where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty
40 / 40 Days Completed!
God Bless You!
Prayer & Fasting Guidelines
A corporate fast can be a blessed, special and spiritual time. Joel 1:14 says:
“Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the LORD your God, and cry unto the LORD.”
For this time to be all that it should be, it must be sanctified or “set apart.” There must be some preparations made. Please use this guide to help prepare yourself and your family for this special time. Please talk to your entire family about what you plan to do. Fathers should speak to their wives and children about what they plan for their own family. Whoever is preparing the meals for the family needs to be ready to prepare special meals or fewer meals. As you prepare for the next few days, it can be tempting to start thinking of a long list of prayer requests that you would love to see God answer. However, I would really like to encourage you to keep this special time simple and about seeking God. Think about a few things that are most pressing on your heart and spend time talking to God about those things. Write these down in the space provided below, and be open to hearing what God wants to show you in those areas. The answers to your prayers will be by-products of drawing closer to Jesus.
When praying, make your primary goal to know Jesus more. Pray prayers of total surrender, and aim to glorify God with your life. We must first meditate on what is perfect and right about Him, such as His goodness and His greatness, and see everything else that we may think is going wrong through the filter of His will.
The most important aspect is actually the most simple.
Make time to pray daily. You must schedule it or else you will not do it.
Be careful not to over complicate this! Just talk to God. Have that place and time where you can seek Him every day. If you don’t plan to pray, you won’t. If you find it a challenge to disconnect from the busyness of your day, try listening to good Godly and reverent music or read a Psalm. These are great ways to prepare your heart for prayer.
Important Notes on Fasting:
Fasting requires reasonable precautions. If you have any health concerns, please consult your physician prior to beginning your fast, especially if you are taking any medication, have a chronic condition, or are pregnant or nursing a baby.
As you prepare to fast, it is important to choose a fasting plan that works for you. While this section provides some general information about different types of fasts, as well as some suggestions on how to create your own fasting plan, it is important to mention that there is nothing more inherently spiritual about one type of fast as opposed to another.
These are simply guidelines and suggestions on different things you can do.
CAUTION:
Please do not let what you eat or do not eat, or weight loss become the focus of your fast. Keep the main thing the main thing, which is drawing closer to God. Remember, this is a time to disconnect enough from your regular patterns and habits in order to connect more closely to God. The next few pages include general tips to keep in mind before getting started.
1. Start Where You Are
We are all at different places in our walk with God. Likewise our jobs, daily schedules, and health conditions are all different and place various levels of demands on our energy. So most importantly, whether you’ve fasted before or this is your first time, start where you are. Your personal fast should present a level of challenge to it, but it’s very important to know your own body, know your options and, most importantly, seek God in prayer and follow what the Holy Spirit leads you to do.
Remember, the goal of fasting is not just to do without food. The goal is to draw nearer to God.
2. Find Your Fasting Peace
When most people start fasting, there is typically some level of discomfort. However, it is possible to get used to the fasting routine pretty quickly. Quite simply, you must learn to fast in a way that works for you.
While any true fast does involve abstinence from food or at least certain types of food, typically, different fasting combinations work better for different people. The goal to successful fasting is all about finding what we like to call your Fasting Peace, and that is different for everybody and can change depending on the season you are in.
The best way to describe your Fasting Peace is that it is the place where you feel light and spiritually in tune and at peace with God. Your mind is naturally thinking on God and spiritual things. You have an increased spiritual energy-you can feel the fast working. Just like runners can feel when their target heart rate has been reached and they see a greater benefit from their physical training, reaching a Fasting Peace is similar but in a spiritual sense.
Finding your Fasting Peace helps you choose both the type and length of a fast.
Let’s say you choose to go on a Daniel fast (only fruits and vegetables). Should you eat beans? If you can eat beans and stay in your Fasting Peace, go ahead. But for some people eating beans takes them out of the Peace. Should you eat peanut butter? Probably not. Peanut butter is more of an indulgence, and not many people can stay in a Fasting Peace while enjoying indulgences.
Should you completely cut out caffeine? It depends. The great thing is, when you fast, your body automatically craves less caffeine. If you can stay in your Fasting Peace with a little caffeine, great. If you are going on a longer fast and want to cut it out of your diet completely, that’s great too. But ease yourself off and make it your goal to be completely caffeine free about two-thirds of the way into your fast.
If you drink coffee regularly, one of the worst mistakes you can make is to fast for one to three days and cut caffeine out abruptly and completely. Please do not make this mistake or you will spend this time grumpy and in withdrawal instead of enjoying God’s presence.
Being gradual and mixing things up a bit is what typically works best for people. For example, do a fruits and vegetables fast for the beginning. Then do all liquids like broths and juices for a while. Then do a few days of only water if you think you are ready for that. Then work your way back out of it. You might find that ending your fast abruptly with heavy and oily foods will weigh you down.
