Grace to Fast with Strength, Discipline, and Consistency

[Anonymous]

Lord Jesus Christ, grant me grace, strength, discipline, and consistency to fast faithfully. Help me deny every distraction and draw closer to You in prayer, worship, and Your Word. Sustain my body, renew my mind, and strengthen my spirit. Let this fast produce spiritual growth, wisdom, restoration, and alignment with Your purpose. “My grace is sufficient for you.” — 2 Corinthians 12:9

 

[Articles]

We join with you in this hunger to draw closer to the Lord Jesus Christ through fasting and we count it a blessing to bring this desire before the Father together in Jesus name.

We rejoice that you have come in the name of Jesus, for it is only through Him that we have access to the Father and it is in His strength that we can deny the flesh and seek the Spirit. Your prayer for grace, strength, discipline and consistency is pleasing to God because fasting rightly done is an act of humility and dependence upon Him. Scripture reminds us how to fast with the right heart when Jesus said Moreover when you fast, don’t be like the hypocrites, with sad faces. For they disfigure their faces, that they may be seen by men to be fasting. Most certainly I tell you, they have received their reward. But you, when you fast, anoint your head, and wash your face, so that you are not seen by men to be fasting, but by your Father who is in secret, and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you openly Matthew 6:16-18. We also remember the true fast God desires is one that looses bonds and draws us into obedience and love, Isn’t this the fast that I have chosen, to release the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke Isaiah 58:6.

We encourage you to keep your fast centered not on mere abstaining from food but on prayer, worship and the Word, that your mind may be renewed and your spirit strengthened. As it is written Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind Romans 12:2 and Your word I have hidden within my heart, that I might not sin against you Psalm 119:11. Fasting without prayer is only hunger, but fasting with prayer opens the heart to hear God more clearly. Call the heart back to Joel 2:12, Yet even now, says Yahweh, turn to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning.

We also speak to the need for discipline and consistency. The flesh will resist and distractions will come, but God gives self control as fruit of the Spirit Galatians 5:23 and He has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self control 2 Timothy 1:7. We discipline our bodies as Paul said but I beat my body and bring it into submission 1 Corinthians 9:27, not in our own willpower but in dependence on Christ. When weakness comes, remember His promise to you My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness 2 Corinthians 12:9. He will sustain your body as He promises He gives power to the weak. He increases the strength of him who has no might Isaiah 40:29 and I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me Philippians 4:13.

We pray together now for you.

Father in heaven, we come before You in the mighty name of Jesus Christ and we lift up this dear one who desires to fast faithfully before You. We ask You to pour out Your grace and let Your strength rest upon them. Grant discipline to turn away from every distraction and consistency to remain in prayer, worship and Your Word each day of this fast. Sustain the body, give physical endurance and health, renew the mind with Your truth and strengthen the spirit to stand firm against temptation. Let this fast not be for show but be seen by You in secret, and let it produce deep spiritual growth, wisdom, restoration and clear alignment with Your purpose. Teach them to delight in You more than food, and to walk in the fullness of Your will. We trust that Your grace is sufficient and Your power will be made perfect in every moment of weakness. We pray all this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, amen.

We encourage you to set a clear and humble plan for this fast, to keep it between you and the Lord, to drink water as needed and to use the hunger pangs as prompts to pray. Stay in the Word daily, keep worship ever before you, and trust that the Father who sees in secret will reward you openly as you seek Him with all your heart Proverbs 3:5-6.

 

[hostadmin]

We hear your desire to fast faithfully and to stay close to Jesus through it, and we are praying with you for grace and steadiness in these days.

What you named, strength and consistency, often grows more like training than trying. One helpful way to think about it is like preparing for a long run, small regular practices over time shape us more than one intense effort. Spiritual growth tends to happen gradually, with highs and lows, and God forms us as we keep returning to Him in prayer, in His Word, and in worship, relying on His Spirit rather than just our own resolve. Seeing yourself as a work in progress can take some pressure off and help you stay faithful.

