Fasting and Prayer Guide
Monday, 1/13/24 – Friday, 1/17/24
As we enter into this time of Fasting and Prayer, it’s all about giving God more of your heart. We fast to focus our hearts on God. We don’t fast to earn God’s love, but to remove obstacles and distractions in order to focus our attention and, in doing so, experience more of God. The fasting schedule is daily from sunrise to sundown (6AM to 6PM) beginning Monday, January 8th and ending on Friday, January 12th.
There are several ways you can participate in the fast:
1. TOTAL FAST (water only 6AM-6PM)
2. JUICE FAST (100% vegetable and/or fruit juice and water only 6AM-6PM)
3. FRUIT & VEGETABLE FAST (fruits, vegetables and water only 6AM-6PM)
You can choose the manner in which you fast. Your personal fast should have a level of challenge to it. But remember, the goal of fasting is not just to do without food. The goal is to draw nearer to God. It is a time to disconnect enough with your regular patterns and habits in order to connect closer to God. As you read over the information provided here, please consider how it applies to your circumstances. Important Note: Fasting does require reasonable precautions. If you have any health concerns, please consult your physician prior to beginning your fast – especially if you are taking medication or if you have a chronic condition.
It’s helpful to decide ahead of time the manner in which you will be fasting. This is a personal decision and one that should be prayerfully considered. We are all at different places in our walk with God and our spirituality should never be a cause for comparison or competition. Some people may choose to do only one type of fast for all 5 days. Others may combine two or three of the types of fasts. For example, consider starting the week with a Fruit & Vegetable Fast, progressing to a Juice Fast midweek and culminating the week with a Total Fast. You also could split up a day, for example, doing a Total Fast during the first half of the day and a Juice Fast during the second half. Many people also fast or limit their time on social media and/or television for some portion or the entirety of a fast. There is no one correct way to fast and there is nothing more “inherently spiritual” about one type of fast as opposed to another. The goal, again, is to direct our heart’s attention toward God for a designated time period. The main thing is to make it an act of worship. While it should have a level of challenge to it, it should not be a legalistic burden.
As stated, the goal of fasting is not just to do without food. Prayer should be an integral part of your fast. Each day of the fast we will have a time of prayer on zoom led by various members of the team. These online prayer sessions will be 15 minutes long and staggered in their scheduling in an effort to accommodate everyone. Do attempt to attend as many of the online prayers as possible. In addition to our online prayers, schedule designated times for personal prayer each day for a few minutes in the morning and afternoon. And pray each day at 6PM before breaking your fast.
Following is our online prayer schedule on zoom:
Monday, Wednesday & Friday evening @ 6:00PM
Tuesday morning @ 8:00AM and Thursday morning @ 7:30AM
To join the prayer click HERE at the above times. (Meeting ID 862 8251 4752)
Follow the scripture reading plan outlined below and the S.O.A.P. format. This will provide focus and structure during your 5 days of fasting and prayer.
S – Scripture: What verse or two stood out to you as you read?
O – Observation: What are these verses saying in your own words?
A – Application: How will you apply these particular verses to your life today?
P – Prayer: Pray, asking the Lord’s help to live these verses today.
End the day by answering these two questions:
In what ways did I hear and respond to what God said to me today?
How can I better collaborate with God and others to fulfill His plans for me and this world for such a time as this?
SCRIPTURE READING PLAN
DAY 1: MONDAY, 1/8 - CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS
Confess the things that your heart tends to prioritize over your relationship with God. These could be good things (like family, comfort or success) that’ve become ultimate things. Confess the things that tend to disrupt your relationship with God. Pray asking God for forgiveness and freedom, committing ourselves anew unto the Lord. Wherever you struggle, stand secure in knowing that Jesus already secured victory over that struggle on the cross…Who do you need to forgive today? Relationships with family, friends, spouses and co-workers are not easy to manage at times. There can be frictions, fights and disunity. Ask God to help you forgive, even if you were not the one at fault.
Scriptures: Matthew 6:17-18, Exodus 20:3-6, Daniel 9:3-9, Galatians 5:1, 1 John 1:9, Matthew 5:23-24, Matthew 6:14-15.
