Christians often perceive prayer and fasting as a difficult challenge. However, fasting can be a simple and powerful discipline that everyone can adopt. To fast means to abstain from food, whether liquid or solid. Fasting can also be described as eating sparingly, abstaining from food only, or eating some food. “Perfect fasting” or “complete fasting” is to fast without food or any liquid. This is the biblical fasting that Jesus Christ practiced.
And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
Mathew 4:2
Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way.
Mathew 15:32
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The command to fast is not optional but something every true child of God should do. There are Christians who are so busy that they do not find time to eat, and as a result, they count it as fasting. Many a time, Jesus was so busy with the multitude that He did not have time to eat. Being too busy and not having time to eat is not fasting.
When Jesus wanted to observe real fasting, he separated himself and went and fasted in the wilderness. You can also set a time for fasting while still in the company of others. You can also participate in group or church fasting. There are no hard and fast rules regarding prayer or fasting posture. Those who prayed or prayed and fasted before us took different postures and attitudes in their time, and God accepted them and their actions. You too can take any posture, and God will accept you if you meet His demand.
Every prayer you pray must be a prayer of faith with your whole heart, in righteousness, and with a forgiving spirit.
And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have fought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.
Mark 11:25-26
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You cannot remove faith from your prayer or prayer from faith and get anything from God. Both of them go together and should not be separated. You may pray without faith, but it is difficult to have faith without praying to God as a true Christian. No matter the type of prayer you are going to pray, be it deliverance prayer, prayer of intercession, prayer evangelism, and so on, we must have faith in God.
With faith, you can unlock the door to heaven’s resources, but with prayers, the doors of heaven are actually opened. Praying without faith is useless and unprofitable. Without faith, no one can please God on earth.