“In Jesus’s day the Pharisees fasted with attitudes of pride and superiority:
The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are. . . . I fast twice in the week . LUKE 18:11–12, KJV
Anytime you are full of pride, being legalistic and religious, you can fast and pray all you want, but you won’t see many miracles.
The Pharisees didn’t have any miracles come as a result of their prayer and fasting. They had no power.
Jesus had all the miracles because He was humble and full of mercy, love, and compassion toward people.
The Pharisees had nothing but long robes on, robes with no miracles. They couldn’t heal a headache. They couldn’t heal a mosquito bite. They couldn’t heal a hangnail. They had no power because they were not humble and showed no mercy. Jesus showed up and broke all their rules.
He healed the sick, raised the dead, and cast out devils. Then they wanted to kill him. They were not concerned about people.
They were more concerned about their position and their title. Don’t ever get to a place where your position or title takes the humility and the mercy of God out of your life. Always be humble. Always be merciful.
We must approach fasting with humility. Fasting must be genuine and not religious or hypocritical.
This is what God requires in fasting. We must have correct motives in fasting. Fasting is a powerful tool if done correctly.
Muslims and Hindus fast, but their fasts are merely religious. Great miracles and breakthroughs happen when fasting is done in the right spirit.”
“Isaiah chapter 58 describes the fast that God has chosen:
• Fasting cannot be done with amusement (v. 3).
• Fasting cannot be done while mistreating others (v. 3).
• Fasting cannot be done for strife or contention (v. 4).
• Fasting should cause one to bow his head in humility, like a bulrush (v. 5).”
“Fasting should be a time of searching the heart and repenting.
• Fasting should be done with an attitude of compassion for the lost and hurting (v. 7).
This is the fast that God promises to bless.
The enemy knows the power of prayer and fasting, and he will do everything in his power to stop you.
Believers who begin to fast can expect to encounter much spiritual resistance.
A believer must be committed to a fasted lifestyle.
The rewards of fasting far outweigh the obstacles of the enemy.”
