Prayer Boot Camp Preparation: Why We Pray and Fast
As we prepare for our three days of Prayer Boot Camp from the 1st to the 3rd of June, I want to encourage you to understand the purpose of prayer and fasting.
Many times people assume that fasting is about punishing the body. As a result, when they fast, they become more focused on how painful it was, how difficult it was, or how hungry they felt, rather than on the moments when God was speaking to them.
The purpose of fasting is not to punish your body. The purpose of fasting is to position yourself to hear God.
Fasting is a sacrifice that denies the flesh food. When we hear the word "food," we often think only of physical food, but food can be anything that feeds your flesh or your soul. Food can be social media. Food can be entertainment. Food can be the things that constantly occupy your attention and strengthen your natural man while weakening your spiritual sensitivity.
The Bible says, "For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things" (1 Timothy 4:8). There is a type of exercise that God wants every believer to practice. It is the exercise of prayer, fasting, and the Word of God. These are spiritual disciplines that strengthen your spirit and help you grow in godliness.
Perhaps you are dealing with dreams of a sexual nature. Perhaps you keep dreaming of going back to the village. Perhaps there are patterns in your life that seem to repeat themselves. Why are you fasting? You are fasting to receive revelation. You are fasting to receive understanding.
The Bible says, "Through knowledge shall the just be delivered." Deliverance is often connected to revelation. Victory is often connected to understanding. Many people are trying to fight battles without first understanding what they are fighting.
As we enter these three days of prayer and fasting, it is important to understand that this is not about punishing your body and it is not simply about fighting demons. It is about receiving the knowledge and understanding that will empower you to overcome the enemy.
The Bible also says, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge" (Hosea 4:6). This means that what you need most is revelation. What you need most is understanding from God.
As you are praying and fasting, God may reveal things that you never knew before. Some people are struggling with dreams of a sexual nature because of covenants that were made before they were even born. During prayer and fasting, God can reveal those covenants and show you the prayers that need to be prayed. He can reveal the root of the problem and give you the keys to break free from it.
As you are praying and fasting, God may show you things in your home, things in your family, habits, attitudes, or patterns that need to be corrected. Sometimes breakthrough comes when God reveals something that needs to change. Once that thing is corrected, access to greater blessing becomes available.
That is why I want to encourage you to have a notebook, a pen, or some way of recording what God says to you during these three days. Write down every revelation. Write down every dream. Write down every scripture that stands out to you. Write down every instruction that God gives you. Sometimes one revelation can become the key that unlocks years of struggle.
The key is not just the praying. The key is not just the fasting. The key is hearing what God is saying. Prayer and fasting position us for victory because they position us for revelation. When God reveals the truth, He also reveals the way forward.
For these three days, I encourage you to fast from 6 a.m. to 4p.m. Some people feel that they need to do something more difficult because they want their body to feel the sacrifice. But remember, fasting is a discipline. It is not a competition. It is a discipline that helps us position ourselves before God.
As we begin this Prayer Boot Camp together, let us approach it with expectation. Let us approach it ready to hear from God, ready to receive revelation, and ready to walk in the knowledge that brings victory.
I am looking forward to what God is going to do in your life during these three days of prayer and fasting.
