Prayer and Fasting

21 Days of Prayer & Fasting

We want more of God. More of his love. More of his power. More of his presence!

Fasting is a great way to make room for God and to set aside time for Him. As you practice seeking Him, God will move on your behalf like never before and provide clarity and revelation in your life. You will see the power of prayer changing your heart, relationships, work, family and every area of your life.

Join us on this 21-day journey of chasing after God! 

The Purpose of Fasting

The main goal of fasting is simply to draw closer to God and to set aside distractions.

When looking at the fasting throughout the scriptures, fasting has to do with eliminating distractions for spiritual purposes such as hearing from God. Fasting helps our hearts to focus on God and prepares our hearts for the good things that God desires to bring to us. Fasting is a God-given model for spiritual development and growth.

Fasting can also help us remove any idols or roots that may keep us from fully embracing God. In many ways, fasting is a sacrifice from something in exchange for God. For some believers, it could be eliminating junk food, television, music, coffee, or perhaps even all food for a period of time and spending time with God in exchange. It’s typical to fast a single meal, a whole day, or longer. The timing of your fast is not as important as the strength of your focus on God as you fast.

Scripture References:

  • Matthew 6:16-18
  • Matthew 9:14-15
  • Luke 18:9-14
  • Acts 27:33-37
  • Nehemiah 9:1-3

Types of Fasts

Complete Fast

In this type of fast, you drink only liquids, typically water with light juices as an option.

Selective Fast

This type of fast involves removing certain elements from your diet. One example of a selective fast is the Daniel Fast, during which you remove meat, sweets, and bread from your diet and consume water and juice for fluids and fruits and vegetables for food.

Partial Fast

This fast is sometimes called the “Jewish Fast” and involves abstaining from eating any type of food in the morning and afternoon. This can either correlate to specific times of the day, such as 6:00 am to 3:00 pm, or from sunup to sundown.

Soul Fast

This fast is a great option if you do not have much experience fasting food, have health issues that prevent you from fasting food, or if you wish to refocus certain areas of your life that are out of balance. For example, you might choose to stop using social media or watching television for the duration of the fast and then carefully bring that element back into your life in healthy doses at the conclusion of the fast.

Tips for Fasting

  1. Pray for your Fast. Before fasting, spend some time praying and ask God for his guidance on how you should fast. Sometimes the Holy Spirit will speak to us and give us direction for what we need to limit as part of the fast. The Holy Spirit may also give you specific directions for what to do during your fast such as how to spend your time.
  2. Prepare your heart, mind, and body. Fasting is not easy. It requires a sacrifice to follow God. If you’re fasting from food, there’s no doubt it will be hard! BUT, remember the reason for the sacrifice. Closeness to God! Remind yourself daily. Write yourself notes if you need to. Find an accountability partner. Steady your mind and your heart on fasting faithfully! The more intention you have before the fast, the more fruitful you will be. Also, remember that fasting may make you feel bad at the beginning, but feeling bad is NOT the purpose of fasting. Rather, feeling bad is a side effect as your body gets used to fasting and it usually only lasts for a few days!
  3. Pray during hunger or weakness. At some point, fasting will cause you to feel tired, weak or hungry. This is a great time to ask God for help. This is also a time for you to come back to trust and dependence on God.
  4. Be positive. Although fasting will probably not be easy, it is easier to manage with a positive attitude! Fasting is a BLESSING. We GET to spend time with Jesus! We GET to take a moment to show Him how much we love him! We are God’s children and He wants to spend time with us! Be encouraged and be positive!
  5. Be filled. The main purpose of fasting involves the question: “What am I desiring to be filled with?” The goal is to be filled with more of God! More of his heart, his blessings, his presence. Stay focused on being filled with God. Limit how you might be filled in other areas such as through social media, TV, or music. Spend time throughout the day in prayer. Take a few minutes here and there to be filled with God.
  6. Have a clear target and write down your guidelines. Write down how you are going to abide by your fast and what you want to come out of it. What will you do? What will you not do? What do you want from God? Write these things down. Hab. 2:2 says, “Without a vision, the people perish.”
  7. Drink plenty of water and be healthy! If you have a preexisting health condition, you should consult with a medical professional before doing a fast. It is also wise to abstain from strong stimulants such as caffeine, artificial sweeteners, and sugary drinks if you’re not eating as much. During a fast from food, there are four main areas that will experience detoxification: the bowels/colon/intestines, the kidneys, the lungs, and the skin. Detoxification may cause your body to become weak at some point. If you have low blood sugar or some other need, you may need to eat a little food in moderation to be healthy. Breaking a fast to maintain our health is not a sin. God knows our hearts and our motives.