Our motivation in the Christian walk is always to be love—love for God and for others. Our behavior, and especially
our acts of Christian piety must never be rooted in self-pride or displayed so that we draw attention to ourselves.
In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus made this very clear regarding three special areas of Christian behavior: almsgiving,
prayer, and fasting. He said specifically about prayer and fasting,
When you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on
the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But
you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret
place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions
as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore do not be like them.
For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.… Moreover, when you fast, do not be like
the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting.
Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so
that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who
sees in secret will reward you openly. (Matt. 6:5–8, 16–18)
In the last lesson, we discussed two examples of prayer—Elijah's prayer before the Israelites and the prophets
of Baal and Asherah, and Jehoshaphat's prayer before the people of Israel. In these two examples, leaders openly
expressed their faith and trust in God alone. They are bold examples of giving public witness through prayer. And
a bold witness through prayer can only be made if it is the outgrowth of countless hours of private and personal
prayer.
God desires to know us best. He is a jealous God who insists on being the foremost object of our affection and
loyalty. When we pray, we are invited to disclose our innermost thoughts, feelings, and desires. The aspects of
our deep inner spiritual life are best expressed to God alone. Sharing our secrets and desires with God results
in a relationship with God, and as we share we open ourselves up to His healing, guiding, and comforting power
and presence.
In contrast, public displays of prayer performed primarily to draw attention to oneself do nothing to further
a relationship with God. The same is true for public displays of fasting. Such open displays of prayer and fasting
bring attention solely to the person, they do not bring glory to God. The purpose of prayer and fasting is not
that others might applaud the current spiritual state of a person, but that the person who is praying and fasting
might be changed.
• Have you ever been present when someone else made an open show of prayer and fasting? How did you feel?
• What new insights do you have into Jesus' teaching about prayer and fasting (Matt. 6:5–8, 16–18)?
The Bible has repeated references to the “secret” nature of our relationship with God. This does not mean that
we are to deny our relationship with God or keep our witness for Christ under wraps. Rather, it means that our
relationship with God is to be first and foremost an intimate, warm, close, shut-away relationship with Him. It
is intensely personal and private. When we have a deep relationship with the Lord, we can then speak and act publicly
as He directs.
What the Word Says
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. (Ps. 91:1)
What the Word Says to Me
What the Word Says
Oh, how great is Your goodness,
Which You have laid up for those who fear You,
Which You have prepared for those who trust in You
In the presence of the sons of men!
You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence
From the plots of man;
You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion
From the strife of tongues. (Ps. 31:19–20)
What the Word Says to Me
What the Word Says
He reveals deep and secret things;
He knows what is in the darkness,
And light dwells with Him. (Dan. 2:22)
What the Word Says to Me
What the Word Says
O my dove, in the clefts of the rock,
In the secret places of the cliff,
Let me see your face,
Let me hear your voice;
For your voice is sweet,
And your face is lovely. (Song. 2:14)
What the Word Says to Me
• In what ways are you being challenged in your prayer life?
The Purpose of Prayer and Fasting
Prayer and fasting are two of the foremost weapons we have in our battle against the enemy of our souls, the
devil. The Word of God, our faith, praise, the name of Jesus, and the blood of Jesus are all weapons in our spiritual
warfare against evil. Prayer and fasting are not just good things to do for our own spiritual growth and development;
they are genuine spiritual weapons, mighty for battle. We must always be on guard that we are using these weapons
correctly.
1. We must not use prayer and fasting to avoid doing the will of God. Some people turn to prayer and
fasting as a substitute for obedient action. They think they can convince themselves and God that they are being
obedient by praying and fasting about a situation, when in reality, they are avoiding the business that God has
called them to do.
2. We must not think that prayer and fasting are a substitute for repenting of sin. Some people think
that they can continue to sin in various areas of their lives if they balance that sin with a proper amount of
prayer and fasting. No amount of prayer and fasting can atone for sin. The shed blood of Jesus Christ is the only
atonement for sin. Prayer and fasting might strengthen your ability to turn away from sin and not give in to temptation,
but they are not an antidote or a compensation for sin.
• In your past experiences with fasting and prayer, what motivated you to fast and pray? How did you feel
about fasting and prayer?
The Proper Use of Prayer and Fasting
The real purpose for fasting is to bring the body and soul into subjection so that in prayer, a person is focused
solely on God and His plans and purposes for that person's life.
Each of us has natural desires and appetites that are a part of our creation. These are to be satisfied in proper
ways according to God's commandments so that the fulfillment of our desires and appetites brings about good to
our bodies and souls. For example, we have an appetite for food, which is to be exercised within the boundaries
of good nutrition and moderation. We have a desire for beauty, which is to be satisfied in purity. We have an appetite
for sex, which is to be satisfied within the bounds of a marriage covenant. We have an appetite for sleep, which
is to be met for the purposes of rejuvenation, not as an escape from life's responsibilities.
There are times, however, when God asks us to set aside these natural desires and appetites and concentrate
solely on the spiritual dimension of our being. True fasting goes beyond skipping a meal or denying ourselves food
for a period of time. It is a turning away from and a willful denying of all natural human desires and appetites
so we might concentrate solely on the Lord and what He wants to say to us or accomplish in our lives.
God calls us to a time of fasting and prayer for many reasons:
• He may want to reveal to us an area of our lives that needs to be changed.
• He may want to express to us His desires, perhaps even a new direction or challenge He wants us to undertake.
• He may want us to intercede for others.
The ultimate purpose for fasting and prayer rests with God. When we fast, submitting all of our normal life
patterns to Him, He has our full attention, and He can mold us completely and totally for His purposes. When we
are in this spiritual state—completely yielded and submitted, totally humble before Him and reliant upon Him—God
can guide our prayers like arrows to accomplish His will. He then can do the real transforming work in our inner
spirit that causes us to speak and act more like Jesus Christ.
The Call to Fasting and Prayer
How does God call us to fasting and prayer? By giving us a desire to fast and pray. He may call to our
minds a specific need or situation that we know requires an intense focus of prayer. Or He may simply place in
our hearts a deep longing to be with Him. When God calls a person to fast and pray, that person will have a greater
desire to pray and be with the Lord than to eat, sleep, or do any other activity.
A person may begin a period of fasting and prayer with a specific intent or purpose in mind. As the person begins
to fast and pray, however, God often reveals a deeper purpose. God guides the prayer. God reveals His will. In
the process, the person is changed and the things about which the person is praying are accomplished in the spirit
realm.
Ultimately, God calls us to fast and pray so that we become more like Christ in our nature and more effective
witnesses to His life-changing power. He calls us to fasting and prayer so that we can be changed and our prayers
might truly defeat the devil.
What the Word Says
Till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a prefect man, to the measure
of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about
with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking
the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ. (Eph. 4:13–15)
What the Word Says to Me
What the Word Says
The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. (James 5:16)
What the Word Says to Me
Benefits from Fasting and Prayer
God's call to fasting and prayer is always for our benefit. The Scriptures point out at least seven benefits
of fasting and prayer.
1. Our attitudes, feelings, and thoughts are sifted, pruned, and purified so that God might entrust us with
a greater ministry. By fasting and praying, we become more disciplined toward the things of the Father. We
yield ourselves fully to Him. We give Him opportunity to cut away from us those things that will slow us down,
do us in, or keep us from the plans and purposes He has designed for our lives.
Jesus fasted and prayed for forty days in the wilderness, and the end result was that He was perfected for ministry
(Matt. 4:1–2, 11). Queen Esther fasted and prayed for three days, and the end result was that she was stripped
of the fear that kept her from telling the king about the evil plot against her life and the lives of her people.
(See Est. 4:15–16.)
Sometimes we feel unsettled or uneasy, but we can't pinpoint the reasons why. Fasting intensifies our focus
on God, stripping away everything but Him, so He can show us not only what we are feeling and thinking, but what
we need to change in our lives.
As we confront the devil in the areas of our lives that need change or refinement—using the Word of God as our
foremost weapon as Jesus did in the wilderness—we are made stronger. We know that we have had a showdown with the
enemy. We know the power of God's Word to defeat the enemy. We know that God is preparing us for His purposes.
2. We are able to discern more clearly the will of God for our lives in any given situation. Fasting
clears our spiritual eyes and ears so we can accurately discern what God desires to reveal to us. If you are facing
a major decision in your life, I strongly encourage you to go away for three days of fasting and prayer. Spend
your time in the Word of God. Rein in your attention so you are totally focused on the things of God. Listen intently
to what God desires to say to you. I feel confident He will reveal to you precisely what you are to do.
Daniel knew this to be true in his life. At a time when Daniel was greatly troubled over the sin of Israel,
he set his face toward the Lord God “to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and
ashes” (Dan. 9:3). While he was praying and confessing his sin and the sin of Israel, the angel Gabriel came to
him. Daniel wrote, “He informed me, and talked with me, and said, ‘O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you
skill to understand’ ” (Dan. 9:22).
Now God may not send you an angel to tell you what His will is for your life. In fact, it is very unlikely that
He will do so. But God will give you understanding. You will begin to see in God's Word the answer to your question,
the solution to your problem. He will speak to your innermost spirit by the Holy Spirit concerning what action
you are to take. God is faithful to reveal all that you need to know so you can perform His will.
3. We are confronted with our sins and shortcomings so we might confess them to God, receive forgiveness
for them, and walk in greater righteousness. There may be an area in your life—perhaps a habit or a persistent
attitude—that you just can't seem to change. Many times these habits are broken as we fast and pray.
At other times, the Lord reveals to us something in our lives that we need to confront and correct. We may not
have been aware of it before. But as the Lord reveals it to us, we can respond immediately, “Lord, please forgive
me of this and change me so I will not behave or think this way in the future.”
Fasting and prayer cleanse us and purify us as we face the temptations of Satan that have kept us entangled
in sin and error.
4. We experience a release of supernatural power in our lives. The outcome of genuine fasting and prayer
is spiritual growth, including a renewed outpouring of supernatural power.
