The Power of Fasting and Prayer

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
Good morning everybody. I want to talk about a subject
that I don't like to do. You might say, well,
what's that is? Fasting in prayer? Oh my goodness. The
reason I don't like to do it is I like
food and I got to get past that. I want
you to welcome Stephanie.

Speaker 2 (00:22):
Say hi, Stephanie, Hi, everybody, Thank you again for best
to Gail for having me here. I love being with
you and the people.

Speaker 1 (00:28):
Well, we're going to talk about fasting in prayer and
the power and the purpose of it and why should
we should fast and pray, and really at the very beginning,
I would say you want to consult your doctor on
this one, especially if you're a diabetic or there's different
things you can do to fast. You could fast TV

(00:51):
because maybe if you don't, if you go without food,
maybe it's really harmful for you and the whole purpose
of fasting and prayers closer to Jesus.

Speaker 2 (01:01):
Anyways, right right, Yeah, you can fast Facebook, you can fast.
I don't know what that would be. Shopping ooh ooh ouch,
did that one hurt? Shopping? Yeah, there's lots of things
you can fess. You could do a Daniel fast, so
you're still eating, but you're just seeding different kinds of food.
Some people do protein shake fast, so yeah, maybe consult
your doctor if you've got medical issues. But there's many
many ways you can do that.

Speaker 1 (01:22):
Get your face out of Facebook and into the book.
So how's that? Yeah, you know, I hate it with
my telephone. Those tells me your screen time this week
was up ten percent. And you know my iPhone is always
telling me stuff like that, So I love it. So
let's look at what is the purpose of fasting in prayer?

(01:42):
Can you read point number one, Stephanie?

Speaker 2 (01:45):
Yeah, point number one. It's to deepen your relationship with God.
That's the primary purpose of fasting in prayer. It helps
put our flash down and a quieter flesh, so our
spirit and our soul can hear clearly the voice of
the Lord and see what it is he's wanting to
say to us.

Speaker 1 (02:02):
Jeremiah twenty nine thirteen, you will seek me and find
me when you seek me with all your heart. James
four eight. Drawn near to God, and he will draw
near to you. So don't tell everybody I'm fastig I'm
fast egg. That just defeats the whole purpose. The Bible says,
when you fast and pray. Go into your closet. Don't

(02:25):
look like you're fasting and praying.

Speaker 2 (02:27):
Oil on your face.

Speaker 1 (02:28):
Yeah. Yeah, And then when someone brings a big mac
around you run away. That's my bad humor. I'm sorry.

Speaker 2 (02:37):
Well, you get it. There's things you can say, right,
like sometimes it is helpful to have things to say, Oh,
thank you so much. You know, I'm gonna eat later.
They don't need to know that, laters in twenty days
or three days.

Speaker 1 (02:48):
So I tell my team now I'm fasting in the morning,
don't bring me food. And Sharon walked in the other
day and said, my mom made you some bunk cat.
Of course, jeh yom, do you want it? I go, Sharon,
I'm fastating. I'm sorry, Sharon. I know you listen to
this later. But it's kind of funny because around here

(03:09):
there's always food everywhere in the morning. And so yeah,
and then number two another purpose for fasting and prayers,
for repentance and humility.

Speaker 2 (03:20):
Yeah. Joel two twelve to thirteen says return to me
with all your heart, with fasting, weeping and mourning, and
so many times when we are fasting, you know, and
that flesh is kind of dying, it's pretty easy to
begin to feel the emotions that are underlying, you know,

(03:41):
some of the things that we think about, and those
are things God wants you to bring to him. Those
are things he wants to talk to you about. Those
are places in you that he wants to heal. So
if you get a little weepy or you get a
little emotional when you're fasting, that's okay. Just take those
things to God. That's what he's looking for exactly.

Speaker 1 (04:00):
You know, it's very important, and it says Second Chronicle
seven fourteen. If my people call them my name, mo
humble themselves and pray and seek my face, I will heal.
I'll hear from heaven and well, I will heal their lands.
So it's really important. Yeah, come on number three. Another
purpose behind fasting and prayer is to seek God's guidance

(04:22):
and wisdom.

