9 Empowering Benefits of Fasting and Prayer
Fasting is one of the most overlooked spiritual practices in many contemporary Christian circles, but there are many benefits of fasting and prayer. The Bible describes different kinds of fasts for different lengths of time.
Most often, fasting involves abstaining from food, but we can abstain from anything that brings comfort. We’ll look at more examples in today’s post.
I’ll be the first to admit that fasting doesn’t come naturally or easily to me. Especially as someone who has struggled with unhealthy deprivation when it comes to eating, I’ve wrestled with fasting from food. Nevertheless, I haven’t given up on this discipline. I’ve also learned to fast from other comforts, such as social media, TV, and technology.
Be sure to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook to help you draw near to God and experience his peace as you create time to seek his face.
The Benefits of Fasting and Prayer
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus directly addressed fasting, beginning with the following words: “Whenever you fast . . .” (Matthew 6:16, NASB).
This simple statement tells us that fasting is an expected part of our spiritual journeys. Jesus did not say, “If you fast . . .”
Benefits of Fasting and Prayer
Let’s look at some specific benefits of fasting and prayer.
1. Fasting and prayer lead to deeper intimacy with God.
God’s greatest desire is for a closer relationship with each of his children. Fasting and prayer are both means of growing closer to him in a dynamic, dependent relationship.
When we fast, the discomfort is a prompt that leads us to turn to God with childlike faith and dependence. In our weakness, God reveals himself.
Whether we’re fasting from food, social media, TV, shopping, or something else, the idea is to turn to God in the moments when we sense the void or the longing for the activity.
Before we begin a fast, we should examine our motives. In a culture obsessed with body image, fasting from food can easily shift from a spiritual practice to the idolization of body image.
The key to stopping this shift is taking our thoughts captive. What comes to mind when you feel hungry for food? Do you applaud yourself because you’re going to lose weight, making this your primary motivation? Or do you look to God and ask him to help you draw nearer to him?
Drawing near to God should be our primary motivator for any fast.
In the process, we might lose weight and break free from bad habits, but we need to be careful not to turn fasting into the idolization of self.
2. Fasting leads to breakthrough in prayer.
In Mark 9:20-29, a boy is brought to Jesus. He has been convulsing and is under the oppression of a demonic spirit.
Jesus casts the demon out of the boy. The disciples ask why they could not cast it out.
Jesus responds, “This kind cannot come out by anything except prayer” (Mark 9:29, NASB).
Some translations read, “fasting and prayer.”
Jesus was not offering a formula for effective prayer. He wasn’t saying that if we pray and fast, we will always see the results we desire. More accurately, he was teaching that intimacy with God is the key for breakthrough in prayer.
Because fasting leads to intimacy, when we fast, we will often experience breakthrough in our prayers. The secret to breakthrough was not found exclusively in the act of fasting. The secret was found because fasting produced intimacy with God. Intimacy yields breakthrough.
Again, this is why we need to be careful about our motives for fasting. If we are fasting only to lose weight, we will probably miss out on the intimacy that yields power and breakthrough.
3. Fasting and prayer can help us discern God’s direction.
In Acts 13, a group had gathered to fast and pray for God’s direction. While they were fasting, the Holy Spirit told them to pray for Paul and Barnabas, sending them out on a missionary journey.
When we are uncertain of God’s direction for our lives, fasting can help us discern his guidance.
Again, this is the result of the intimacy we experience as we draw near to him in weakness and dependence. He reveals himself in our humble submission as we seek his face.
4. When the flesh feels weak, fasting strengthens the spirit.
Before he entered into public ministry, the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to fast for 40 days (Matthew 4:1-11).
Here, he was tempted by Satan three times.
Satan approached Jesus in the wilderness and tempted him to turn stones into bread. He was appealing to Jesus’ physical desire after 40 days of fasting.
Jesus spoke to Satan in this moment, declaring, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes out of the mouth of God.’”
Next, Satan took Jesus to a high point on the temple. “If you are God’s Son, jump from this temple, and command the angels to catch you,” he tempted.
He was tempting Jesus to prove his power by appealing to the human sin of pride.
Jesus responded, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.”
Lastly, Satan tempted Jesus to bow down and worship him, promising Jesus all the kingdoms of the world if Jesus would do so. He was appealing to the human desire for power through possessions.
Jesus replied, “Go away, Satan! For it is written: ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’”
Jesus overcame temptation because he was the perfect Son of God. His spirit was also strengthened through 40 days of fasting.
When our flesh is weak, we position ourselves to be strengthened in the spiritual realm as we experience utter dependence on God.
5. Fasting can prepare us to step into God’s assignments.
The timing of Jesus’ 40 day fast in the wilderness is worth noting.
The Holy Spirit led him into this fast before he began public ministry.
Fasting can prepare us to step into God’s calling as he leads us in new directions. Again, this happens because we draw near to him in intimacy, receiving his vision for the assignment. This leads to our next benefit of fasting and prayer.
6. Fasting can lead us into greater alignment with God.
Fasting purifies us by taking away the vices we typically turn to for comfort and nourishment. It reminds us that we do not live on bread alone, but on the words of God.
As we become more dependent upon God, our hearts come into alignment with his heart.
We are able to better discern his vision and direction. He gives us his love and compassion for others.
7. Fasting can free us from oppression and bring freedom.
Isaiah 58:6 reads:
Is this not the fast that I choose:
To release the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the ropes of the yoke,
And to let the oppressed go free (NASB).
When we are bound by patterns of sin, fasting can lead to freedom. God wants to see us free from every sin that enslaves us. Seeking his deliverance through fasting can bring this freedom.
8. Fasting humbles us.
David wrote the following words in Psalm 35:13, “But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth; I humbled my soul with fasting” (NASB).
Fasting strips us of human strength and reminds us that we live and move and have our being in God alone.
9. Fasting can bring favor with others.
Before Esther approached the king to plead for the salvation of her people, the people fasted at her command: “Go, gather all the Jews who are found in Susa, and fast for me; do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants also will fast in the same way. And then I will go in to the king, which is not in accordance with the law; and if I perish, I perish” (Esther 4:16).
When Esther approached the king with her request, she was found in favor.
Some benefits of fasting and prayer are mysteries to us. We cannot possibly understand all God’s ways. But we can trust that when we take him at his word, he will come through.
Do you need favor or protection? Favor and protection are among the benefits of fasting and prayer.
Read here for 9 benefits of fasting and prayer. #fasting #prayer #faith #trust Share on X
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Now that we’ve explored the benefits of fasting and prayer, I encourage you to read here for a basic guide to help you begin the practice of fasting.
If this post has blessed you, I also encourage you to explore our family devotionals and library of free devotional eBooks below! May you draw near to God and experience his love in profound ways.
Calling All Parents and Grandparents!
As the parent of two sons and a daughter, I have a heart for helping parents develop deeper relationships with their children and with God. Our kids, ages 6, 11, and 15, share this vision. They have helped me write three family devotionals for parents or older relatives to read with the children and teens they love. You can find all three books here or read more below.
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Mother-Daughter Devotionals by a Mom and Daughter
Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section for moms and daughters after each devotion. I wrote this book with the help of our daughter, Bekah, when she was eleven. Find this one-of-a-kind shared devotional here.
Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20. It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing. This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, sexuality, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start. Bekah and I will help you right here.
Find Our Family Devotionals Here
Find all three books right here. They are also free on the Kindle Unlimited plan, which you can enjoy with a free three-month trial! These books make great gifts, and you don’t need to be the parent of young children to read them. Share them with your grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or the young ones you love.
Be Still and Trust: Download Your Free eBook Here
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