21 Days of Prayer and Fasting
As a church family we feel compelled to begin 2021 with an intentional time of prayer and fasting. We are in a season where many of us are desperate for breakthrough, something that a practice of fasting brings forth. We are asking, “What is God waiting to pour out on our church, our city, and our lives if we would seek him through prayer & fasting?”
Starting January 4, we are inviting everyone to participate in this journey of 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting. We will have noon day gatherings each Monday through Friday at the West Campus where we will unpack a portion of scripture and then take time to pray.
Biblical fasting always has to do with eliminating distractions for a spiritual purpose; it hits the reset button of our soul and renews us from the inside out. We’ve seen instances in the Bible when a community of people fast together, asking for the Lord’s direction (Lev. 23:27). Some of the most encouraging words that we can read as we prepare to enter into this season are found in Acts 13:2, which says, “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said…” That is our prayer during these 21 days.
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.