Dr. Ronnie Floyd

There are many promises God makes in His Word in regard to the blessings we will receive through prayer and fasting. In my book The Power of Prayer and Fasting, I talk about seven specific promises. I want to mention three here that I trust will bless you as you read.

I have seen each of these promises come true in my walk with God, and I’m confident they also can live in you, through you, and will be yours as you call on God to do His will in your life:

Promise 1: Prayer and Fasting Provides Freedom 

When we pray and fast, God promises that He will liberate us. He will loose the chains of injustice. He declares that He’ll untie the cords of the yoke and will give the oppressed their long-awaited freedom. He will set us free from the bondage of what others think, making us realize that any comparison we make with others is a guaranteed fast track to misery. When we fast and pray, God steps in and frees us from the perceived alienation with Him that has kept us immobilized, fearful, and disobedient for so long. As you consider God’s call to fasting, perhaps for the first time, you may choose to start slowly, fasting and praying for only one day. Perhaps you’ll decide to fast and pray one day each week throughout the year where you declare that specific twenty-four hours as your time of obedience to be alone in the intimate presence of God. Some are unable to fast from food due to medical reasons. Choose something else to fast from – television, Internet, social media, etc. Take it to the level God would have you go. As you do, God will give you grace, comfort, and a new direction in your Christian walk. In the end, you will be set free.

Promise 2: Prayer and Fasting Teaches us to Share

When we fast and pray, God teaches us how to share with those who have physical and spiritual needs.

The book of Proverbs complements this passage by reminding us that when we give to the poor, we lend to the Lord. Fasting and prayer put your life in perspective. You are never more like God than when you give. Prayer and fasting can build within you the character to give. Giving is a joy – one that we experience when we learn to give like God does. We need to be willing to pour ourselves out to those who can do nothing for us in return, which means we are ready to give to anyone, anytime, anywhere. This is the heart of Jesus, and it needs to be our heart. Prayer and fasting build within you the power to give.

Promise 3: Prayer and Fasting Leads us to Answered Prayer

As you pray and fast, you will call on God, and He will answer you. Answered prayer is the quintessence of praying and fasting. If I were to share with you the five or six pages of the prayer journal I prepared prior to my first forty-day fast, and then walk you back through my journal since then, you would see one thing: My prayers were answered. They are still being answered. There is something to the disciplines of prayer and fasting. I could point you to every experience of long-term fasting where God has answered my requests before Him. This does not mean they were answered as I preferred, but it did not matter. He had worked in my heart, and I was released, fully confident that God was ordering my way. When we humble ourselves before the Father, and when God sees we are serious about giving Him our broken spirits, He begins to do things we have never seen before. It’s empowering. It sensitizes us to the needs of others at home and overseas as we suddenly find ourselves quietly praying for people, events, and situations with the knowledge that our prayers not only will be heard but that the Father will answer them.

Will you see these promises in your life? Take hold of them by fasting and praying.

Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the CEO of the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention, former President of the National Day of Prayer, and author of more than 20 books.