Hello Fulton Alliance Church Family!
Allow me, as your pastor, to give you a few insights regarding this 21-day fast. While Biblical fasting refers to food. There are a number of ways to fast. Remember, the real point of fasting is to connect with God on a deeper level. A Fast is about humbling our hearts before God. Fasting and praying are about giving up the thing you seek for satisfaction in order to draw near to God… allowing God to satisfy you. The length of time and what you’re fasting from depends on what you sense God pressing you to do. How long you fast is entirely up to you and what you sense you are ready for.
Fasting and prayer are often linked together (Luke 2:37; 5:33). Fasting without praying isn't fasting. It is dieting or deprivation. The only reason to fast is to make space for you to seek the Lord with greater urgency. Instead, we pray when we were supposed to be eating. Use the hunger pangs to remind you to remind yourself you hunger for God. In other words, fasting gives us more time for prayer and prayer helps tear down walls, utter us into spiritual breakthroughs, destroys chains, and gives us clarity of God’s answers that we seek!
Allow me, as your pastor, to give you a few insights regarding this 21-day fast. While Biblical fasting refers to food. There are a number of ways to fast. Remember, the real point of fasting is to connect with God on a deeper level. A Fast is about humbling our hearts before God. Fasting and praying are about giving up the thing you seek for satisfaction in order to draw near to God… allowing God to satisfy you. The length of time and what you’re fasting from depends on what you sense God pressing you to do. How long you fast is entirely up to you and what you sense you are ready for.
Fasting and prayer are often linked together (Luke 2:37; 5:33). Fasting without praying isn't fasting. It is dieting or deprivation. The only reason to fast is to make space for you to seek the Lord with greater urgency. Instead, we pray when we were supposed to be eating. Use the hunger pangs to remind you to remind yourself you hunger for God. In other words, fasting gives us more time for prayer and prayer helps tear down walls, utter us into spiritual breakthroughs, destroys chains, and gives us clarity of God’s answers that we seek!
What Can I Fast From?
Ideas of what you might fast from:
This is the idea of fasting.
- Food (Food is the primary one discussed in Scripture)
- TV
- Social Media
- Spending Money
- Anything that might dull your senses or that has a hold on you in some way.
This is the idea of fasting.
How to Use this Devotional Series?
Allow me to give you a couple of ways to focus your prayer.
If you plan to set aside some time morning, noon, and night, perhaps you would want to focus your prayers in these three areas, allotting one focus for each prayer time.
Again, the object of the fasting and prayer is to allow yourself to grow closer to the Lord. However you break that down is between you and God. Here would be my ideas:
I would encourage you, each day, to record a sentence or two of what you sense God saying to you, or what he is impressing on you. As you record these, and look back, you will often see a pattern or a key idea that rises to the top. This can be helpful to “hear” what God is saying to you.
If you plan to set aside some time morning, noon, and night, perhaps you would want to focus your prayers in these three areas, allotting one focus for each prayer time.
Again, the object of the fasting and prayer is to allow yourself to grow closer to the Lord. However you break that down is between you and God. Here would be my ideas:
- An area of life you want to grow in or get victory in.
- One or two people you are praying for regarding salvation.
- One subject of prayer for Fulton Alliance Church.
I would encourage you, each day, to record a sentence or two of what you sense God saying to you, or what he is impressing on you. As you record these, and look back, you will often see a pattern or a key idea that rises to the top. This can be helpful to “hear” what God is saying to you.
How Do I Get Started?
To do this, it is wise to put yourself on a schedule. Set aside ample time to be alone with the Lord. Listen for His leading. The more time you spend with Him, the more meaningful your fast will be. Allow me to suggest a way to do that.
It may be helpful to fast from several things, by choosing one for each week of the fast. For instance, you might choose fasting from food during the first week, social media the second week, and TV the third week. Again that is up to you.
For food, my recommendation would be to begin by fasting one meal a day and focusing on drawing close to the Lord, unless you are accustomed to fasting whole days. Some recommend a food fast, but continuing to drink juice or broth during the day. Above all else, be sure that it does not compromise your health, if you have health issues that would be negatively affected by fasting from food. Remember, it is about drawing close to the Lord, not about performance.
So, I trust the next 21 days will be rewarding for you and that you will experience the Lord in fresh and powerful ways. Let’s begin.
The daily devotionals are adapted from various 21-day devotionals. The primary one is from the James River Church. My own personal edits have been added to it.
- Morning: Begin your day with praise and worship. Read and meditate on God’s Word. Invite the Holy Spirit to work in you and ask to be mindful of his presence. Pray for God’s vision and empowerment to do his will. You can use this reading guide to focus that time. Pick one prayer focus to concentrate on.
- Noon: Set aside a time to return to prayer and God’s Word. If possible, take a short prayer walk. You may want to journal what you sense God speaking to you. Again, consider picking one prayer focus to concentrate on.
- Evening: Get alone with God and seek Him. Spend time in intercessory prayer for your community and our nation’s leaders, for the world’s unreached millions, for your family or other needs, or whatever God has impressed on you. Review the day. What did you feel? What did you sense? What was happening in your spirit?
It may be helpful to fast from several things, by choosing one for each week of the fast. For instance, you might choose fasting from food during the first week, social media the second week, and TV the third week. Again that is up to you.
For food, my recommendation would be to begin by fasting one meal a day and focusing on drawing close to the Lord, unless you are accustomed to fasting whole days. Some recommend a food fast, but continuing to drink juice or broth during the day. Above all else, be sure that it does not compromise your health, if you have health issues that would be negatively affected by fasting from food. Remember, it is about drawing close to the Lord, not about performance.
So, I trust the next 21 days will be rewarding for you and that you will experience the Lord in fresh and powerful ways. Let’s begin.
The daily devotionals are adapted from various 21-day devotionals. The primary one is from the James River Church. My own personal edits have been added to it.
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