{"id":2148,"date":"2025-01-05T17:46:39","date_gmt":"2025-01-05T16:46:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thechristian.ng\/?p=2148"},"modified":"2025-01-05T18:02:56","modified_gmt":"2025-01-05T17:02:56","slug":"why-consider-fasting-in-2025-spiritual-warfare-against-demonic-activities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thechristian.ng\/?p=2148","title":{"rendered":"Why consider fasting in 2025: Spiritual warfare against demonic activities"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The Bible<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In\u00a0Matthew 17:21<\/a>, Jesus said that a certain evil spirit does not go out of a person except by prayer and fasting. Some manuscripts disagree on whether this verse should be included or not, but the principle is found throughout Scripture:\u00a0Fasting applies pressure to the spiritual realm<\/em>. Arthur Wallis notes,\u00a0\u201cOften, pressure has to be maintained before there is a breakthrough in heavenly warfare.\u201d\u00a0It appears that some demonic activity is not released until pressure is applied through prayer and fasting.<\/p>\n

These two bullets do substantial damage<\/strong><\/p>\n

The weapons we use to fight Satan are not physical; they are spiritual. The weapons should match the warfare! Satan cannot be eliminated with an AR-15, but we\u00a0can<\/em>\u00a0fast and pray. Those two high-caliber spiritual bullets do substantial damage. Open the Word, pray, meditate, and worship for the fatal blow: \u201c\u2019Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,\u2019 says the Lord of hosts\u201d (Zech. 4:6<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Two wills cannot successfully live in the same body \u2014 our self-will and God\u2019s will. We can\u2019t defeat what we feed. God\u2019s Word states, \u201cFor all that is in the world \u2014 the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life \u2014 is not of the Father but is of the world\u201d (1 John 2:16<\/a>). Society says, \u201cBe yourself! Embrace your longings! Feed your desires!\u201d However, we know that gluttony and indulging the flesh never lead to spiritual victory, or any victory for that matter.<\/p>\n

Spiritual disciplines are weapons not works<\/strong><\/p>\n

Some strongholds hang on piece by piece. We must \u201cresist the devil\u201d and he will eventually flee (James 4:7<\/a>).\u00a0Fasting disciplines the body, prayer and worship bind the enemy, and the Word provides wisdom.\u00a0<\/em>Fasting ignites a hunger for God and provides direction.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t misconstrue \u2014 I\u2019m not promoting a works-based religion.\u00a0I\u2019m demonstrating the importance of spiritual disciplines that produce godly fruit.\u00a0What is dead in your life that you know God is wanting to resurrect? What dream, goal, or godly ambition is waiting to be realized? Is there a stronghold that has been gripping your life? Do you desire a deeper walk with God and increased spiritual hunger? Do you need help in self-discipline and temperance? Do you need a breakthrough, direction, or peace? Is all Hell breaking loose in your life? Are there great obstacles ahead? Then it\u2019s time to prepare for battle through prayer and fasting.<\/p>\n

The pain of discipline or the pain of regret<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ask God for direction and set a target date. Remove the hindrances within your home such as junk food and junk media \u2014 out of sight, out of mind. Fuel the completion of your fast by praying, reading, worshiping, and listening to sermons on fasting. Have a prayer list available.\u00a0It\u2019s a battle \u2014 a hunger strike against Hell.\u00a0It\u2019s challenging and difficult, but the pain of discipline far outweighs the pain of regret.<\/p>\n

The vast majority of the heroes of the faith fasted, and it\u2019s still very common in many places. But in America, our fullness is our downfall. Leonard Ravenhill once said, \u201cWhen there\u2019s something in the Bible that churches don\u2019t like [such as fasting], they call it legalism.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lean, mean fighting machine<\/strong>Unmute<\/p>\n

Whether it\u2019s on the radio, television, the internet, or at church, we often hear that God has a wonderful plan for our life and that Christianity is easy and carefree. We have changed following Christ into an easy path rather than a narrow road. We\u2019ve made Jesus a butler rather than a King. We want the cross light, the road easy, and the burdens lifted.<\/p>\n

Spiritual disciplines are intended to not only break down strongholds but also to build us up. Yes, God blesses His people \u2014 we should pray for, enjoy, and encourage His blessings. But a wonderful, comfortable life is not always a blessing. As the Bible teaches, the presence and the power of God in our lives is always a blessing: \u201cThe Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace\u201d (Ps. 29:11 NIV<\/a>).<\/p>\n

