The Body of Christ needs to rediscover the power of fasting. We are more familiar to feasting than to fasting. Feasting times will attract many more people than fasting times in our congregations. The letter “e” (for eating) ought to be knocked out of our feasts because there is tremendous power locked up in the realm of the spirit waiting to be released through fasting. This power will work either for the kingdom of God or that of his archenemy the devil depending on which deity the fast is dedicated to. One of the reasons, among many, why the church is weak and powerless today is because of the fact that by and large we have neglected the discipline of fasting. If we are to fulfill our mission on earth, we must rediscover this discipline.
It is true that those who fast regularly experience greater power for living and for influence in the earth than those who don’t. The Lord Jesus himself showed us the way by beginning his ministry with a forty-day fast. According to Matthew 4, soon after that fast Jesus moved to Capernaum in the country of Zebulun and Naptali and the people who lived in darkness begun to see a great light, his healing and deliverance ministry began. Obviously something in the realm of the spirit happened in the forty day fast in the wilderness. While Adam had led to the fall of man by choosing to eat, Jesus won His battle in the wilderness by refusing to eat at the wrong time. Jesus went into his 40 day fast full of the Spirit (Luke 4:1) but He came out of the fast in the power of the Spirit (Luke 4:14); there is a big difference between the two.
Fasting Format:
The standard 40 day fasting formats will take the form of a:
- 24-hour fast (one meal a day – Please keep your body hydrated by drinking enough fluids) or
- Daniel Fast (fruits and vegetables) or
- Prayer groups or churches can also arrange chain prayer and fasting among themselves.
Those who are new to fasting or who have recently concluded a long fast can exercise liberty to modify the fasting format.
Themes of Prayer: (Downloads below)
