I am struggling in this season of life. I have felt the Lord pick me up, put me back together, and mend some of the broken places… those are just some of the benefits of fasting and prayer.
Is that what you need today?
As we began, we launched a simple Spiritual fast and I got some questions from you. One was so specific that I thought I’d answer it here.
What Are The Benefits of Fasting and Prayer to Be Still?
I have shared about fasting and prayer before and the links are below. Think of this first half as a quick reference for Spiritual fasting:
- 5 Reasons to Fast with Hope
- 5 Simple Ways Most People Ruin a Time of Fasting
- How to Fast and Pray in a Way that Pleases God (or how to properly fast for God)
- 3 Things to Expect in a Time of Fasting with God
- A Story from My First Fast (and what is fasting and prayer?)
The Bible speaks so often about the benefits of fasting and prayer that it would be foolish for us to ignore this powerful Spiritual discipline!
Okay, just to recap some of those things in case you are short on time.
Why Would a Modern-Day Christian Fast?
We could all agree on the benefits of prayer and the benefits of prayers from Scripture. But we tend to think of the fasting and prayer Bible verses as so… Old Testament! Yes, the Old Testament talks a lot about fasting and prayer, but it is in the New Testament as well!
This is one of my favorite fasting scriptures for breakthrough:
“And the Lord will continually guide you, And satisfy your desire in scorched places, And give strength to your bones; And you will be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.” (Isaiah 58:11 NASB)
I don’t know about you, but I desperately need God to guide me and keep me from dryness! That alone is enough reason to begin adding fasting to prayer.
Related: 27 Fasting and Prayer Scriptures for Breakthrough
The Benefits of Fasting and Prayer Scriptures
There are over 100 powerful benefits of fasting and prayer listed in Scripture! Not to mention the miracles through fasting and prayer that we see in God’s Word which blows my mind.
These are just a few of the benefits of fasting Bible verses which helped me take the leap to begin fasting regularly.
- Jesus said we would fast (Matthew 9:14-15).
- Fasting can bring clarity and direction from God (Daniel 9:3 and Daniel 10:3).
- When there are hard issues, fasting brings specific answers from God and help (Nehemiah 1: 1-4).
- Fasting can cure Spiritual dryness and promote Spiritual growth and maturity(Matthew 4:1-11; Matthew 5:6; Acts 14:23; Isaiah 58:11)
- A fast is effective when you need protection from Spiritual warfare (Matthew 17:21; Ezra 8:21-23; Ester 4:16).
- The power of fasting and prayer are great tools to break the ties of habitual sin in your life (1 Kings 21:25-27; Joel 2:12 ; Jonah 3:5-9; 2 Samuel 12:15-17).
Did you find this mid-series? Go back here and read the intro and keep up with the series.
What is Fasting Biblically?
A fast is simply making a choice to give up something you seek for satisfaction in order to seek God for satisfaction.
The Biblical benefits of fasting and prayer are mainly about nearness. Fasting brings you near God like nothing else. When you deny yourself something for a time and draw near to God, He really does draw near to you. Even if you start with 3 days fasting and prayer for breakthrough you will see change!
In times past, people gave up physical food allowing physical hunger to humble them and create extra time to focus on their Spiritual health. Today food preparation doesn’t really require much time so we look at many different ways to practice fasting.
Related: Practical Tips To Begin To Fast and Pray
What is fasting and prayer? A fast is simply making a choice to give up something you seek for satisfaction in order to seek God for satisfaction. Share on XWhat Do You Give Up in a Fast / Types of Spiritual Fasting?
Only you will know what makes sense to fast from but these are a few suggestions.
- Food
- If you are in good health, fasting from a meal is a very straightforward way to begin to fast.
- During the time you would have prepared and eaten the meal you spend time with God in Bible reading, prayer, and solitude.
- If you are NOT in Good health, consider another form of fasting or talk with your doctor before you begin.
- If you are in good health, fasting from a meal is a very straightforward way to begin to fast.
- Media/Time
- TV, the internet, social media, and the like are time-consuming.
- Most of us turn to entertainment from media for satisfaction. For most of us, it would be very effective to give up one or all forms for part or all of a day.
- TV, the internet, social media, and the like are time-consuming.
- Spending
- This was a new way to fast that surprised me but it’s true that shopping brings satisfaction.
- Can you go a day or a week without shopping? This can be a great way to focus on God.
- This was a new way to fast that surprised me but it’s true that shopping brings satisfaction.
- Other Things
- The Bible gives examples of other things that we seek for satisfaction that can be part of a time of fasting
- Oils and certain foods like in the Daniel Fast( Daniel 10:3; Daniel 9:3)
- Sex (1 Corinthians 7:5)
- The Bible gives examples of other things that we seek for satisfaction that can be part of a time of fasting
Related: 7 Different Types of Biblical Fasting
Things to Avoid When Fasting and Praying
Let me offer a word of caution when asking, “Is fasting healthy?”
The practice of fasting is a Spiritual discipline that is hard to cultivate in the Spiritual life of God’s people. This isn’t really about the things to avoid when fasting and praying.
- Intermittent fasting and setting aside fast food for a period of time for health benefits alone bring a physical reward.
- Fasting and praying are about the long game of growing your Spiritual connection with Jesus Christ.
