PRAYER AND FASTING
Fasting has become a much forgotten practice in the church today, seen by many as a religious ritual best left to Old Testament times. And yet, when we turn the to the New Testament, not only do we find our Savior fasting, we also see him speaking to his disciples with words that clearly convey the expectation that they too will engage in this spiritual discipline.
God did not design fasting as a burden to be borne or a rule to be followed in an attempt to earn divine favor; rather, the intent was that in denying ourselves that which usually satisfies our appetites, we might turn instead to God – expressing our dependence on him, our desire for him, and our delight in him. In fasting, we deny physical food to the body that we might obtain spiritual food for the soul. It is a way to proclaim, “More than my flesh longs for food, my soul longs for you, O God!” Physical fasting is meant to be a pathway to spiritual feasting.
We will be entering a season of prayer and fasting as a church beginning January 6th through Jan. 27th. Many will be doing the Daniel fast, but how you choose to fast, and what you choose abstain from during this season is up to you. For some, due to medical conditions or medications, the Daniel fast may not be the right fast for you. If you’re not sure, a call to your physician prior to starting your fast would be recommended.
For more information about the Daniel fast and recipes that will make this fasting season easier, this website is a great resource: https://ultimatedanielfast.com.
Pinterest is also a great resource for Daniel fast friendly foods.
You can download our fasting devotional below that gives you daily scripture to meditate on and prayer points throughout the fast.
Hard-copies are also available in the lobby.
Open Prayer and Fasting Devotional PDF To download this file, right click on the button and choose Save As.