In warfare, the nuclear bomb is the weapon of desperation. It's the choice when political and military leaders feel they have no choice. In one way, Jesus gave the Christian something similar, minus the destruction, as we see in the encounter with a possessed boy in Mark 9. The disciples ask him why they were unable to cast out a demon. They tried everything in their arsenal. Our Lord tells them, "This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting." (Cf. Mark 9:29) There it is! Fasting. This is the spiritual weapon of last resort. If you find yourself exhausted, hanging by a thread, at the point of near surrender, try this ancient tactic of the saints.