Awakening A Prayer and Fasting Guide
Contents Prayer and Fasting Guide 3 Prayer 4 Fasting 5 Start Where You Are 5 Find a Fasting Plan that Works for You 5 Choose Your Type of Fast 6 Specific Food or Activity Fast 6 Daniel Fast 6 Juice Fast 7 Water Fast 7 Total Fast 7 Fasting While Nursing or Pregnant 8 Fasting and Eating Disorders 8 Begin and Break the Fast Well 9 Final Fasting Tips and Resources 9 Internet: 9 Books: 9 Sample Menus 10 PRAYER AND FASTING GUIDE We are so glad you have decided to participate in an extended time of prayer and fasting to reset our spiritual compasses and bring about refreshing in every area of our lives. We see this as a critical time in the transition period of our church family and we are looking forward to seeking God together. Time and again in scripture we see God calling His people to fast and pray for spiritual power, renewal and awakening at critical junctures in their lives. As a church family we will seek His power, presence and preparation for the next chapter of ministry here at The Bridge in 2016. Awakening is intentionally designed to be flexible so you can participate at any level. Whether you have experienced a season of prayer and fasting, or this is your first time, you can experience what God has in store for you in a powerful way. This 3-Week guide has been designed to help you navigate through your personal prayer and fasting journey. The primary focus of the guide is fasting, as we have found that is where most of us need training. We pray that you will experience the presence and power of God in an extraordinary way as you commit yourself to Him over the next twenty-one days. Awake, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you Ephesians 5:14 2 3
PRAYER As you prepare for the next 21-days, it can be tempting to start thinking of a laundry list of prayers you would love to see answered. Instead, we encourage you to keep it simple. Think about the top 2 or 3 things on your heart to focus on in your prayers. For The Bridge, we are focusing on: The Bridge Church Health The Search for our Senior Pastor Effectiveness in our mission of Helping People Find Jesus and Following Him Fully We ask that you also make these three themes a key part of your prayer time over the next 3 Weeks. Use the space provided below to write down your requests, and be open to hearing what God wants to show you in those areas. Remember to record the breakthroughs, miracles, and answers to your prayers. When praying, make your primary goal to know Jesus and experience Him more fully. Surrender yourself, to glorify God with your life. Focus on His attributes of goodness and greatness, and you ll begin to see everything through that filter. Make time to pray daily. Don t over-complicate this. Just have a conversation with God. Set aside a place and time where you can seek Him every day. We encourage you to commit to a certain amount of time each day to pray. Some people find that engaging in worship music is a great way to prepare your heart for prayer and eliminate distractions. During this fast, I am praying and believing God for: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. FASTING Important Note: 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. In preparation, it is important to choose a fasting plan that works for you. While this section does provide general information about different types of fasts, and how to create your own plan, please remember there is nothing inherently spiritual about one type of fast as opposed to another. These are simply guidelines and suggestions. Do not let what you eat or do not eat become the focus of your fast. Keep the main thing the main thing, which is drawing closer to God. Remember that this is a time to disconnect enough from your regular patterns, schedule and habits in order to connect more closely to God. Start Where You Are We are all at different places in our walk with God. Whether you have fasted before or this is your first time, start where you are. Your personal fast should draw you to seek God in prayer and follow what the Holy Spirit leads you to do. Find a Fasting Plan that Works for You In the scriptures, fasting typically involves abstinence from all food or at least certain type of food. We find all sorts of different types of fasts mentioned in scripture. As you think about how you should fast these next three weeks, we encourage you to prayerfully select a fasting plan that works best for you, it will be different for each person and there are many options depending on the season of life you are in. 4 5
