Prayer and Fasting; Pastor Favour Abu Onoja

“And it came to pass in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah the King of Judah, in the Ninth Month, that they proclaimed a fast before the Lord to all the people in Jerusalem, and to all the people that came from the cities of Judah unto Jerusalem” (Jeremiah 36:9)

FASTING is a powerful spiritual discipline that has its strong roots in the Bible. Through fasting and prayers, the Holy Spirit can transform your life.

Jesus himself spent time in fasting and prayers during his life on earth (Matthew 4:1-11); and He expected His followers to fast and pray as well.

What is fasting?

1. It is the act or practice of abstaining from food or eating very little for religious or medical reasons.
2. Fasting is the spiritual discipline of denying ourselves something (typically food), to feast on the things of God.
3. Fasting is where you nourish your spirit, and your fears starve to death. It helps detach us from the World and re-attaches us to God.

Types of fasting:

1. Absolute fast: This is when you fast on food, water and all other pleasures completely for a time or period of time (Exodus 34:28; 1Kings 19:8; Acts 9:9).
2. Total fast: This is when you fast on food for a period of time. Jesus practiced this kind of fast (Luke 4:1-2; 2Corinthians 11:27).
3. Partial fast and denial: This is when you fast on drinks (not necessarily water), TV, internet, or other things that gratify the flesh for a time or period of time. Daniel practiced this kind of fast in the Bible (Daniel 1:10-16).

Reasons for fasting:

1. To prepare for ministry: Jesus fasted for forty days and forty nights before He began God’s work on earth (Matthew 4:1-11).
2. To seek God’s wisdom: Paul and Barnabas prayed and fasted for the elders of the Church before committing them to the Lord for His service (Acts 14:23).
3. To show grief: Nehemiah mourned, fasted, and prayed when he learned Jerusalem’s walls had been broken down, leaving the Israelites vulnerable and disgraced (Nehemiah 1:1-4).
4. To seek deliverance or protection (Ezra 8:21-23).
5. To repent: After Jonah pronounced judgement against the city of Nineveh, the King covered himself with sackcloth and sat in the dust (Jonah 3:10).
6. To gain victory: After losing forty thousand men in a battle in two days, the Israelites cried out to God for help (Judges 20:26).
7. To worship God: The book of Luke 2 tells us the story of an 84-year-old prophetess named Anna. Verse 37 says: “She never left the temple but served God with fasting and prayers, night and day. Anna was devoted to God, and fasting was one expression of her love to Him.

Benefits of fasting and prayer:

1. To lose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke (Isaiah 58:6).
2. Fasting helps us to hear from God clearly and get His direction (Isaiah 58:11; Ezra 8:21-23; 31).
3. Fasting is part of preparing the Church for the ministry and the work God has planned for us (Acts 13:2-5).
4. Fasting gives you spiritual authority over demons and forces of darkness (Luke 4:14).
5. Fasting enhances your intimacy with God (Luke 1:80).
6. It is a means of repentance (Nehemiah 1:4-11; Daniel 9:1-19).
7. It’s a tool for deliverance from death and destruction. Esther secured the deliverance of the Jews from Haman’s plot of genocide against them (Esther 4:16).
8. It increases revelation and understanding of the word of God (Ephesians 1:17-19; Isaiah 58:8).
9. Fasting also improves your physical health (Isaiah 58:8).
10. It improves mental health (Isaiah 58:8; 11:2-3).
11. It increases Angelic activities (Genesis 28:12; John 1:51; Acts 12:1-11).
12. It brings intervention and interrupt enemy’s agenda (Acts 12:1-11)

Prophesies:

I decree and declare that every agenda of hell shall be terminated in Jesus’ name! Amen!

I decree and declare that the glory of the Lord shall be your defence (Isaiah 4:5-6), in Jesus’ name! Amen!

I decree and declare that your portion and inheritance shall be given to you, in Jesus’ name! Amen!

Pastor Onoja is of Global Impact Revival Assembly International, P. O. Box 16504 Zone 3, Wuse-Abuja, FCT, Nigeria. E-mail: onojaaf@yahoo.com; Tel. Nos: +234(0)8055842594; +234(0)7034893375.