Silicon Valley Healing Rooms Silicon Valley Healing Rooms continues to host Open Hours online on the first and third Tuesdays of the month. There are 3 appointment times in the morning and 3 appointment times in the evening. Appointment times are approximately 30 minutes each.
Morning Times: 11:10 to 11:40, 11:55 to 12:25, and 12:40 to 1:10
Evening Times: 7:10 to 7:40, 7:55 to 8:25, and 8:40 to 9:10
Prayer teams are composed of 2-3 people and will pray in advance of the appointment to receive words for each individual on their appointment rotation. We will send you a Prayer Request form in advance. Thank you for your participation. It is our privilege to pray with you.
Receive Prayer from SVHRNext open hours: Tuesday June 3 |
Implementing Fasting as a Tool
The four-letter swear word that starts with “F” in the Christian language is FAST. Or at least many Christians treat this word like a swear word by refraining from using this word in their vocabulary or behavior. No one wants to fast if they don’t have to. Fasting deprives the physical body of a daily need or comfort. Usually, it takes an extreme situation to activate the need to fast. Nonetheless, fasting can be found throughout Scripture, both in the Old and the New Testament. It serves a purpose.
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After the Israelites’ Golden Calf incident in the Wilderness, God established a yearly fast with Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Every year, for one day, the day celebrated as Yom Kippur, the Jews fasted to atone for their sins of the previous year. The High Priest went into the Holy of Holies on that day to seek God’s forgiveness for the sins of the people. This tradition continues to this day.
A thousand years later, while in exile to Babylonia, with the threat of having every Jew in the Persia empire killed, Esther called for a three day fast across the land to protect her when she went to see the King. She received favor and a strategy from heaven for exactly what steps to follow to plan a banquet and present the need to the King. This was a three day fast from food and water for both Jews and their livestock. This was serious. And God saved all the Jews. It’s a wonderful story found in the book of Esther in the Bible.
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In Jesus’ day, the disciples were told to add fasting to their prayers to add power to their ministry of healing and sometimes deliverance. They were used to seeing things done quickly and being obeyed by evil spirits. They only asked Jesus when something didn’t go according to the normal procedure. They ran across a stubborn spirit that wouldn’t leave as commanded. Jesus’ responded, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting” (Mark 9:29, NKJV). It is of note that some manuscripts (and therefore some translations) omit the “and fasting” phrase. The manuscripts were copied by hand for centuries and handed down and copied again. It’s not surprising that in some quarters the phrase “and fasting” was omitted. Most people who operate in the deliverance arenas will share that their experience through fasting does indeed help battling evil spirits in their ministries. Jesus fasted frequently. It was part of His lifestyle. He knew what battles were ahead for him and what He would need to go and do certain things. For prolonged battles, there were prolonged fasts. It was at the end of Jesus’ 40 day fast that Satan came and tempted Jesus. Jesus passed those tests. Satan left to plan his next attempt. The 40 day fast continues to be a successful model for breaking through serious attacks from the enemy. |
 There are many ways to fast. It can be from food altogether for one day or multiple days. It can be a fast from certain foods for a period of time (3 days, 21 days, 40 days, etc). Daniel did this kind of a fast when he refrained from meat and Babylonian delicacies and went with straight vegetables (see Daniel 1). It can be fasting from one food for an extended period of time (like chocolate or ice cream for 40 days). This type of fast often accompanies the season of lent before Easter. Determining the type of fast depends on the desired goal of the fast. It can be as simple as skipping lunch and praying during that time. Most of the time, fasting is an individual thing between the person and God. However at times, certain ministries might call for a group fast around a particular cause or event.
If the Lord calls for fasting for an individual, He will guide and direct the steps. If there are medical concerns, check with a doctor first. The Lord may ask someone who cannot physically fast from food to fast from an activity (as a sacrifice). The movie Chariots of Fire is about an Olympic runner who believed God didn’t want him to run on Sundays. Some people fast from certain (addictive) TV shows, or from computer gaming (for a season). Again, fasting is usually very customized and developed with God individually. It does help with breaking free from ensnaring habits. As a tool, fasting can be part of an individual or a group’s spiritual armor. Fasting often factors into a victory plan. |
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