Pastor Shawn and Sonny

The Purpose OF FASTING

Breakthrough and Deliverance

Both prayer and fasting is emphasized in Matthew 17. This passage particularly highlights the role of fasting in spiritual warfare and the difficulty of overcoming certain challenges without it. Here is a closer look at the relevant verse and its context:

In Matthew 17, we find a powerful account where Jesus heals a boy possessed by a demon.

Matthew 17:14-21 The Voice

14 They had come down from the mountain, and as they headed toward town, they came to a crowd. As they approached the crowd, a man rushed up to Jesus and knelt before Him. Man from the Crowd: 15 Lord, have mercy on my son. He has seizures. Sometimes when they come on, my son falls into the fire or into a pond. We are very concerned for him. 16 I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not heal him. Jesus: 17 This generation is no better than the generation who wandered in the desert, who lost faith and bowed down to golden idols as soon as Moses disappeared upon Mount Sinai! How long will I have to shepherd these unbelieving sheep? (turning to the man) Bring the boy to Me. 18 The man did, and Jesus castigated the demon who had taken up residence in the boy. And the demon fled the boy’s body at the sound of Jesus’ voice, and the boy was healed from that moment on. No more shaking. No more falling into fires. 19 Later, when they were away from the crowds, the disciples asked Jesus why they hadn’t been able to drive out the demon themselves. Jesus: 20 Because you have so little faith. I tell you this: if you had even a faint spark of faith, even faith as tiny as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and because of your faith, the mountain would move. If you had just a sliver of faith, you would find nothing impossible. 21 But this kind is not realized except through much prayer and fasting.