Do you need a breakthrough for you, your family, your marriage, your ministry or your business? Does it seem like something is preventing the answer to your prayers from coming forth? Perhaps you need to enter into a time of prayer and fasting.
Both prayer and fasting are supernatural weapons of spiritual warfare, and when used together, they cause us to become lethal to the enemy’s plans formed against us.
But even though we have been given such powerful weapons to overcome the wiles of Satan, most Christians do not use them. Why? The Bible tells us in Matthew 26:41, “The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” It takes obedience and discipline to activate the power of prayer and fasting.
Yes, it takes obedience. According to the Bible, it is not if, but when you fast. Do you realize that fasting is mentioned about 80 times throughout the Bible? And 30 or more of these verses are found in the New Testament.
I remember one time I was about to sit down and read and study my Bible, but before I did, I asked the Lord if He wanted me to embark on another fast. Wouldn’t you know my Bible fell open to the following passage: “I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have esteemed the words of His mouth more than my necessary food” (Job 23:12). Now, I had a choice to make, either I was going to pretend that the Lord did not respond to my request or I was going to obey Him. Fortunately, I obeyed.
Prayer and fasting are spiritual disciplines. Just as godly parents train and discipline their children in the ways of the Lord, so too, our heavenly Father loves us and knows what we have need of. He understands what is best for us, and by activating these spiritual weapons, we also gain two important attributes of the Lord: obedience and discipline. Prayer and fasting are beneficial for us.
Let’s look at some of the benefits prayer and fasting provide us.
Spiritual Benefits
- Protection from our enemies
- Freedom from the bondage of sin
- Victory over temptations
- Manifestation of physical healing
- Deliverance from evil spirits
- Repentance and revival
- Restoration
- Release into ministry
Physical Benefits
- Detoxes your body from impurities.
- Resets your hormones.
- Lowers weight.
- It has other physical benefits as well, such as lowering cholesterol levels, high blood pressure and other physical ailments.
Prayer and fasting have both physical and spiritual benefits for us, but even more importantly, they are heavenly weapons that when used together cause spiritual breakthrough for us.
On the next post, let’s look at few different types of fasts found in God’s Word for you to choose from.
Becky Dvorak is a healing evangelist and the Destiny Image author of DARE to Believe and Greater Than Magic. Visit her at authorbeckydvorak.com. Becky will be ministering in the Virginia area on these dates.
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