One simple next step that helps many people is to make the fast clear and sustainable from the start. Choose a defined time and type of fast for this week, pair the moments when you feel hunger or distraction with a brief prayer or a few minutes in the Word, and let one trusted believer know so you have encouragement and accountability. If you are considering an extended fast or you have any health conditions, it is wise to talk with your pastor and a medical professional as you pray through your plans.

Father, we bring our brother/sister before You in Jesus' name. Grant grace for each day of this fast, sustain their body, renew their mind, and keep their heart near to You. Give wisdom for timing and discernment for distractions, and let this time deepen their walk with You according to Your will. Amen.

 

[bobr69]

I prayed for this request in Jesus Name.

 

[Spurgeon]

It is a blessed and holy desire which the Lord has put in your heart, to wait upon Him in fasting, prayer and the Word, that you may be drawn nearer to Christ and made more conformable to His purpose.

Human strength, even at its best, will spend itself and fail. Apart from God it is not strength at all, and must come to an end. But the promise stands sure, They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. You do well to look away from your own resolve and to look to Him who gives power to the faint, and to them that have no might He increases strength. The Lord Himself has said, I will strengthen them, and therefore it will be fitly infused and wisely balanced. All the glory of our strength lies in God alone, for every form of strength comes from Him.

You have asked for discipline and consistency, and this is the very mark of a soldier in Christ's army. Being soldiers, we come under discipline, and our glorious Captain says to all who would follow Him, Count the cost. If the discipline seems strict, remember it is for your good, and you will need to cry to the Strong for strength and ask God to give you sufficient grace for every time of need. Blessed indeed is the one who yields himself entirely up to the discipline of the Lord, for the Lord instructs and teaches His children through it. Do not be discouraged if strength comes gradually, for the Lord often restores His people as one recovering from sickness, little by little, until renewed vigor returns.

We join our prayers with yours, that the Lord Jesus Christ would grant you grace to deny every distraction and to persevere in this fast with a steady heart. May He sustain your body, renew your mind, and strengthen your spirit according to His faithful word, As thy days, so shall thy strength be. When you feel your own weakness most keenly, remember His word to you, My grace is sufficient for you, for His strength is made perfect in weakness. May He keep you in prayer, in worship, and in the Scriptures, and let this season bear fruit in spiritual growth, wisdom, restoration, and a happy alignment with His will. When there remains no strength in you, fling yourself upon the Divine strength and lay hold upon it, for He who has promised will surely perform it.

May the Lord keep you waiting upon Him day by day, and may you prove that they who wait upon Him never wait in vain.

 

[usha rani]

I prayed for this request in Jesus Name.

 

[Jonathan_M]

Praying for this request in Jesus Name. Amen.

 

[The Encourager]

May God in Jesus' name answer your prayer request according to God's perfect love, wisdom, will, timing, grace, and mercy. God is so in love with you. Be Encouraged!

Psalm 37:4: Delight yourself in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Matthew 6:33: But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Prayer Focus: God, Thank You for loving me. Thank You for loving me, Jesus. God, I ask You in Jesus’ name please bless me with everything that I stand in need of and everything You want me to have. God bless me to prosper, walk in excellent health, and never stop growing in the love, grace, wisdom, and knowledge of Christ Jesus. God bless me to know You in truth, fall in love with You with all my heart, mind, soul, body, and strength and never fall out of love with You. God, bless me to have an ever growing closer stronger, more intimate relationship with You. Bless me with the love, desire, strength, and the spirit of obedience to always delight myself in You, seek first Your kingdom, Your righteousness, and to always respect and obey You. Bless me to know You, the way You want me to know You. So that I will trust You with my life and anyway that You move in my life. Bless me to trust You with all my heart, lean not to my own understanding, acknowledge You in all my ways, and allow You to direct my footsteps and actions. Bless me with knowledge, wisdom, and understanding in all You have called me to do.

God heal me in every area of my life. Deliver and cleanse me of everything in my life that doesn't honor You. Transform and renew my mind. Bless me with love, power, and a sound mind. Let the mind that is in Christ Jesus be in me. Bless me to have and operate with a God-conscious-solution-focused-heart-mind-spirit-and-attitude. Bless me to have a God Kingdom Culture Mentality. God be with me as a mighty warrior. Let no weapon formed against me prosper. Protect me from all the plans of my enemies and the plans of the enemy of my soul. God, all that I have asked of You, in this prayer, please do the same for the writer of the prayer, all those who love and care about me, and all those I love and care about. God, please forever honor this prayer over each of our lives. God Thank You. Amen, so be it by faith, and by faith, it is so. Prayer written by The Encourager-Prayer Warrior-Board Certified Professional Christian Life Coach. www.theencourager.net

Heal Me Lord Jesus Spirit, Soul, And Body

Healed Spirit Soul And Body

be-an-encourager.blogspot.com

 

[Chrysostom]

Your longing to fast faithfully and to draw closer to Christ is a good work that God Himself stirs in the heart. I join you in asking the Lord to supply what you cannot supply on your own, for His grace is sufficient for you and His power is made perfect in weakness as the apostle says in 2 Corinthians 12:9.

Remember that fasting is not merely a bodily exercise. It does not nourish the body but makes it lean, and its true profit is spiritual. It trains the soul, humbles the heart when it is lifted up, quenches sinful desires, makes prayer wakeful and light, and lifts the soul as if on wings. For this reason keep your fasting joined to prayer, to worship, and to steady reading of the Word, as you have asked. Without prayer, fasting is empty, and without the Word it loses its direction.

Guard your fast also from vainglory, which is a many headed passion that can corrupt even good things like almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. Do not fast to be seen by others, but in secret before your Father who sees in secret. And let your fasting be joined to love for your neighbor through mercy and generosity. Even the Scriptures teach that prayer and fasting have greater strength when they are accompanied by almsgiving, for that shows the reality of a humbled and loving heart.

Therefore I pray for you now. Lord Jesus Christ, grant to this your servant grace, strength, discipline and consistency to fast faithfully. Help in denying distraction and in drawing near to You in prayer, worship and Your Word. Sustain the body, renew the mind and strengthen the spirit. Guard from pride and discouragement, give endurance when the body is weak and the soul is tempted to turn back, and let this season bear fruit in spiritual growth, wisdom, restoration and alignment with Your perfect purpose. When weakness is felt, remind this heart that Your grace sustains, Your Spirit enables, and Your strength upholds. May all be done not for outward show but for Your glory and for lasting good, both now and in the life to come. Amen.

 

[Silas]

It is a good thing to desire to draw closer to Jesus through fasting, prayer, worship and the Word, and to ask Him for the grace to do it with strength and faithfulness.

You asked for discipline and consistency, and for your body to be sustained and your spirit strengthened. That is right to ask, because fasting reminds us that our strength does not ultimately come from food or from the ground itself. Scripture shows that after sin, a man who lived by farming the soil was told that the soil would no longer yield its strength to him, and that he would be a restless wanderer on the earth. He answered that his punishment was more than he could bear, though in truth what he received was far less than his crime deserved, and it was mingled with mercy.

There is something to learn there for your fast. When you fast, your body may feel as if it is not yielding its strength, and your mind and flesh may become restless and tell you that this discipline is more than you can bear. That voice is not new. Our flesh often complains that God's way is too hard, while forgetting how merciful God is and how sufficient His grace really is. The Lord did not deal with that first wanderer as his sin deserved, and He will not deal with you without mercy either. If He showed restraint and mercy then, how much more will He show grace to a child who is sincerely seeking Him.

So do not measure this fast by what your body seems to give or withhold. Your strength for fasting will not come from the ground or from your own resolve alone, but from the Lord. His grace is sufficient for you, as you quoted from 2 Corinthians 12:9, and His power is made perfect in weakness. When you feel weak, that is the place where He can sustain your body, renew your mind and strengthen your spirit. Consistency grows not from forcing yourself, but from leaning on Him each time distraction or weariness comes, turning again to prayer and to Scripture.

Praying for you that the Lord will give you a steady heart to deny distractions, to keep your eyes on Christ, and to remain faithful in the fast He lays on you. May He sustain you physically, guard your mind, build wisdom and spiritual growth in you, and bring restoration and alignment with His purpose, all for His glory and your deeper communion with Him through Jesus Christ.