How Can We Grow in Our Sensitivity to the Holy Spirit?

²⁵When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the evil spirit. "You deaf and mute spirit," he said, "I command you, come out of him and never enter him again." ²⁶The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, "He's dead." ²⁷But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up. ²⁸After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, "Why couldn't we drive it out?" ²⁹He replied, "This kind can come out only by prayer" (Mark 9:14-29).

In the verses above, we have one of the secrets of moving in the power of the Spirit: prayer. The nine disciples thought that they had it covered without Jesus. The previous passage tells us that He had been up on a mountain with James, John, and Peter. The nine did not have what it took to deliver a man's son from a demon. In a parallel passage, Matthew (Matt 17:20) says that their lack of faith was the problem. The translators have taken out verse 21, because not so many old manuscripts have this verse in the text. The verse says, “this kind does not go out but by prayer and fasting.” You will usually find it explained at the bottom of the page. I believe that this is the key to answers to difficult situations that are resistant to regular prayer, counseling, and good advice. Prayer and fasting is the key to overcome stubborn problems, not just deliverance from evil spirits. We get power and insight from the Spirit of God as we wait in dependence on Him through prayer with fasting. 

There is an increase in the anointing or presence of the Spirit that comes during prayer and fasting, as long as our motives in prayer and fasting are right. Isaiah 58 talks about the right motives in fasting. In Acts, chapter 13:1-3, you see the church fasting and praying, after which the Holy Spirit spoke into their situation with a clear call for them to lay hands on Saul (Paul the apostle) and Barnabas.

¹In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod, the tetrarch) and Saul.²While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." ³So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off (Acts 13:1-3, emphasis mine).

The early Church fasted and prayed earnestly. This denial of themselves was the secret to their miraculous power from God and confident faith. When Jesus said to the nine disciples: “this kind can come out only by prayer” (Mark 9:14-29), He wasn't talking about sending the man and his son away while the disciples took a few days in prayer and fasting. He was saying that if you want to be a person that moves in the power of the Spirit to any degree you will have times where you give yourself to prayer and fasting. When a situation surfaces, a man or woman of God is ready to be led and empowered by the Spirit due to the kind of prayer life they have already been immersed in as opposed to the idea that they suddenly have to take time out to fast and pray. Indeed, if there is time to seek God for a need in your family or work or your life in general, then schedule a time for fasting and prayer. Plan the days you will spend in prayer and seeking God. You may want to start by just fasting for one day. If you drink coffee or tea, it is wise to stop drinking the day before your fast so that a headache due to withdrawal from caffeine will not occur on the day of your fast and deter you. Encourage and educate yourself by reading books on fasting and use biblegateway.com to do a search on the word fasting and understand the context of how the word is used. You will find many persistent problems in yourself or those you pray for are resolved through fasting and prayer. Keith Thomas 

This is a shortened version of the more in-depth study found here