CAN PRAYER AND FASTING REALLY DO IT?

However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting. (Matthew 17:21 NKJV)

Right from the ages, we have been hearing about these two words in the Bible "Prayer and Fasting", and some might even dislike those words. Yes, I did disliked them too, when I was still much younger. I remember how my parents would send my siblings and I away to the local Church, years back, to join other children in prayer and fasting exercise every Saturday, morning. Then, we did not know what prayer and fasting meant, therefore, as Saturdays approached, we would be grumbling. As in, these our parents, they would send us away again to Church, to go starving... Ouch! I am sure we grumbled that way because, we didn't have any understanding of prayer and fasting.

Jesus Christ speaking in the earlier quoted Scripture, Matthew 17:21, emphasises that some circumstances in life warrant that we pray and fast. I can now understand why Jesus' disciples couldn't cast out that demon from the young man. Matthew 17:14-16; And when they had come to the multitudes, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often falls into the water. So I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him." Probably, His disciples were ignorant of prayer and fasting, the same way I was in those days. They always slept whenever their Master went up to pray, Matthew 14:43; And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy. But we later saw how, when they realised themselves and received the Holy Ghost sent to them by Master, Jesus Christ, that diverse signs and wonders were wrought through their hands. To the extent that Peter's shadow was healing the sick, Acts 2:4; And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Acts 5:12a; And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people.

That is to say, power can only be released to believers who can pray and fast fervently. A prayerful believer is a powerful believer and when you carry power (Holy Spirit), no demon can molest you.

Prayer: Father, give me the grace to pray and fast in and out of season, so that I can be empowered to defeat the devil in all my affairs anytime, anywhere and everyday, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Remain blessed!

Your Sister in the Lord,
Ifeoma N-Bernard

Go to (PART B)