40-Day Corporate Prayer and Fasting

Lastly, fasting helps us draw near to God, surrender ourselves to God, hear God's direction, and steel ourselves with determination to do God's will. That's the best outcome we could ever hope for, and it offers real reward for a few days of sacrifice. Whichever fast the Holy Spirit leads you to do, always remember that fasting is a way of saying to God that He is more important to us than food. For the duration of the fast, our hearts are set on Him as our Source, our Provider and the One who sustains us. Fasting is a way to say, “I am sacrificing all for You Lord, and I surrender my body, soul and spirit before You in a dedicated time of prayer”. The Lord may also call you to fast for a longer period of time. In every fast, allow the Holy Spirit to guide you with His counsel and wisdom.

Hannah’s Prayer:

“ And Hannah prayed and said: “My heart rejoices in the Lord; My horn is exalted in the Lord. I smile at my enemies,Because I rejoice in Your salvation. “No one is holy like the Lord, For there is none besides You, Nor is there any rock like our God”  1 Samuel 2:1-2 (NKJV).

Prayer and Fasting Along with Remorseful Heart (Repentance):

“ And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord; It shall rejoice in His salvation. All my bones shall say,“Lord, who is like You, Delivering the poor from him who is too strong for him,Yes, the poor and the needy from him who plunders him?” Fierce witnesses rise up;They ask me things that I do not know.  They reward me evil for good,To the sorrow of my soul. But as for me, when they were sick, My clothing was sackcloth; I humbled myself with fasting;And my prayer would return to my own [e]heart”  Psalm 35:9-13 (NKJV).

Prayer and Fasting That Pleases God:

“ “ Cry aloud, spare not;Lift up your voice like a trumpet; Tell My people their transgression, And the house of Jacob their sins. Yet they seek Me daily, And delight to know My ways, As a nation that did righteousness, And did not forsake the ordinance of their God. They ask of Me the ordinances of justice; They take delight in approaching God. ‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and You have not seen?Why have we afflicted our souls, and You take no notice?’ “In fact, in the day of your fast you find pleasure, And exploit all your laborers. Indeed you fast for strife and debate, And to strike with the fist of wickedness. You will not fast as you do this day,To make your voice heard on high”  Isaiah 58:1–4(NKJV).

Prayer and Fasting Offer As Repentance for the People of Nineveh:

“ And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water. But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish? Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it”  Jonah 3:7-10 (NKJV).

Obedience Better than Fasting:

“ Now in the fourth year of King Darius it came to pass that the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, on the fourth day of the ninth month, Chislev,  when the people sent Sherezer, with Regem-Melech and his men, to the house of God, to pray before the Lord,  and to ask the priests who were in the house of the Lord of hosts, and the prophets, saying, “Should I weep in the fifth month and fast as I have done for so many years?” Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, “Say to all the people of the land, and to the priests: ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months during those seventy years, did you really fast for Me—for Me? When you eat and when you drink, do you not eat and drink for yourselves?” Zechariah 7:1–6 (NKJV).

Fasting to Be Seen Only by God:

“ Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be sting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly” Matthew 6:16-18 (NKJV).

Prayer and Fasting to Strengthen Your Faith:

“ Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.” And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting”  Matthew 17:17-21 (NKJV).

Prayer and Fasting Brings Deliverance from Unclean Spirits:

“ And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not.” He answered him and said, “O faithless[a] generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me.” Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!” Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, “He is dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting”  Mark 9: 18-20, 25-29 (NKJV).

Prayer and Fasting Is A Lifestyle:

“ Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem”  Luke 2:36-38 (NKJV).

Prayer and Fasting Strengthens Believers:

“ And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.” So when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed. And after they had passed through Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia. Now when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia” Acts 14:21-25 (NKJV).

Prayer is a powerful tool that God has given to strengthen us, deepen our relationship with Him, and allow us to play a role in His plans. Prayer and Fasting is a spiritual exercise which God honors. He promises to heap blessings on people who are hungry for Him.