Topic: The Power of Prayer and Fasting
Ministering: Pastor Isaac Oyedepo
AYAC DAY 4 MORNING SESSION WORD 3
I count it a privilege never to be taken for granted to be asked to minister this final morning session and the final word. I trust God that something will hit you where you are seated that will set you on fire that can never be quenched. I’ve been asked to share on the power of prayer and fasting. And I want us to focus on this subject I call it the ancient weapon to breaking new grounds. Three very quick things that we want to establish this morning is;
- Prayer and fasting is the ancient weapon to breaking new grounds. All through history those who mattered never joked with this mystery.
Isa 58:6-12 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? 7Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? 8Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward.
9Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity; 10and if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon day: 11and the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. 12And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.
Prayer: Someone is breaking free from this level.
Those who pray and fast don’t miss road.
Hosea 10:12 Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.
Nothing breaks new grounds like engaging this ancient weapon.
Prayer: I speak to somebody in the authority of the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth as you engage this weapon, levels and dimensions that don’t commensurate with your age, or your experience will soon become the order of the day in your life.
Jer 4:3 For thus saith the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.
Prayer and fasting is prescribed for the breaking of every yoke.
Action: Somebody shout every yoke
It’s prescribed for the outbreak of revelation for continuous guidance and to enforce our change of story among others. So that’s why we said prayer and fasting is the ancient weapon to breaking new grounds. Don’t make it a Wednesday, Wednesday affair. You cannot do it with them and lead them. There must be an addition to the corporate one. There must be a standard that you put in your life at times, and then you find out you are leading the pack, you are ahead of others, you are speaking and breaking into dimensions.
Prayer: I speak to somebody here; you will not overstay at this level where you are.
- Prayer and fasting is the ancient path to scaling new heights. We are using the word ancient. Our generation must understand that there is nothing new that is not already rooted in the old.
Jeremaih 6:16 Their quiver is as an open sepulchre, they are all mighty men.
There is a path that eagles fly. There is a path that everyone who scales new heights passes through.
Isaih 60:1,8,22 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows? A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the LORD will hasten it in his time.
Ephesians 5:14 Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.
Isaiah 14:31 but they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
- Prayer and fasting is a spiritual program for a colorful adventure in the journey of life. Jesus said this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting. In other words, Jesus was saying, if you want to do the things I do, and moving this race as an adventure then you must give room to a program of prayer and fasting. I’m speaking to someone who may not even have planned it but God is speaking to you right now where you are, if you are tired of this dimension, this is the way to it, break new grounds This is the way to it to scale be heights. This is the way to sign up for a program that you are committed to for life. They don’t say these things you don’t tell people; I am fasting. You don’t need to the results will show
Prayer: I speak to somebody here today before AYAC 2024 those that think they know you now, when they see you, they will not be able to recognize you again. Hear this, I discovered this some years ago had I heard about prayer and fasting yes but until it becomes light that it’s given to you. You may not understand what it contains. You may not understand what it contains. Moses had a 40-day program. Elijah, 40-day program and then I began to study, the Lord opened my eyes very strange and I noticed that the only ones that appeared to Jesus on the mount of transfiguration, Jesus who had waited for 40 days. The only two people that appeared to him on the mouth of transfiguration who were they what were their names? Moses and Elijah. That means there are dimensions you cannot relate with until you pay the same price. There is a price to pay. Don’t let any generation tell you that it has passed. No wonder our generation lacks power. We have grammar, but we lack power, but I’m here to announce to you when people have real challenges, they don’t look for grammar they look for power. They may play around grammar but when trouble strikes, they know where to go they know who carried the unction that has paid the price
Prayer: Grace for you and I to pay the fasting and prayer price and put ourselves on a program may that grace be here by released on us.
