Just the other day I had a good friend ask my advice about a big life decision she had to make: “If you were me, how would you go about deciding?” 

She asked this, not inquiring about what decision I would make, but wondering about the process by which I would make such a life-altering decision. I could have gone through all kinds of logic and the weight of pros and cons, but instead I looked at her and shot straight: “I would fast and pray,” I said.

That might sound simple. Or hard. But it’s kind of like this: My husband has a gun safe. It is filled with various weapons that are appropriate for different occasions. It depends on the mission as to which one he will choose and sometimes it takes a combination of them to accomplish the task. Our boys ask all the time for the access code, but he won’t give it to them. They’re not yet ready for that kind of responsibility. On the contrary, God has already given His children full access to a vault filled with weapons to wield for times of trial, spiritual warfare, and even when we simply need answers. We often, however, forfeit the right to retrieve them. Not me. Not anymore. My favorite combo, the one I choose when I mean business, is fasting and prayer.

I’ve been in ministry for fourteen years now. I had heard of fasting and praying but didn’t really take it seriously until about 2012 when I was asked to serve on a women’s retreat in a maximum security prison. A team of us stayed from morning until night for three straight days, sitting beside murderers and the like, to tell them about Jesus. I bounced in there with the full joy of the Lord like I was going to sprinkle Yaweh dust on them all and that the sheer emanation of the Holy Spirit residing in me would have them whipped into shape and ready for society by the third day. Why, oh why, I did not take this more seriously, I do not know—Christian immaturity, ignorance, and obliviousness, I guess—but entering a place filled with humans who have been heavily affected by demonic forces and closing myself up in a tiny space with them to speak the most powerful Name ever known to man or heaven was everything between awe-striking and terrifying. Demons can’t, I repeat CAN NOT stand the Name of Jesus. They couldn’t take the pressure and things were getting ready to blow. Combustible, that’s what I think of.

I remember a special powerful moment where the awesome wonder of God’s absolute holy and delivering Spirit fell in that compound and demons began to shriek, literally. I watched a woman contort as our team gathered around her and prayed until she was limp and free. I was on the worship team. I sat on the second level, on the guard steps, drumming a Cajon as my friend Jessica Cummins played guitar and we sang “Revelation Song” while the agents of hell fled human bodies and black eyes stared at us from the bottom level. I can’t find words to adequately describe this. I can say that I forever know who the Victor is, and I am glad that I’m related to Him.

The next day the chaplain set me up with a girl who had taken an interest in speaking with me. I was nervous because hers was one of the black-eyed faces watching us the night before. I didn’t want to be the one to cast it out, but I figured God must have let me experience it for a reason, so I went. 

The chaplain allowed the two of us to go into his office. He sent in two clergy and kept watch from the window. He later told me he knew that demon well. Thanks, Chap! From that point, I was not sitting with Jennifer, the woman who wanted to speak to me; I was sitting with a demon. My friend Janice Baker and I spoke with her. With every mention of the Name of Jesus, her eyes flickered from human to those of another world and rolled backward. We did everything we knew to do, jabbing it with the Name, laying hands on her rigid body, trying to talk through its clenched hold on her and separate them, and praying until our time was up to stay on the compound. When they came to get us out, she was still stiff and her eyes were still black. It was boastful and agitated and looked toward me as though I was foolish and should be pitied though it remained subdued. I cried, I begged Jesus until we almost got in trouble for not following schedule. We had to leave and she was none less the captive. I was drained, and I was defeated. Loser Christian! I thought to myself. 

I mentally sorted through my checklist. Believe? Check. Motive? Check. Use the Name? Check. What had gone wrong? I’ve seen you do it, Lord. I used Your Name. What happened? It must have been me. I had gone in there with the boldness of one of the twelve disciples and came out paralyzed with the thought of being a powerless Christian, with the shell-shock of a demon smirking at me because it didn’t have to leave. What?! The Scripture Matthew 17:21 cut into my mind like a knife as Jesus Himself tells us, “However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” This is not to lessen His Name. Let’s be clear. He, His Name — they are plenty, but for whatever reason He asks us to precede using His Name with fasting and prayer in some cases. Jesus Himself fasted for 40 days before contending with Satan in the wilderness. That should tell us how important it is! 