The disciples of Jesus prayed for a child who was demon-possessed, but they saw no results. Jesus rebuked the
demon and it left the boy. The disciples later asked why they had been ineffective. Jesus answered, “This kind
does not go out except by prayer and fasting” (Matt. 17:21). Certain problems and situations cannot be resolved
apart from fasting and prayer—and the subsequent release of supernatural power against a stronghold that has been
erected by the enemy (2 Cor. 10:4).
As Paul and Barnabas traveled in ministry, they made many disciples in Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch. They exhorted
the disciples to continue in the faith, appointed elders in every church, “prayed with fasting,” and “commended
them to the Lord in whom they had believed” (Acts 14:22–23). What was the purpose of prayer and fasting? To release
increased supernatural power into the lives of these believers so they might remain true to the Lord and endure
any kind of tribulation that came against them.
This is an important reason for us to practice prayer and fasting—that we might be strengthened against the
temptations of the enemy and have the power of the Holy Spirit manifested in and through our lives so we can endure
any persecution or trouble that comes our way.
5. We can make an effect on national issues and concerns through our prayers. We have already noted how
Jehoshaphat called the people to fasting and prayer. At the conclusion of Jehoshaphat's prayer, the Lord spoke
through a prophet with the precise plan they were to follow. The battle plan was amazing—send out the choir before
the soldiers! (See 2 Chron. 20:18–23.) But the plan worked, and it brought all the glory to God.
As we fast and pray for our nation, God will move. He will pour out His Spirit, in His ways and in His timing.
We can count on it.
6. We can help build up God's people. Prayer is the generator of the church. It gives power to its ministers—pastors,
teachers, evangelists, and those who engage in very practical ministries of helping others in need. It propels
outreach to the lost. It creates a climate in which evangelistic efforts succeed.
When Nehemiah heard about the plight of his people and the destruction of the walls of Jerusalem, he “sat down
and wept, and mourned for many days; [he] was fasting and praying before the God of heaven” (Neh. 1:4). As we hear
of believers who are being persecuted in other nations, of believers who are falling into sin, of believers who
are becoming lukewarm in the faith, we need to fast and pray that God will rebuild and renew and strengthen His
people to withstand the enemy and endure his assault. God will hear and answer our prayers.
7. Our minds are sharpened. When we fast and pray our minds are quickened so that we understand the Scriptures
as never before. We are sensitive to God's timing and direction with an increased awareness and ability to discern.
We are keenly aware of what God desires to do and accomplish not only in our lives, but in the lives of others
around us. When we fast and pray, the pollutants that have clogged our ability to perceive and to think and to
feel are removed so that we can move freely in the flow of God's Holy Spirit.
What the Word Says
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty
days and forty nights … the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him. (Matt. 4:1–2, 11)
What the Word Says to Me
What the Word Says
There is a God in heaven who reveals secrets. (Dan. 2:28)
What the Word Says to Me
What the Word Says
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments
and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to
the obedience of Christ. (2 Cor. 10:4–5)
What the Word Says to Me
What the Word Says
Seek the LORD while He may be found,
Call upon Him while He is near.
Let the wicked forsake his way,
And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
Let him return to the LORD,
And he will have mercy upon him;
And to our God,
For He will abundantly pardon.
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,”
says the LORD.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isa. 55:6–9)
What the Word Says to Me
What the Word Says
When I wept and chastened my soul with fasting,
That became my reproach.…
But as for me, my prayer is to You,
O LORD, in the acceptable time;
O God, in the multitude of Your mercy,
Hear me in the truth of Your salvation.
Deliver me out of the mire,
And let me not sink;
Let me be delivered from those who hate me,
And out of the deep waters. (Ps. 69:10, 13–14)
What the Word Says to Me
• In what ways are you feeling challenged to fast and pray?
Follow Up with Action
Fasting and prayer are to be followed up with action. Esther had to confront Haman in the presence of the king.
After fasting and praying, Cornelius took the message of the gospel to the Gentiles (Acts 10:30). The result of
Paul's fasting was increased missionary service. (See 2 Cor. 6:5 and 11:27.)
God very clearly called His people to action in Isaiah 58. The people asked God, “Why have we fasted … and You
have not seen?” The Lord responded to them, “In fact, in the day of your fast you find pleasure, And exploit all
your laborers. Indeed you fast for strife and debate, And to strike with the fist of wickedness” (vv. 3–4). God
pointed out that their motives were wrong and that they were using fasting as a substitute for right action. He
said,
Is this not the fast that I have chosen:
To loose the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the heavy burdens,
To let the oppressed go free,
And that you break every yoke? (Isa. 58:6)
God will reveal to you through fasting and prayer something that you are to do. It may be a change in
current behavior, it may be a call to a new behavior. Look for the specific, practical, next-step action that God
has for you as you emerge from a time of fasting and prayer. He has a plan and purpose for you to fulfill.
• What new insights do you have into fasting and prayer?
• In what ways are you feeling challenged in your prayer life?
From Talking With God: Discover New Insights to Help Deepen Your
Prayer Life by Charles Stanley. Copyright 1997 by Charles Stanley.
