Things To Avoid When Fasting and Praying
Are you planning to go on a fast soon? Are you trusting God for a particular situation that needs to change and you have resolved to fast and pray? Do you desire a deeper relationship with God? Hence you have decided to fast and pray so as to be more sensitive spiritually to the will of God.
These are good reasons for a person to fast, however, it is important that you know the things to avoid when fasting and praying so that your fasting will not end up been an exercise in futility and so your prayers can be answered by God speedily.
Mark 11:23 “And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses”.
As much as we believers love to fast and pray, sometimes we are not doing these two important spiritual exercises the way they ought to be done, and this is why many claim they have been praying the same prayers for a long time, and fasting for the same reasons for years, yet answers seem to be far away, as scripture says in Hosea 4:6, the reason why many of us do things wrongly is because we lack the knowledge we need to excel in certain areas Including areas of spiritual matters such as fasting and prayer.
So do you want to know how to fast and pray to get speedy answers? Check below for things you need to avoid when fasting and praying
Avoid Praying With Wrong Motives
Asking amiss in clear terms means asking for the wrong thing, many ask for things they do not need but things they want to have with the motive of showing people that they have arrived i.e. to boast around to everyone because God sees through our heart effortlessly, He knows the motives of these people and then refuses to answer their prayers as their motives is totally wrong. Also, some people ask for things that are not in line with the will of God for their lives, and until they discover what God really wants for them, their prayers will remain unanswered, how then can you discover the will of God for your life? This brings me to the second thing you must avoid when fasting and praying
Avoid Praying Without Knowing The Word Of God
How do you know the purpose or will of God for your life? It is by studying the Word of God. When fasting and praying, you must create time to study the Word of God as it will first grant you knowledge of God’s instructions, laws, and command, as well as His promises for your life, by studying the Word of God, you will understand His ways, His personality, and moat especially His purpose for your life, so with the knowledge of God’s word, you can then pray in accordance with His will and when you do this, be rest assured that your prayers will be answered (he honors His Word
Avoid being distracted when fasting and praying
Scriptures say God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him, not those who carelessly seek Him when fasting and praying, it is very important that you stay sober and focused on God, let your heart be on the scripture which says: looking into Jesus the author and finisher of your faith, avoid every kind of distraction, diligence in the place of fasting and ensure not to engage in any activity that can draw you away from the presence of God throughout your hours of fasting and prayer ensure to study the Word of God, confess the Word of God, pray for the help of the Holy Spirit, that your prayers will be answered
Avoid Praying with grudges
Scripture made it clear in our introductory text that whenever you want to pray, you must settle all grudges that you have against others, and you must forgive so your prayers will not be hindered, holding grudges in your hearts when fasting and praying gives the devil the right to accuse us further before God. (Rev 12:10), This is because Christ has given us a command that we must forgive everyone who offends us, so God can also forgive us when we offend Him. When we are in disobedience against the command of God regarding forgiveness, it will become difficult for God to answer our prayers speedily so the next time you’re fasting and praying, be sure to first search your heart if there’s any offense towards anyone, forgive such person and move on to your fasting and prayers
Avoid Doubts And Unbelief When Fasting and prayer
Unbelief and doubt are other enemies of the Christian faith, How can you in intend to approach the God who is able to do all things with doubts and unbelief stored up in your heart, it is totally wrong, Hebrews says; those who must come to God must believe, because He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him, doubts and fear are big hindrances to prayer and this is why the bible says an unstable man received nothing from God, so if you still have alternative solutions to your challenges don’t bother praying and fasting, but if you must fast and pray your eyes, thoughts must be fixed on Jesus the author and finisher of your faith. As you do this, you shall receive your answers
Avoid Repeating prayers when fasting and praying
Matthew 6:7 made it clear to us that God does not want us to make vain repetition during prayers, this is because even before you pray, God already knows your very heart’s desire, He is not unaware of the challenges we face in life, remember scripture also said: “In the world, ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” John 16:33, so when you are praying, ensure to state your requests politely before God once and in faith, having the mindset of victory because Christ has already won the victory for us.
