How To Fast And Pray For A Breakthrough
Fasting is a spiritual discipline that can be practiced by people of all faiths, but has particular significance in Christianity. Jesus fasted for 40 days and nights in the desert and many of His followers also fasted before their baptism. For example, John the Baptist lived on locusts and wild honey to prepare for his ministry; the disciples abstained from food before being baptized with the Holy Spirit at Pentecost; Paul recommended that believers not eat meat or drink wine before their spiritual gifts were manifested at Corinth; and Peter encouraged Christians in Rome to fast regularly as part of their spiritual growth.”
What is fasting?
Fasting is not a diet. It is an opportunity to break through your own heart, mind and spirit. The devil has successfully planted seeds of destruction in our hearts and minds over the years, causing us to doubt whether God really loves us or if His promises are real. In fasting we come into God’s presence with a humble heart, willing to submit ourselves to Him without any agenda but His will for our lives. As we fast, the Lord will do His part by removing those things that are keeping you from being who He has called you to be. What are some of the things that could be keeping you from having the breakthrough in your life?
What To Do Before Fasting
- Pray and ask God for guidance on how to fast.
- Prepare your body for the fast by eating a healthy diet, drinking lots of water and getting plenty of rest.
- Prepare your mind for the fast by reading scriptures and booklets that will help you gain an understanding of what fasting is all about, as well as other Biblical principles related to fasting.
- Prepare your family for the fast so they know what’s going on and why it matters to you (and them).
- Prepare your church or community so that others can pray with you during this special time of prayerful fasting.
What To Do During The Fast
This is a time of fasting and prayer. During this time, it’s important to avoid the following things:
- Eating or drinking
- Smoking or using drugs
- Having sex (if you’re married)
- Going to the bathroom (if you’re not in a position where you can go somewhere private)
You also shouldn’t do anything that would break your fast and/or take away from your ability to focus on God. That means no anger or upset, no letting pride get in your way and make you do things that would be considered sinful or unrighteous. This is actually one of the reasons why fasting isn’t something people should do without guidance from someone who has done it before—because if they don’t know what they’re doing, then there’s a good chance they’ll end up breaking their fast without realizing it!
Examples Of Fasting
Fasting can be used for many reasons. It can help you spiritually grow, cleanse yourself, protect yourself from spiritual attacks, heal yourself and others, restore your relationship with God, and even revive a lagging spirit in the church. Here are a few examples of how I have fasted:
- Fasting for spiritual growth or refinement. You may want to fast if you feel like there is something in your life that needs to be changed or if you need some guidance about what direction to go in life. Fasting helps us open up our hearts so we can hear from God clearly on the subject at hand.
- Fasting for spiritual cleansing/purification . You may feel unclean or tainted somehow—for example, maybe someone has put a curse on you or cast evil spirits at you—and fasting will help remove those things from your life so they don’t continue affecting it negatively!
- Fasting for protection against evil spirits/demonic attack . This one is pretty self-explanatory; if there are demons attacking your house (or other places such as work), then fasting will help keep them away while also allowing God’s angels to protect us while we pray fiercely against Satan’s schemes against humanity!
When not to fast
Before you begin to fast, it’s important to consider your health and status. If you are sick or have a chronic illness, fasting may not be recommended for you. The same goes if you are pregnant or raising young children. Also keep in mind that fasting can have negative effects on those with diabetes or other medical conditions that require medication such as blood thinners or insulin.
Finally, there is no set age at which children should start fasting since their bodies differ from adults’. You should consult your doctor about when it’s appropriate for your child to fast (or whether they should ever do so).
Jesus did it.
If you’re the type of person who needs more than a few days to prepare for something, you may want to consider fasting for 40 days. Jesus did it! And He turned water into wine, healed lepers and made the lame walk. But first He fasted and prayed for 40 days in the wilderness before he began His ministry on earth (Matthew 4:1-11).
So why do we need one week when Jesus did it? Well…I can’t answer that question definitively because I don’t know God’s plan or what He wants me to do next week; but if we’re going to be like Christ as much as possible then let’s try our best at least!
Jesus fasted for 40 days. Moses fasted for 40 years. Eliezer fasted for three days before he found the right wife for Isaac, who was in charge of Abraham’s family at the time. Paul fasting three days, which allowed him to get a vision from God while praying on his knees in a deserted place near Athens…