Does fasting help Ask Dr Stanley

what are your greatest needs have you talked to you having that father about them when we set aside time to listen and wait upon God we prepare ourselves to hear from him today's email asked about the practice of fasting what advantages it has for the believer so the email reads when praying for need or an answer to prayer does fasting really help Jesus told the disciples that one kind of demon can only be removed by fasting and praying well fasting does help in certain situations in the Old Testament for example you'll remember that nehemiah prayed and fasted before he confronted the king with what he desired Daniel and seeking the Lord's wisdom and guidance for timing about prophecy he fasted and prayed in the early church before they sent out Barnabas and Saul the scripture says they were fasting and praying in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus gives instruction clear instruction about fasting and praying and if you'll notice what he says he says whenever you fast do not put on gloomy face as the appearance of the hypocrites and so forth and what want you to notice here he says when you fast that is fasting is not commanded for the believer so the question is how does fasting help well one of the most important things it does is this it increases sense of humility and dependence upon the Lord when you begin to pray in the cry out to God you set aside everything else for fasting God begins to work in that heart in deeper more intimate way than ever before because what you've done you humbled yourself before him and said God need you that's what name was saying that's what Daniel was saying that's what the early church were saying also it allows us to give more time and attention to prayer when the person sets aside eating for example not drinking water but necessarily eating what you're doing is you're setting aside those things that are normal part of life and an essential part of life because you desire to get God's attention about something in your life that's very very important the their fasting is an expression of where we think the importance is at that time thirdly it's good exercise of self-discipline and what happens is this when you set those things aside God has way of getting into deeper element of our life often times it is in fasting and praying that person reveals what they really are on the inside and secondly the reason is because the Spirit of God reveals to them what's on the inside and oftentimes it'll be some sin something that you not thought about something maybe you'd put aside many many years ago God begins to dig deeper and deeper and deeper because here's what happens when you fast it heightens your spiritual and mental alertness you begin to see and feel and since things in your life that you did not before your alertness to God to the Holy Spirit he's able to show you things about your life you could not see before that therefore it is very important in certain situations to fast and pray it also expresses our earnestness and our urgency in our prayer this prayer is so important god want you to hear me need some direction and oftentimes it is prayer not only of urgency but of desperation and it is so important that you're not finding this answer we set aside everything not just eating but relationships work or whatever it might be so are there advantages to fasting and praying many many advantages very important ones that here is warning you cannot force God to give you an answer about something or to give you something by fasting and praying when person says I'm going too fast and God's going to hear me then well he may hear you without fasting but sometimes that is very important but you cannot force God by fasting here's the advantage it gets us ready for God's answer and God's answer may not be what want it to be but he gets me ready because you see he's cleanse my mind in my thinking and helps me to see things from his effective that's so crowded by situations and circumstances and eating and drinking and relationships and all the rest when all that gets cleaned out and it's just you and God the greatest help is it draws us into sense of oneness like nothing else God honors the right spirit and the right motive when we come to him and fasting and praying you will be blessed and if you have never tried it before don't just say well think how fast and pray no ask God to lay something on your heart that is so important to you that you desire to lay everything else aside that your intimate relationship with him can reach pinnacle that you had never experienced before well thank you for joining us today on InTouch and until next time obey God leave all the consequences to him as sometimes that's very difficult but believe me it's living life at its very best