Episode #27: Unveiling Supernatural Breakthroughs Through Fasting and Prayer

Unlock the secrets of supernatural breakthroughs in your spiritual journey with this transformative episode of the All Is Well podcast. Have you ever wondered how fasting and prayer could elevate your life to a whole new level? Join Stephanie as she explores scriptural insights from Matthew and Mark, guiding you on how these powerful practices can lead to profound personal growth and overcoming seemingly insurmountable challenges. Discover the rewards of fasting in secret as taught by Jesus and the unique strength that comes when combining both prayer and fasting. This episode is a must-listen for anyone eager to welcome 2025 with renewed spiritual vigor.

Stephanie shares compelling stories from the scriptures and emphasizes the importance of humility in fasting. Learn from the example of Jesus and his disciples how prayer, when paired with fasting, can achieve results that prayer alone might not. Whether you're seeking healing, strength, or guidance, this episode provides practical and spiritually enriching advice on incorporating these practices into your daily life. Tune in to find out how these teachings can bring about the blessings and changes you desire in the year ahead, offering a path to spiritual renewal and healing.

Transcript

Speaker 1 0:02

Hello, my name is Stephanie. Welcome to the All Is Well podcast. My mission is to teach people the Word of God and emphasize its importance in their daily lives. I'm glad you decided to join me today. Let's get started. Happy New Year, welcome to 2025 and episode number 27.

Speaker 1 0:26

For this episode, I want to teach on fasting and prayer. At the start of any year, it's important to incorporate fasting and prayer into our lives to receive supernatural breakthrough. So let's get started. So what we're going to do here in today's episode? I'm going to start off with scripture and then I will deliver some key points on fasting and prayer.

Speaker 1 0:49

So the first thing, let's go on over to Matthew, chapter 6, verses 16 through 18. So in Matthew, it reads in verse 16, moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites with a sad countenance, for they disfigure their faces. That they may appear is a reward for fasting. But to your father, who is in the secret place, and your father, who sees in secret, will reward you openly. So you can see here there is a reward for fasting. When you're doing it in the secret place, then he will reward us openly. Now let's go on over to Mark, chapter 9, verses 20 through 29. So in Mark, chapter 9, it reads Then they brought him to him to Jesus, and when he saw him, immediately the spirit convulsed him and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.

Speaker 1 1:55

So he asked his father how long has this been happening to him? And he said From childhood, and often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us. Jesus said to him if you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes. Immediately, the father of the child cried out and said with tears Lord, I believe, help my unbelief. When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit saying to it deaf and dumb spirit, I command you come out of him and enter him no more. Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly and came out of him and he became as one dead, so that many said he is dead. But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up and he arose Verse 28,.

Speaker 1 2:52

And when he had come into the house, his disciple asked him privately why could we not cast it out? Verse 29,. So he said to them this kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting. So this is another reason why prayer and fasting is important. You can pray, but when you fast you are humbling yourself, and so when you're humbling yourself and you're praying, you're doing that. Fasting you get to another level, you get to a deeper level spiritually. So the things that you're not able to break in the natural, you're able to break whenever you're praying and fasting. In the natural you're able to break whenever you're praying and fasting. So with this instance here, the disciples could not cast out that demon from that young child. And so Jesus responded to the disciples when they asked him why they could not do that.

Speaker 1 3:45

And Jesus said this kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting. Because there are some things that you're waiting in your life, some things that you're hoping for in your life to come to pass. But you're praying, you feel like you're doing all the right things, but it's still not coming. But prayer and fasting will bring those results. It does something, it takes you to a deeper level. And so let's say, for example, let's say in 2024, your family was always sick, no matter what, every single month it was you, for example, let's say in 2024, your family was always sick, no matter what, every single month. It was you, your children, your spouse, whoever it was. You were constantly sick throughout the year. Nobody wants that and you were praying through that, but y'all were still getting sick. So this year, when it comes into the prayer and fasting, that could be one of your prayer points to be healed the entire year. And maybe that's the thing that you need to do include God and include that healing part in your fasting and prayer and then watch what God can do for you in 2025 in the area of healing or whatever area that you may need.

Speaker 1 4:47

Now let's go on over to in Ezra, chapter 8, verses 21 through 23. It reads when you are fasting and praying, you need to pray with a specific reason. What is it that you're seeking God for? What is it that you're seeking God for? What is it that you're believing God for? So right here it says that they humbled themselves before their God to seek from him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions. That was the reason why they were fasting and praying Verse 22, for I was ashamed to request of the king an escort of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the road, because we had spoken to the king, saying the hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek him, but his power and his wrath are against all those who forsake him. So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and he answered our prayer. So do you see that they were specific in their prayer and what they wanted God to do in their lives? They did that. And what does it say? And he answered our prayer. So, when you're fasting and praying, believe that you will receive, believe the things that you're praying for and God will answer your prayers.

Speaker 1 6:17

So now what I'm going to do. I'm going to go into some key points about fasting and prayer. So, just like I mentioned earlier, it's important to start off the year with praying and fasting, because at the beginning of anything, at the beginning of the week, at the beginning of the day, the beginning of your year, it's important to give that time to God. You're letting God know I want you to take over my year, I want you to do something with this year, and so devoting the first few days, the first 21 days of the month of the year, so devoting that to God, will show them how serious you are. And so when we're fasting, you know you're putting the body under, the flesh under, because we like to eat. We've already eaten a lot for Thanksgiving, all the holiday parties, christmas day, christmas Eve, new Year's Eve, new Year's Day and if there were any birthdays in between that. So we were eating a lot.

