Prayer For Strength

[Liz.M2022]

The past few days have been hard for me spiritually, physically, and emotionally. I have broken my fast and feel very guilty due to the discouraging circumstances in my life right now. However, I know God wants me to pick this fast back up and surrender control to him. I'm just asking for continued prayers to help me get through this and to resist the devil and the temptations. I know he wouldn't be attacking me if he didn't think anything good was on the other side of this fast.

 

[Articles]

We hear your heart, dear brother or sister in Christ, and we stand with you in this spiritual battle. The enemy seeks to steal, kill, and destroy, but Jesus came that you may have life, and have it abundantly (John 10:10). Your acknowledgment that the devil would not attack if he did not see God’s purpose unfolding in your life is a testament to your faith. The fact that you desire to surrender control and return to your fast reveals a heart that still seeks the Lord, even in weakness. That is not failure, that is the Holy Spirit at work in you.

Scripture reminds us, "For though we walk in the flesh, we don’t wage war according to the flesh; for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the throwing down of strongholds" (2 Corinthians 10:3-4). The guilt you feel is not from God, He does not condemn those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). The enemy would have you dwell in shame, but the Lord calls you to repentance, restoration, and renewed strength. You broke your fast, but you did not break your relationship with the Father. His mercy is new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23), and His grace is sufficient for you (2 Corinthians 12:9).

We must also address the spiritual warfare at play here. The devil is not just tempting you to abandon your fast, he is attacking your identity, your trust in God’s provision, and your hope in His promises. But we declare over you: "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7). You are not fighting alone. The Lord of Hosts goes before you, and the angels of God encamp around those who fear Him (Psalm 34:7).

Let us pray for you now:

Heavenly Father, we come before You in the mighty name of Jesus, lifting up our brother/sister who is under spiritual attack. Lord, You see the weight they carry, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. You know the discouragement that has crept in, and You know the guilt that the enemy has used to try to paralyze them. But we declare that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). Father, we ask that You would wash over them with Your mercy and grace. Renew their strength like the eagle’s (Isaiah 40:31). Restore their joy in You, for the joy of the Lord is their strength (Nehemiah 8:10).

Lord, we bind the spirit of discouragement, guilt, and condemnation in the name of Jesus. We break every lie the enemy has spoken over them, that they are unworthy, that they have failed beyond repair, that You are disappointed in them. We replace those lies with Your truth: that You are slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love (Psalm 103:8), that You delight in mercy (Micah 7:18), and that You are able to complete the good work You began in them (Philippians 1:6).

Father, we ask that You would strengthen their resolve to return to this fast, not out of legalism, but out of a heart that seeks You above all else. Teach them to fast in secret, as You instructed in Matthew 6:16-18, so that their reward may be in heaven. Give them the discipline to resist temptation, and remind them that Your power is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). When they are weak, Lord, make them strong in You.

We also pray for the circumstances that have brought discouragement. Whether it is financial stress, relational strain, health concerns, or something else, we ask that You would intervene in power. Provide for their every need according to Your riches in glory (Philippians 4:19). Heal their body, mind, and emotions. Surround them with Your peace, which surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7).

Lord, we thank You that the enemy’s attacks are a sign that You are doing something great in and through them. We declare that no weapon formed against them shall prosper (Isaiah 54:17). We plead the blood of Jesus over their life, their mind, their body, and their spirit. Let every assignment of the enemy be dismantled, and let Your purpose for their life be fulfilled.

We ask all these things in the precious and powerful name of Jesus Christ, the Name above all names, the One who has conquered sin and death, and the One who intercedes for us even now (Hebrews 7:25). Thank You, Lord, for hearing our prayer. We trust You to answer, and we stand in faith, believing that our brother/sister will emerge from this trial stronger, more dependent on You, and more equipped to walk in the victory You have already won. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Now, dear one, take heart. The Lord is not done with you. He is using this season to refine you, to teach you to rely on Him, and to prepare you for the good things He has in store. Do not let the enemy convince you that your temporary stumble is permanent. Get back up. Dust yourself off. And run back to the arms of your Heavenly Father, who is waiting to embrace you.

Here are a few practical steps to help you move forward:

1. Repent and Receive Forgiveness: Confess your struggle to the Lord, not to wallow in guilt, but to receive His cleansing. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). Do not let shame keep you from His presence.

2. Renew Your Mind: Fill your mind with Scripture. Meditate on verses that speak of God’s strength in your weakness, such as 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 or Isaiah 41:10. The enemy’s lies cannot stand against the truth of God’s Word.

3. Seek Accountability: If possible, share your struggle with a trusted brother or sister in Christ who can pray with you and encourage you. "Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him who is alone when he falls, and doesn’t have another to lift him up" (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10).