In short, Jesus showed up to the prison, but Tonya Allen did not bring her “A” game. How pompous of me to step into the enemy camp without my full armory of weapons. I vowed never, not ever again to go up against darkness without my combo. I will tell you this — Heaven got my attention that day, and I had a whole new respect for the spiritual realm and the goings on in the heavenlies. I thereby began my search for understanding on this Christian privilege of mine.

You don’t have to be heading to prison or a mission trip in a Godless country to appreciate the need to fast and pray. I speak to women all the time who are fighting for their marriage, fighting for their kids, battling a sickness or a situation. Most times when I mention the miracle combo, at best they’ve heard of it, but most of them don’t know how to use it. Everyone has heard of prayer, but what exactly is fasting? 

Most people seem to think it is suffering by denying yourself food. Kinda. But! The purpose is not to suffer or make yourself sick as a punishment to earn something from God. Fasting doesn’t make you puny; it makes you POW-er-ful! I’m talking like, look-out-Wonder-Woman, I’m-a-ninja-warrior-princess-with-royal-blood, bust-hell-wide-open, powerful! It is you piercing heaven with a white flag and hell with a fireproof suit, and honey, you talk about fierce. Whoo!

People often ask what to eat or not eat like there’s magic in the food choice foregoing. I’m not a fasting expert, so I encourage people to seek God for what He’s asking of them, and I refer them to the Bible. Two well-known examples we have are Daniel and Esther. What can we learn from these Biblical heroes? (For reference see Daniel 10 and Esther 4 and read through a few chapters). We watch them seek the Lord in prayer and fasting both individually and corporately, respectively, for power, answers, and matters of urgency. And not only can we find that it benefited the warfare of the OT icons, but Jesus Himself endorses it in the New Testament. To leave this gift on the shelf is like not fully cashing in on your inheritance. It’s silly to say the least.

It’s a deep but simple concept. Again, I’m not a connoisseur, but here is some advice I can give with certainty:

*Know your why. Be it selfish or serious, He cares with the loving delight any good father would feel toward His child. I promise. It can be as simple as wanting to press in to God or as ferocious as fighting for life.

*Ask God what He asks of you. Seek the Lord as to what kind of fast to do. There are cases in the Bible ranging from giving up rich foods to giving up both food and water for extended periods of time. Ask Him. Know your Lord and know your body. Be wise. That’s all I’ll say about that. A tip: “fasting” social media is a nice, needed human mental break. It’s just common sense. Fasting in the Bible dealt with food and water--sustenance that we require. We do not have any examples of people fasting daily pleasures for power or cutting back on social overindulgences to reach the Throne Room. Maybe that’s harsh, but that’s just my opinion. Those things are definitely helpful, but I’m not convinced past that. I definitely could be wrong. 

*Keep it private. The Bible cautions us about drawing attention to ourselves, especially when fasting. This should be a special time between you and God and perhaps anyone else joining you in the endeavor. I usually tell Shawn (my husband) when I am, except for when I’m fasting for him. 

*Accompany your fast with prayer. A fast without petitioning the Father is more like a diet. The two go hand in hand.

All in all, fasting and prayer time is one of my favorite times. I always do it the first 21 days of the year and throughout as God calls me. It is a good way to reconfigure my mind and Spirit to align with His. It is my SOS to the heavens when I, like Daniel, am waiting for an answer or when I, like Esther, need God to move in my life. I wish I could tell you the wonders of what I’ve experienced through it. It would take a book, not a blog, to tell you the closeness and all the God kisses I’ve received during our special time. 

I encourage you as new seasons approach to consider your why and to begin this powerful journey with the One who loves you and wants to give you everything He has in store for you. Get in that vault, Girl!