the principle of prayer and fasting.pptx

LESSON

1. the principle of prayer and fasting to aid in the release of God’s power in our lives.

2. Fasting helps release the power of the Spirit in our lives. It doesn’t help us earn more grace with God, but it does help remove the “clutter” in us and release the Holy Spirit! Fasting helps release the power of the Spirit in our lives. It doesn’t help us earn more grace with God, but it does help remove the “clutter” in us and release the Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit can begin to communicate with us with greater clarity and direction. Let’s jump in and discuss this important Kingdom principle!

3. What is Fasting? Fasting, by Biblical examples, is abstaining from food or drink for a time for the purpose of seeking God in earnest prayer.

4. Consider the promise the Lord spoke through Jeremiah to the wayward people of Judah: “ And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the LORD” ( Jer. 29:13-14 NKJV ). Fasting is a means in which we draw near to God, to seek and search for Him with all our hearts.

5. Fasting is also a means to humble ourselves before God. The way up is down! David said in Psalms 35 and 69 that he “humbled himself with fasting.”   Both James and Peter record that “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble” ( 1 Pet. 5:5 NKJV ).

6. There are different types of fasts and durations.

7. Jesus is Our Model Jesus is our ultimate model in life, in faith, and in ministry. Before He started His earthly ministry, He prayed and fasted for forty days. Afterward, He moved in the power of the Spirit!  “Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days, He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.” ( Luke 4:1-2 NKJV )

8. Notice Jesus went to the wilderness “…being filled with the Holy Spirit…” “Filled” means to be full or complete. Yet, Jesus was tempted by Satan and by His own flesh. Jesus told the disciples the evening before He was betrayed that “… the Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak…” Our flesh or carnal nature is opposed to the things of the Spirit of God. When we fast, we place our carnal nature under submission to our spirit man, and we gain mastery over the flesh. Jesus resisted His own flesh, and Satan’s schemes, and He emerged victorious from the temptations in the wilderness.

9. “We see from the experience of Christ that one of the purposes of fasting is to give men power over the temptations of the flesh. Through those days of fasting in the wilderness, Christ overcame every temptation, whether it affected His body, spirit, or soul. And we must remember that Christ was both divine and human, and “was in all points tempted as we are” ( Heb. 4:15 ). Therefore, we too can master temptations of body, soul, or spirit through prayer and fasting.

10. After the temptations, Luke records: “Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time. Then Jesus returned in the power ( dunamis ) of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.” ( Luke 4:13-14 NKJV ) Notice that now Jesus returns in the “power” of the Spirit. There is a difference between being filled or full of the Spirit and walking in miraculous power of the Spirit!  It was prayer, fasting, and obedience that caused Jesus to emerge in power.

11. Jesus is Our Example for Ministry Jesus models what would be available to any believer who would follow closely after Him! John records a significant statement of Jesus: “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.” ( John 14:12 NKJV )

12. Christ’s Teaching Concerning Fasting Jesus intended His disciples to fast. In Matthew 6:17 , He stated: “But when you fast …” It was understood that the disciples would fast, not if, but when! It would be a normal part! In Matthew 6 , Jesus instructed His followers to give to the poor, pray, and fast—all use “when.” He never left the option to do these! The Pharisees questioned Jesus about why John’s disciples fasted and His didn’t. In Luke 5:35 , Jesus answers them, “But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast in those days” ( NKJV ). Again, He states that fasting is part of being a disciple.

13. Benefits of Fasting When we fast, we are humbling our flesh, and we are casting our reliance upon God and His power. We become more sensitive to the Lord, causing more power to be released in our lives. Fasting shows a desperation and determination to touch the Lord!

14. Fasting is one of God’s mysteries; demons get uncomfortable, and healings become more common!  If you want to move in healing and deliverance, it should be a regular practice. In Isaiah 58 , proper motives for fasting are listed, along with benefits of fasting and prayer. For example, the benefits include greater revelation, guidance, God’s presence, healing, and strength.

15. We have a “level” of His anointing, but will we pay the price to see His ( dunamis ) power released in greater measures to win souls to Christ, free the oppressed, and heal the sick?