Speaker 2 (04:25):
Ezra eight twenty one through twenty three talks about a
proclaimed fast for direction and protection. When God was working
with the children of Israel, they had many wars they
had to fight, and they had many enemies and many
difficult situations all around them all the time. And God
told the priest, as he said, proclaim a fast and

(04:45):
I will give you direction that they proclaimed fast for direction.
Where do I go? What do I do? Now? I'm
at a crossroad. We don't know what to do as
a people. So if maybe you're facing something where you're
not sure what to do, you're not sure which direction
to take, that's a great time to fast and ask
thank God for direction. Or maybe you need protection and
you're in a not safe situation or a difficult environment

(05:06):
at work or at home or relationally, or you know,
even with things going on in this nation, many people
have been fasting for protection so that they can be
protected from the things that may bring them harm.

Speaker 1 (05:19):
And then Acts thirteen two to three is said that
the early Church fasted and prayed before they sent out
the missionaries. So we know that there is great power
behind fasting and praying. And Jesus said his disciples didn't
need to fast when he was with him, but it
wouldn't be to he would leave, that they would need

(05:41):
to fast and pray, And so there's a lot of
power in it. Number four. I really like number four.
Another purpose behind fasting and prayer is to intercede and
break strongholds. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (05:54):
Amen, this is one of my favorite things too, because
really we're called to bring the Kingdom of God year
on earth, just as as it is in heaven. So
this idea of interceding to break stronghold is really important.
We need them broken in our own personal lives. We
need them broken in our families. We need them broken
in our churches or gatherings or communities, and in our
cities and in our nations. So Isaiah fifty eight six says,

(06:17):
is this the fast that I've chosen to loose the
bonds of wickedness? And what it really talks about if
you look at the whole context of that, it's the
context of a nation and walking in love and coming
into the place of walking in the character of who
God is, and the character of Christ that changes a nation.
That He desires to mercy, not sacrifice, and he desires

(06:39):
for us to walk only before him. So those things
are fasting really helps us to come into the fullness
of the character of who He is, and that will
change your life.

Speaker 1 (06:48):
And then Mark nine twenty nine, this kind only comes
out through prayer and fasting. The reason I picked up
more fasting is because I'm beginning minister now on more churches,
on Sunday, and there I'm actually administering in a number
of Hispanic churches. And I needed God to show up

(07:10):
with signs, wonders and miracles on my behalf. And I
know that if I fast and if I pray, that
God's presence and God will move more in power if
I'm spending more time with him. Read number five.

Speaker 2 (07:26):
Absolutely so number five says strengthen the spirit and subdue
the flesh. And we've talked about this already earlier. But
Matthew four one through eleven, Jesus fast and for forty days,
and overcame temptation to really fulfill his destiny before it
was time, and to fulfill his destiny in ways that
God hadn't really called him to do. So right, to

(07:47):
stay in the place and the process that God him
placed him, And so fasting can be very helpful to
subdue the flesh and to strengthen us in the spirit
to stay on the path that God has for us.

Speaker 1 (07:59):
I was going to say, I fasted for forty days
and forty nine I want to eat the rocks. I'd
be so hungry. I don't know.

Speaker 2 (08:06):
After about three days. Honestly, I've done a forty day fast.
To be honest, I have it was not that it's
that hard. After three days your body actually goes into
a different place in mode and it becomes weird to
eat when you come back, and you actually have to
start really slowly. So if you can make it past
the third day, you're good to go.

Speaker 1 (08:27):
Isn't that interesting? Christ Rose in three days come on
and then you have fasting. It's that three day period
of time. And I've done that before too. I did
a sixty day Daniel fast one time, and we'll talk
about that. But Glaciers five, sixteen and seventeen talks about

(08:48):
walking into spirit and not in the desires of the
flesh man. That is so important. I was reading in
the Bible today where has said that Jesus said everything
to please the Father and thinking, wow, it's pretty incredible.
You know, his words are challenging. So let's talk about
the different types of fasting. The first one is a

(09:11):
normal fast, no food, only water Matthew four two. Jesus
fast at forty days and was hungry, so read number two.

