Out of the Abundance of the Heart: Power of Prayer & Fasting Why do we fast?

Went to church last night and recv'd this little pamphlet on "Power of Prayer & Fasting, Why do we fast?"
Sooo I thought that I'd share it with you all. It reads as follows:

Power of Prayer & Fasting
Why do we fast?

A. Fasting is deeply embedded as a tool of Overcoming leaders in the Old and New Testaments.

If the Bible record is any indication, then "Winners fast & Losers don't." Here's a brief sampling of what God has to say about fasting:

1. "Turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting...: (Joel 2:12).

2. "And Jesus said to them, 'Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast" (Matthew 9:15)

B. Fasting has occurred historically during times of crisis and when God was needed in impossible situations.

History is filled with occasions where people turned to God in prayer & fasting in times of judgment or crisis (like Nineveh in Jonah's day, America during the Civil War and WWII.) In 2 Chronicles 20, Judah was about to be destroyed by enemies when King Jehoshaphat in verse 3 put the people on a fast. In the end, they witnessed one of the most dramatic acts of supernatural deliverance recorded in the Bible as the angels of Gd came and wiped out the armies of three invading nations! The Book of Esther records the most critical time in Jewish history, Haman was on the verge of destroying the entire Jewish race! King Xerxes I (also known by Persian name of King Ahasuerus) had signed their death warrant when Esther commanded the Jews to observe a fast as she risked her life to enter the king's throne to obtain pardon for her people. Esther 4:16 says "Gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, nigh or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish I perish!" God turned that crisis around & brought deliverance to all Jews. (In times of crisis, you may need to fast the most aggressive fast of all. I would never counsel you to totally abstain from food & water for more than 3 days as Esther limits here, unless you are in the glory & presence of God. During fasting, its suggested you carry a water bottle and get close to 2 quarts of water daily in your body.)

II. We fast to humble ourselves before God to obtain His grace & power.

A. Fasting humbles the flesh and allows you in the spirit to tap into God's power to accomplish the vision & callings He places on your heart! To live in power for miracles James 4:10 says "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up!" If you want the Spirit of grace, if you want the anointing...humble yourself. You think more clearly when fasting, due to the fact that your heart is not pumping extra blood to your stomach to digest food and the brain functions better. But remember to focus your mind on Jesus. This is why fasting must include increased prayer & decreased distractions (such as secular TV, music, hone/texting, computers, and world entertainment.) Psa 34:8 says "oh taste & see the Lord is good, blessed is the man who trusts in Him."

B. Fasting empowers your prayer life and releases miracles in & thru your life! You see, when daily prayer is not enough, fasting takes prayer to a higher level. Go knows your heart, but when you demonstrate your sincerity with fasting, God listens attentively & responds. This is why when the disciples were unable to epileptic boy, Jesus said in Matt 17:21 "This kind does not go out except by prayer & fasting." How much power you could enjoy if you were to pray & fast for greater power & break thru of special needs from sunrise to sunset 1 day per week or periodically do a 3, 10, or 21 Day "water & vegetable" Daniel Fast.

III. We fast to overcome temptations in areas that keep us from moving into God's power.

A. We fast to strengthen our walk with God and to clear the channel so God's Spirit can flow thru you. Remember in Luke 4 the fast strengthened Jesus' spirit. When Satan tried to attack His spirit, soul & body, Jesus overcame all temptation using the Word (vs14) "in the power of the Spirit." A fast focused on intimacy with God and the power of the spirit can help you overcome temptation in areas that have previously held you back. But be aware on longer fasts, your change in spiritual routine has a way of bringing nasty habits & irritations to the surface, so deal with it! Persistence is key. Once you begin fasting, don't quit. Continue to deal with issues with God's wisdom & strength expecting something mighty!

B. We fast to be purified from sin and to help others become purified as well. Jesus took away all the sins of the world on the cross. Yet many have to deal with "besetting sins (Heb. 12:1) or "chronic" addictions that keep popping up again & again. One reason for Daniel's fast is Dan. 9:3-5 "I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes. I prayed to the Lord my God, and made confession, and said "O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant with mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly & rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts & Your judgments." In the fast described in Isaiah 58:6 God asks "is this not the fast that I have chosen; to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens?" YES...expect purity from God, and don't give up!

IV. We fast for God to release anointing to accomplish His will.

A. We fast to discern His purpose and for the determination & anointing to do it. In Acts 13:3-4 the leaders at the church in Antioch fasted and prayed before they went out Barnabas and Paul. This was done so that leaders would make the right choice, and it was done to ensure their success in the Gospel mission. Barnabas & Paul followed the same pattern in foreign cities where they established churches! Acts 14:23 reveals they fasted & prayed when appointing elders in those cities. Fasting & prayer helped guide their choices and helped ensure the successful ministry of those elders.

B. We fast when seeking God's direction. When you are confused about a job opportunity, decision in finance or relationship...one of the best things you can do is fast! God taught me this principle of fasting before I got married, and I fasted for my wife before I even knew her! I've also used this in job opportunities, financial decisions. Ezra 8:21-23 says "Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us, our little ones and all our possessions. For I was ashamed to request of the king an escort of soldiers & horsemen to help us against the enemy on the road, because we had spoken to the King saying "the hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek Him, but His power and His wrath are against all those who forsake Him." So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and He answered our prayer."

C. We fast for understanding and divine revelation. As believers, we need more revelation on Biblical truths, understanding & discernment in the Spirit realm that come thru fasting regarding breaking generational curses, spirit's of infirmity, soul ties & unbelief off the diseased, depressed & defeated we pray for. Jer. 36:6 says, "Go, therefore, and read from the scroll which you have written at my instruction, the words of the Lord, in the hearing of the people in the Lord's house on the day of fasting..." Every time you pray under the anointing, something happens. You can count on that. So let's fast these 21 days and do what Jesus asked in Matt 26:40 "could you not keep watch with Me for one hour?" Dick Eastman has devised a way, using 5 minutes each in 12 categories to draw close to God in 1 hour prayer...