21 Days of Prayer and Fasting
In this sermon, Pastor Bob Rotola speaks about prayer and fasting as essential spiritual disciplines that lead to personal transformation, spiritual authority, and deeper communion with God. The preacher calls the church to a 21-day season of both fasting and prayer, emphasizing that this time is meant to reshape individuals, families, the church, and their broader influence.
Early in the message, he urges the congregation to approach the teaching with expectation, trusting the Holy Spirit to reveal fresh insight and bring lasting change.
Read the summarized highlights of the sermon below, listen to the full sermon here, or watch it here.
Sermon Highlights
Pastor Rotola begins the sermon by presenting fasting as a tool for disciplining the flesh and strengthening the spirit. Rather than being purely about food, he frames fasting as intentionally giving up anything that exerts unhealthy control over one’s life, such as television, sweets, or distractions.
Fasting as Spiritual Discipline and Transformation
The pastor explains that fasting trains believers to live from spiritual authority rather than physical impulse. As he puts it, fasting “teaches you to subject the flesh,” helping believers break habits that dominate their behavior.
He also describes fasting as beneficial to physical health and spiritual sensitivity. It sharpens one’s ability to hear God and positions believers for breakthroughs that may not come through routine spiritual practices alone.
Prayer as Communication and Partnership With God
Pastor Rotola highlights that prayer is defined as two-way communication that involves both speaking and listening, with a strong emphasis on attentiveness to God’s voice. He stresses that prayer isn’t measured by eloquence or length but by sincerity and consistency.
He introduces the concept of “binge praying,” sharing a personal testimony about praying for two uninterrupted hours as a teenager and experiencing accelerated spiritual growth. He describes the experience this way: “What would have taken me 10 years of growth, I had breakthrough after breakthrough.”
The pastor notes that prayer can also be understood as a continuous awareness of God’s presence throughout daily life, echoing the instruction to “pray without ceasing.” He likens this ongoing communion to being in the same room with someone you love even when no words are exchanged.
Identity and Authority in Prayer
A central theme of the sermon is identity. Pastor Rotola urges believers to approach God with confidence rooted in their relationship as children, not as unworthy petitioners. One of the most emphasized statements is: “We pray as sons, not as beggars.”
Through Christ, he explains, believers are righteous and worthy to enter God’s presence. Prayer is a cooperative act in which Jesus and the Holy Spirit actively intercede through believers. As the pastor puts it, “He lives in me for the purpose of making intercession.”
The Power and Effects of Prayer
The pastor depicts prayer as a force that reshapes reality, bringing heavenly order into earthly circumstances so that “prayer makes earth look more like heaven.”
Additional effects of prayer include:
Releasing God’s glory into the world
Transforming the person who prays
Turning the church from passive observers into active participants in God’s work
Pastor Rotola sums this up by stating: “Prayer turns us from an audience to an army.”
Teaching From Matthew 6 on Prayer and Fasting
The sermon includes an extended teaching from Matthew 6:6-18, emphasizing private, sincere prayer without performance or distraction. The pastor describes prayer as relational rather than formulaic, with the Lord’s Prayer presented as a model for how to pray, not a script of what to say.
Key themes from this portion of the sermon include:
Approaching God as “our Father,” highlighting both intimacy and community
Aligning prayer with God’s will so that “earth becomes more like heaven”
Understanding the necessity of forgiveness, with the stark warning that “the unforgiving become the unforgiven”
Fasting in humility, without seeking recognition from others
The promise repeated throughout this section is that “your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”
Call to Action and Closing Prayer
The message concludes with a strong call to commitment. Pastor Rotola challenges the church congregation to fully engage in a 21-day fast and prayer period, trusting God for visible transformation and testimonies.
The final prayer reinforces the theme of partnership, asking God to shape the congregation into a spiritually effective force. The sermon ends with an invitation for those who have never fully committed their lives to Christ to respond and begin a new relationship with Him.
Tune Into the Word With Word of Life Church
Word of Life Church is dedicated to making the world a better place by spreading the Word and love of God. Our mission is to create an authentic and welcoming worship community, empowering Christians to live a life of faith and service in the name of Jesus.
To that end, we have two convenient locations serving North and South Wichita. We also offer accessible church services to support you in your journey. If you’re unable to attend in-person church services, you can watch our live stream sermons or listen to our podcast sermons from the comfort of your home or preferred location. If English isn’t your primary language, you can take advantage of our weekly international and Spanish-language services.
Our church offerings include a variety of worship experiences, such as Life Groups, youth programs, and service initiatives for individuals of all ages, all designed to offer community and opportunities to engage with God and enhance a mindset of gratitude. Contact us today to find out how we can serve you!