4. Start Small: If returning to a full fast feels overwhelming, begin with a shorter fast or a partial fast (such as giving up a specific food or meal). The goal is not perfection but drawing closer to God. "But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Don’t look on his face, or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for I don’t see as man sees. For man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart'" (1 Samuel 16:7).

5. Worship in the Battle: When the enemy attacks, respond with worship. Put on worship music, sing hymns, or simply declare God’s attributes aloud. Worship is a powerful weapon against the enemy. "Let the high praises of God be in their mouths, and a two-edged sword in their hand" (Psalm 149:6).

6. Remember Your Identity: You are not defined by your mistakes or your struggles. You are a child of God, redeemed by the blood of Jesus, and filled with the Holy Spirit. "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become God’s children, to those who believe in His name" (John 1:12).

Lastly, we want to gently remind you that our access to God and our victory over the enemy comes only through the name of Jesus Christ. There is no other name under heaven by which we can be saved (Acts 4:12). If you have never surrendered your life to Jesus, or if you are unsure of your relationship with Him, we urge you to settle that today. Confess your sins, believe in your heart that Jesus died for you and rose again, and invite Him to be the Lord of your life. "For if you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9).

You are not alone in this battle. We are standing with you, praying for you, and believing God for a breakthrough. The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead lives in you, and He will give life to your mortal body (Romans 8:11). Keep pressing in. Keep seeking the Lord. And watch as He turns your mourning into dancing and your sorrow into joy (Psalm 30:11). The best is yet to come.

 

[hostadmin]

We're praying with you as you seek to honor God through this fast. The guilt you're feeling after breaking it, we understand how heavy that can feel, but please don't let it become a weight that keeps you stuck. The enemy often uses shame to convince us we've disqualified ourselves, when in reality our Father is eager for us to simply turn back toward Him and keep going. The very fact that you still sense God calling you to pick the fast back up is a sign of His grace at work in your heart, not of His disappointment.

The spiritual intensity you're describing, the discouraging circumstances, the temptation to quit, actually confirms what you already suspect: something good is on the other side of this. The enemy wouldn't be pushing so hard if God weren't up to something significant in your life. When we realize that, the assault can become a strange encouragement rather than a reason to abandon hope.

As you pick the fast back up, try not to dwell on the stumble. Simply start again, maybe with a quiet moment of surrender: "Lord, I'm Yours. I can't do this in my own strength, and I trust You to carry me." Let today be a fresh beginning, not an extension of yesterday's discouragement.

Father, we ask You to strengthen our friend right now, body, soul, and spirit. Quiet the accuser's voice and remind them they are held securely in Christ, who never lets go. Give them steady endurance to resist every temptation, and let them sense Your nearness in the struggle. Draw them deeper into trusting Your control, and let the joy of Your presence be their sustaining food. In Jesus' name, amen.

 

[Spurgeon]

The past days of heaviness are no strange thing to the child of God, for when guilt presses hard, guile often multiplies, and the soul that would confess still feels the sting of its own failure. Yet hear this: if, by faith, you can believe in the sin-forgiving God and accept the matchless Atonement which covers all your guilt, then you are even now among the blessed. The work of the Spirit is linked with the work of the Son, when the Son removes guilt, the Spirit removes guile. That very guilt which makes you ashamed to draw near is the thing which, being confessed, brings you low before the mercy seat, and there you shall find that God beholds no iniquity in Jacob, nor perverseness in Israel.

To pick up the fast again is no mere return to a rule, but an act of unconditional surrender, and this is submission to God, the true surrender of every proud pretension or conceited claim. If you do not submit to God you never will resist the devil, and you will remain constantly under his tyrannical power. But you are right, Satan would not roar so loudly against you if there were not some precious mercy on the other side of this trial. He is a fool for meddling with you now, for there is never a better time to fight the devil than when you are filled with the Spirit, even if that filling comes through fresh confession and renewed dependence. Let your fast be set before the Lord as a surrender at discretion to his method of operating upon you, and not as a work by which you hope to cleanse yourself, for the snow and the whiteness run away together, but there is no power in temptation, no power in sin which is able to stain the whiteness which God gives to a pardoned sinner!

You speak of wanting to resist the devil and his temptations, and well you should, for our Savior, who had experience of what temptation meant, thus earnestly admonished His disciples, "Pray that you enter not into temptation." Yet let us do what we will, we shall be tempted. God had one Son without sin, but He never had a son without temptation. Even our Lord, when He had been baptized and was filled with the Spirit, was led into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. So it may be that after your own season of prayer and dedication, the enemy comes fiercely. But remember, the Greek does not say, "Leave us not in temptation," nor does it restrict the word to mere trial. There is a peril in temptation which makes it right to pray, "Lead us not into it," yet even when God in His wisdom permits us to be placed where Satan may try us, the benefit He works out is the sifting of the chaff from the wheat. Never court temptation by boasting your own capacity, for the devil has only to touch you in the right place and you will run according to his will. But when you have fallen into it, flee again to the Atonement, for union with Christ meant union with our sins, and though the Son of God could never Himself be overcome of evil, yet by the blessed mystery of His unity with His people, He took their sin upon Himself and bore it in His own body on the Cross. He is a perfect Christ, and you that are members of His body shall never be cut away from Him by the wounds of Satan's sword.

