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believing what you know ain’t so”—but that is not New Testament faith. New Testament faith is believing what you know
is
so.
    When you write out a faith-purpose statement, you begin to exercise the faith that is required for deliverance from your problem. Your faith experience leads to a faith expression (what you say) that leads to the faith event (fasting).
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    Faith experience

    Faith expression

    Faith event
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    Although it is important to
fast specifically for a specific sin(s)
, it is not necessary to list specific acts. Identify the bondage by its principle, but do not write out the gory details. (Reliving the details can rekindle the tire of lust rather than producing power to overcome it.)
    You fast repeatedly until you get a breakthrough
. When Jesus said, “This kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting” (v. 21,
KJV
), the verb action in the original language is continuous. Jesus meant we should continuously fast to get power over besetting sins. This may involve fasting for a longer time or more often (once a week for several weeks) than we might have expected.
    Fasting for an answer is similar to prayer. Sometimes you can pray once in an act of faith, and God hears and answers. You don’t have to keep it up like a child begging for something a parent doesn’t want to give. On other occasions you must continually ask in faith before an answer will come. “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (7:7). Why does God sometimes make us wait? Frequently He tests us to determine if we mean business. Often it takes time for conditions to answer our prayers. For example, we pray for rain, but it takes time for rain clouds to form.
    Look at it from God’s perspective. He could answer immediately. He knows beforehand that we will pray in faith, so God could prepare the rain clouds ahead of time. But God sees our perspective. We need to pray often and fast continually to build up our faith and our “spiritual character.”
    The longer we fast, the more we obey God. The longer we abstain from food, the more determined we become. After a time, our faith grows to trust God for greater miracles in our lives.
P RESCRIPTION FOR D ELIVERANCE
    Those unable to break bad habits experience an overwhelming sense of frustration. They can’t break free of the bondages associated with their habits. They want to change, but something inside refuses to let them take control of their lives. Whether physically addicted to a substance or not, people experience psychological addictions to sin that prevent them from making the significant changes they desperately desire.
    For those who struggle with a sin that has a grip that just won’t let go, the Disciple’s Fast offers hope. Choose the kind and duration of fast thatis right for you. Write down the specific foods to be avoided (see “Preparing for the Disciple’s Fast” at the end of the chapter).
    Specific spiritual steps need to be taken, too. Spiritual bondage grows from seeds that are planted in our minds. The seeds send their roots into our subconscious minds, influencing our emotions, physical capacities and desires. Those of us in bondage would affirm our belief in God’s omnipotence, yet would also describe ourselves as helpless victims unable to break the power of sin, our old natures, Satan or our addictive habits.
    This is why Scripture so often links fasting with prayer. If we attempt to break an addictive sin without taking into account the spiritual steps necessary to break that sin, we will experience the frustrations and discouragement of persistent failure. To break spiritual bondage, we must follow the steps God has provided for spiritual warfare.
    “(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every