Fasting For Your Spiritual Breakthrough

"And one of the throng replied to Him, Teacher, I brought my son to You, for he has a dumb spirit. And wherever it lays hold of him (so as to make him its own), it dashes him down and convulses him, and he foams (at the mouth) and grinds his teeth, and he (falls into a motionless stupor) and is wasting away; and I asked Your disciples to drive it out, and they were not able [to do it]. And when He had gone indoors His disciples asked Him privately, Why could not we drive it out? And He replied to them, This kind cannot be driven out by anything, but prayer and fasting." Mark 9:17-18, 28-29.

Dear Friends: Have you ever been in a situation where you really needed a spiritual breakthrough? Perhaps you are in that predicament today. You may be facing a difficulty, a tough relationship or you may have a personal need. Facing a problem that is larger than yourself, you cry out to God, you look for Him in His word and you seek the prayers and guidance of others. You then wait patiently on the Lord and … nothing seems to happen. The situation remains the same, or even worse, it deteriorates. “Where is God?” you cry out. “Why doesn’t He move in this situation?” “Does He care?”

The answer is God cares! In fact, He cares more about us than we could ever care about ourselves. We are usually so selfish that that statement is probably hard to believe. But yes, despite our great love for ourselves, God loves us even more. In the Scriptures above, the disciples encountered a spiritual obstacle and could not defeat it. They had met seemingly similar obstacles in the past and had defeated them. But with this one, they stumbled. So much so that the Lord strongly addressed their lack of faith. What was it about this particular issue that overwhelmed the disciples?

The Bible makes it clear that there are levels and rankings of spiritual powers that oppose our walk with God. The day-to-day problems of life also vary by degree of difficulty and seriousness. Like the disciples, the day will come when you and I will meet a situation or spiritual obstacle that will require greater faith and reliance upon the Lord than ever before. In such a time, we must reach out for a higher level of faith and trust. When this happens, the Lord invites us to pray and fast; to enter into a denial of our appetites and a fuller yielding to His Spirit. In this time of yielding and divine connection, we lay down our desires, our goals and our very being. We allow Him to fill us with His Spirit and, by faith, we relinquish every burden to Him.

Is there a burden or obstacle that is overwhelming you today, beloved? It may be the kind that can only be overcome by prayer and fasting. Last night I had the privilege of encouraging our church family to seek the Lord in prayer for a demonstration of His power and His Spirit in their lives. (I Corinthians 2:4-5). This is also my personal desire. Beginning tomorrow, I will also add fasting to my prayers and I encourage all who seek to draw near to God in a special way to fast a meal or a day (as the Lord leads and your health allows) and dedicating that meal-time to the Lord in prayer. Some folks may need to consult a doctor before fasting so please plan accordingly.

But if you do not have a health issue, I ask you to join me in seeking the Lord daily in prayer and fasting for your spiritual breakthrough and for a demonstration from the Lord of His power and Spirit, active and present in your life. Jesus makes this bold promise in Luke 11:13(b), "How much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" So let's ask my friends; but let's enter into a deeper realm of asking and fellowship with the Lord through self-denial. I believe we will experience the Lord in a fresh way and we will experience the blessings of Isaiah 58:8-9:

"Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I."

Stop and quietly think about that.