MAXIMIZING THE BLESSEDNESS OF FASTING AND PRAYER

It has been established time and again that the commandments of God are for the profiting of man; not for God Himself, and that they are not grievous.

This is evident in 1John5:3 and 2Timothy3:16 below

1 John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.

Now, fasting with prayer is one of the commandments that has its specific, priceless benefits for man as contained in Isaiah 58:6-12

Isaiah 58:6-12 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?

Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?

Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy reward.

Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity.

And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday.

And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.

And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.

However, there are profitable ways to go about fasting and prayer that make it a worthy exercise:

Come to God with a Prepared Heart

When we pray, our hear must be in sync with God. Fix your mind on God's word; meditate on it and the answer to your prayer. It is like a lawyer going to court to defend a case before the judge, so it is when you approach God in prayer. You have to defend your case before God in prayer. See 1st Samuel1:13.

Samuel 1:13 Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken.

Hannah was actually drunken with the word.

Come Reminding Him of His words.

It take His word to get anything from Him. So approach God with His word. It was not the stone that killed Goliath; it was the word that killed him. Hence your prayer must be rooted in the word of God, and your prayer shall be answered even before you start to pray. See Isaiah 65:24

Isaiah 65:24 And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.

Come to Him with a Full Assurance of Faith.

You must always remember that without faith, you cannot please Him. See Hebrew 10:22-23 and James1:5-8

Hebrews 10:22-23 . Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)

Pray for the Needs of Others.

God has always been in the business of making happen for you what you make happen for others. See Job42:10 and Ephesians6:8, 19.

Job 42:10 And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.

Ephesians 6:8, 19 Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.

And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel.

The idea is, forget about yourself and do for others what you want God to do for you. Then you shall be done for.

Come Repenting and Forsaking Your Sins.

Isaiah 59:1-3 Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness.

THE BENEFITS OF FASTING WITH PRAYER

The benefits of fasting with prayer are numerous. Among them are:

1. It provokes divine guardiance.
2. It facilitates divine health.
3. It facilitates quick answer to prayers
4. It delivers us from unwanted habits, addictions and sins that weaken us.

Thanks for reading. Hope you have been blessed!!