In the ninth chapter of Mark, Jesus had just descended from the Mount of Transfiguration where he had taken Peter, James and John while the other disciples stayed behind. While on the mountain, Jesus had met with Moses and Elijah and during that meeting his clothing became as white as snow and as bright as lightening. The three apostles witnessed this miraculous meeting and then returned with him to the crowds below. When they returned they met a man whose young son had been tormented by a demonic spirit for years. The father explained that before Jesus had arrived he had asked the disciples and apostles who had stayed behind to cast out the demon but they could not.

After a brief dialogue with the father, Jesus gave a brief command to the spirit and the spirit left the boy. Mark then reports, “And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out? And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting ( Mark 9:28-29, KJV).

At first reading, we might assume that the father or the boy should have fasted and prayed before asking for deliverance or that the apostles, after encountering the spirit, should have prayed and fasted and then gone after the demon again. However, Jesus did not instruct the father to pray and fast for a season nor did he pray and fast for 24 hours himself before confronting the unclean spirit again. He simply cast out the demon. What we have left is that Jesus was instructing them that there are levels of demonic power and authority that sometimes require more than the ordinary level of spiritual authority that most believers carry. The text also implies that to walk in that level of authority, a believer should dedicate regular times to prayer and fasting as part of his lifestyle.

As we scan the gospels, we often see Jesus separating himself from the crowds and his disciples for nights of prayer and, we can assume, fasting as he prayed. We don’t see the disciples doing that until after Pentecost when the church often met for prayer and fasting. Since Jesus had incorporated extended times with the Father into his lifestyle, he simply walked with more authority than the band who followed him. When he encountered a spirit with greater authority than usual, the authority he walked in was sufficient for the moment and the unclean spirit was banished with a simple command.

There are two significant principles in this account. The first is that we must prepare in advance for spiritual battles. Too many believers wait until the battle is upon them before they start praying, fasting, making their declarations, and trying to summon sufficient faith. Any athlete knows that you must prepare for the game ahead of time with study, strength training, and drills. You can’t begin to get ready after the game starts or you will find yourself hopelessly behind in a hurry. Any soldier knows you don’t wait until you are being fired upon to clean and load your weapon. You always prepare for the battle ahead of time. The same is true in spiritual warfare. Get ready now for what is coming later by getting the word in your heart, praying and fasting as part of your lifestyle, and learning how to use divine weapons before you need them.

Secondly, it appears that spiritual authority increases as we pray and fast. If we want a greater anointing there is a price to be paid and that price should be paid on a somewhat regular basis. The increase comes because we are spending more focused time with the Father and because our relationship with the Father, the Son and the Spirit is deepening.

As I look around us in this season of cultural decay and rejection of biblical values, I believe we must prepare for spiritual warfare as we contend for our families, our marriages, our communities, and our nation. We must encourage one another to prepare before the battle, to increase our authority as followers of Jesus, and to learn how to use divine weapons in skirmishes with the enemy before the all out assaults begin. Otherwise we will be overwhelmed.

But the good news is still the same – He that is in us is greater than he that is in the world. Jesus is certainly sufficient be we are commanded to join him in the battle as we put on the armor of God and wield the weapons of heaven. If you are not prepared or are not in the process of preparing, let me encourage you to get started because the battles are increasing all around us. The hope of our nation is in a church that arises prepared for war against spiritual principalities and powers. We need every soldier in the battle and we need him or her today.