Speaker 2 (09:24):
Can I just say one thing on the number one.
I think it's important to know that the water back
then had a lot more minerals in it. So if
you're going to do a straight water fast, you might
want to get some clear, no sweetener type minerals to
add to your water that you're taking. Because back in
Jesus's day, the natural water that he would have been
drinking would have had the iron and the copper and

(09:46):
all the natural minerals, so his body was getting some
kind of substance from that. So consider that if you're
going to do a forty day fast. Number two is
an absolute fast, no food or water. So in Astor
for sixteen she didn't eat or drink for three days.
Your body can go three days without eating or drinking
at all. And then remember she went to the king
and had great favor.

Speaker 1 (10:08):
Well that's a lot too, no drinking and no eating
for three days. I can wake up at nights sometimes
that my mouth feels like it's full of cotton. Yeah,
really dry.

Speaker 2 (10:20):
Yeah, that's a really hard one to do, and you
want to make sure your body's and good health before
you do a fast like that. Of course, your body
will begin to create stem cells, but oftentimes with an
absolute fast like that, with no food or water, you'll
stay up at night and during those types of seasons
or callings. Oftentimes I'll spend time in prayer because it
does get hard to sleep, especially on that third day.

Speaker 1 (10:42):
Read a x ninety nine.

Speaker 2 (10:45):
It's a salt ate and drink nothing for three days
after encountering Jesus.

Speaker 1 (10:50):
Yeah, that can really do too. If you encounter the Lord.
It would be if you've had a really god encounter,
you might not want to eat because, yeah, all you
desire and hunger for as him.

Speaker 2 (11:02):
Yeah, yeah, that's so true.

Speaker 1 (11:04):
And then there's a partial fast.

Speaker 2 (11:07):
Yeah, and that's just where you restrict certain foods or meals.
Like Daniel ten two through three talks about he ate
no pleasant food, He didn't anoint himself at all. It
says that he was stained from the king's table, which
had certain delicacies that he did and his companions weren't
going to partake of. Then it actually tells us he
looked better than all of the others who were participating

(11:28):
and eating all those foods.

Speaker 1 (11:31):
And then there's the corporate fast Joe one to fourteen
proclaim a holy fast, call a sacred assebodly Joe Inah
three five through ten, the entire city of an nf
of fast, and in repentance. Wow, yeah, that's really good.
And then there's number five. You want to read that.

Speaker 2 (11:49):
Yeah, personal and private fast. So Matthew six sixteen through eighteen.
When you fast, he says, do not be like the hypocrites,
but fast and secret. And that's what Pastor Gail was
talking about earlier. Don't put it on display. We don't
tell everybody we're doing it. We're just doing it for
personal reasons, so we keep it quiet between us and
the Lord.

Speaker 1 (12:07):
You know, the personal private fast is really good. I
would encourage you to develop it as a lifestyle because
we need it. Look at everything the world's going through
right now, we need discernment, We need the power of
God to get us through. So now we're going to
look at what are the results and power of fasting.

(12:27):
You want to read number one.

Speaker 2 (12:29):
One of my favorite results is breakthrough and deliverance. It
sets you free, It sets your family free, it can
set your marriage free, it can set your community free.
Your healing show spring forth speedily you shall call, and
the Lord will answer. That's Isaiah fifty eight eighth through nine.

Speaker 1 (12:49):
You know, breakthrough is something many of us are wanting
in our life in many different areas. And it seems
that you ever hear someone say, well to break through,
It was right around the corner. And I said this before,
and you've been saying that for years. Yeah. But and
sometimes we do need to do fasting in prayer. It's

(13:10):
the only thing that's gonna break what we need broken.

Speaker 2 (13:15):
Yeah. Yeah, that's so true. That's so true.

Speaker 1 (13:19):
Read number two.

Speaker 2 (13:20):
Number two is renewed spiritual clarity invision. So we talked
about this a little bit earlier. When you're fasting and
your flesh is being put down, there's a stillness and
almost like a surreal ability to focus and hear that
comes on you. It says, as they ministered to the
Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, in other words,

(13:42):
you're able to hear the Lord better because your spiritual
ears are open and your natural ears are, you know,
being put down a bit.

