Author: Nate Korpi

Fasting is a humbling experience that reveals who or what we really depend upon or are controlled by.

Scripture reading
Psalm 69:1–36 (NLT)
1Save me, O God, for the floodwaters are up to my neck.
2Deeper and deeper I sink into the mire; I can’t find a foothold. I am in deep water, and the floods overwhelm me.
3I am exhausted from crying for help; my throat is parched. My eyes are swollen with weeping, waiting for my God to help me.
4Those who hate me without cause outnumber the hairs on my head. Many enemies try to destroy me with lies, demanding that I give back what I didn’t steal.
5O God, you know how foolish I am; my sins cannot be hidden from you.
6Don’t let those who trust in you be ashamed because of me, O Sovereign LORD of Heaven’s Armies. Don’t let me cause them to be humiliated, O God of Israel.
7For I endure insults for your sake; humiliation is written all over my face.
8Even my own brothers pretend they don’t know me; they treat me like a stranger.
9Passion for your house has consumed me, and the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.
10When I weep and fast, they scoff at me.
11When I dress in burlap to show sorrow, they make fun of me.
12I am the favorite topic of town gossip, and all the drunks sing about me.
13But I keep praying to you, LORD, hoping this time you will show me favor. In your unfailing love, O God, answer my prayer with your sure salvation.
14Rescue me from the mud; don’t let me sink any deeper! Save me from those who hate me, and pull me from these deep waters.
15Don’t let the floods overwhelm me, or the deep waters swallow me, or the pit of death devour me.
16Answer my prayers, O LORD, for your unfailing love is wonderful. Take care of me, for your mercy is so plentiful.
17Don’t hide from your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in deep trouble!
18Come and redeem me; free me from my enemies.
19You know of my shame, scorn, and disgrace. You see all that my enemies are doing.
20Their insults have broken my heart, and I am in despair. If only one person would show some pity; if only one would turn and comfort me.
21But instead, they give me poison for food; they offer me sour wine for my thirst.
22Let the bountiful table set before them become a snare and their prosperity become a trap.
23Let their eyes go blind so they cannot see, and make their bodies shake continually.
24Pour out your fury on them; consume them with your burning anger.
25Let their homes become desolate and their tents be deserted.
26To the one you have punished, they add insult to injury; they add to the pain of those you have hurt.
27Pile their sins up high, and don’t let them go free.
28Erase their names from the Book of Life; don’t let them be counted among the righteous.
29I am suffering and in pain. Rescue me, O God, by your saving power.
30Then I will praise God’s name with singing, and I will honor him with thanksgiving.
31For this will please the LORD more than sacrificing cattle, more than presenting a bull with its horns and hooves.
32The humble will see their God at work and be glad. Let all who seek God’s help be encouraged.
33For the LORD hears the cries of the needy; he does not despise his imprisoned people.
34Praise him, O heaven and earth, the seas and all that move in them.
35For God will save Jerusalem and rebuild the towns of Judah. His people will live there and settle in their own land.
36The descendants of those who obey him will inherit the land, and those who love him will live there in safety.

Key passages
Psalm 69:10 — “When I weep and fast…”

Fasting thought
“More than any other single discipline, fasting reveals the things that control us. This is a wonderful benefit to the true disciple who longs to be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ. We cover up what is inside us with food and other good things, but in fasting these things
surface. If pride controls us, it will be revealed almost immediately — anger, bitterness, jealousy, strife, fear. If they are within us, they will surface during fasting. At first we will rationalize that our anger is due to our hunger. Then we know that we are angry because the spirit of anger is within us. We can rejoice in this knowledge because we know that healing is available through the power of Christ.” Richard Foster

Prayer
Father in heaven, as I move through this fast, I seek the transforming work of the gospel in my life. Reveal the controlling influences in my
life. Grant me the courage to face them, to renounce them, to confess them and to surrender them into your healing hands. Draw me closer to you through this fast. In Jesus’ precious name I pray. Amen.

Take a few moment to journal what God had taught you today. Leave a reply below.

Fasting is not an option but an assumed practice for the serious-minded follower of Jesus. Fasting is a spiritual discipline that believers throughout history incorporated into their daily lives. Jesus did not say, “If you fast,” but, “When you fast.”