Esther 3 days she waited upon God, she stepped into the king’s atmosphere and laws were changed. There are places you will descend from that opposition can’t watch you. Suddenly Esther turned around the law from the alter of prayer and fasting. What of Daniel, 21 days. So, you see 3, you see 21, you see 40, what about our father? Bishop David Oyedepo 1986, these are the type of things that spark up my spiritual membrane. How will a man say, I fasted virtually the whole year, there is a price to pay. You don’t enter cannanland by strategy, you don’t enter cannanland by grammar, you don’t enter cannanland by agreement. You enter cannanland by power.
Prayer: I’m speaking to somebody here what nobody has dared around you as you subscribe to this program of prayer and fasting it becomes a regular in your life.
Weare now in a generation that would not mind praying for our in public but 0 hours in secret.
Matthew 6:6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
The cloak of power doesn’t come in the open. It is dispensed in the secret. If you don’t have a secret place, you don’t know the secret place of prayer. There is something that comes it rests upon you when no one is watching. God has a way of placing a cloak of power on people when everybody’s absent. So suddenly when you step out, they say, what wisdom is this? What power is this? I thought I knew him. I thought we are from the same place. I thought we used to relate. You know what happened? When you are asleep, while men slept, the man was paying the price, the candle was burning. Something is burning in the secret that makes the open a reality.
Is somebody hearing what God is saying, E.M BOUNDS – “Long praying in public is only permissible if only preceded by long praying in the secret.”
Fasting and prayer is not old school, it is current school, it is not old generation, it is current generation. It is an ancient weapon that breaks new grounds, it is an ancient path that scales new heights, it is a spiritual program that gives a colorful adventure.
Action: Lift up your hands and ask for grace to subscribe to a program that is not done for the sake of anyone, grace to subscribe to a program nor for bread and butter, grace to subscribe to this program of prayer and fasting for ascending heights in power.
Prayer: May that grace be released upon us In Jesus Name
What is Fasting and Prayer;
- Prayer and fasting is a platform for empowerment. It is not the volume of our voice or the actions of our movements. In the realm of the spirit, we all have ranks. There are brothers who have ranks greater than pastors. When they speak thing hear. You must be angry at your level. If you are comfortable, that is subscribing to remaining stagnated. We are in a world of the conflict of powers. The lesser power will always bow to the greater power.
Psalm 63:1-3 O God, thou art My God; early will I seek thee: My soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee In a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; 2To see thy power and thy glory, So as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. 3Because thy lovingkindness Is better than life, My lips shall praise thee.
Don’t hide under any title. Title is not power. Ordination is not power. You get to places particularly in the commission where you have been posted to if you lack power no results. There are places you can’t enter without power. In a south African church, some 7/8 years ago. We got to church early that morning and there was blood at the gate. Even the devil knows the first to arrive to church is the pastor. There are errands you can’t send people to. We walked on the head of the devil, irrecoverably so. 7 years have come and gone. It looks like it was yesterday. Don’t hide under any title. Title is not power. There’s a price to pay. Ordination is not power. People telling you I celebrate grace it’s not power. When the devil shows up they know that it’s a show down.
Prayer: I don’t know about somebody here but in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth your power dimension by renewal commitments to player of fasting Becomes a reality. So power is essential, power is not luxury. I used to think as a young boy that it is those who look for trouble that trouble looks for, it’s a lie trouble it’s haunting for anyone. The devil goes about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Grow in power, you will go in Grace. Drew in power and doors will open for you.
- It is the platform for ‘en-firement’. Once the generator is on there is power. But power doesn’t equal light
John 5:35
‘’En-firement’ is the product of empowerment. Power must be supplied for fire to burn. It is in prayer and fasting we contact power. It is also in prayer and fasting we contact with fire.
Acts 1:14
Acts 2:1-4
Didn’t you hear what our father said, we have entered the fire dimension of the word. Power in the socket led to fire on their head. And that fire is still burning today. Around the world there are churches where there’re blazing alters of Christianity.
