# This goeth not out but by prayer and fasting



## TheEncourager (Jan 1, 2004)

This goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.In Matthew 17:14-21 and Mark 9:14-29, Jesus meets a father who has a son that had a dumb spirit. His father said that his son was lunatick. Whatever his son had it endangered his son’s life, and his father was concerned. Jesus’ disciples could not cast out the dumb spirit. Jesus came and He healed this man’s son. This illness was on this person ever since he was a child. When the disciples came and asked Jesus why they could not cast the dumb spirit out, Jesus said it was because of their unbelief. But Jesus also said that this does not go out except by prayer and fasting. What Jesus was saying is some illnesses cannot go away except by prayer and fasting. That means it is important to pray, fast, and believe. Fasting means to go without something usually food and/or water. You can fast and only take water. You can fast and only take juice. You can fast and not drink any water. To learn how to fast, I suggest you get Prophet Tom Deckard’s video Fasting for Power and Anointing. You can get the video at www.prophecyclub.com. In Esther, the Jews fasted for something other than healing. You can fast for healing and you can fast for things other than just healing. In Prophet Tom Deckard’s video, he tells how he fasted for forty days. Deckard does not recommend that people who have not fasted for forty days try to fast for forty days. You should start slowly. First, you should fast one day. Then the next week, you should try fasting two days if the one-day fast was successful. In Esther, you read how the Jews fasted for three days and three nights and did not drink any water. Prophet Tom Deckard has gone for four days without eating anything or drinking water. Prophet Tom Deckard does not recommend going more than four days without drinking water. However, remember that you have to gradually build up to the point that you can go three days without water. Start with one day. If you choose to fast for seven or more days, Deckard recommends strongly that you gradually get off the fast. Do not eat a steak dinner. Start slowly when getting off a long fast. Eat oatmeal, broth, or tomato soup, and then gradually get to the point that you can eat solid foods like crackers. You can end up in the hospital if you do not get off the fast the right way.In Luke 18:9-14, Jesus tells the parable of a Pharisee that fasts twice in the week. Fasting twice a week is Biblical and so is tithing. The Pharisee was wrong for criticizing the publican in his prayer. In the churches that Prophet Tom Deckard has, the elders fast three times a week: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Be careful when fasting. You can injure yourself if you fast the wrong way. Ask God to teach you how to fast and how to pray.Prayer also helps. However, it depends on how you pray that matters. It helps to ask God specific questions about your condition. Ask God questions such as, “What can I do to get rid of gas and constipation? What should I eat, and what should I not eat? How do I keep my job? What can I do to have perfect attendance at work? Teach me how to pray. Teach me how to fast.” Be patient though. It may take a long time for some of you to get an answer from God. If praying like this stresses you out, then pray something like, “Get me to have patience. What can I do so that I can have more patience?” I have found asking God questions is much less stressful than asking doctors questions. God doesn’t charge you for asking the question, nor does he seem to get annoyed with you asking the question like some doctors. Also, pray that inventions are created that make people living with your condition have an easier life. You can get the books The Don’t Sweat Affirmations by Richard Carlson and I Can Do It by Louise L. Hay from Amazon.com These books should have affirmations to keep you positive. Find time to say some of these affirmations aloud every day so that they will help keep you positive. Better yet, memorize some of them or as many as you can so that when you do not have the books around, you can say them to yourself or aloud to keep you positive.Also, some religious books that contain affirmations are Me and My Big Mouth by Joyce Meyer, The Secret Power of Speaking God’s Word by Joyce Meyer, and Your Best Life Now by Joel Osteen. The affirmations in Me and My Big Mouth are on pages 39 to 41. The affirmations in Your Best Life Now are on page 140. You can get Me and My Big Mouth and The Secret Power of Speaking God’s Word at www.joycemeyer.org and Your Best Life Now at www.joelosteen.comIf you hear people insult you or say bad things about you because of your condition, it may help to wait until you are in private to say out loud the opposite of what they are saying. Examples include: I smell good. I always smell good. I do not live in the bathroom. I am healthy enough to fast. I enjoy fasting. I will fast again. People enjoy being around me. I enjoy being around people.Also, it is sometimes important not to want people to have lower expectations of us. When my dad was complaining and criticizing me because of some of the things I could not do because of my flatulence problem, it dawned on me that my dad had high expectations of me. So, I asked God to get me to believe that I could live up to my dad’s high expectations and to give me the ability to live up to my dad’s expectations. Also, it may help you to ask God what you can do to live up to someone else’s high expectations. Also, it may help to get your mind off of your problems for awhile. Constantly thinking of your problems will only get you more depressed. Therefore, it helps to do crossword puzzles or variety puzzles to help get your mind off of your difficulties. You can get puzzles at www.pennypress.com and www.dellmagazines.com These websites even have free puzzles you can download every week. You may even find some puzzle magazines at CVS, Giant, or your bookstore.I have also used magnesium to help with my flatulence problem. I get my magnesium oxide from the Vitamin Shoppe. My goal is to get to the point that I do not need magnesium anymore. Now, if Prophet Tom Deckard’s DVD on fasting has helped you, then thank God for the video and for helping Prophet Tom Deckard make the video. Then give to The Prophecy Club. Do not just give enough to buy the video. Give more. Give money to help the Prophecy Club get their message out. Try giving every month to help The Prophecy Club. Show your gratitude for the video by giving.


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