Do these Scripture say that prayer along with fasting is more powerful than either alone?
Upvote:3
Let's break down the scriptures you used.
This kind...
In Matthew 12:45 we read that there is a demonic hierarchy. Some demons are more wicked, or more powerful, than others.
Matthew 12:45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.
In the Old Testament as Daniel was visited by an angel he was told that he needed help from Michael to defeat a greater power so that he could bring the revelation to Daniel.
Daniel 10:12-13 Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.
Prayer elevates the worshiper into the supernatural and causes the things of this world to fade away. It dims the eye to the worries and cares of the natural world. Prayer is so important that in Acts the disciples appointed the first deacons to administer to the widows and so forth so that they could be more devoted to prayer (and study). It is far easier to minister when you have spent time in His Presence.
Acts 6:4 But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.
Fasting, likewise, denies the things of this world to better serve him.
On fasting, it's important to note that when Jesus fasted forty days he was not hungry until after the fast was over.
Luke 4:2 Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.
So this kind of spirit would not come out except by the faith of someone who had yielded themselves to God through prayer and fasting. No doubt the disciples had spent the day in fellowship with other disciples, but had neglected to spend time with their heavenly Father. When a test came, their (spiritual) eyes had not been sufficiently dimmed to the things of the world and they could not cast out the evil spirit.
Should you fast and pray simultaneously? Here is some advice based on my personal experience. I would encourage you to try praying early in the morning before breakfast, or skip the last meal in the day and pray into the evening. In this way you can both fast and pray as I believe the early believers did. If you feel led to fast further, and do not find yourself growing hungry but instead are being fed by fellowship with the Lord, continue fasting. In my experience fasting is easiest when I have something or someone weighing on my soul and need an answer from God desperately.
More post
- 📝 What do we know about the Council of Nicaea's ban of celebrating the Lord's Supper on the day before Passover?
- 📝 What is the biblical basis for baptism by sprinkling?
- 📝 What is the Biblical basis for prohibiting sex outside marriage?
- 📝 What is the old covenant of Hebrews 8:6?
- 📝 What is the biblical basis that Satan is/was an angel?
- 📝 Who could have written the Pastoral Epistles?
- 📝 Parallel German (Martin Luther's 1534) and English Bible in PDF format?
- 📝 Was Jesus actually born at midnight?
- 📝 Why do Catholics have to go to regular confession to have their sins forgiven if they pray The Lord's Prayer and ask for forgiveness daily?
- 📝 Is there a word for the beliefs of Baptists?
- 📝 How is Acts 7:48 reconciled with omnipresence doctrines?
- 📝 How does Dietrich Bonhoeffer's theology relate to salvation by faith alone?
- 📝 Are there video recordings of humans said to be possessed by demons?
- 📝 Are humans above angels?
- 📝 Why do some Christians object to images of Jesus?
- 📝 Was Abraham justified by faith alone or works also?
- 📝 Why do priests celebrate Mass versus populum (toward the congregation) at most Masses in the Ordinary Form?
- 📝 Why was the Bible not available to common people in the Medieval period?
- 📝 What is the significance of Judas's name?
- 📝 What does Karl Barth imply by God entrusting us with a "nobile officium"?
- 📝 How do reformed theologians reconcile John 15:2 with “once saved always saved"?
- 📝 According to Evangelicalism when did Jesus become the High Priest?
- 📝 Are there any spiritual benefits in writing a diary?
- 📝 Why did Abraham lie to Pharaoh about Sarah being his sister in Gen 12?
- 📝 Other than JWs, which denominations (or religions) recognize God's personal name as the form "Jehovah"?
- 📝 What arguments does the Catholic Church use to require Trinitarian intent on the part of the baptizer for a 'valid' baptism?
- 📝 What is the Biblical basis for the belief that Trinitarian belief is “not” required for salvation?
- 📝 A Christian that believe in one God and gives him no image. What kind of Christian is that?
- 📝 Are all the elect raptured before the Tribulation, according to Calvinists?
- 📝 How did Adam and Eve die?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 Do these Scripture say that prayer along with fasting is more powerful than either alone?
- 📝 Who are these people in this Catholic Reformation meme that are considered more influential than Martin Luther?
- 📝 Is it appropriate to say that some denominations are more "extreme" than others?
- 📝 What is the theory that there is more than one "Satan" called, and what is its basis?
- 📝 Which 20th-century Orthodox Christians said that the crusades were more oppressive than the Marxist anti-religious campaigns?
- 📝 Is Christianity more friendly to its own Scripture translation than other religions? If so, why?
- 📝 John 1:18 - "No one has ever seen God" - How do Trinitarians reconcile this scripture with the belief that the Lord Jesus Christ is God?
- 📝 Looking for the Bible Verse: "If any of you have more than one <some-thing> give that to another"
- 📝 Can I project more than 500 verses of Scripture over the course of a year? Or, an entire book of the Bible?
- 📝 Where does the Scripture say that you need to be in the state of Divine Grace in order to go to Heaven?
- 📝 How do Unitarians understand these verses which seem to say that all created things were created by Jesus?
- 📝 When Jesus says "Amen, Amen I say to you" is that a hint that the next thing He says should be taken "more literally" than usual?
- 📝 What arguments from scripture are given by Baptists for the belief that one third of the angels were banished from heaven with Satan?
- 📝 Where did Martin Luther say that he placed "his Christ higher than any dogma or council"?
- 📝 Does Augustine ever say that Christians in his time identify their Deus [God] with the Roman deity Saturn?
- 📝 Would it be correct to say that we could associate Christianity with terms like "way of life", "lifestyle", "philosophy" etc.?
- 📝 There is more to know than that which is written
- 📝 What common apologetic arguments support the view that it is more likely that Jesus was resurrected than his body was stolen?
- 📝 Does the Church believe that an economic system with shared property is better than one based on private property?
- 📝 Are Catholics allowed to believe that the EF or OF is objectively more reverent than the other?
- 📝 What Christian denominations profess that they remain with 'that which was from the beginning' rather than 'progress' to a 'further revelation'?
- 📝 Who said that the smallest spiritual progress of a religious merits more than that of a thousand laymen?
- 📝 What does it mean to say that Vatican II is pastoral rather than ecumenical?
- 📝 If believing that Jesus is God is that important, why doesn't Jesus say it more often?
- 📝 Does this mean that Pope Paul VI thought that the Rosary is more important than the daily examen?
- 📝 Do any Christian traditions assert that there can be more than one "messiah"?
- 📝 Where does the Bible say along the lines of, "The weakest saint is stronger than the strongest demon?"
- 📝 Does the Catholic Church teach that belief in the possibility of more than 3 persons in God is heresy?
- 📝 Is it true that in Bible certain brothers are favored more than others?
- 📝 Mormons believe in more than one god so how do they reconcile this belief with 1 Timothy 1:17?