Speaker 1 (13:48):
And that's Acts thirteen two. And then Daniel ninety three.
Daniel received an angelic visitation during prayer and fasting. In fact,
I think it took the angel twenty one one days
to get to him. I did. So he had to
fast and pray quite a while to get his breakthrough.
So we know it wasn't easy. Read number three.

Speaker 2 (14:09):
Protection and favor.

Speaker 1 (14:11):
Yeah, praise God, protection in favor. We all need it,
it says in Ezra eight twenty three fasting brought divine
protection for their journey. Esther five one through two. After fasting,
Esther found favor with the king. Esther had to approach
the king during a very important time. In approaching the

(14:36):
king when you weren't supposed to could mean death. So
she had everybody fast and pray for how many days?
Three days, and then she approached the king and the
king held out his scepter. So yeah, very very very
very good protection in favor.

Speaker 2 (14:53):
Renumber four empowerment for ministry.

Speaker 1 (14:58):
Yes, Matthew eleven and Luke four fourteen. After fasting, Jesus
returned in the power of the spirit. So after he
had been fasting and praying, he returned in the power
of the spirit. And so and Acts fourteen twenty three
leaders were appointed through prayer and fasting. And what is

(15:21):
the fifth reason? The fifth result from fasting in prayer.

Speaker 2 (15:29):
Healing and restoration.

Speaker 1 (15:31):
Yes, that's a very good result. Healing and restoration was
one of the big results of power of fasting and praying.
So you might be in a married situation. You might
be in a job situation. I don't know what your
situation is. But fasting is not about earning God's favor,

(15:53):
but it's positioning ourselves to hear and obey and to
move in His power. It humbles the soul, awakens spiritual sensitivity,
and it aligns us with God's will. When we combined
with prayer, it becomes a powerful tool for transformation personally, corporately,

(16:15):
and even nationally. And boy, during this time in which
we live, we need some national transformation, So yes, we do.
Any further thoughts, Stephanie.

Speaker 2 (16:28):
Yeah, just if you've never done it before, try it.
Take a slow, enjoy the process, Start with something small
and work your way up. You will be so glad
you did. It will transform your spiritual walk, your relationship
with the Lord, your family. It will absolutely be the
thing that catalyzes you into the blessed life.

Speaker 1 (16:48):
Yes, I got to admit I didn't enjoy the journey
at first because I can feel all the hunger. But
you know what, the more you do it, the easier
it gets. And then it's it's all about developing a
new lifestyle. That's what it's really about, a new way
of living. Just like when we talked about food addiction,

(17:11):
it's about developing a new lifestyle of eating so that
you can maintain it for years. To comment, So sometimes
developing that well, how long does it take the how
long do they say it takes to form a new habit?

Speaker 2 (17:27):
About seventeen days or twenty one days, depending on who
you're talking to.

Speaker 1 (17:31):
Yeah, I even heard thirty to sixty days. And so
it takes time to build a new ways, new habits.
But fasting in prayer and really a scripture you want
to meditate on is Isaiah fifty eight. You should get
into Isaiah fifty eight and meditate on what God requires

(17:52):
in a fast. But also if you get on the internet,
go to Google and ask it to pull up some
scriptures on fasting in prayer, you begin to read and
a lot about what the Bible has to say about
fasting and prayer. So, Stephanie, why don't you say a

(18:13):
prayer for our listeners that God would give them strength
and power to develop a new lifestyle of fasting in prayer.

Speaker 2 (18:23):
Yeah, thank you, Father. We just praise you and thank
you that this is a directive from you. So it's
good for us. We know that it's good for us.
And I ask that you Holy Spirit, will come right
now and give us the desire to fast and pray,
and give us the grace to fast and pray, and
give us the willingness to fast and pray. And I

(18:44):
do ask that it would be enjoyable that you would
speak to us. You would open our spiritual eyes and
ears to hear you clearer and to see you clearer,
and to get the prayer's answer, to be able to
see the ways that you're moving in our lives when
we do fast and pray, and that we would en
joy doing it and recognize the benefits of doing things
your way in our lives. And Jesus name amen.

Speaker 1 (19:07):
Now I know we'd really like to hear from you
about any other topics that you might like us to
talk on on the radio or on podcasts. So my
email is share at Healing Begins Radio dot com share
a Healing Begins Radio dot com. Or you might even
need someone to talk to or you might have a question.