There isn’t one approach that works the same for everyone. Follow the Holy Spirit, mix it up, find what works for you, and stay in your Fasting Peace!
Some people can’t stay in a Fasting Peace eating any type of solid food, so they prefer all liquids. With today’s protein drinks and juicing machines, it is so easy to get a healthy dose of all your nutritional needs even while taking in only liquids. Certain people can’t do anything other than drink only water. If they eat a salad or drink a glass of juice, they get out of their Fasting Peace. Or if they allow themselves to eat cantaloupe, they will end up eating twenty cantaloupes a day!
3. Choose Your Type of Fast
While preparing for your fast, it is important to choose ahead of time what type of fast, or what combination, you will pursue. Not only will this help with making the necessary preparations to implement your plan, but as you commit to a specific fast ahead of time and know how you’re going to do it, you will position yourself to finish strong.
Below are some options & variations of fasts you can choose.
You may choose to fast all 40 days. Or you may choose to fast several days out of the 40 days. This is your personal decision and should be prayerfully considered as it applies to your circumstances. Our goal is not for everyone to do the same kind of fast, but for everyone to do something, as we seek God’s face together.
Different Types of Fasts:
– Specific Food or Activity Fast
In this type of fast you omit a specific item(s) from your meal plans. For example, you may choose to eliminate all red meat, processed or fast food, or sweets. Most people can incorporate this type of fast relatively easily. It can also prove to be a great solution for people with specific dietary needs or medical conditions that may cause certain limitations.
While fasting typically refers to refraining from specific food items, you may also find it extremely beneficial to fast from a regular activity or habit. This might include things such as television, social media, and the like.
Prayer and fasting are not just about connecting to God but also about disconnecting from the world. Try to tune out some of the regular distractions from your day as much as possible. Replace that time with things that will nourish you spiritually like prayer and Bible reading, or longer periods of meditating on God’s Word that you read that day.
– Daniel Fast
The Daniel fast is a great model to follow and one that is extremely effective for spiritual focus, bodily discipline, and purification of the body and soul. It is probably one of the most commonly referred-to fasts.
In the book of Daniel we find two different times where the prophet Daniel fasted.
Daniel 1 states that he only ate vegetables and water, and in Daniel 10, while the passage does not give a specific list of foods that Daniel ate, it does state that he ate no rich (or choice) foods, as well as no meat or wine. So based on these two verses, we can see that either of these, or combinations of the two, constitute a Daniel fast.
Again, it is important to mention that there is nothing inherently spiritual about one type of fast as opposed to another. The foundation of the Daniel fast is fruits and vegetables. Some starchy vegetables and dairy could be included, but that depends on the individual. Again, your goal should be to seek God in prayer about this and follow what the Holy Spirit leads you to do. Just remember: find your personal Fasting Peace. This concept may be hard for you to understand if you have never fasted but after you have experienced it, you will know what I mean.
– Juice Fast
A juice fast is simply consuming vegetable and fruit juices and water instead of solid food. Many people include whey protein in their liquid plan as well. This is one of the most popular and effective fasts. Even if you choose not to make your entire fast liquids only, substituting one or two meals for liquids is a great alternative.
– Water Fast
A water-only fast is the normal fast referred to in the Bible. This is how Jesus and the New Testament church fasted. A water fast is just that—no eating of any food or drinking of any liquids except water.
Periodic water fasts can be very beneficial, but extreme precautions should be taken. For some people it is hard to perform effectively at their jobs and have energy for their families while drinking only water.
We recommend consulting your physician first, and water fasting only for a day or two unless you can get away or your job allows you to really disconnect so you can give your best energy to the fast. Remember, when Jesus went on His forty-day fast, He went by Himself out into the wilderness.
Having said all that, there are some people who can water fast and work, and they function fine without much fatigue and are able to work well. You are blessed if you are one of these people.
– Total Fast
A total fast is where nothing—neither liquid, solid food, nor even water—is consumed for a very short period of time. There are examples of this type of fast in the Bible. It was an Old Covenant type of fast associated with mourning, or deep grief, such as when David engaged in a total fast for a week, hoping that God would spare the child he had with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12).
Under the New Covenant, we do not fast to mourn or to seek forgiveness. God has already forgiven us. Plus, complete abstinence of food and water can be very dangerous to our health. Attempting to go without water for any period of time can be extremely harmful to the body.
CAUTION: We do NOT advise a total fast.
– Fasting While Nursing or Pregnant & Involving Children
Strict fasting while pregnant or nursing also is not recommended.
If you are in this incredible season of life but would like to participate in this church fast or if
you have small children and are uncertain of how they could also participate, here are some great options for you to consider—with the approval of your physician:
– A modified Daniel fast including whole grains, legumes, whey protein, calcium,
and iron supplements.
– Fasting from sweets and desserts.
– Fasting from red meat.
