What Nobody Tells You About Fasting and Prayer for Missions

I remember standing in the hot sun in Nsawam, Ghana, looking at a half-built church wall. The funds had dried up, the cement was gone, and the workers were discouraged. My natural inclination was to push harder, to make another phone call, to try and force a solution. But in that moment, the Holy Spirit reminded me of a deeper truth: the real foundation of this work wasn’t just concrete and rebar. It was fasting and prayer for missions, and we hadn’t been doing enough of it.

That day, Laura and I committed to a season of focused intercession. We knew the Lord could provide, but we also knew He often waits for His children to ask. This isn’t just a suggestion for missionaries; it’s a command for every believer. Our work planting churches in West Africa has shown us, time and again, that the spiritual battles are fought and won on our knees. The visible results are just the fruit of unseen labor.

The Spiritual Battleground of Missions

The mission field is not a vacation. It is a war zone. We are not fighting against flesh and blood, as the Scripture says. We wrestle against principalities and powers. You feel it in Ghana. You feel the oppression, the spiritual darkness, the resistance to the Gospel. People’s lives are bound by generations of tradition and fear.

When we first arrived, I thought my biggest challenges would be learning the language or navigating the cultural differences. Those were hard, no doubt. But the truly overwhelming obstacles, the ones that make you want to pack up and go home, are spiritual. They are the unseen forces that blind the eyes of men and keep them from the truth of Jesus Christ.

This is why fasting and prayer for missions is not an optional extra. It is the main offensive. We cannot win these battles with clever sermons or well-funded programs alone. We win them when God moves, and God often moves in response to the earnest, humble cries of His people. We must remember that “the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds” (2 Corinthians 10:4).

We’ve seen the impossible happen. We’ve watched hearts soften that seemed hardened as stone. We’ve seen doors open that were slammed shut. These are not coincidences. These are direct answers to specific prayers, often accompanied by the spiritual discipline of fasting. You can read about some of these answers in our monthly prayer letters, which show how God has moved in response to your faithful intercession.

Understanding the “Why” Behind Fasting

Fasting isn’t about twisting God’s arm or earning His favor. He doesn’t need us to suffer to prove our sincerity. Fasting is about positioning ourselves to hear Him more clearly, to humble ourselves before Him, and to intensify our spiritual focus. When we deny our physical appetites, we declare that our spiritual hunger is greater.

It helps clarify things. When you take away the noise of daily life and the demands of your body, your spirit has room to breathe. You start to see things from God’s perspective. You develop a deeper burden for lost souls, for the work on the field, and for the specific needs of the people you are trying to reach. It’s a powerful tool for missionaries and those who support them.

Jesus Himself spoke about the power of fasting alongside prayer. In Matthew 17, when His disciples failed to cast out a demon, He told them, “Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting” (Matthew 17:21). This isn’t a magic formula. It is an acknowledgment that some spiritual strongholds require a level of consecration and dependence on God that only prayer with fasting can bring.

For us in Ghana, there have been times when we faced such overwhelming opposition that we knew only God could break through. We would set aside specific days, sometimes even just one meal, to fast and pray over a particular situation: a village resistant to the Gospel, a church member struggling with sin, or a dire financial need for the ministry. God always showed up.

Prayer: Our Lifeline to the Front Lines

If fasting is a magnifying glass, prayer is the phone line direct to the throne room of God. It is our constant communication, our source of strength, and our means of engaging in the battle from wherever we are. For missionaries, prayer is not a suggestion; it is survival. We cannot do this work without it.

When you are thousands of miles from home, surrounded by a culture that doesn’t understand your worldview, and facing spiritual darkness you never imagined, you learn to pray. You pray for wisdom. You pray for protection. You pray for open doors. You pray for the lost. You pray for your family back home. You pray for strength to keep going when you feel completely spent.