Scripture reading
Matthew 6:1–34 (NLT)
1“Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven.
2When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get.
3But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.
4Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
5“When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get.
6But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
7“When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again.
8Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!
9Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.
10May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
11Give us today the food we need,
12and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
13And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.
14“If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you.
15But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.
16“And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get.
17But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face.
18Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
19“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal.
20Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.
21Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.
22“Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light.
23But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!
24“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.
25“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing?
26Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?
27Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
28“And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing,
29yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.
30And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?
31“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’
32These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.
33Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
34“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

Key passages
Matthew 6:16-18 — “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 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.”

Fasting thought
“Jesus takes it for granted that his disciples will observe the pious custom of fasting. Strict exercise of self-control is an essential feature of
the Christian’s life. Such customs have only one purpose — to make the disciples more ready and cheerful to accomplish those things which
God would have done.”     Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Prayer
Father in heaven, as I subdue the impulses of the flesh this day, I do so not to achieve anything, not to use fasting as a bargaining chip or as a manipulative ploy to get your attention. But I fast as an act of worship, to make myself ready and resolute to do your will with a cheerful heart. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Take a few moment to journal what God had taught you today.  Leave a reply below.

We trust that God has been working in your lives over the last 21 days. As we conclude this prayer and fasting time as a church we look forward to hearing how God worked in your life. Send us a message about it! And remember, you can do your own prayer and fast at any time. Be sure to save the resources for your personal use.

1.Pick your fast

Full Fast: Drink liquids only. Please consult your doctor first.

Daniel Fast: Eat only vegetables, fruit, water and juice (minimal amount of carbohydrates).

Partial Fast: Not eating one or two meals on a specific day or abstaining from certain kinds of food.

All-day Food Fast: Abstaining from food one day or multiple days per week.

Activity/Media Fast: Forgoing a time-consuming activity such as entertainment, hobbies, television, internet, sports, etc.

2. Set goals & write them down

Begin with clear personal goals as well as breakthrough goals for your church. Be specifc. Why are you fasting? Do you need direction, healing, restoration of your marriage or resolution of family issues? Are you facing diffculties? Pray and ask the Holy Spirit for guidance. Write these requests in a journal or a notebook, or create a digital journal using your favorite notetaking program or app. Keeping a journal throughout your fast is a great way to track and remember all God does during your fast.

3. Feast on the word of God

Fasting is ultimately an expression of humility and dependence on God. It is about replacing the daily intake of food, entertainment and human contact with focused times of prayer, spending large amounts of time feeding on the Word of God and spiritual listening. You can use the recommended readings in this guide or continue your normal Bible reading program. The YouVersion Bible App and bible.com have a variety of 21-day Bible reading programs.

4 Open your life before God

One of the great benefts of spiritual fasting is a heightened awareness of God’s presence and power in our lives. It is not that God has moved but that we have. Fasting has a great way of moving us towards a deeper spiritual dependency and away from willful self-dependency. The greatest breakthrough will take place when you make time to examine your life and discover what areas most need breakthrough. We ask that you fast for spiritual breakthroughs for your church family and its mission endeavors as well as for yourself.

5. Expect God to move

Enter your fast by faith. The Word of God says, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, for anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). Spiritual fasting is a supernatural endeavor that has shaped and transformed God’s people for centuries. If you have doubt, ask God to meet you in your doubts and lead you in overcoming them, just as the apostles prayed, “Increase our faith!” (Luke 17:5).

Fasting is deliberately abstaining from the normal routines of life. Its purpose is to spend focused time in prayer and the study of God’s word, seeking to align our lives with God’s will.

Ultimately, fasting is more about replacing than abstaining. It is flling our lives with God’s word instead of with food, social media or entertainment. It is fnding satisfaction and enjoyment in God and in God alone. Fasting helps us humble ourselves before the Lord and positions us to experience spiritual breakthroughs in our lives.

Mathew Henry writes, “Fasting is of use to put an edge upon prayer.” Have your prayers lost their fervor? Has your devotional life become dull? Fasting has a way of mystically sharpening our souls and making us more sensitive to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

As Alex Gee said, “Fasting is not about changing God. It is not a mystical exercise to gain God’s approval. Fasting is not about changing my world, but about letting God realign my heart toward his purposes.”

We recognize as we begin this 21-day fast and prayer commitment that as God’s people we need to boldly ask him for breakthroughs in any heartbreak, challenge or opportunity facing us individually and corporately.