21 Days of Prayer
A guide to prayer + fasting.
Fasting
The goal of fasting is to draw near to God.
It hits the reset button of our soul and renews us from the inside out.
Fasting enables us to celebrate the goodness and mercy of God. It prepares our hearts for all the good things God desires to bring into our lives.
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When deciding on a fast, we encourage you to seek God in prayer and follow what the Holy Spirit leads you to do.
Scripture References About Fasting
Matthew 6:16-18
New International Version (NIV)
16 When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Types of Fast
Complete Fast
Simply put, it means you stop eating altogether, or almost completely, for a certain period. In some cases, you may consume water, tea, coffee, or even a small amount of food during the fasting period.
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.
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.
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.
The timing of your fast is not as important as the strength of your focus on God as you fast.
We encourage fasting for 21 days each year in the month of January. This is part of our 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting season.
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You may also choose to fast at other times during the year for your own spiritual development. It’s very typical to fast a single meal, a whole day, or three days or more.