Empowerment Through Prayer and Fasting
- Admin
- 14 minutes ago
- 3 min read
April 27, 2025
“Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days... Then he went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath he taught the people. They were amazed at his teaching, because his words had authority.
- Luke 4:1-2, 31-32
Fasting humbles us before God, creating space for the Spirit to express Himself in our lives. While prayer serves as our communication platform with God, aligning us with His will, it also empowers our words. During this fasting, we learned how to use fasting and prayer to gain dominion and bring about change in our lives and the lives of others.
Let’s explore four key ways we can use fasting and prayer to empower our words and align them with God’s will and purpose.
1. Fasting and Praying for Clarity, Revelation, and Insight
During his 40-day fast, Daniel received profound insight from the Angel of the Lord, who said, “Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding” (Daniel 9:22). The angel revealed God’s timeline for Israel, the coming of Jesus the Messiah, and even end-time events (Daniel 9:24-27). In Acts 13:2-3, the disciples sought guidance for Judas’s replacement, and after praying and fasting, they received clear instructions from God regarding the two candidates.
2. Fasting and Praying to Remove Fear and Doubt
Esther, a courageous woman of prayer, faced the daunting task of approaching the king without being summoned, which could result in death. In Esther 4:16, she chose to fast for three days to seek God’s guidance and strength. As a result, she found favor with the king. Similarly, Nehemiah reacted to tragic news by fasting and praying (Nehemiah 1:4). When he approached the king with a proposition, he succeeded in rebuilding the wall in just 52 days (Nehemiah 6:15-16).
3. Fasting and Praying for Specific Outcomes
In Daniel 9:2, Daniel realized that the 70 years of desolation prophesied by Jeremiah were coming to an end (Jeremiah 25:11-12; Jeremiah 29:10). Understanding the time for restoration was near, he fasted, prayed, confessed, and repented to avoid extending the desolation (Daniel 9:3-19). In Jonah 3:5-10, when the king of Nineveh heard God’s warning of impending destruction, he proclaimed a national fast. Their collective fasting and prayer led God to relent from destroying the city.
4. Fasting and Praying to Break Spiritual Opposition
Isaiah 58:6 teaches us that fasting can break spiritual opposition. Daniel embarked on a 21-day fast in response to a vision of a great war (Daniel 10:1-3). During this time, he faced resistance from the prince of Persia, but the angel reassured him that God had heard his prayers from the very first day. Daniel’s fasting broke the demonic opposition, allowing him to receive the answers he sought. Jesus emphasized the power of persistent prayer and fasting in Matthew 17:20-21, reminding us that some mountains can only be moved through these spiritual disciplines.
As we move forward, let us commit to empowering our words through fasting and prayer. By aligning our speech with God’s will, we can experience His transformative power in our lives and the lives of those around us.
Song of Worship
Move Spirit Move
Song: By Ron Kenoly
Prayer - Thank you for seasons of intentionally waiting on You. Father in the name of Jesus, as we consecrate our spirits, and our bodies the authority and dominion You have given me. I commit to making worship a lifestyle, and I ask for Your guidance to remain steadfast in my pursuit of Your presence. In Jesus' name, Amen.
