Breaking the Unbreakable: The Power of Prayer and Fasting

Mark 9:29 NKJV

So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.”

Breaking the Unbreakable: The Power of Prayer and Fasting

1. The Problem of Human Powerlessness

Text: Mark 9:28-29 The disciples were unable to cast out the demon. Jesus highlights their lack of spiritual preparedness.

Illustration: Imagine trying to lift a car with bare hands—you lack the power. Similarly, some spiritual battles require divine strength, not human effort.

Supporting Scripture:

John 15:5 – "Without Me, you can do nothing."

Isaiah 40:29-31 – "He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength."

Psalm 121:1-2 – "I will lift up my eyes to the hills—From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord."

Matthew 26:41 – "Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."

Main Point - Recognizing our inability to face spiritual challenges in our own strength.

Illustration: A doctor working in an under-resourced hospital faces a critically ill patient but lacks the necessary equipment. Despite their knowledge, they are powerless without the tools. Similarly, our human strength and intellect are insufficient for certain spiritual challenges.

Application: Just as the doctor must rely on resources beyond themselves, we must depend on God’s power for spiritual battles.

2. The Call to Spiritual Discipline

Prayer and fasting are not optional for those facing serious spiritual challenges.

Illustration: Athletes train rigorously before competitions. Their preparation equips them for victory. Similarly, spiritual disciplines prepare believers for spiritual battles.

Supporting Scripture: 1 Corinthians 9:25 – "And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things."

1 Timothy 4:7-8 – "Exercise yourself toward godliness. For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things."

Luke 5:16 – "So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed."

2 Chronicles 7:14 – "If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven."

Main Point - Understanding the importance of consistent prayer and fasting as preparation for spiritual battles.

Illustration: Olympic swimmers spend hours every day training in the pool, even when no competitions are near. They prepare for success long before the event.

Application: Prayer and fasting are like spiritual training. We may not know when a spiritual challenge will arise, but consistent discipline equips us to face it.

3. The Nature of "This Kind"

Jesus refers to a particularly strong demonic power that requires focused spiritual engagement.

Illustration: In pest control, some infestations require specialized tools or chemicals. Likewise, some spiritual issues require targeted solutions.

Supporting Scripture: Ephesians 6:12 – "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age."

Matthew 12:29 – "Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man?"

Mark 3:15 – "[Jesus gave them power] to cast out demons."

1 Peter 5:8 – "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."

Main Point - Identifying the specific challenges and strongholds that require deeper spiritual engagement.

Illustration: Some diseases, like cancer, require more than over-the-counter medication. They demand specialized treatment such as chemotherapy. Similarly, some spiritual issues are "strongholds" that require prayer and fasting to overcome.

Application: Not every spiritual battle can be fought with routine prayers. Certain challenges demand extraordinary spiritual effort.

4. The Role of Prayer in Breaking Chains

Prayer connects us with God’s power, aligning our will with His.

Illustration: A lamp must be plugged into the power source to light up. Prayer is the connection to God's power. Supporting Scripture: James 5:16b – "The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much."

Acts 16:25-26 – Paul and Silas prayed and sang hymns, and the prison doors were opened.

Jeremiah 33:3 – "Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know."

Philippians 4:6-7 – "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God."

Main Point - Connecting with God’s power through prayer to overcome seemingly impossible situations.

Illustration: A man lost his car keys in a storm drain. Despite his strength and tools, he couldn’t retrieve them. He called a locksmith, and within minutes, the locksmith’s specialized knowledge and tools unlocked the car. Prayer is like calling the "spiritual locksmith"—it connects us to the One who has the power to unlock impossible situations.

Application: No matter how capable we feel, only prayer can open the doors of divine intervention.

5. The Role of Fasting in Spiritual Warfare

Fasting denies the flesh to strengthen the spirit, enhancing spiritual focus and dependence on God.

Illustration: Just as a lens focuses sunlight to create fire, fasting focuses spiritual energy for breakthrough. Supporting Scripture: Isaiah 58:6 – "Is this not the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness...?"

Joel 2:12-13 – "'Now, therefore,' says the Lord, 'Turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.'"

Daniel 9:3 – "Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting.

"Matthew 6:16-18 – "When you fast, do not be like the hypocrites... your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."

Main Point - Denying the flesh to enhance spiritual clarity, focus, and dependence on God.

Illustration: An artist sharpens their pencil before drawing. Without sharpening, their work becomes dull and ineffective. Fasting is the process that sharpens our spiritual focus, enabling us to "draw" closer to God and His will.

Application: Fasting heightens spiritual sensitivity and clarity, giving us the edge in spiritual warfare.

6. The Necessity of Faith in Action

Faith is foundational for prayer and fasting to be effective. Without faith, these disciplines are mere rituals. Illustration: A car with no fuel will not move, no matter how new it is. Faith is the fuel for spiritual power. Supporting Scripture: Matthew 17:20 – "If you have faith as a mustard seed... nothing will be impossible for you."

Hebrews 11:6 – "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is.

"Mark 11:24 – "Whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

"Romans 10:17 – "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."

Main Point - Emphasizing the role of unwavering faith in making prayer and fasting effective.

Illustration: A tightrope walker at Niagara Falls carried his assistant on his back across the rope. The assistant trusted the walker's ability entirely, knowing he could carry them safely.

Application: Faith is fully trusting God to carry us across the challenges we cannot navigate on our own.

7. The Promise of Breakthrough

Jesus assures that with prayer and fasting, even "this kind" can be overcome.

Illustration: Think of a locked safe. With the right combination, it opens effortlessly. Prayer and fasting provide the "combination" for spiritual breakthroughs.

Supporting Scripture: Matthew 7:7 – "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you."

Psalm 34:17 – "The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles."

Isaiah 58:8-9 – "Then your light shall break forth like the morning... You shall call, and the Lord will answer."

John 14:13-14 – "Whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son."

Main Point - Trusting in God’s assurance that nothing is impossible through prayer and fasting.

Illustration: A dam blocks a river, holding back an immense amount of water. When the floodgates are opened, the water rushes through with great force. Prayer and fasting act as spiritual floodgates, releasing God’s power into our circumstances.

Application: God’s breakthrough power flows when we combine prayer and fasting with faith.

Closing Challenge:

Encourage the congregation to adopt regular habits of prayer and fasting. Share testimonies of breakthroughs through these disciplines and invite them to commit to deeper spiritual engagement.

Would you like additional stories or real-life illustrations to enrich any specific point?