There isn t one approach that works the same for everyone. You may choose to fast all during the whole 3-Weeks, or only fast for a set number of days out of the that period. This should be prayerfully considered as it applies to your circumstances. Remember to disconnect enough from your regular patterns, schedule and habits in order to connect more closely to God. Choose Your Type of Fast On the next pages, we ve listed some options of fasts from which you may choose. Specific Food or Activity Fast In this type of fast you simply omit an item from your diet. For example, you may choose to eliminate all red meat, fast food, or sweets. In scripture, fasting typically refers to refraining from food, but you may also fast from a regular activity or habit. This might include television, social media, or recreation and then replacing the time spent in those activities with focused prayer. Prayer and fasting can tune us into God while quieting competing distractions.. Daniel Fast The Daniel Fast is a model from the Book of Daniel that can be followed for spiritual focus, bodily discipline, and purification. There are many interpretations as to what the fasting plan actually involves. In one passage it states that Daniel ate only vegetables and water, in another he abstained from rich foods and wine. Juice Fast A juice fast is simply consuming vegetable and fruit juices and water instead of solid food. Many people include protein in their liquid plan as well. Even if you choose not to make your entire fast liquids only, substituting one or two meals with liquids can be an alternative. Water Fast A water only fast is the fast most referred to in the Bible. 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 at a time. You may also skip a couple of meals a day, while fasting and praying, and end the day with a meal. Total Fast We strongly discourage the 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 6 7
spare the child he had with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12 ). 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. would like to go on a fruits and vegetables or juice fast, start eliminating meat, white grains, and refined sugars from your diet the week before. The same principle applies to breaking your fast. When your fast is over, add foods back in gradually. Ending your fast with greasy or heavy food can make you feel sick. Fasting While Nursing or Pregnant Strict fasting while pregnant or nursing is not recommended. Fasting and Eating Disorders If you have struggled with an eating disorder, this situation is a battle of the mind you can win through Christ (Philippians 4:13) and the help of other believers. Remember, fasting is only 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. On the following pages, we will share a few simple fasting options with you. It is very important to drink lots of water while fasting. Prepare a plan ahead of the fast, and to not get legalistic about it. Remember why you are doing this; to draw closer to God. Final Fasting Tips and Resources As you select your type of fast, make a calendar that fits your plan. Determine what each day and week will look like. Make it a priority to attend church during your fast. If you get off track, don t get discouraged. Just get right back on track and keep going. If giving up food is a stumbling block to you but you still want to fast, consider fasting from television, social media, or shopping.. 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 (Matthew 11:30). His way will bring rest to your soul. Here are some more resources for prayer and fasting: Internet: desiringgod.org/all-resources/by-topic/fasting cru.org/train-and-grow/spiritual-growth/fasting/personal-guide-to-fasting.html Books: Fasting for Spiritual Breakthrough - Elmer L. Towns Hunger for God - John Piper Celebration of Discipline Richard Foster Begin and Break the Fast Well Depending on the type of fast you choose, it is very important to prepare your body ahead of time before beginning your fast. For example, if you 8 9
SAMPLE MENUS Fruits, Vegetables, Juices, and Water Breakfast Mid-morning Snack Lunch Mid-Afternoon Snack Dinner Fruit smoothie with protein Fresh fruit or fresh vegetables Raw vegetable salad with light, organic dressing and vegetable broth soup Fresh fruit or fresh vegetables Fresh salad with light, organic dressing and steamed or grilled vegetables Liquids Only Breakfast Mid-morning Snack Lunch Mid-Afternoon Snack Dinner Fruit smoothie with protein Herbal tea or vegetable broth soup Raw, juiced vegetables Fresh fruit juice or fruit smoothie with protein Vegetable juice or vegetable broth soup Modified Daniel Fast Breakfast Mid-morning Snack Lunch Mid-Afternoon Snack Dinner 1 2 servings whole grains with fresh fruit juice Fresh fruit or fresh chopped vegetables 1 2 servings whole grains; fresh salad with legumes and light, organic dressing Fresh fruit juice or fruit smoothie with protein 1 2 whole grains; fresh salad with legumes and light, organic dressing 10 11
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