Fasting

Types of Fasts

Complete Fast

In this type of fast, you drink only liquids, typically water with light juices as an option.

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.

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.

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.

How to Get Started

1. Pick your type of fast

Choose a fast from above that will challenge you but one that you can also accomplish.

2. Set Goals and write them down

Begin with writing down some personal goals as well as breakthrough goals. Be clear and specific.

Ask yourself why are you fasting? Do you need direction, healing, restoration of your marriage or resolution of family issues? Are you facing difficulties? Pray and ask the Holy Spirit for guidance.

Write these requests in a journal or a notebook or create a digital journal. Writing in 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 humbling yourself and becoming dependent on God. It is about replacing food, entertainment, or an activity with focused times of prayer and reading scripture.  Reading the word of God helps you spiritually listen.

To help you with this part we have a guide for you.  You can download it at lifebridgeic.com/21

We also created an online version.  Each day’s scripture reading/ prayer/ thought is posted for you.  we also have made it easy for you to share with others what God is teaching you.  this online version can be found at lifebridgeic.com/21online

4. Open your life before God

One of the great benefits of fasting is a greater awareness of God’s presence and power in our lives. It is not that God has moved but that we have. Fasting moves us to being more dependent on God and away from our self-dependency.

At LifeBridge we are considering if God is moving us into a more permeant location.   But we also encourage you to take time to examine your own life and discover what areas you need breakthrough in as well.  Our God is a corporate God but also a personal God.

5. Expect God to Move

As you enter into your fast do it with 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, in Luke it says “ask God to meet you in your doubts and lead you in overcoming them, just as the apostles prayed, “Increase our faith!”

So, I hope that you will join us.  we expect God to move, and I can’t wait to hear the stories of what He will do in you and through you.