Spiritual Warfare

This kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting (Mt.17, 21)

The Savior Himself told us to fast. Every fast in the Holy Scripture is connected with the God Himself. In fasting people were expressing their repentance of sins, that distanced them from God. Let us not say, like many, that Moses and Elijah were not just plain people like us, and what they did is impossible for us. Even though we are not saints like them, and we do not have a special service assigned to us, but the calling to meet God, to communicate with Him, to obey Him is directed to all of us by Jesus Christ. “For God so loved the world”, - not some of people, but the whole world, and this world is us. The stamp of death and sacrifice of Christ is on all of us without exception, “for God does not respect persons”.

And this is our one and common right. Christ died to make us co-participants of His Kingdom and Glory. He shared His Father with us too, saying “To My and your Father” And by this calling to the Father He opened up an access and path to Him. Fasting and prayers, closely connected to each other, as if fulfilling each other, help us and support us on this path. Our wounds are deep, stubborn are our spiritual sicknesses, persistent are our temptations – so let us too be persistent in the fight with the kind that “goeth not out but by prayer and fasting”.

(Translated by Tatiana Rozzell from “Every Day is a Gift from God. Diaries of an Orthodox Priest”, author unknown)