“But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” (Matthew 17:21)
It is interesting to me how science often stumbles upon the earthly benefits of spiritual things. Prayer under the guise of meditation and “sending good vibes into the universe” has been touted as a wonderful tool to improve your health and quality of life, reducing blood pressure and helping to reorient your mental disposition.
Likewise, fasting is now all the rage in health circles: from intermittent fasting to fasting retreats where patients are monitored during long durations (as much as 40 days!) as they detox their bodies, reduce stress, and lose weight.
We should not be surprised that there are earthly benefits to God’s injunctions, but I fear that we have watered down the spiritual to hijack the earthly benefits without submitting ourselves to the Creator of heaven and earth. The earthly benefits should be the happy side-effect, not the goal.
Consider your spiritual health. Prayer and fasting are excellent tools of the well-equipped servant of God.
Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites