Thursday 21 September - The Power of Fasting: Unlocking Spiritual Discipline for Focused Prayer

Introduction

Daniel wanted to show God he was taking his prayers seriously in bringing his crisis to him. So, he did three things: he fasted, he wore rough clothes and he sprinkled himself with ashes.

Fasting for Focused Prayer

These days, we’re unlikely to sprinkle ourselves with ashes when we find ourselves in a crisis. We’re not likely to put rough clothes on either, although those of us climbing into Salvation Army uniform on a Sunday might beg to differ! But many Christians today do fast when they are praying seriously about something.

Fasting from food is an important spiritual discipline when it comes to prayer. Jesus once said that certain crises can only be overcome by fasting and prayer (Mark 9:29 TPT). Fasting tells God how serious we are about praying for help and guidance in our crisis.

Have You Tried Fasting for Focused Prayer?

Fasting can help focused prayer, especially in times of crisis. Have you ever fasted whilst you prayed to God about something?

Think It Over

Think about the following:

Fasting doesn’t just have to be about food. Other things can distract us from serious prayer (for example, social media). What other things might you need to fast from in order to seriously focus on prayer?