{"id":59591,"date":"2020-06-03T00:02:21","date_gmt":"2020-06-02T21:02:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/?p=59591"},"modified":"2025-10-19T15:12:32","modified_gmt":"2025-10-19T12:12:32","slug":"some-things-only-come-out-through-fastingmatthew-1721-nkjv-however-this-kind-does-not-go-out-except-by-prayer-and-fasting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/en\/2020\/06\/03\/some-things-only-come-out-through-fastingmatthew-1721-nkjv-however-this-kind-does-not-go-out-except-by-prayer-and-fasting\/","title":{"rendered":"SOME THINGS ONLY COME OUT THROUGH FASTING(Matthew 17:21, NKJV \u2014 \u201cHowever, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.\u201d)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

There are certain battles in life that cannot be won by ordinary prayer alone\u2014they require fasting. Jesus Himself affirmed this truth after His disciples failed to cast out a demon. He revealed that spiritual authority is strengthened through prayer and fasting.<\/em> This shows that fasting is not merely a physical discipline; it is a spiritual weapon<\/em> that deepens our communion with God and weakens the flesh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The word \u201cfasting\u201d<\/em> literally means to abstain or withhold from something.<\/em> Spiritually, it means to deliberately turn away from natural appetites or distractions to focus entirely on God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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1. The Lesson of the Hen: A Picture of Spiritual Incubation<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Consider a hen: before she can have chicks, she must go through an incubation period of about twenty-one days. Laying eggs is not enough\u2014there must be a season of stillness and heat.<\/em> She stops eating excessively, wandering around, or playing with other hens. Her focus is singular\u2014to nurture life until it is born.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If she becomes careless and abandons the eggs, they lose warmth and die. In the same way, believers must separate themselves for a time of \u201cspiritual incubation\u201d\u2014a period of fasting and prayer to birth new things in the Spirit. The prophet Isaiah described this principle clearly:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cAs soon as Zion was in labor, she gave birth to her children.\u201d
(Isaiah 66:8, NKJV)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

No new spiritual life can be born without travail\u2014without the heat of persistent prayer and the consecration that comes through fasting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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2. Fasting as a Life of Separation<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Fasting is not limited to abstaining from food\u2014it is a lifestyle of separation and focus.
A student who desires to excel must \u201cclose certain doors.\u201d He may go to boarding school, leaving behind comfort, entertainment, and family life for months. He wakes up early, studies late, and endures hardships for the sake of his goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He does this because he understands a simple truth: you cannot hold on to two things and succeed in both.<\/em> As Jesus said,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cNo one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.\u201d
(Matthew 6:24, NKJV)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

To gain mastery in one area, you must let go of another. That is the essence of spiritual fasting\u2014choosing God above all else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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3. Fasting Produces Spiritual Power and Clarity<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Many believers fail to overcome sin, not because God is weak, but because they have not yet \u201cclosed the doors\u201d to temptation.
You may say, \u201cI have prayed for years but I still struggle with sexual sin.\u201d<\/em> The reason is that you have not yet cut off the sources that feed your weakness\u2014ungodly company, immoral media, or worldly conversations. Scripture says:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cDo not be deceived: \u2018Evil company corrupts good habits.\u2019\u201d
(1 Corinthians 15:33, NKJV)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Fasting helps us silence the voice of the flesh and tune our hearts to the voice of the Spirit. When we fast with a sincere heart, the Holy Spirit strengthens us to overcome sin, temptation, and worldly desires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesus Himself modeled this when He fasted forty days in the wilderness before beginning His ministry (Matthew 4:1\u20132).<\/em> After that period, Scripture records:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThen Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee.\u201d
(Luke 4:14, NKJV)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Power follows consecration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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4. Fasting and Understanding God\u2019s Word<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Have you ever wondered why some people read the Bible but never understand it? Often it\u2019s because their hearts are filled with worldly distractions.
Just as a student who skips foundational lessons cannot understand advanced topics, a believer who neglects the Word cannot grow in revelation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul told Timothy:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cBe diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.\u201d
(2 Timothy 2:15, NKJV)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Spiritual understanding requires discipline.<\/em> When we fast from distractions\u2014social media, entertainment, idle talk\u2014we make room for the Holy Spirit to teach us. Jesus promised:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cBut the Helper, the Holy Spirit\u2026 will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.\u201d
(John 14:26, NKJV)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The Bible becomes clear when the heart is quiet before God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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5. Guarding What God Has Deposited in You<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Many believers lose spiritual fire because they do not guard what God has planted in them. The Word is a seed\u2014if not protected, it can be stolen by worldly influences. Jesus said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cNow the ones sown among thorns are those who hear the word, but the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.\u201d
(Mark 4:18\u201319, NKJV)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Every time we fill our minds with endless TV dramas, football matches, or social media, we quench the spiritual warmth that sustains growth. You cannot incubate both the world and the Word at the same time. One must die for the other to live.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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6. Fasting Restores Spiritual Focus<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

People often say, \u201cLet me watch a movie or football to relax or clear my mind.\u201d<\/em> In truth, these distractions numb the heart and silence conviction. Over time, the Word once planted within begins to fade away. That is why Scripture urges us:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cDo not quench the Spirit.\u201d
(1 Thessalonians 5:19, NKJV)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The more we fast from worldly pleasures, the sharper our spiritual sensitivity becomes. Fasting restores focus and keeps the fire of the Holy Spirit burning in our hearts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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7. The Call to Persevere in the Last Days<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We are living in the closing hours of history. The Lord\u2019s return is near, and the Church must remain alert and consecrated. Jesus said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWatch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.\u201d
(Luke 21:36, NKJV)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

This is why fasting and prayer are essential disciplines for the end-time believer. They keep us awake spiritually and preserve our crowns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cBehold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.\u201d
(Revelation 3:11, NKJV)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Conclusion<\/strong>
Fasting is not punishment\u2014it is preparation. It is the sacred act of silencing the flesh so the spirit may thrive. It sharpens discernment, strengthens prayer, and releases divine power. Just as the hen must incubate her eggs in stillness, so must believers withdraw into the presence of God to \u201cincubate\u201d spiritual life until it manifests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThose who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles.\u201d
(Isaiah 40:31, NKJV)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Let us therefore fast not as a ritual, but as a pursuit of deeper intimacy with God.
For \u201cthis kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

May the Lord bless, strengthen, and renew us in His presence. Amen.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n