Zechariah 3:2
We have been called enough. It’s time to be empowered and be en-fired to the next level. But there is no grammar that can get us there. Even revelation cannot get us there. We can only get there through prayer and fasting.
Action: Somebody life up your hands. If you are truly hungry for power and fire, say with me, Lord I receive Christ.
So, we can say a prayerless generation will be a fireless generation or we can say a prayerless generation will be a powerless generation and a fireless generation.
2 Corinthians 3:18
Dear ministers, in case you’re watching there are meetings you should never go to preach without prayer and fasting. There are crusade grounds you should never mount without prayer and fasting.
- Prayer and fasting is the spiritual court room where we plead our case
Isaiah 43:6
When the courtroom of heaven judges in your favor forget man. They may refuse initially, but they cannot refuse.
Matthew 7:7
- Prayer and fasting is the venue through which we win most battles of life. Let me quickly say this, I told them in one of our bible institutes, I think 3, 4 months ago, I said everyone is at a stage of battle and there are 3 stages. One you have pre battle, two we have battle and three we have post battle. And let me tell you this after post battle you go back to pre-battle. There is no break. If you think you just won a battle and so you can rest, another one is already cooking and another one is already being prepared to be launched out.
Prayer: Grace for your tummy not to lead you, may that grace be released upon us.
Luke 11:12
Acts 16:25-26
Satan doesn’t fear anybody’s title
- Prayer and fasting is the platform of sanctification.
There are habits that don’t just go out by prayer
Matthew 17:21
God is looking for vessels. Pure vessels are scare. So when God finds one he laverages everything on him. How we get to that place is by prayer and fasting.
Matthew 6:13
Matthew 26:31
- Prayer and fasting is the platform for supernatural breakthroughs. They cannot be explained yet they cannot be denied. There are realms of breakthrough you can’t access by principles. It is by stepping into that secret place of prayer and fasting.
Isaiah 58:6-12
- Prayer and fasting is a platform for accessing surpassing supernatural intelligence.
Dan 1:4
Dan 1:5
- Prayer and fasting is a platform for accessing supernatural wisdom.
Wisdom is the application of knowledge adequately, timely ad without errors.
Daniel 2:16-23
- Prayer and fasting is a platform for the outbreak of revelation. Revelation is not information, revelation is picture.
Prayer: May God give you a revelation of your escape
- Prayer and fasting is a platform for carrying the aroma of divine favor. Favor has a smell and that smell is coming from the alter. Now don’t do this because you want favor, it’ll not work it is a product of the aroma. If you are where food is being cooked and you comes out, the food begins to smell on you. When you are in his Prescence, Goodness and mercy shall be following you.
Psalm 23:6
Psalm 45:8
If everything you have, you paid for then you’re not favored.
Prayer: May this aroma of divine favor become your daily experience.
How then do I engage the prayer alter for dominion?
- Approach the throne room of God with thanksgiving, praise and worship
Psalm 100:4
There are thing you can’t access that have been hidden in a safe. The secret place of the most high has and password and the password is “Thank you”
- Engage in kingdom advancement prayers as priority.
Matthew 6:8-10
- Engage in prayer according to his will. So know his will before you pray. His will is the wheel that wheels in your desires. Your desires have no wheel to ride on if you don’t know his wheel. If you know his will your prayer becomes direct.
1 John 5:14
- Engage your heart. Let your heart be ever connected when you are in prayer. God does not look like man looks. Man looks at the outside but God look at the inside.
- Be specific in your demand.
- Engage the help of the Holy Ghost. If you don’t know him, please know him before you leave here. The Holy Ghost is a person not a language. Never get to used to the unusual unless the unusual becomes usual and ceases. It’ll be very wrong for me to preach on prayer and fasting if I don’t do it. You can be in church and not touch realms that are higher.
- Faith is a non-negotiable factor in securing answers to prayer. Don’t look down on yourself and say why am I going through this. You’re going through it to get to where you are going. So that when you get there you can tell them I passed through it.