My Fast, My answered Prayer.

I have come to discover that some of those who shepherd our churches and are privileged to know some truths are afraid the congregation might go loose if they teach the truth. A pastor in one of the most prominent churches in Nigeria confirmed this to me while I engaged him in the word. This is my submission; if the scriptures says the truth shall set you free and those graced to know this truth feels you will go wild when you know the truth then one of the two is not correct, either the scripture or the “speaker”.

I have signed a contract to keep making Christ known and that's sharing the truth. If anything makes you go wild, it’s not the truth. The truth sets free the scripture says.
On this note, want to share this week on fasting as a criterion to getting prayer answered. A sister was so furious when I engaged her on this as I made a statement that fasting isn’t what gets prayer answered and she retorted that “why then did the scripture say this shall not go except by fasting and prayer”. Lets innovate.



A man brought his child to the disciples of Jesus to be healed but they couldn’t do it. This made the man go to Jesus Himself who immediately rebuked the demon and there was healing. The disciples asked why they could not perform the healing. Jesus told them the basic thing;

“Because of your little faith, Jesus told them, for if you had faith even as small as a tiny mustard seed you could say to this mountain, Move! And it would go far away. Nothing would be impossible. But this kind of demon won’t leave unless you have prayed and gone without food.” Matt17v20-21


This is what that scripture means; they had faith but it was little and Jesus said if only they had faith as small as the mustard seed. Wait! The correlation is quite inexplicit. They had LITTLE faith, and if only their faith could be SMALL as a tiny small mustard seed. Get it now. They have not started from the small little things to have grown in faith to handle more matured spiritual matters. Growing as a mustard seed speaks of growth, gradual process in becoming matured in handling spiritual things. They needed to build their faith up to that level, so Jesus recommended fasting and prayer as a capacity building for them. That wasn’t what will bring answers to the casting but their faith which must have been built to a higher level. As the mustard seed grows from being the smallest seed to become the biggest tree. In essence start from little things, then you grow in the act.  Their mustard seed was embedded in Christ death and full blown tree in His resurrection.

Just imagine someone giving you a call and says he is down with headache and immediately you respond, the Lord heals you and the person receives it by faith. When next someone calls you for fever, you will probably still believe God for it. But imagine, receiving a call and its cancer, the next probable response from you could be “how come, how did you manage to have that, what’s the next step?” You have not built a capacity to that level. So it is not about the prayer being answered, it is about you.

Prayer is answered in the will of God, we are no longer on the same pedestal with the devil to get on a fasting in order to get prayers answered. He died for you, why then would it be difficult for Him to bless you with what is essential? Perhaps it’s not time to have that thing and if you feel it’s the devil, friend, this is the truth; your dominion over the devil is synonymous to the knowledge of what you know in Christ, not how much you fast. If Daniel had the knowledge of prayer been answered on the first day, he wouldn’t have gone on a twenty-one day fast (Dan10v12).

Fasting is as your father who pays your school fees, your teacher does the teaching, and your father didn’t. That you will be successful is then partly dependent on your teacher and you. Your fasting has only the propensity to make you more receptive to God, it isn’t the act that makes your prayers answered. It is dependent partly on God (When it’s His timing) and you (Your level of faith).

Fasting is very good, I admire it but know that what it does is to bring you closer to learn more, get you to concentrate and listen faster.
Fast in the knowledge of God, be led of the Spirit. Note; it isn’t what makes prayer answered, it’s your “belief”.

“If you only have faith in God- this is the absolute truth- you can say to this Mount of Olives, Rise up and fall into the Mediterranean, and your command will be obeyed. All that’s required is that you really believe and have no doubt” Mark1122-23

As you go this week, can you work more on developing your capacity? Next week’s dose will centre on this. Your success, my delight.

Be Innovated.
Olufemi Ibitoye
@toyeolufemi