenge you to fight a good fight and win the battle through fasting.
Altar:
Are you discouraged today:
Do you need a mighty victory.
Have you been fasting and praying with us these past 40 days.
It is time to press on to full and compete victory!
