All Scriptures (English Standard Version)
Mark 9: 25-29
25And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” 26And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” 27But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. 28And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” 29And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”
Matthew 6:16-18 (ESV)
16“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Isaiah 58 (ESV)
1 “Cry aloud; do not hold back; lift up your voice like a trumpet; declare to my people their transgression, to the house of Jacob their sins. 2 Yet they seek me daily and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that did righteousness and did not forsake the judgment of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments; they delight to draw near to God. 3 ‘Why have we fasted, and you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?’ Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure,a and oppress all your workers. 4 Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with a wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high. 5 Is such the fast that I choose, a day for a person to humble himself? Is it to bow down his head like a reed, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast, and a day acceptable to the Lord?
6 “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressedb go free, and to break every yoke? 7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? 8 Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; 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 pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. 11 And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. 12 And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in.
13 “If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasurec on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the Lord honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, or seeking your own pleasure,d or talking idly;e 14 then you shall take delight in the Lord, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth;f I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
The scriptures are pretty clear on fasting and prayer. It’s interesting that all of the scriptures point to a positive outcome for the community when people are fasting and not just securing outcomes for themselves. Isaiah states that God will not even acknowledge fasting that ignores social jusitice. Jesus demonstrated God’s power often and attributed some of it to fasting, attesting to a greater portion for those who adhere to His instruction. Simply put, we have to get back to prayer and fasting as a discipline and way of life.
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Some Benefits of Fasting
1. Sets oneself apart to God
2. Promotes self discipline and sacrifice
3. Drives out spiritual opposition
4. Promotes Kingdom Now (You can do something right now to promote God’s kingdom.)
5. Accelerates God’s favor in situations He has led us to
6. Softens the heart toward God and others
7. Releases blessings and deliverance into the lives of others
Borthers and sisters if you have not combined fasting with prayer seek the Lord to understand this powerful approach to Him. Next, implement this into your life.