The Bible tells us to “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). This doesn’t mean we are always on our knees with our eyes closed. It means our lives are to be lived in a constant attitude of prayer, a continuous conversation with our Heavenly Father. It’s like a walkie-talkie always on, always ready to transmit or receive. Especially when we are doing the Lord’s work, we need that continuous connection.

“More than 3.2 billion people live in unreached people groups, with virtually no access to the Gospel.”
International Mission Board

Think about that number for a moment. Billions of people. They’ve never heard the name of Jesus. They live and die without hope. That is why our fasting and prayer for missions is so critical. Our prayers are not just for our work in Ghana, but for every missionary and every lost soul around the globe. They are for the breaking of spiritual chains and the spreading of the light.

Specific Prayers for the Mission Field

When you pray for missions, don’t just pray generally. Pray specifically. Pray for missionaries’ health, both physical and spiritual. Pray for their families, for their children to adapt and thrive. Pray for their marriages to remain strong under immense pressure. Pray for wisdom in navigating cultural complexities and for discernment in spiritual matters.

Pray for open doors to share the Gospel. Pray for receptive hearts. Pray for boldness for the missionaries to speak the truth in love, even when it is difficult. Pray for new believers to be discipled and grounded in the Word. Pray for local leaders to be raised up and empowered to carry on the work. We need your prayers more than you can imagine.

My wife Laura and I have seen God do incredible things in Ghana because of the consistent prayers of faithful believers back home. We are not alone out here. We feel the prayers. They sustain us. They empower us. They are a tangible force in our ministry. I often think about the Apostle Paul, who constantly asked for prayer. If Paul needed prayer, you can bet your bottom dollar Joe Consford needs it.

What We’ve Seen God Do Through Fasting and Prayer for Missions

We’ve seen God provide funds for church buildings when we had nothing but empty pockets and a promise from Him. One time, we needed a significant amount for a new water well in a village. We had prayed and fasted, but the money just wasn’t there. Then, a few days later, an unexpected offering came in from a church in the States that was the exact amount needed. Not close. Exact. I may have praised the Lord loud enough for the whole building to hear.

We’ve seen individuals who were deeply entrenched in traditional African religions come to saving faith in Jesus Christ, breaking generational curses through the power of the Gospel. It wasn’t our eloquent preaching. It was the Holy Spirit moving in response to dedicated fasting and prayer for missions.

I remember one man, a village elder, who was fiercely opposed to the new church. He would stand at the edge of our services, arms crossed, glaring. We prayed for him. We fasted for him. For months. Then, one Sunday, he walked in, sat down, and listened. A few weeks later, he got saved. He became one of the most fervent witnesses in that village. That went about as well as you would expect for the devil.

These are not just stories. These are testimonies to the faithfulness of God and the power of His people uniting in prayer. When we commit to studying God’s Word and praying for His work, He delights in showing Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is perfect toward Him.

Your Role in the Great Commission

You may not be called to pack your bags and move to Africa. But you are absolutely called to be involved in the Great Commission. Your involvement is not secondary; it is vital. We cannot do this without you. Your fasting and prayer for missions is a direct contribution to the spreading of the Gospel around the world.

Consider this: while we are on the ground in Ghana, sharing the Gospel, discipling new believers, and planting churches, you are fighting the spiritual battles from your prayer closet. You are interceding for us, for the lost, and for the advancement of God’s Kingdom. This makes you just as much a part of the team as Laura and me. We are truly partners in ministry.

Start small. Choose one missionary or one unreached people group to pray for regularly. Set aside one meal a week to fast and pray for them. You will be amazed at how God uses your faithfulness. You are not just sitting at home; you are on the front lines, spiritually speaking. You are making a difference that echoes into eternity. Someday, we will stand before the Lord, and you will see the fruit of your faithful intercession.

Do not underestimate the power of your prayers. They are not simply words whispered into the air; they are powerful spiritual weapons that move the hand of God. Join us in this vital work. Learn more about our ministry and specific prayer needs by checking out our latest prayer letters. Your faithful prayers are a blessing to us and a testimony to God’s unfailing power.

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