I highly advise working up to bigger fasts by fasting part of a day for a while. As you become accustomed to the effects of fasting you can fast a day, a few days, or more. Don’t worry about what to do when you are fasting. Plan on praying and let God lead you.
Spiritual fasting is not about the body. Yes, there are physical benefits of fasting and prayer over time, but there is also a danger. It is easy to turn a time of fasting into a diet. Resist the urge.
More health benefits of fasting and prayer will be seen in Spiritual satisfaction and nearness to God rather than weight loss.
What are the Spiritual Benefits of Fasting and Prayer?
Is there something you have been praying over for a long time? Is something urgent that you need God to answer now?
Fasting slows you down long enough to hear God’s voice. We saw that when we looked at the benefits of fasting and prayer in the Bible verses above. When you fast in obedience to Jesus’ Words you find:
- Clarity
- Direction from God.
- Answers
- Help from unexpected places
- Protection
- Breakthrough
- Release from habitual sin
- Redirection from God – that one always shocks me.
Fasting can cure Spiritual dryness. It feels like wave after wave of God’s grace raining down on you when it finally breaks.
What Does Fasting Look Like in Today’s Busy Life?
If you have been following along you know this has been a rough season for me. I believe in living life without a mask. When life is hard I talk about it. When life is good I talk about it. Nothing is hidden and so God gets all the glory when things change. It is a motto to live by and certainly, one benefit of a fast is learning that truth heart-deep!
Related: Adding Fasting and Prayer for Marriage Blessing
Why Did I Decide to Fast 40-Days?
- Sickness.
- For a few years, my health has been deteriorating.
- The diagnosis is an Auto-Immune Disease called Hashimoto Thyroiditis
- For a few years, my health has been deteriorating.
- An identity crisis.
- The pain and fatigue have been more than I ever expected.
- With the sickness has come a need to rest and step out of so much of what was my life.
- Challenges in marriage.
- Being sick has opened up a whole new series of struggles with marriage
- Difficult seasons of parenting.
- Being a mom is never easy but this has been a rough season.
- I am sick and tired often and am raising young adolescents and a child with special needs. This has pushed me past my limits.
- Being a mom is never easy but this has been a rough season.
I was empty, hurting, and in need of clear direction in a lot of areas. The benefit of prayer alone was not moving things in these areas. I needed to apply some fasting Scripture for breakthrough in a practical way.
As I prayed I was more confused by God’s answer to be still. So I began asking God to speak more clearly. I needed the benefit of fasting, seeking God’s guidance… Fasting and spiritual awakening go hand and hand and I went to God fully expecting Him to answer.
Related Post: Behind the Scenes of a Mom Teaching Girls Satisfaction in Jesus
The Spiritual Benefits of Fasting 40 Days
We have seen the importance of fasting and prayer through this devotional series. I hope you are experiencing the Spiritual benefit in a real way. As I prayed, God clearly confirmed His will for me in this season.
These are some of the things I heard from God.
- Continue resting.
- Give God the heavy burdens you are carrying.
- Let go of control of the things of this world.
- Choose hope even when you can’t see the next step.
- Choose joy even when pain makes it hard to get through the day.
- Keep your eyes fixed on God and the things of God for your identity.
- That identity is not based on what you can do but on Whose you are.
- Trust God to fight the battles you are too weak to fight.
- Give Jesus your fears and rest in Him.
- Make every day a day to abide in Christ.
- Seek out Spiritual purposes rather than blaming others for the hard parts.
- Make time for daily prayer even when this fasting period is over.
- Expect to hear the voice of God each day.
- Make it a priority to be in the Word of God.
- Agree beforehand to stay in the will of God even when it is uncomfortable.
- Make no provision for the desires of our flesh that frequently take you down… gluttony, lust, pride, and self-preservation.
For 40 days I’ve given God more time, giving Him the first and best of each day. As we near the end of the 40 days of fasting I feel His grace flow like rain over the dryness that was in my spirit.
A Prayer to Know the Benefits of Fasting and Prayer
Lord,
I praise Your Name for speaking an answer to my deepest needs in this hard season of life. When life is hard You are faithful. Thank You.
Help this lesson stay fresh in my mind. Continue to teach me how to abide in You.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen
Do You Need The Benefits of Fasting and Prayer Today?
The benefits of fasting and prayer are beyond number. I Googled it just to see what people shared and found three articles with numbers that made me laugh:
- 10 Powerful benefits of fasting and prayer
- 20 Powerful benefits of fasting and prayer
- 100 Powerful benefits of fasting and prayer
The articles were well written, but they missed the point. There is a benefit as different for you as for me for every human who commits to a time of fasting and prayer. You can’t number the benefits, you can only share what they were for you.
The point of different types of fasting and prayer is to draw near to God and allow Him to change you and your situation. The Spiritual discipline of fasting is a challenging one to master, but well worth the effort.
I don’t have the benefits of fasting and prayer pdf that could answer all the questions you might have, but I have a short book that can start.
Want to go deeper? Check out A Beginners Guide to Fast and Pray: Taking Spiritual Warfare to the Next Level. This is a short read (about 1 hour) that will help answer all your questions.
In the meantime, I’d love to pray over you on this journey. Drop a comment below to let me know how to pray.
in HIM,
Tiffany of Hope Joy in Christ inspires Christian Women to grow in faith, live out Biblical Marriage Principles and raise Godly Children. Join the Wives Only Facebook Group here or keep up with her through Pinterest.
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