Prayer & Fasting

Fasting with prayer has been a Christian practice since Jesus came. People fasted and prayed in the OT. Jesus fasted and prayed. The apostles and early church fasted and prayed and God expected that we would fast and pray. Fasting helps to subdue our flesh so that we are more alive in the spirit. Fasting helps to prepare us for deeper and more powerful prayer. Fasting helps us to break the bonds of sin as we humble ourselves and seek the person and presence of Jesus. 

Preparing for a fast:

Examine your motives

Matthew 6

Warning against fasting for wrong reasons

Examine your actions

Fasting is not a pleasing work in and of itself

Isaiah 58

Practical

Most fasting was 24 hours, sundown to sundown

Drink water

If you have health considerations with fasting, talk to a doctor

It will be hard

Christians much prefer feasting to fasting! Very few Christians practice fasting because of the difficulty. Allow this to difficulty to take you deep into prayer, asking God to enable you to continue.