Praying for your unsaved Loved Ones-Pray and Fast

October 13, 2025

Praying for your unsaved Loved Ones-Pray and Fast

One of the greatest gifts that the Lord has given us is the free gift of salvation. Jesus Christ died on the cross at Calvary as the perfect Sacrifice to pay for the sin debt for all of humanity. Because of His Sacrifice we have been reconciled back to our Heavenly Father in Heaven which allows born again believers to have the chance at eternal life with Him in heaven.

Make no mistake at all, there is only One Way to get into heaven, One Way to have a relationship with the Heavenly Father, and One Way for salvation and that is through the Lord Jesus Christ, John 14:5-7. Unfortunately, many people including our family members do not want to hear about the Lord, the things of the Lord, or salvation.

That is why it is imperative that we pray for our loved ones, friends, and even strangers. It is literally a life-or-death situation and when I say life or death I am talking about eternal life. The moment that we leave this Earth we are going to one of two places: heaven with the Lord or in hell awaiting judgment. There is no in between.

We need to get very intentional about our prayer life when it comes to the salvation of the people that we love. Time is very short, and tomorrow is never a guarantee, we need to be sure about where our soul is going when we pass away. We can never forget that prayer is a spiritual weapon that the Lord has afforded us to have and we need to utilize it.

James 5:16 reveals, “…The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” In other words, the intense prayers of a person that is a believer of Jesus Christ is very powerful and benefits tremendously. Don’t ever think that your prayers aren’t being heard, you have to make it your mission to pray for your family diligently. You may be the only one interceding on their behalf.

One thing that you want to keep in mind is the fact that there is power in prayer linked with fasting. I am going to go over some passages of Scripture that reveal the potency of prayer with fasting.

Matthew 6:16-18

“Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.”

Here we can see that the Lord is giving us some critical information regarding fasting. The first thing to note is the fact that the Lord is definitively saying the words “when you fast.” He’s not saying if you fast or maybe you’ll fast, but He is clearly saying “when” you fast. What that means is that He is expecting born again believers to incorporate fasting into our lives.

Another part of the direction that Jesus is giving us within these passages of Scripture is for us to make sure that our fast isn’t done for show. We shouldn’t use the days that we are abstaining from food to allow our pride to get puffed up. In fact, the very opposite should be taken place: we should be dying to our flesh and humbling ourselves before the Lord.

In fact, the people that are around you shouldn’t even know that you are fasting unless your fast is a part of a corporate fast within your church, or if you absolutely need to inform someone in your family that you are fasting. When you allow your fast to be an intimate time between you and the Lord alone, He will reward you openly.

Let’s take a deeper look into what the text is telling us about what the word fast means. The words “you fast” being used here is the Greek word “nēsteuō” which means: to abstain as a religious exercise from food and drink: either entirely, if the fast lasted but a single day, or from customary and choice nourishment, if it continued for several days.

What we can determine when we analyze the word fast is that the Lord is expecting our fast to incorporate eliminating food and drink. The kind of fast, the amount of time that you fast, and how long you abstain from food and water is something that you want to pray to the Lord about. This is a personal decision and every person’s fast may not be the same.

One thing that we know for sure is when you fast and pray there is power released. You are letting the Lord know that you are willing to die to your flesh in order to hear from Him, get direction, break spiritual bondage off of your life, or to intercede for others, etc. There are many other reasons why people fast and pray but the fact remains that we are expected to fast, there is no way of getting around it.

Now, let’s look at some passages of Scripture that give us an example of the potency of praying and fasting.

Matthew 17:20-21

“So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”

Before we dissect what the Lord Jesus is teaching in these verses of Scripture, we need to take a look at the passages a little before this one. Matthew 17:14-16 describes, “And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.”

When we break down what is happening in these verses, we can see that the Lord is highlighting a man’s son that was so demonically oppressed that he was being thrown into the fire and often into the water harming himself. The father was desperate to receive freedom for his son but when he asked the Lord’s disciples, they were unable to deliver him. Why?

Jesus Christ gives us some vital information pertaining to the little boy’s deliverance in Matthew 17:21 when He states, “However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” The word “kind” being used here is the Greek word “genos” which means: kind, sort, or species.

So, what the Lord Jesus is conveying to us is that the demons that were in the little boy throwing him into the fire and water was a stronger “kind” of demonic spirits which required faith, prayer, and fasting to be cast out. This important information is revealing to us that certain demons and demonic strongholds will only be released through fasting and prayer.

Often our loved one’s salvation will require another level of sacrifice than just prayer. Some bondages and demonic strongholds are so strong that we must fast in order for them to be broken. What this does is allows the scales to be lifted from their minds, strongholds released, and their hearts softened so that they can receive the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We have to be willing to do what it takes for our family to receive the free gift of salvation. When we fast, we are telling the Lord that we are willing to turn down our plates and die to our flesh so that we can help expedite the salvation of our family, friends, and even strangers. One example of how a fast paired with prayer produced results is found in the book of Ezra.

Ezra 8:23 details, “So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and He answered our prayer.” Here we can definitively see that the Lord answered the prayers that were made by Ezra. The Lord is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8) if He did it for Ezra, He can do for you too. Nobody is too far gone to receive the free gift of salvation!

Confusion

Salvation is one of the most important things that any human being can receive. When a person leaves this Earth, he or she is going to one of two places: heaven with our Heavenly Father or the lake of fire and this is for eternity. By knowing this truth, we need to make it our mission to save as many of our loved ones, friends, and strangers as we can.

The enemy has blinded the minds of those that are not living for Jesus Christ and that is why they cannot see clearly. We need to be intentional when praying for our family so that they can receive the gospel of Jesus Christ and get saved. There is so much power when you fast and pray keeping in mind that some of the strongholds that your loved ones are facing can only be broken through faith and prayer paired with fasting, but they can be broken!

Also, don’t forget to check out my other current blogs:

Praying for your unsaved loved ones-Pray without Ceasing

Praying for your unsaved loved ones-pray the Word of God

Praying for your unsaved loved ones-believing God’s promises

Praying for your unsaved loved ones-be a doer of God’s Word

Breaking Spiritual Strongholds-Fight Back

Breaking Spiritual Strongholds-Feed Your Spirit

Breaking Spiritual Strongholds-Renouncing

Breaking Spiritual Strongholds-Confess and Repent

Recognizing Spiritual Strongholds

What are Spiritual Strongholds?

The Spiritual Laws of God-Poverty Part 1

The Spiritual Laws of God-Poverty Part 2

The Spiritual Laws of God-Restoration

The Spiritual Laws of God-The General Principles

The Spiritual Laws of God-The Power of Your Tongue!

The Spiritual Laws of God-Having an Understanding

Below are some books that I have personally read that I recommend to help you get set free from the enemy and his devices. Each one provides you with warfare practices that you can apply to your daily life. Just click on the Link below the book and it will lead you straight to it. You will not be disappointed!