21 Days of Prayer & Fasting

Why do we fast and pray?

Biblical fasting and prayer is a central part of our Christian faith. In essence, it is the decision to deny ourselves of food, beverage, or another legitimate practice in order to focus on seeking God through prayer.

We learn about fasting and prayer throughout the Bible with over 40 mentions in the Old Testament and over 20 in the New Testament. Jesus Himself practiced this spiritual discipline often and taught us to follow His example. In Matthew 6:16 He said, “when you fast…”, not, “if you happen to fast”.

What happens when we fast and pray?

• Fasting can be associated with a specific season of grief, difficulty, decision making, spiritual warfare, or a focused pursuit of God and His voice.
• When we fast, our prayers don’t sound louder in Heaven. What happens is that we are able to hear God’s voice clearer which strengthens our faith and makes our prayers powerful and efficient.
• When we fast, we make a statement of values to ourselves: “My physical appetite is important, but my spiritual hunger is more important at this time.”
• When we fast, we practice self-denial, which is a daily aspect of following Jesus. Remember the words of the Lord in Luke 9:23 (NIV): “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” Learning to say “no” to ourselves, to our appetites and hungers, is a critical aspect of growing and maturing in our faith.
• When we fast, we not only find clarity in God’s voice, but also supernatural breakthrough and even miracles in different areas of our life.

How can we fast and pray?

The principle of fasting and prayer, denying myself a regular habit or practice with the purpose of focusing on seeking God through prayer, can be applied to different aspects of our daily life. When looking at the best option for your own fasting and prayer, it’s important to talk to your physician if you have any concerns about diet restrictions on your health. Prayerfully consider the following options as you are deciding how you will fast and pray during the 21 Days:

• No meats or sweets (commonly known as “Daniel Fast” from Daniel 10:2-3)
• Fasting a meal a day
• Fasting solids
• Intermittent fasting
• Fasting social media
• Fasting entertainment (TV, gaming, etc.)
• Fasting aspects of your relationships (consensual pausing of marital intimacy is mentioned in 1 Corinthians 7:5)What do we do while we are fasting?

• While we are fasting, physical hunger will be a reminder that we are dedicating that time to seeking God in prayer.
• Use the time you would use for a meal to spend it in your pursuit of God
• Read Scripture
• Pray with your understanding and in the Spirit
• Worship
• Be silent and listen for God’s voice
• Journal your conversation with God 

We are full of excitement and anticipation as we think of all that God will do in us during this season of 21 Days of Fasting and Prayer! God will impact our lives as individuals and also as a church family. Breakthrough, miracles and spiritual momentum will be a huge part of our journey as we SEEK THE LIGHT!