FASTING AND PRAYER - 40 DAYS DEVOTIONAL

God considers fasting and prayer important.

His Word, in fact, contains 92 passages mentioning it. Many of our heroes of the faith, including Moses, Elijah, Esther, Nehemiah, Daniel and Paul, fasted at crucial points.

Jesus both taught and modeled fasting. After being anointed by the Holy Spirit, He was led into the wilderness to fast and pray for 40 days (Matthew 4:2). During the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gave specific instructions on how to fast (Matthew 6:16-18). Jesus knew the followers He addressed would fast. But what is the purpose of fasting and prayer in the life of the believer today?

SHOWING HUMILITY AND REPENTANCE

One reason we fast is to demonstrate humility before the sovereign Creator of the universe. God responds when we diligently and wholeheartedly seek Him (2 Chronicles 7:14).

SEEKING GOD’S FACE MORE FULLY

A second reason we fast is to respond to God’s love toward us. It is as if we are saying to God, “Because You are righteous and holy, and loved me enough to send Jesus to die for my sins, I want to get to know You more intimately.” Jeremiah 29:13 says we will find God when we seek Him with all our hearts. We may want to take extra time to seek and praise God by missing a meal or abstaining from food for a day or more.

ASKING FOR SOMETHING YOU DESIRE

Sometimes we fast to demonstrate our sincerity to God concerning something we truly desire. Ezra proclaimed a fast to ask God to protect His people as they journeyed to Jerusalem from exile. God responded by leading them safely to Jerusalem, delivering them from their enemies and ambushes along the way (Ezra 8:21 31).

FASTING TO KNOW GOD’S WILL

Seeking God’s will or direction is different from petitioning Him for something we desire. When the Israelites were in conflict with the tribe of Benjamin, they sought God’s will through fasting. The entire army fasted until evening, and “the men of Israel asked the Lord, ‘Shall we go out again and fight against our brother Benjamin, or shall we stop?”’ (Judges 20:26-28).

DEVELOPING DISCIPLINE

An important benefit of fasting is that it promotes self-control by disciplining our bodies. When we say no to our natural appetite for food, we develop the will-power and discipline to say no to other fleshy desires (1 Corinthians 9:27).

Losing weight is NOT the emphasis when fasting for spiritual reasons.

Included in this Fasting and Prayer app:

✔ 40 of days bible scriptures for inspiration

✔ 40 of days daily devotional for affirmation

✔ 40 of days questions to ponder and answer

✔ 40 days of mediation passages to assist with your fast

We hope this app helps you with your spiritual growth and goals. Please leave us a rating and review to let us know how it went.

Have a blessed day!