Excerpts from FASTING ; The key to releasing God’s power in your life by Derek Prince

Theme: 2 Corinthians 4:1 “Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not”

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The essential nature of fasting is renouncing the natural to invoke the supernatural. Jesus even being divine, before he entered His public ministry, there were two critical experiences through which He passed. The first was when the Holy Spirit descended upon Him, and He endued with supernatural power of the Holy Spirit for His Ministry. The second experience was forty days of fasting in the desert. He abstained from food and focused on spiritual. Apparently, during that time, He had a direct, person to person conflict with Satan. Through His fasting, He emerged victorious from the first conflict with Satan.   When Jesus went into the desert, the Gospel says “he was full of Holy Spirit”. But when He returned from the desert after forty days of fasting it says He went “in the power of the Holy Spirit”. From there on His ministry was birthed with power and victory, great wonders, signs and miracles.

Not only was fasting practiced by Jesus, it was practiced by New Testament church. Acts 13:1-4 “1 Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off. 4 The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus.

The leaders of the church were ministering to the Lord and fasting together. In the course of their fasting they received a revelation from the Holy Spirit that two of their number was to be sent out for a special apostolic ministry. Receiving this revelation, they did not send them out immediately, but again they “fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off”.

We have testimony of what the Lord did through Paul and Barnabas. We have seen the measureless power that is released when prayer and fasting is done with the right motives and in accordance with the principles of Scripture.

• Fasting changes individuals and families
• Fasting changes the ministries, churches, and missionaries
• Fasting changes history (story of Jonah, Esther, Nehemiah).

May we answer the call as in Joel 1:13-14 that power of Holy Spirit will be released that His grace, mercy, and justice may prevail.

Joel 1:13-14 “ Put on sackcloth, you priests, and mourn; wail, you who minister before the altar. Come, spend the night in sackcloth, you who minister before my God; for the grain offerings and drink offerings are withheld from the house of your God.

Declare a holy fast; call a sacred assembly. Summon the elders and all who live in the land to the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord.