Prayer and fasting have the power to affect both our internal and external worlds as well as set our minds and hearts in alignment with God. It is a time where we intentionally seek God and trust in Him to move in powerful ways.
We believe that God gives power to our prayers and our words, and we believe that He works in our times of fasting. We know that God is going to work in you and our church as we set aside this time to pray to Him, to lift up our families, our workplaces, our city, and our world.
God draws near to us as we draw near to Him. Be expectant that He is doing a new thing, even now, beyond what we can see and understand. And be encouraged as you join with a community that is praying and fasting with trust and hope that God will meet you right where you're at.
We are excited and expectant as you join us on this journey, that God will display His power and faithfulness to you and our church.
BIBLE READING PLAN:
If you'd like to join in on a group Bible reading plan through the YouVersion Bible App, CLICK HERE. Th plan will be available starting Sunday, September 15th. Use this tool as an opportunity to immerse yourself in God's Word and help prepare your heart for how He wants to speak to you.
PRAYER AND FASTING GUIDE:
7 Basic steps to successful fasting and prayer. By: Bill Bright
STEP 1: SET YOUR OBJECTIVE
Why are you fasting? What specific results do you desire to get (personally and for your family and/or community)?
STEP 2: MAKE YOUR COMMITMENT
What will you fast (food, TV, entertainment...)? How long will you fast for (one meal, one day, once a week)? How much time each day will you devote to prayer and God's Word?
STEP 3: PREPARE YOURSELF SPIRITUALLY
Repentance is the foundation of fasting. Confess your sins, seek and give forgiveness, ask for the Spirit to fill you (Ephesians 5:18)
STEP 4: PREPARE YOURSELF PHYSICALLY
If fasting from food, eat smaller meals before starting a fast. Limit exercise and activity, rest more, drink more, and focus your thoughts. Avoid caffeinated drinks and limit acidic juices (orange, tomato)
STEP 5: PUT YOURSELF ON SCHEDULE
Set aside quality time to spend with God for reading Scripture, meditating, singing, inviting Him into different areas of your life...
STEP 6: END YOUR FAST GRADUALLY
When you end a fast from food, begin eating gradually with small light portions.
STEP 7: EXPECT RESULTS
Expect God to reward you for your obedience to His Word. You will experience a heightened awareness of His presence and He will give you fresh, new spiritual insights. Your confidence and faith in God will be strengthened and you'll see answers to your prayers.
10 FASTING IDEAS:
1. No Food
This is the kind of fast most people are familiar with. This one is as cut and dry as it sounds! Choose a period of time where you consume no food and only drink water. It could be part of a day, a full 24 hour day, multiple days, etc.
2. No Sugar
This is a variation of a food fast where you intentionally avoid consuming added sugars. No sweets, pastries, soda pop, etc. Remember that the goal of the fast is to give up something that will be a sacrifice so don’t try to create loop holes to still get what you want like artificial sweeteners high natural sugar content foods, etc. This defeats the purpose of the fast! Make sure you’re clear in advance on what foods you will avoid and find someone you trust to hold you accountable!
3. No Alcohol
Another variation of a food fast is giving up alcohol. Don’t choose this kind of fast if it doesn’t mean much to you to give up alcohol. Remember, the intended purpose is to give up something you value in exchange for more time with God!
4. No Caffeine
What’s your guilty pleasure? If this one is a punch in the gut, maybe it’s the right one for you! Or maybe it’s not just caffeine but completely avoiding your daily religious visit to your favorite coffee establishment (Starbucks, Dutch Bros., Black Rock, etc.!) Every time you’re craving your favorite drink, it can be a trigger to spend some time with God!
5. Eating Out/To Go food
Maybe the thought of avoiding take out or eating out seems like a big step to you. If so, you might consider making this your fast of choice! It will certainly save you some money but it also might be a great reminder to spend some time with God!
6. Social Media
Ok, so the first five were all about fasting from food or some variation of that. These next five might be better suited for detoxing you heart and mind from all of the clutter we fill them with. We’re starting right off with a big one! No social media! Some of you are already feeling symptoms of withdrawal just thinking about the prospect! Maybe you fast completely from Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Pinterest, Snapchat, Tok-tok and Reddit. Or maybe it’s baby steps and you pick one or more of your biggest guilty pleasures!
7. Entertainment
Go big or go home J If you dare, you could commit to a complete fast from all forms of entertainment: Going to the movies, TV, Netflix, Online forms of entertainment, Games, Magazines, etc. We fill ourselves daily with so much content from secular culture, we have no room for the things of God. This might just be what the doctor ordered!
8. News Media
What we focus on expands. Sometimes we spend so much time consuming content on all of the bad or stressful things going on in the world that our fear and anxiety grows while God fades in the distance. It might be time to do a total fast from all news media! Trust me, if it’s that important, someone will be sure to fill you in on what you missed!
9. Devices
Our phones and tablets are supposed to serve us, not the other way around. For many of us, our devices become a strong, subtle addiction that we can’t seem to break away from. Maybe it’s time to set some restrictions on our devices. Here’s some ideas of how you might incorporate them into your fast:
10. Shopping
You thought I might avoid this one! For some of you, this is your guilty pleasure! Buying stuff off Amazon or eBay. Ordering stuff through your favorite shopping app or shopping the old fashioned way in a brick and mortar store! If this one seems like it will hurt, it may just be the right choice for you!
