Prayer and fasting

“After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked Him privately, ‘Why couldn’t we drive [the demon] out?’ He replied, ‘This kind can come out only be prayer {and fasting}.’” Mark 9:28-29
The words ‘and fasting’ only appear as a footnote in the NIV, but they are present in the original texts. Fasting is supposed to be part of the Christian walk – see for example Matt. 9:14-15. There, Jesus says His disciples will fast after He is taken from them; and in Matt. 6:16, He says ‘When you fast’, not ‘If you fast’.
We also notice that Jesus didn’t fast specifically for this boy – He didn’t have time. The disciples prayed for Him, with no result; Jesus prayed and the demon left him. The difference was that Jesus had a lifestyle of fasting. He fasted on a regular basis, and in so doing was more attuned to the Father than if He did not fast.
Fasting is more than simply going without food. Yet fasting is about food – you can’t set aside TV, for example, and call it ‘fasting’. Fasting is a form of discipline. We set aside one of our most basic bodily functions for a period of time – eating – in order to seek God more. Yes, you will get hungry, especially the first 24 hours. But it’s when you can put the hunger to one side and focus on spiritual things, that you have discovered what it means to fast.
God spoke against the Israelites in Isa. 58:3-9. They were fasting as a ritual of self-abasement, but their hearts were not in the right place. Our motivation in fasting is extremely important. If we get it right, we will be more in tune with God and our prayers will have power, because they will be more in line with His will.