When I first became a new believer almost 7 years ago, I met a community of other women standing for their marriage. These women were from different walks of life with various marriage related problems and circumstances. They were either going through marriage problems, separated, divorced, you name it.
We all had one thing in common – we were all standing in the gap for our husbands and marriages. One way or another God individually and separately assigned us to this calling and led us to each other.
This was where I learned about prayer and fasting.
Fasting For Marriage Breakthrough
This post is all about fasting for your marriage breakthrough.
What is a fast?
Why fast?
Types of fast
What can you expect in a fast?
What not to do in a fast
How to fast?
What is a fast?
Fasting is withholding something that your flesh desires in order to gain more intimacy with God. Typical stuff that people withhold from are: food, social media, television/video games. Instead of enjoying these things that would normally partake in, you would pray and spend time with God.
The reason to fast as it states in Isaiah 58:6 states that it is “to loose the bond of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke.”
I was initially excited about my first time fasting. I thought this would be the breakthrough I needed to save my marriage and to win my husband back.
Boy was I wrong.
I did not get either of those.
Instead, I gained so much more. I gained intimacy and clarity of my purpose in this season of my life. I gained peace which surpasses all understanding in a circumstance that was so tumultuous and out of control. I learned to lean on Him and allow Him to take control.
You too can gain all these.
Right now, you might be thinking, “But that’s not what I want, I just want my husband back.”
Friend, let me assure you that God wants your marriage restored more than you do. However what He desires more is your salvation and your husband’s salvation so He has to refine you first. And sometimes by prayer and fasting, chains are broken!
There is a process of peeling away the layers that have caused your marriage to fall apart. God is refining you while he also works on your husband.
Don’t get me wrong – God can most certainly restore your marriage but just keep in mind there may be things in you and in your husband that God needs to work on before marriage restoration occurs.
Why Fast?
Is there a need in your life (like marriage restoration) that you want God to do the supernatural?
This would be where praying and fasting would come in.
Jesus said in Mark 9:29 – “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.”
There are some things that not only prayer can resolve and sometimes God calls you to fast for those things. These things may be strongholds such as addictions, lust, pride, sins that are holding someone captive.
As someone standing in the gap and interceding in prayer, as you fast and pray you must have the intention to have these strongholds broken.
2 Peter 3:9 – The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
Types of Fast
Full Fast – drinking only liquids
Partial Fast – this type of fast is from during your waking hours or at least 8 hrs of your waking hrs. You can select to do either a full fast, a Daniel fast or a complete fast with this one.
Daniel Fast – Eating on fruits, vegetables and drinking water/juice. No meat, no sweets, no bread.
And now more recently, Internet Fasting – no social media and other online/app interactions
The length of time the fast lasts for also varies from 1 day to 40 days.
Be in prayer of which fast God is calling you take and also the length of your fast.
What Can You Expect in a Fast?
Not only will your self control be tested on the foods you normally intake that you are fasting from but your faith will also be tested. You probably will not experience some supernatural power while fasting so it will test your faith to continue the pressing on with fast.
What you are essentially doing when fasting is going into the spiritual realm to break barriers that only fasting can do.
Your mind and the enemy will put thoughts in your head like:
You don’t really have to fast
Go ahead and eat one bite of cake, God will understand
Fasting does not work
You have to fight these negative thoughts, press through, and act in obedience to what God is calling you to do.
Fasting gives you access to the spiritual realm. Fasting is a spiritual weapon we can use against the enemy, Satan and his tactics. When you fast, you seek God’s power to guide you and intervene in your situation.
It breaks chains in the spiritual realm that then manifests in the physical realm (what we see here on earth).
What Not To Do In a Fast
*Cheating on your fast. If you are going to promise God to give up meat for 10 days, then you DO NOT eat meat for 10 days. God can see what you do and don’t do. You need to be able to not feed into your fleshly desires and practice self control
*Not spending time with God. Fasting is about spending time with God and seeking for Him to intervene in your marriage (or whatever situation you are fasting for). If you do not spend time with God, then it is not spiritual fasting. It is merely dieting.
*Telling everyone that you are fasting. The fast is between you and God. You do not need to tell and boast to everyone that you are fasting. This is something that should be done in private and tell as few people as possible.
How To Fast
Be prayerful on what you should give up during your fast, when to fast and how long to fast.
And then fast.
There may be so many thoughts in your head of why you shouldn’t fast at a certain time of year or certain time of day but listen to the Holy Spirit – when He calls you to fast, be obedient and do it.
Breakthrough is waiting on the other side.
Once you have decided when to start fasting, you should spend alone time with God often by:
*praying
*reading His Word
*Devotions
*Journaling
*Listening to Worship Music
Eliminate all things that might be a distraction for you such as TV, your cellphone, laptop and step away from others. This is literally quiet, alone time with the Almighty.
Of course, remember what your intentions are when you are fasting.
Yes, what you are fasting for may be marriage restoration; however, make sure your heart is in the right place and God is placed first in your life before anything else…even your marriage.
Do not doubt that God can move mountains.
Matthew 17:20-21 – So Jesus said to them, “Becasue of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”
If He can bring Lazarus back from the dead, He can bring your dead marriage back to life.
It may take time but God is still working. If God placed it in your heart to pray for marriage restoration and He has confirmed it through signs and wonders or even just a small reminder that He has not given up on your marriage, He is still putting things in place before actual marriage restoration can happen.
Keep believing. Don’t give up.
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