A Christian is called to be a lean, fighting machine. I\u2019m not talking about body weight but spiritual weight \u2014 weight to pull down strongholds. Leonard Ravenhill has said, \u201cHow can you pull down strongholds of Satan if you don\u2019t even have the strength to turn off your TV?\u201d We could add \u201cHow can we pull down strongholds of Satan if we don\u2019t even have the strength to say no to food?\u201d<\/p>\n

Fasting silence the flesh<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m not teaching perfectionism.\u00a0No one has complete mastery over the flesh, but our goal should be victory rather than constant defeat. Deeply embedded addictions can be reversed by starving the flesh. We are not powerless. We give control to either the flesh or the Spirit.\u00a0James 4:5<\/a>\u00a0reminds us that our spirit has \u201cenvious yearnings.\u201d Do we yield to these yearnings, or do we give in to the pull of the flesh?\u00a0We will crave more of what we feed. Fasting silences the voice of the flesh.<\/p>\n

Hearing the right voice<\/strong><\/p>\n

We all fall short. The only difference between those who succeed and those who fail is that those who succeed get back up again. Fasting doesn\u2019t twist God\u2019s arm; it realigns our heart with His and gets us back on track; it gives us wisdom and discernment for crucial issues. Discernment is one of our greatest challenges today. I came across this news clip some time ago that illustrates my point:<\/p>\n

A 17-year old Dutch girl who died on Monday during a bungee jump misheard instructions and jumped on the \u201cno jump\u201d instruction. One of the Spanish instructors on the bridge when the teenager plunged 40 meters to her death told the police that the girl jumped before her harness was clipped onto the bungee cord. An instructor told Spanish television channel RTVE that she had said, \u201cNo jump. No jump,\u201d but that the girl may have misheard and thought she said, \u201cNow jump.\u201d<\/p>\n

So tragic. Too many today are listening to the wrong voice. Are you? The goal of sin is to destroy our testimony and our lives by following the wrong voice. Obviously, we are to spend time in God\u2019s Word seeking wisdom and discernment, but fasting aids the process.\u00a0We don\u2019t want to go when God says, \u201cNo!\u201d<\/p>\n

The author, Shane Idleman, is the founder and lead pastor of Westside Christian Fellowship in Lancaster, California, just North of Los Angeles. Shane’s sermons, articles, books, and radio program can all be found at shaneidleman.com<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0wcfav.org<\/a>. He is the author of\u00a0Feasting & Fasting<\/a>,\u00a0If My People<\/a>,\u00a0Desperate for More of God<\/a>, and\u00a0Help! I’m Addicted<\/a>. Follow him on Facebook at:\u00a0facebook.com\/confusedchurch<\/a>.\u00a0You can also follow Pastor Shane on\u00a0Instagram @shaneidleman and Twitter (X) @IdlemanShane\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

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  In\u00a0Matthew 17:21, Jesus said that a certain evil spirit does not go out of a person except by prayer and fasting. Some manuscripts disagree on whether this verse should be included or not, but the principle is found throughout Scripture:\u00a0Fasting applies pressure to the spiritual realm. Arthur Wallis notes,\u00a0\u201cOften, pressure has to be maintained […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":{"source_name":"","source_url":"","via_name":"","via_url":"","override":[{"template":"1","single_blog_custom":"","parallax":"1","layout":"right-sidebar","sidebar":"default-sidebar","second_sidebar":"default-sidebar","sticky_sidebar":"1","share_position":"top","share_float_style":"share-monocrhome","show_share_counter":"1","show_view_counter":"1","show_featured":"1","show_post_meta":"1","show_post_author":"1","show_post_author_image":"1","show_post_date":"1","post_date_format":"default","post_date_format_custom":"Y\/m\/d","show_post_category":"1","post_reading_time_wpm":"300","zoom_button_out_step":"2","zoom_button_in_step":"3","show_post_tag":"1","show_prev_next_post":"1","show_popup_post":"1","number_popup_post":"1"}],"image_override":[{"single_post_thumbnail_size":"crop-500","single_post_gallery_size":"crop-500"}],"trending_post_position":"meta","trending_post_label":"Trending"},"jnews_primary_category":{"id":""},"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,10,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2148","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","category-opinion","category-uncategorized"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechristian.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2148","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechristian.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechristian.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechristian.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechristian.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2148"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thechristian.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2148\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2149,"href":"https:\/\/thechristian.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2148\/revisions\/2149"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechristian.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2148"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechristian.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2148"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechristian.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2148"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}