Is Prayer and Fasting Still Relevant?/Rashea@LLO2 Academy

Q. Is prayer and fasting still relevant as a Christian?

My answer is YES, prayer and fasting is still relevant as a Christian.

My question is when is prayer and fasting not relevant as a Christian?

Prayer and fasting are Kingdom principles that never go away no matter how much we try to overlook them or get away from the daily practice of them. If Jesus prayed and fasted, who is our Master and Teacher... We as His disciples must pray and fast, also. Jesus said, "The servant is no greater than the Master, nor is the student greater than the Teacher (Matthew 10:24; John 13:16)." If Jesus yielded His spirit, soul and body to biblical prayer and fasting to manifest and to demonstrate the Kingdom of God... then so must we as Christian's and followers of Jesus.

Jesus said, "I only do what I have seen the Father do (John 5:19-20)." So is Jesus insisting God the Father and God the Holy Spirit prays and fast?🤔💭

Why yes! Jesus is the exact embodiment of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15). The Bible clearly says, "Jesus patterns Himself AFTER the Father (John 5:30)." 

The Bible also says, "The Holy Spirit makes intercession for us (Romans 8:26-27)." And if the Father and the Holy Spirit were within Jesus empowering Him to do the work of the Kingdom of God... then we can conclude that God the Father and God the Holy Spirit were participants in prayer and fasting (Luke 3:21-22: Luke 4:1& 14). The Bible says in 2Corinthians 5:19/Amplified version that it was God personally present in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world back to favor with Himself, not counting up and holding against us our trespasses but cancelling them, and committing to us the message of restoration to favor.

Prayer and fasting is a mandate exercised in the Old and New Testaments. Prayer and fasting are exercises of one's free will to release the Will of God through the Spirit and the eternal current of divinity. Prayer and fasting is mandatory yet voluntary. 

Although, prayer and fasting is volutary, we are led by God to pray and to fast and the Holy Spirit empowers us to carry it out overseeing the process to it fulfillment. Although prayer and fasting is volutary, we do not effectively pray and fast in our own strength. Again, the Holy Spirit empowers us to do so. 

Although prayer and fasting is voluntary, we should be led of the Holy Spirit on how to fast, how to pray and what to pray for. The one thing we don't want to do is pray for something that the Holy Spirit is not leading us to pray for and then wonder why God isn't answering our prayers (James 4:1-3).👀💭 Let that sink in.

Jesus and believers of the Christian faith throughout Scripture moved steadily and mightily in signs, miracles and wonders, because they regularly prayed and fasted. We can do nothing without God the Father and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Jesus communicated that and exemplified that Truth. We need that spiritual channel of prayer and fasting flowing from God to us and we do so through times of regular prayer and fasting, as God leads us.

It is so important to build that biblical foundation in our children. Yes. Our children can pray and fast a few hours from junk food or social media. 

Our children can read Scriptures from the Bible or a youth activity book. They can play bible games on their devices during this time or watch a Christian film. 

There are many fun ways to introduce our children to God, prayer and fasting which builds their personal awareness and love for Jesus and the principles of God.

Let's not fool ourselves into believing Satan isn't cunning, strong or powerful, because He is. We are no match against Satan and the powers of hell without Salvation through Jesus and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. The Bible warns us that Satan roams the earth like a roaring lion preying on the weak and vulnerable (1Peter 5:8). However Jesus tells us in Luke 10:18-19/Amplified Version, "I (Myself) beheld Satan fall as lightening from heaven.👀💭. Behold, I give you authority and power to tread on serpents and scorpions (physical and mental strength and ability) over all the powers that the enemy possesses, and nothing by any means shall harm you. 

2Corinthians 10:3-6 reveals that our spiritual armor is not made with human hands or through human ability. Our spiritual armor comes from God and is strong enough to overthrow the destruction of demonic strongholds. We are empowered to resist and to overcome arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and haughty thing that exalts itself against the true knowledge of God, and to take every thought and wicked imagination captive into the obedience of Christ. We correct rebellion as we ourselves are yielded to God.

Through prayer and fasting, we defeat the devil. We stop the run and rule of Satan through prayer and fasting. We bring Kingdom order and rule through prayer and fasting. God gets heavily involved on the earth and in the earth through prayer and fasting.

Prayer and fasting requires sacrifice and obedience, but it is necessary and worth it when we see the impact of God's sovereign ruler manifesting on earth as it is in heaven.

Rashea@LLO2