Battery Low?

The Church of Christ has so many PRAYING Christians, but very few FASTING ones! To the devil, praying alone has the power comparable to that of a grenade, but prayer coupled with fasting has the power likened to a nuclear bomb in the devil's camp! Do you want to be a REAL threat to the devil? Alright, then get out of the COMFORT zone, pray & fast! Personally, foregoing a meal or two has never been my joy because I love food so much! But if prayer & fasting will equip me with heavy spiritual artillery to wage triumphant combat, then the sacrifice is worth it? Prayer in itself is necessary, but NOT sufficient to guarantee a believer a consistent victorious life.

WHY PRAY AND FAST?
The Flesh
Whenever we pray & fast, we silence the demands, passions & desires of the flesh. The carnal mind is suppressed while the spirit man is strengthened. A believer who prays & fasts regularly OVERCOMES sin & temptations with the greatest ease. But the one who is sluggish in prayer coupled with fasting is ALWAYS vulnerable to sin & temptations. In 1 Corinthians 9: 27, the Apostle Paul says:
"But I DISCIPLINE my body & bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified".
Fasting is the best way to discipline & tame our bodies alongside the carnal mind, which is not subject to the things of God.
 

God's Power & Glory 
Prayer & fasting is synonymous with CHARGING a dying battery: it brings with it POWER! One of the major reasons as to why the devil is frustrating us is because we haven't cultivated the culture or lifestyle of prayer accompanied with fasting on a regular basis! The same way a phone's battery needs to be charged regularly is the same way a believer needs to CHARGE his/her spiritual battery consistently. Some of the obstacles, demonic oppression, generational curses, miracle delays, or health problems we face require greater power that God can ONLY release upon our lives when we pray & fast. When the disciples of Jesus were UNABLE to cast a demon out of a child, He gave them the divine secret in Matthew 17: 21:
"However, this kind does NOT go out EXCEPT by prayer & fasting".

Whenever we fast, we are simply engaging a higher & more powerful gear. The devil HATES it when we fast! He can NEVER withstand the power that comes with it, so he makes sure we remain in our comfort zones & fore-go fasting, and even if we fast, he ensures we lack consistency.

God's Voice
Fasting boosts our HEARING ability of God's voice & direction in a matter. When a radio's antennae is weak, the transmission of radio waves is adversely affected, and so, the radio produces unpleasant noise & more than one radio station can be heard at one go. But when the ANTENNAE is powerful, the transmission of radio waves is perfect, and so, only  one station can be heard at a time & is quite clear! This is true with fasting: it enables us to be perfectly in tune & in step with the Holy Spirit & hear His voice with clarity, and eliminates our own voice & that of the devil. A believer who fasts consistently has an easy time capturing God's voice & leading. Acts 13: 2:
"While they were worshiping the Lord & FASTING, the Holy Spirit said, 'Set apart for me Barnabas & Saul for the work to which I have called them".

Therefore, prayer & fasting makes us SENSITIVE to the voice of the Holy Spirit who indwells us.

During Jesus' Ministry on earth, He always valued the lifestyle of prayer & fasting. In fact, He began His mission on earth by prayer & fasting. Luke 4: 2b
"...And in those days [forty] He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry".

If you find yourself praying over an issue for too long without any improvement, change your strategies! May be the key to your miracle lies in fasting, giving, intercession or even a good worship of God!

Our Lord Jesus Christ wanted us to be upholding the culture of prayer & fasting, and that's why He showed us by example. I am calling it a LIFESTYLE because prayer & fasting should reach a point where it's part & parcel of our lives. This is just a summary, but there are many more important reasons as to why we should  pray & fast on a regular basis. For  further reference, read  Nehemiah  1,  Esther 4 & Daniel 9. Spiritual battery low? Connect it to POWER from on high.

PRAYER
Dear Lord Jesus Christ, we pray that You grant us the grace & ability to pray & fast. We are tired of living a powerless & mediocre Christian life. We refuse to give the devil such pleasure! Deposit in us a BURNING desire to pray & fast. And as we do so, MANIFEST Your power in us. Let the investments of the devil in our lives be razed down by Your consuming fire. We give You all the praise, glory & honor. We pray in the blessed name of Jesus Christ. Amen!!!