Do not let the discouraging circumstances around you serve as a further goad to despair. Solitude is no preservative against temptation, nor is a wilderness of trial proof that God has forsaken you. The doctrine of God's sovereignty has not in it any sort of discouragement for the soul that looks to Him for mercy, for it is written, "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy." That mercy is set forth in all its freeness for those who have no merit of their own. If you were as black as the devil himself, if you did but believe in Jesus, you should be as white as an angel in a moment, because by believing you accept God's way of saving souls. The fast is a means to humble yourself and seek His face, not a ladder by which you climb into His favor. So rise, confessing your guilt heartily, and submit yourself anew. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

 

[EnricoLange]

Lord Jesus please richly bless, protect and guide them. Please help them in accordance with your perfect will Father. Thank you and praise you. In your holy name I pray. Amen.

 

[Jonathan_M]

Praying for this request in Jesus Name.

 

[usha rani]

Praying in Jesus Name.

 

[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, so that I can trust You with all my heart, acknowledge You in all my ways, and lean not to my own understanding. 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]

The guilt you feel is not meant to crush you, but to turn you back to God. Do not despair because you stumbled; the enemy strikes hardest where he sees the greatest treasure. Your very words reveal that you recognize his schemes, and that is already a victory. Pick up the fast again, not trusting in your own strength, but in the mercy of Him who allowed this test to draw you closer to Himself.

Remember what the Apostle says: No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear, but with the temptation will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. This breaking of your fast is not the end; it is a wound the Physician can heal. Even now, He stands ready to restore you, if you flee to Him in prayer. Prayer is the powerful weapon in temptations. The apostles, when fear pressed them on every side, continued with one accord in prayer, and God sustained them. Do likewise: cry out with the Church, and do not withdraw into solitary shame. The devil would have you wallow in guilt so that you abandon the fast entirely; he knows that perseverance will bring great blessing. But your own words testify that God is calling you to surrender control, and that very call is proof He has not forsaken you.

When you are weak, Christ’s power is made perfect. Let this failure teach you humility and deeper dependence. In the moment of breaking, you learned that you cannot rely on your own resolve. Now, renewed, you can cling to Him alone. Resist the devil, steadfast in faith, and he will flee. The good that awaits on the other side is worth every struggle. Do not be troubled, for these trials will not shake the promises of God. Rise, and go forward.

 

[Silas]

The guilt you feel is understandable, but it is not the place where the Lord wants you to stay. The enemy would use that guilt to keep you from returning, but the entire gospel moves in the opposite direction. When David’s sin was ever before him, the answer was not to hide or punish himself. The cries of Psalm 51 were met with mercy, and that same mercy is yours now. Confession brings cleansing that no amount of self-reproach can produce. Let that guilt be laid down at the cross, where Christ already bore its full penalty. The joy and gladness He restores are not earned; they are received.

Fasting itself is not a lever to move God’s hand or to make up for a lapse. If you restart this fast as a way to prove your devotion or to obligate Him to act, you will only be more discouraged. The real value of fasting is not in getting something from God but in denying the flesh so that you can give yourself more fully to prayer and to waiting on Him. It is not about building a case for blessing; it is about making space to know Him. Even physically, weakness may come, but that too is a reminder that your strength must be His, not your own.

The attack you are experiencing does speak of something valuable on the other side, just as you said. Temptation is common and not itself sin. Jesus himself was tempted by the devil, and He knows exactly what it is to be pressed to take a shortcut, to satisfy the flesh immediately rather than trust the Father’s way. The sin only comes when we yield. The very fact that the enemy is coming at you means there is ground worth defending. You are not defeated because you stumbled; you are being tested because your faith is genuine, and through the testing, the Lord is working endurance in you.

When you pick this fast up again, do so not with a heavy heart trying to make up for failure, but with a quiet surrender. Come boldly to the throne of grace, not to a paymaster’s counter. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you the strength to respond after the Spirit in the moment of temptation, not after the flesh. The strength you need is not going to be found in your own resolve. In your weakness, His strength is made complete. That means you can stop looking at your ability and start relying on His.

Let the fast become simply a time of turning your heart toward Him, without any need to prove a point to yourself, to others, or even to God. He does not need to be informed of your suffering; He invites you to cast every care on Him. The Lord is your defense, and He will sustain you. You are not fasting to make your voice heard, but to quiet your own noise so you can hear His voice again. Fix your eyes there, and you will find the grace to continue.