– Fasting from certain distractions and wastes of time (television shows, movies,
social media—such as Facebook/Twitter, video games, and so on).
If you desire your entire family to be involved you could prayerfully consider using one or modifying several of these above methods. Be sure to explain to your children the purpose and reasoning behind their abstaining from their normal diets or practices. Involve them in family prayer times each day which replace other free times and activities. Don’t expect your children to fill their empty time themselves; it is our job to lead and guide them, and to teach them the purposes for why we are fasting as a church. If you are a pregnant or nursing mother, your
priority is the health and the development of the baby God has entrusted to you. Make that your guideline and go from there. And please consult your doctor.
– Fasting and Eating Disorders
If you have struggled with an eating disorder, this is a sin and is a battle of the mind that you can have victory over through Christ (Philippians 4:13). Remember, fasting is a tool used to get closer to God, and it actually should keep us from being preoccupied with food. If your method of fasting is going to cause you to obsess about what you eat in any way, you will need to change either your approach or your mindset.
If giving up food is a stumbling block to you, then consider fasting of television, reading (other than the Bible, of course), social media, or shopping. There are many distractions that we could eliminate from our daily routine. Sometimes we do these things to distract ourselves from the real issues hurting us. If you can identify such other things, maybe you can give those up instead of food. Remember that you are covered by God’s grace. God will show you what to do.
His “yoke is easy” and His “burden is light” (Matt 11:30). His way will bring peace and rest to your soul.
4. FINAL FASTING TIPS
Here are some other ideas that can help make your fasting experience more pleasant and helpful:
~ As you select your type of fast, make a fasting calendar that fits your plan. Determine what each day or week will look like.
~ Keep your fridge and pantry stocked with the items you need. Being unprepared to fast, sets you up to give into temptation. Choose well when selecting products, stick to raw food as much as you can, and limit artificial ingredients.
~ Make it a priority to attend church! Being around other believers will encourage you to keep on going when fasting gets difficult.
~ If you mess up, don’t get discouraged. Just get right back on track and keep
going. God’s mercies “are new every morning” (Lamentations 3:22–23). He wants you to finish, and He will give you the grace and strength to do it.
5. Sample Menus for Different Fasts
– Sample Menu 1: Fruits, Vegetables, Juices, and Water
Breakfast
-Fruit smoothie with whey protein
Mid-morning Snack
-Fresh fruit or fresh vegetables
Lunch
-Raw vegetable salad with a light dressing and vegetable broth soup
Mid-afternoon Snack
-Fresh fruit or fresh vegetables
Dinner
-Fresh salad with a light dressing and steamed or grilled vegetables
– Sample Menu 2: Liquids Only
Breakfast
-Fruit smoothie with whey protein
Mid-morning Snack
-Herbal tea or vegetable broth soup
Lunch
-Raw, juiced vegetables
Mid-afternoon Snack
-Fresh fruit juice or fruit smoothie with whey protein
Dinner
-Vegetable juice or vegetable broth soup
– Sample Menu 3: Modified Daniel Fast
Breakfast
-1–2 servings whole grains with fresh fruit juice
Mid-morning Snack
-Fresh fruit or fresh chopped vegetables
Lunch
-1–2 servings whole grains; fresh salad with legumes and a light dressing
Mid-afternoon Snack
-Fresh fruit juice or fruit smoothie with whey protein
Dinner
-1–2 whole grains; fresh salad with legumes and a light dressing
6. Personal Devotions
Just like prayer and fasting, reading your Bible is about connecting to God in a more powerful way. It is not about duty but about relationship. When we engage God through reading His Word, we engage the very presence of God. His Word is living and active! As we read our Bible, we are drawing closer to God and positioning ourselves to hear from Him in particular ways.
Once again, as with prayer, choose the time and the place where you are going to read your Bible and devotional every single day, and come prepared to hear what He wants to tell you.
Here are three quick things we’d like to share with you about how to get the most
out of your devotional time with God:
1. Read Consistently
It is better to read a little every day than to try and knock out two hours of Bible reading or devotions in one sitting. It is so important to digest the Word in absorbable chunks.
Don’t bite off more than you can chew, and certainly don’t compare your “performance” with that of others. If you miss a few days, pick up at the next reading, but stay with it and don’t give up.
The key is to keep this simple and make it sustainable.
2. Read Prayerfully
Talk to God as you’re reading. Don’t rush through. If you come across something you don’t understand, pause for a moment and ask God about it. Reading prayerfully is making space and time to talk to God and giving Him time and space to talk to you. Taking time to meditate on God’s Word is just as important as reading it.
3. Read Expectantly
You are about to partake of the bread of life, so foster an attitude of expectancy. Believe that God is going to speak to you through His Word. Be prepared to do something with what He shows you.
Our prayer for you over the next few days is that your passion for God and His Word will be ignited, and that you will develop a hunger for His presence that is greater than ever before!