Journey to Easter – 40-Day Creative Lent Devotional – Day 12: Prayer and Fasting for Victory

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fasting

 

Day 12: Prayer and Fasting for Victory

Opening Prayer

opening prayer

Heavenly Father, as we embark on this season of prayer and fasting, we come before You seeking Your wisdom and guidance. In the power of Your Spirit, You led Your Son Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by satan. Now we follow His example, desiring greater spiritual strength and victory over the devices of the evil one.

Help us to fast in a way that draws our hearts near to You. May our abstaining from food as an act of sacrifice lead us to feast all the more on Your truth and grace. Fill our minds with Your Word so that no place is given to the enemy’s lies. Strengthen our wills to always choose obedience over comfort or convenience.

May these days of consecration deepen our intimacy with You and our Savior. Purify our desires that we would want only what pleases You, our beloved Father. And empower us by Your mighty arm to stand triumphant against every temptation just as Christ overcame. In His name we lift our prayers, Amen.

Scripture Reading and Reflection

prayer and fasting

Luke 4:1–2 KJV

And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,

Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.

Luke 4:14 KJV

And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.

Reflection:

The passages point out that even Jesus found it necessary to fast in order to gain victory over temptation. If our Lord and Savior needed to fast and deny Himself physically to strengthen Himself spiritually, how can we hope to overcome the attacks of the enemy without following His example in prayer and fasting?

Jesus had already received the Holy Spirit’s power at His baptism. Yet He did not immediately launch His ministry. He first spent 40 days in the wilderness, fasting and praying. It was during this time of abstinence that He was able to directly confront and defeat Satan. Only after this victory through fasting did Jesus return “in the power of the Spirit” to begin His work.

There is a distinction made between being merely “full of the Spirit” and functioning truly “in the power of the Spirit.” Fasting appeared to elevate Jesus from one state to the other, empowering Him more fully for the tasks ahead.

If fasting provided such benefit even to Christ, we would be foolish not to utilize the same spiritual discipline in our own lives and ministries. Through prayer and fasting, we can seek greater victory over temptation and a fresh infilling of God’s power.

Hymn:

Forty Days and Forty Nights

1 Forty days and forty nights You were fasting in the wild; Forty days and forty nights Tempted, and yet undefiled.

2 Shall not we your sorrow share And from worldly joys abstain, Fasting with unceasing prayer, Strong with you to suffer pain?

3 Then if Satan on us press, Flesh or spirit to assail, Victor in the wilderness, Grant we may not faint nor fail!

4 So shall we have peace divine; Holier gladness ours shall be; Round us, too, shall angels shine, Such as served You faithfully.

5 Keep, O keep us, Savior dear, Ever constant by your side, That with you we may appear At th’eternal Eastertide.

Lyrics: George Hunt Smyttan, Music: Martin Herbst

Creative Activities: 1. Scripture Writing

scripture writing   Write out Luke 4:1–2 and Luke 4:14 in your best handwriting on the Scripture writing page which you can download below. Please download the Scripture Writing Page below. It is for personal and educational use (school, homeschooling) as well as for use at church and in ministry only. Commercial use not allowed.

Download Scripture Writing Page

scripture writing printable day 12DOWNLOAD NOW

Creative Activities: 2. Bible Journaling

bible journaling

Sketch images of Jesus being tempted in the wilderness surrounded by scribbled temptation words.
  • Write out Luke 4:1-2 by hand, meditating on Christ’s fasting and victory
  • Journal a prayer asking God to help you overcome any areas of weakness through prayer and fasting
  • Draw illustrations contrasting dependence on God vs. reliance on self
  • Color code verses, highlighting areas where Jesus found power in fasting
  • Draw a large heart shape, then add stripes to represent victory over sin
Spend time reflecting on Jesus’ example of fasting radically for 40 days. Ask Him to empower you with spiritual strength for victory over temptation, just as He experienced. Read the passage again prayerfully. Journal your prayers and thoughts to God as you create. May your art and meditation draw you near to Christ, who models fasting for victory. Seek His fresh strengthening through dedicated prayer and abstinence this season.

Creative Activities: 3. Doodling

doodling

  Take some time now to freely doodle as you reflect on Jesus’ example of prayer and fasting. Let your hand move spontaneously without overthinking the shapes or images. Recall how Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness, focused wholly on His Father. As you draw, pray for the single-minded dependence on God that Christ modeled. Doodle pictures that represent abandoning all worries and distractions to commune with the Lord. Don’t feel pressure over the “quality” of your doodles – their form is not as important as your heart attitude. Simply relax in God’s presence through this creative yet unstructured activity. If the Spirit brings particular struggles to mind, spend time praying and doodling about them. Ask Him to empower you with strength over temptation, just as Jesus emerged from fasting victorious. Find rest in His promises through freely expressing yourself on the page. However your doodles take shape, may this informal time reflect your desire to prioritize spiritual nourishment and empowerment through dedicated prayer. Keep your heart open before God who strengthens you for every challenge. Take as long as you need calmly abiding in His presence.

Please download the Doodle Printable below. It is for personal and educational use (school, homeschooling) as well as for use at church and in ministry only.

Commercial use not allowed.

Download Doodle Printable

doodle printable day 12DOWNLOAD NOW

Creative Activities: 4. Journaling

journaling

 

Reflect and Journal:

  • What are 1-2 specific areas of weakness or temptation that you sense God highlighting for you to focus on praying and fasting about this season? How can you tangibly devote yourself through fasting and prayer to gain victory in these places?
Please download the Journal Printable below. It is for personal and educational use (school, homeschooling) as well as for use at church and in ministry only. Commercial use not allowed.

Download Journal Printable

journal printable day 12DOWNLOAD NOW

Applying and Taking Action

applying and taking action

  Applying What We Have Learned
  • Consider practical ways you can apply what you have reflected on today:
  • Plan a specific fast (food, tech, etc.) for the next few days and share it with a friend for accountability.
  • Memorize Luke 4:1-2 to meditate on daily as you fast and pray.
  • Remove temptation triggers during your fast if possible.
  • Keep a prayer journal to bring regular updates to God.
  • Schedule focused prayer time when temptations arise to rely on Him instead.
Taking Action in Faith Choose one application step to implement this week. Ask the Holy Spirit for strength and remain open before Him with childlike faith. Your obedience, even in small things, pleases God and can result in greater spiritual breakthroughs. Commit to regularly returning to Scripture for encouragement. The power is God’s, but He desires our willing participation.

Closing Prayer

closing prayer

Heavenly Father, as we devote these days to focused prayer and fasting, strengthen us to overcome any temptation just as Jesus did. When the enemy tries to deceive us, help us instead feast on Your Word and draw near to Your presence.

As physical appetites are set aside, increase our hunger and thirst for You alone. Give perseverance to continue seeking You wholeheartedly even through difficult moments. As fleshly desires weaken through self-denial, fill us more fully with Your Spirit’s power.

We ask that through this discipline, every attack against our faith would be defeated. May this time draw us to such complete dependence on Your strength that sin no longer holds any control. Thank You that in Christ we already have victory over every lie and attack of the enemy.

By Your grace, help us walk in that victory each day. In Jesus’ mighty name we pray, Amen.

 

If you have been blessed by this Creative Lent Devotional, please share it with others. Many thanks. God bless you!

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