Speaker 1 7:13

So when we're fasting, we're putting that to the side, we're putting our flesh under and we're lifting our spirit up, and so when we're doing this, it shows God that we are humbling ourselves to hear from him. And so also, too, with praying and fasting. It goes together. So when we do it the right way, we will get results the fasting you're doing without food, and then also your together. So when we do it the right way, we will get results the fasting you're doing without food, and then also your praying. So what does that consist of? What does that look like?

Speaker 1 7:40

So when you're spending time with God, you are praying. What are the things that you're believing for, what are the things that you want to come to pass in your life, Bible reading and worship. And I would recommend to do this for at least an hour, because if there's something that you're seriously seeking, if you just do it for five minutes, that's not gonna help much. You need to devote yourself to more time of the word, and a lot of times I say, but I don't have enough time. Well, what are you actually devoting your time to? If you really want to do something, you'll make time for it and then, as you become consistent with praying every day, praying at least an hour your spirit will be accustomed to it and you'll want to do more of it. And then, by the time you look at your clock, you realize that it's over an hour or it's been an hour already and it's gone by so fast because you're sharpening your ears to hear more from God, your spiritual ears and you become sensitive and it elevates you to the next level.

Speaker 1 8:40

When we're doing the fasting part, people like to concentrate a lot on the food Okay, I can't eat this, I can't eat that and then it takes them away from the true purpose of fasting and prayer. If you're going to eat a little, make that decision beforehand. This is what I will eat, this is what I will not eat, and then don't spend too much time on it. And also make sure that you know what you're praying for. What do I want God to do in my life? That you know what you're praying for. What do I want God to do in my life? What am I believing God for? Have specific prayers, don't pray and you have no idea what you're praying for.

Speaker 1 9:12

You went through the 21-day period of fasting. You were praying, but what were you praying for? I have to be able to say I was praying and believing God for this, this and this, and I saw it in my life. I believed for it. He answered me, he gave me instruction, he gave me direction, he told me the next step. He told me step number one and then after that, I was able to go to step number two. And during this process, god will give you direction and clarity. And sometimes people say, well, I can't hear God and I don't know when he's speaking to me or I don't know what he's telling me. But when you're praying and fasting, you're putting the flesh under, you become more sensitive to the Holy Spirit and so you're able to hear him much better and it's clear. It's much clearer. You have clarity. You'll have more clarity. God will give you direction on what you need to do, what you do not need to do.

Speaker 1 10:03

Just think of it in this manner. Let's say you're in a mall during the holidays and you are calling someone. Let's say you're calling your mother through a crowd and you're saying mom, mom, she's at the other end of the store. You're at one end, she's at the other end and there's so many people there, people are talking, there's so many noises going on, but she can't hear you. You try to get closer, she still can't hear you. You're even like a couple feet away, she still can't hear you because she's distracted, maybe going through the clothes, shopping for what she wants, and then people are passing her by, there's a lot of distraction that's going around. Then finally you tap her on the shoulder mom, I was calling you. Oh, I didn't hear you.

Speaker 1 10:42

And sometimes with the spiritual realm it's like that God is speaking to us. He's there, he's talking to us, but we have all of these distractions that are going around. And he's calling us by name, he's given us direction, but we can't hear him because our spirit is not in the place to hear him. But when we spend that time with that prayer and fasting and we devote ourselves to it and we're putting our body under, and then when God is calling us, we can hear him. But then also think of when you're in a home, in one room, it's just you and your mom Mom and she hears you right away because there's no other distractions, no other people, no other noises. It's just you and her and she can hear you better. You can have a conversation. There's no misunderstandings. It's just like that way with God. When it's just him and myself, you remove all those distractions. Then we're able to hear from him more. We're able to get clarity in our life about things that we've been believing for, seeking him for, and he'll give us direction.

Speaker 1 11:41

During this time, if you are filled with the Holy Spirit, it's also good to pray in tongues, because when you pray in tongues, your spirit prays for things that you do not know of. When we speak in English, when we're praying and speaking, we'll say, okay, I want healing in my body. I haven't had healing. But when you're praying and speaking in tongues, you start to pray through the spirit and you pray for things that you do not know of.

Speaker 1 12:06

During this fasting and prayer, stay committed, don't give up. Do not give up. Look, in the long run, of what is it that I'm believing God for? What is it that I'm asking God for what are the changes that you want to see for you and your family? And at the beginning of it it may seem daunting or before you start, but it's actually easier than you think. When you develop that mindset at the beginning of the process and saying, okay, I am going to fast, this is what I will eat, what I will not eat, or I will only drink fluids, or whatever it may be, then it's easier for you because you've already made up your mind. So if you are interested in fasting and praying and want to know more about it, I recommend that you follow a ministry called Revival Today. They are based out of Pittsburgh. You can find them on Facebook, instagram and YouTube. They are teaching people on fasting and praying. They will begin their fasting and praying journey on January 6th, all the way through January 26th, and they will be teaching people live every single day. So if you want to walk further with God during this season of fasting and praying and want someone to guide you through this process, I recommend that you follow them, and you can also find me on Instagram and YouTube at allisWellWithStephanie.

Speaker 1 13:28

Thank you for tuning in. If you have not accepted Jesus into your life. Say this salvation prayer with me. Heavenly Father, I admit that I have sinned. I repent. I believe in my heart you raised Jesus from the dead. I confess with my mouth Jesus is Lord and my Savior. Right now I receive forgiveness. I'm glad you prayed that salvation prayer. Make sure that you plug yourself into a spirit-filled church and read the Word of God. Well, I hope you enjoy the message and thank you for tuning in.