In the fast-paced world of business, it’s easy to rely on conventional wisdom and market research for direction. But what if God is calling you to a different approach—one that taps into His wisdom instead of merely your own?
For Christian women entrepreneurs and business owners, prayer and fasting offer a profound way to seek God’s guidance, generate inspired ideas, and develop strategies uniquely tailored to your calling. By intentionally dedicating time for prayer and fasting, you align yourself more closely with God’s heart, and this alignment can bring clarity, creativity, and confidence into your business planning.
We look at FIVE ways prayer and fasting support your business planning and growth. As well as giving you specific strategies on how to get started.
- We’ll go from the formula you may being using now─ Business idea + Hard work + some Prayer = expecting God’s Blessing
- To the right formula─ God + Prayer + Fasting = Business strategies + Direction + Growth
What is Biblical Fasting?
Let’s start with a quick review of what fasting actually is. . .
Biblical fasting is the practice of abstaining from food, or certain foods, to focus on prayer and seek God’s will. It’s a time-tested discipline practiced throughout the Bible by people in need of divine direction or breakthrough. While fasting, you voluntarily deny yourself physical sustenance to open your spirit to God, allowing His voice to be the loudest in your life.
In Matthew 6:16-18, Jesus instructs His followers on fasting, saying, “When you fast…your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
This suggests that fasting is an act of faith, expecting God to move. Fasting can take various forms, such as:
- Complete Fast: Abstaining from all food and drinking only water.
- Partial Fast: Giving up specific foods or meals (e.g., Daniel Fast: fruits, vegetables, and water).
- Intermittent Fasting: Limiting food intake to specific times or meals.
- Non-Food Fasting: Giving up distractions (e.g., social media, Netflix, video games, etc.) for spiritual focus.
How Prayer and Fasting Support Business Planning for Growth
Prayer and fasting don’t replace diligent planning but enhance it, especially when you’re seeking creative breakthroughs, strategic direction, or clarity about your next steps. Here’s how these practices can help bring fresh ideas and clarity to your business strategy:
1. Aligns You with God’s Will for Your Business
Your business is not just a venture; it’s a calling, a part of God’s plan to make an impact in the world. Fasting and prayer help strip away distractions and worldly pressures, enabling you to see your business through God’s eyes.
Proverbs 16:3 reminds us, “Commit your works to the Lord, And your plans will be established.”
When you seek God through fasting, you’re surrendering your plans to His and inviting His will to take root in your heart.
2. Helps Generate Inspired Ideas
Fasting has a powerful way of clearing mental clutter, giving room for inspiration from the Holy Spirit. As you fast and pray, you invite God to speak into your ideas. He may reveal new ways to solve existing challenges, creative strategies to reach your audience, or inspire new products and services.
When King Jehoshaphat faced an overwhelming enemy, he called for a fast, seeking God’s direction. In response, God gave them a battle strategy that didn’t rely on traditional warfare but on worship (2 Chronicles 20:1-30). Like Jehoshaphat, you can seek God for unique ideas that transcend conventional wisdom.
3. Develops Wisdom and Discernment for Strategic Decisions
Decision-making in business requires discernment. Fasting and prayer sharpen your spiritual sensitivity, helping you to distinguish between ideas that are merely “good” and those that are truly GREAT, “God-inspired.”
When the early church needed guidance, they fasted and prayed, and the Holy Spirit spoke (Acts 13:2-3). Similarly, through fasting, you can learn to tune into the Holy Spirit’s guidance for key business decisions, from hiring the right team members to choosing strategic partnerships.
4. Increases Focus and Mental Clarity
Fasting has physical benefits as well as spiritual ones, from making you a nicer person to offsetting the negative effects of stress. Many people report improved mental clarity and focus during a fast, as the body isn’t expending energy on digestion. This clarity can create a space where your mind is free from distraction, allowing you to dive deeply into your prayer and business strategy sessions.
Isaiah 58:6 speaks to the freeing nature of fasting: “Is not this the fast that I choose: To release the bonds of wickedness…”
When you fast, you’re not only focusing your mind but also allowing God to break any limitations or barriers holding you back.
5. Strengthens Your Faith and Perseverance
Prayer and fasting teach patience, resilience, and a deeper trust in God’s timing—all crucial for business. Sometimes, answers don’t come immediately, but the discipline of fasting strengthens your resolve and reminds you to wait on God.
This faithfulness can translate into your business, where perseverance and a willingness to rely on God’s timing are invaluable. After fasting for 40 days, Jesus began His ministry with unwavering faith and purpose (Matthew 4:1-11). Fasting can prepare you to step boldly into new areas of business, rooted in God’s strength.
How to Get Started with Prayer and Fasting for Business Strategy
If you’re new to fasting or want to incorporate it more intentionally into your business strategy, here are a few practical steps:
- Set Your Intention: Decide what you want to bring before God. Is it a particular business decision, product idea, or direction? Setting a clear intention helps focus your prayers.
- Choose Your Fast: Select a type of fast that fits your needs and capacity. Whether it’s a complete fast, partial fast, or non-food fast, make sure it’s sustainable and allows you to focus on prayer.
- Schedule Time for Prayer and Reflection: Set aside times throughout your fast for dedicated prayer, reflection, and journaling. Use these moments to bring your business plans to God, asking for His guidance.
- Listen and Journal: Take time to listen to God. Journaling helps capture the insights and ideas that emerge. Sometimes God speaks in subtle ways, so be open to any nudges or thoughts that arise.
- Stay Humble and Surrendered: Fasting isn’t about getting God to do what we want; it’s about aligning with what He wants. Remain open, and trust that His plans are for your good.
The Outcome: Clarity, Creativity, and Peace in Your Business
When you incorporate prayer and fasting into your business planning, you’ll find yourself not only with clearer strategies but also with a sense of peace and purpose that comes from following God’s lead. Through fasting, you’re creating space for God to move powerfully in your business, allowing His divine wisdom to shape your strategies and bring creativity to your ideas.
As Isaiah 55:8-9 reminds us, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways… As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
That is so comforting.
If you’re ready to know more about how you can have success with your business strategies and have the business God wants for you, I invite you to join our Free Training: How to build an impactful business that serves God and perfectly aligns with His design of you─ Without first waiting for a ‘sign from God’, developing a brand, or creating a website
God’s wisdom is far beyond human understanding, and by dedicating time for prayer and fasting, you’re inviting His ways and thoughts into your business planning. So, as you embark on this spiritual discipline (practice), be ready for the fresh perspectives, strategic insights, and the direction that only He can provide. In doing so, you’re not just building a business—you’re building a legacy aligned with God’s purpose.
- Let me know what was your biggest AHA is about prayer and fasting?
- How will it help you with your next business strategy?
Be filled to overflowing,
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