Can someone get miracles through fasting and prayer? Yes, it’s possible. Fasting and prayer opens the door a=for new things to happen in your life and makes you sensitive to the move of God and the benefit of things He can do. In this article, we’ll delve deep into what fasting and prayer are, and the effect they’d have on your life when you practice them consistently.
Table of Contents
How do you fast and pray for effective results?
Here, we’ll be sharing with you tips to help you get effective results through fasting and prayer.
- Understand the duration of time you want to fast for and stick to it.
- Know why you’re fasting.
- Prepare well for the fast and get Bible verses that talk about the same thing. When it’s time for you to pray, lay it down in God’s presence. (See 1 John 5:14 – 15)
- Let your heart and mind be in what you’re doing.
- Make studying the word of God a priority.
- Pray earnestly and fervently (James 5: 16)
Why is fasting and prayer so powerful?
Fasting is a way of denying one’s self of something you’re used to and can’t do without. It can be food, sleep or any form of enjoyment. It’s a way of bringing the flesh into subjection and allowing the spirit of God in you to take preeminence. Prayer, on the other hand, is a way of communicating with God and building an environment of spiritual awareness. Fasting and prayer open you up to spiritual engagements and the possibilities in the spirit.
Does fasting bring miracles?
Yes, it does. A miracle is an event that is beyond human comprehension. It is beyond what human knowledge or strength can accomplish. And fasting is an act of subduing yourself and maintaining a position of total dependence on God for His intervention.
Does fasting make prayers more effective? Yes, it does. The Greek word for fasting is kana which means to bring under or to subdue. That is, subduing your soul in an act of humility. When you combine fasting together with prayers, it yields a powerful and effective result.
There is no specific formulation of prayer that can yield a fast miracle. However, the Bible gave us a way of getting an answer whenever we pray, and that’s by believing. Jesus says in Matthew 17: 20, “If you have faith and doubt not, you’ll ask the mountains to move and nothing shall be impossible for you”. Also, James 1: 5-6, “Let him ask in faith, and not waver (doubt)”. When you ask in faith, you get an answer. Believe you’ll get what you pray for and also believe that God can give you what you pray for.
What happens to you spiritually when you fast?
Fasting, aside from being an act of total abstinence from food. It is a spiritual engagement that causes a spiritual effect on the life of the person fasting. When you fast and pray, you make it easy for the Spirit of God to impact and influence your life, transform it and make you even better. Fasting and prayer also strengthen your conviction and intimacy with God.
What did Jesus say about prayer and fasting?
The disciples of Jesus in Matthew 17 were trying to cast out a demon, but they couldn’t. Jesus then told them that the reason they could chase out the demon was because of their unbelief. Then he went ahead to mention how such won’t go out except by fasting and prayer. He’s trying to communicate said to his disciples that fasting and prayer are ways to become spiritually strong and powerful above any evil spirit.
What type of fasting pleases God?
Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 6 verses 16-18 taught his disciples explicitly about the act of fasting and the proper way to go about it, which pleases God. The kind of fasting that pleases God is one done not to please men or receive accolades and appear spiritual to men, but one done in humility of heart and reverence to God.
He told his disciples not to be like the hypocrites who when they fast disfigure their faces and put on a sad countenance, that they may appear before men as someone who fasts. But they shouldn’t make it too obvious to God judges the intent of the heart and not the outward countenance. And fasting is between you and God, not a game of eye service.
Things to avoid when fasting and praying
The period of fasting is a time consecrated unto God; a time to seek God’s face, know His will and get His leading for your life. And you would rather not do things that’d thwart your fast and prayer. Here are things you must avoid aside from food when you are fasting and praying.
- Fornication (1 Cor 6:18-20)
- Doubt and unbelief,
- Envying and murderer
- Indecent lifestyle
- Drinking alcohol and smoking
- Adultery (Matthew 5:28)
10 importance of fasting and prayer
Here we’ll list out 10 importance of fasting and prayer to help you take it more seriously.
- It is a way to humble yourself before God (Psalm 69: 10)
- Teaches us how to depend on God. (Deuteronomy 8: 2-3)
- It brings about answers to your petitions. (Daniel 9: 1 – 23)
- Brings victory and deliverance. (Isaiah 58: 6-8, Mark 9:14 – 29)
- 5. It strengthens and rebuilds your intimacy with God.
- 6. It recharges and renews the strength of your spirit man.
- 7. It prepares you for your God-given purpose.
- 8. It separates you from worldliness.
- 9. It boasts your spiritual consciousness and helps you to hear God better.
- 10. It helps you to learn how to wait upon the Lord. (Isaiah 40: 31)
Miracles That Occurred Through Fasting and Prayer in the Bible
Here are Biblical examples of people who fasted and prayed and saw a miracle afterwards:
- Daniel entreated God through fasting and prayers, and He got an answer to His request. (Daniel 9: 1-23)
- Ezra declared a fast, and the people participated and sought the Lord for protection and direction. And they received an answer to their prayer. (Ezra 8: 21-33)
- In Jonah 3: 5-10, after Jonah had yielded to God to deliver His message to the people of Nineveh. After the message, the people cried and fasted to God to save them from the disaster that was to come.
Bible verses about fasting and prayer
In this section, we’ll be looking at the verses of the scriptures that talk about fasting and prayer;
- 2 Samuel 12:16
- Joel 1: 14
- Nehemiah 1:3-4
- Matthew 6: 16-18
- Joel 2: 12
- Jonah 3:5
- Acts 13:2
- Luke 2:37
Here are 5 incredible things you should know about fasting and prayer in the Bible, and must take note of;
- It’s a way to get direction from God and hear Him speak to you. (2 Samuel 12:16, Acts 13:2)
- Fasting and prayer are ways of seeking God’s face.
- It is a way of dedicating yourself to God in service.
- In the Old Testament, it’s a way of turning back to God and repenting from their evil ways. (Jonah 3:5, Joel 2: 12)
- Fasting and prayer are ways to enhance our ministry and service to God.
Conclusion
When you pray and fast, you shut yourself out of the tendency of being ruled and controlled by your flesh (the sinful nature of human beings), and you become spiritually aware and your God-consciousness becomes heightened.