(19:28):
You can go to Spiritualcareconsultants dot com also and email
us to the website, or you could go to Spiritualcareconsultants
dot com and leave a donation to pay it forward
on a future radio program that we have. And so
if you're out there listening and you'd like to sponsor
the Healing Begins radio program and you're a business leader,

(19:51):
get a hold of me at share at Healing Beegins
radio dot com. So, as we wrap up this program
on Fascinating, I just asked Stephanie to lift up a prayer. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (20:04):
So, Father, we just asked that you would bring to
remembrance everything that you taught us today, that you would
be with everyone who's listening today, that you would keep
them safe, that you would continue to speak to them
throughout the day, and that you will remind each one
how very much they are loved by you. In Jesus' name.

Speaker 1 (20:23):
Amen, Amen, And I pray that people would know that
any mountain that they're trying to conquer can be conquered. Yeah,
every stronghold can be broken, Yes, because Jesus the Bible
says You're the name that's above every name. That at
the name of Jesus, every needce shall bow and every

(20:44):
tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Speaker 2 (20:47):
Amen.

Speaker 1 (20:47):
I pray for those that are sick right now and listening,
Lord that you would bless them with healing. I pray
for those that are struggling with depression, anxiety and torment,
that you would bless them with peace. I pray that
those that are struggling because they don't have the finances
they get through the week. I pray that you would

(21:08):
be Jehovah Jirah for them, that you would provide for
them and keep them. Lord, I thank you that you
are alive and well and planet Earth, and that you're
the one that inspired this program today that's been going
out over the airwaves, and I pray that everyone under
the sound of my voice would have hope and the

(21:31):
name of Jesus. Hey in the next minute step they
tell them a little bit about your ministry.

Speaker 2 (21:36):
Yeah, So I do consulting with individuals and organizations and
leadership teams and cities really to help people fulfill their destiny,
the fullness of God's very best for their lives. That
starts with trauma care, so that will be the first level,
and then it moves into coaching, and then I do
corporate consulting and strategy work, and then additionally work with cities.

(22:00):
So you can find out more about my ministry and
the work that I do at Stephanie A Butler dot com.
That's sd E P h A n I E A
Butler dot com.

Speaker 1 (22:11):
Do you have an email, not.

Speaker 2 (22:13):
As particular email. They can reach me through the website.
There's forms there they can fill out for various services
that they're seeking. So when they fill out that form,
they'll reach me and I'll get back with them as
soon as possible. And then of course we have my
three books, Magnanimous Love the Key to Transforming a City
can be found on Amazon dot com, and then Rest
Is War can also be found on Amazon. And then

(22:33):
I am working on my third book right now called
Joyfully Undignified and The Beauty of Walking in Obedience to
the Lord.

Speaker 1 (22:42):
And if you want books by Gail Kroc g A
L E. K R A G T go to Amazon
dot com. You have Godmoments one, you have the Heart
of Healing. You have Jesus and the Montanas or the Mountains.
You have God Moments Volume two on Amazon. And we
just have so many good resources that you can make

(23:05):
yourself available to so many. God bless you. May He
keep you, May he cause his face shine upon you,
and may He give you the power to begin to
fast and pray and see your strongholds that you've dealt
with broken down in the name of Jesus.

Speaker 2 (23:29):
Bye everyone, Bye, everybody, have a beautiful day.

Speaker 1 (24:00):
Are you struggling with emotional pain, anxiety, trauma, or feeling
stuck in life? At Spiritual Care Consultants, we believe that
healing is possible because we've seen it happen. Every day.
We offer one on one spiritual care for both adults
and children at no cost, right in our office or
through secure zoom sessions. Whether you're facing grief, stress, depression,

(24:24):
or simply need someone to talk to, our trained consultants
are here to walk with you toward healing and hope.
We combine biblical wisdom, compassionate listening, and proven spiritual care
tools that will help bring clarity, peace, and restoration. To
learn more, visit www dot SCC healingbegins dot com and

(24:47):
if you have any questions orud like to reach out
to us, email us any time at share at Healingegins
Radio dot com. You're not alone. Healing Begins here.