Battle Prayer Preparation- Fasting

Greeting Sisters, June prayer focus is Battle Prayers. Our instruction for prayer for our family friends, fellow believers, strangers are found in Ephesians 6:18: And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

Battle Prayers:

1. As long as we are living in this world, we are fighting a battle, one that our enemy wants us to believe is not real.

2. We build our relationship with God through we communion with him: our praise and worship, our quiet meditation of the Word, sitting in His peaceful presence. We come to know his voice.

3. We come freely in his presence.  This is when we come to prayer in petition. We come boldly, we come faithfully. We know who we are, we are his and he hears us. 

4. We put on our armor and we go to battle. This is when we come to prayer in intercession. Our intercession is prayer on behalf of another. These is were are faith is activated because we know who our God is and what he can and will do in his will. 

5. We join this battle because our God loves us, and we love others the same way. We now have his heart and that is one were no man or woman shall have to perish but can come to a relationship with him also.

In these 5 steps: through prayer the Armor of God is activated. Through the Holy Spirit, we have spiritual strength. Prayer now puts us on the offense in this war that is happening right now, at this moment. But there is one final step in our preparation for this battle.

6. We have the call, to pray all kinds of prayers at all times. We have the plan, put on the armor. We have the motivation, we are doing this because we love others like God loves us, his children. But lastly, we need the power, His power, the Power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus tells us in Matthew 17:21, But this kind of demon does not go out except by prayer and fasting. Fasting is the last key in our preparation for this battle. 

 So let’s get to Digging a little deeper in this : Is this not the divine choice of self sacrifice that I am choosing (that which is pleasing to God): to throw open bands and destroy the restraints of wicked men (those opposed to the civil law given by God), to unfasten and loosen the heavy oppression of slavery and burden (placed on by these evil men), freeing every person that is bound in evil and sin thus tearing apart all bondage of burden on them. 

In Isaiah, we are given instruction for how to fast in a way that is pleasing to God.  We are called by God to fast, to pray, to intercede . Even Israel knew to fast, in fact they made fasting a routine and forgot the reason behind it thus it became a meaningless ritual to them. Going one step further, the modern church for the most part doesn’t know or even understand what God’s true call to fasting is. And the enemy is rejoicing in our ignorance.

Fasting is seeking God through self denial, usually food but can be anything  that maybe is put ahead of God or in place of Him like tv, shopping, cell phone, etc., this is between you and Him. In fasting, we are setting the time, wants, needs aside; and saying “all we want and need is you, your presence, your voice, your will God. Nothing else, not even food will satisfy us.” Instead of partaking of those things, we are on our face, in his presence.

Through fasting, this self-sacrifice, God will release His power in our life, our prayer requests and petitions, in all situations we bring before Him. Because we are proclaiming through our fast, that we are now truly dependent on him. Everything is now in his control. We give him our total reliance. 

Fasting is a heart issue, between you and God, not done so the world knows, not done to be a good Christian, not done as a salvation chore, a ritual. Israel did this and it was unpleasing and unacceptable to the Lord. In Isaiah 58, we see why we are to fast, why it is important and what it releases in the spirit realm. And the reason is, because we are in a battle for the salvation and freedom for our loved ones, our friends, our coworkers, our neighbors, our hairdresser, the cashier at our favorite store, our fellow brothers and sister in Christ. 

This fasting, a divine call to us, is a part of our battle plan, our battle prayers. We are calling down the power of God through our total dependence and reliance on him, to fight against the kingdom of darkness (we wrestle not with flesh and blood but princes and principalities). We need His power to loosen and destroy the chains that trap, bind and ensnare all those we love and are called to love. To free those that are oppressed, enslaved and burdened by the weight and shame of their sin. 

This is part of our battle prayers!