Prayer and fasting is a spiritual discipline that enable us to live a more focused and victorious Kingdom life. The essence of fasting is self-denial. The foundational purpose of fasting is to seek God's presence. This book explores what fasting is, why Kingdom citizens should regularly practice this time tested spiritual discipline, how to fast effectively and when people should fast. The basic premise of this book is that if the people of God will rediscover the spiritual discipline of prayer and fasting, we will experience God working through us in increasingly powerful ways to solve seemingly unsolvable problems. Drawing heavily on biblical and practical insights from Mark 9, Luke 5 and Isaiah 58, this book teaches people how to pray and fast effectively. While there are many other biblical passages that address fasting, these passages, are some of the most insightful and comprehensive recorded in the Bible. Specifically, they provide insight into God's purpose for fasting, fasting effectively and the benefits of fasting. One of the many benefits of fasting is the deliverance from evil and demonic spirits. People (including Kingdom citizens) are often faced with challenging situations and circumstances that have no apparent solution. The key to overcoming such challenges is to "practice the presence of God." Here I use the phrase "practicing or practice the presence of God" to mean developing a habit of sitting or lying still in a quiet place in order to experience God's presence. During these "private" times with God, we should expect God to both speak to us and move on our behalf. The practice of being in God's presence (particularly when facing crisis or major decisions) requires a measure of faith, wisdom, knowledge, understanding and discipline that most people have not acquired. However, unlike the father in Mark 9, we often fail to recognize and confess our unbelief. Thus, rather than practicing the presence of God, we seek to solve our own problems using our own knowledge and ability. In most instances, we fail.
