5 Days To Victorious Fastingনমুনা

Step 4: Thwart the Enemy's Attack Against Your Fast

As you move through your fast, it is possible — indeed, likely — that you will notice spiritual warfare against your fast. The devil loves to send darts against anyone who is seeking God.

But you know what? You don't have to give in to any of the evil darts the enemy sends against you. Satan and his minions are defeated foes, for Jesus Christ defeated them all with His life, death, and resurrection. All you have to do is stay hidden in Jesus and wear the armor of God, and you will defeat the devil every time.

Examples of enemy darts you may see launched against you during this time include:

• Abnormal, crazy, even ludicrous demands on your time from outside sources (sometimes even in ways that appear fun, like parties or dinners);
• People around you becoming grumpy toward you for no apparent reason; or even
• Temptations to violate your fast everywhere you turn (free doughnuts at your office, free pizza dinners, more food commercials on TV than you've ever seen in your life, etc).

These types of things can often be the devil's attempt to rob you of your prayer/Bible study time; to get your mind off Jesus and get you responding/talking out of your flesh; or even trying to divert you from your fast completely.

When these things happen, what can you do?

I recommend that you anticipate these things and proactively thwart each dart before it gets to you. Here's how:

1. Purposefully clear your schedule of as many things as you can.

The enemy would love to distract you from busyness and rob you of your prayer/Bible study time in this season. To counteract this, I often put my time alone with the Lord on my calendar. If anybody wants to meet during that time — which invariably happens  — then I have an easy response: "So sorry, I'm booked."

Do what it takes to safeguard your time with the Lord. Honor the Lord and honor your fast! This is a precious time!

2. Use hunger as a reminder to pray. 

When you feel hungry, stop and pray for awhile:

• Pray to draw closer to Jesus;
• Ask God to accept your hunger as an offering to Him, a sweet fragrance in His nostrils;
• Ask Him to take your hunger for food away, and give you hunger for Jesus instead;
• Pray for grace to fast; and
• Pray through your prayer list.

When you use hunger and cravings as your reminders to pray, the enemy often quits tempting you with hunger. But even if he doesn't, you can thwart those darts by simply turning them around and using them as prayer reminders. 

3. Help keep your emotions in check by thanking God often and giving generously.

Hunger sometimes plays on your emotions. If you get hungry, it can be easy to get grumpy too. That's exactly what the enemy wants: he wants you to take your mind off Jesus so he can ravage your life.

To counteract these darts of the enemy, be aggressive about blessing God during your fast:

• Focus on your many blessings and thank God for them all. 
• Help somebody every day during your fast. 
• Offer up both your thanksgiving and your generous acts of service to others as a love offering to God. 

This beats the enemy at his own game, and it is part of what makes fasting acceptable to the Lord as well. (Read Isaiah 58 for more details on that.)

Above all else, remember that fasting is about seeking God and aligning our hearts with His.

Psalm 91 says that, if you dwell in the "secret place" of God's presence, you will be safely hidden under His shadow. No evil can befall you there, and nothing evil can even approach your house. So remember to seek Him first and foremost during your fast, and you will be completely protected.