DAY 2: TUESDAY, 1/9 – EMOTIONAL AND SOCIAL HEALING
There are so many in our families, communities and the world that are experiencing some type of mental illness or emotional distress. Others have experienced trauma subsequent to experiencing the rejection of friends, family members and even the church. Still others are grieving the loss of loved ones, some tragically from gun violence. Pray that these individuals receive healing by prayer, medicine, therapy or love and understanding. Take the time to say their names before the Lord, when possible…Division and discord in our world appear to be beyond repair. More than ever, the world needs to see us love one another just as God has loved us. Loving others despite their faults builds bridges and brings unity. Pray for healing and reconciliation from flawed thinking, fake news, fear, hurt and abuse. Ask God to help you be a bridge builder and peace maker in your community starting today.
Scriptures: Psalm 46:1-3, Psalm 34:17-20, 1 Peter 5:7, Isa 61:3, John 13:34-35, Galatians 3:28, 1 John 3:11-15.
DAY 3: WEDNESDAY, 1/10 - SPIRITUAL GROWTH
Make it your goal in 2024 to grow spiritually like you have never grown before. Growing spiritually begins with putting God first in every area of your life. What is something that you feel like God is asking you to lay down so that you can put Him first? This may not be a sin, but it is a weight that hinders your growth. Ask God to reveal anything that is hindering your spiritual growth. Pray that God would help you to remove all weights, distractions and obstacles so that you can focus solely on Him. God has greater things for you; things that you can’t even fathom! He wants to free you from things that hinder you. Pray for spiritual growth as we deepen our relationship with the Lord.
Scriptures: Hebrews 12:1, Matthew 6:33, 13, Jeremiah 29:11, 1 Peter 2:2-3, Colossians 1:9-10, Ephesians 4:20-24, Colossians 3:1-10.
DAY 4: THURSDAY, 1/11 – ENDURANCE AND DISCERNMENT
You can give God your dreams and trust Him with your difficulties. Our hope is built on the person and promises of Jesus. Pray for each other and Kinetic that we all might fulfill God’s unique purpose for our lives, our collective mission of making disciples, and helping as many people as possible to lead a God-first life. Pray that we will not “get weary in well-doing” and that we will finish the race God has ordained for each of us to run. Pray for discernment in exposing any plans of the enemy against each other, our ministries or attacking our leaders, core team or supporting crew. Pray that we would be able to discern truth from error and deception. Ask Christ to protect us, our families, our health, our finances, and our households, as we wage spiritual warfare against the enemy.
Scriptures: Hebrews 10:23-25, Acts 2:42-47, Eph 6;10-18, Col 2:6-8, Col 1:11, Romans 5:2-5, 1 Chronicles 16:11-12, Psalm 91:15-16, Phil 4:19.
DAY 5: FRIDAY, 1/12 - OUTREACH
It is so easy to become self-absorbed with the pace and pressures of our lives. Ask God to slow you down, to open your eyes to needs of the world around you and to help you to become sensitive to those who are far from Him. Pray that the Lord give us a heart to reach out to others and impact our community. Pray for boldness to live our lives to such an extent that we build relationships with and get the attention of those who don’t know the Lord. Pray that we show genuine interest in the people the Lord brings our way by listening to and praying for that person. Pray for a heart of strong concern for unbelieving neighbors, friends and family members and that we reach out to them and let them know that we care for them. Pray that we move out boldly into the culture as urban missionaries, seeking to add value and meet needs to such an extent that people are compelled to check out, connect and get involved with Kinetic. Pray that Kinetic properly cares for and disciples those God has called us to reach to such an extent that none of them are lost. Finally, pray that as a result, Brooklyn will experience the radical love of Jesus and the Kingdom of God will be advanced.
Scriptures: 1 Chronicles 16:24, Romans 9:2-3, Romans 10:13-15, Matthew 25:35-40, Luke 4:18-19, 1 Peter 2:9, Matthew 28:19.
ENDING YOUR 5 DAY FAST
How you end your 5 days of fasting is extremely important for your physical and spiritual well-being. Begin eating your normal diet gradually. Do not eat solid foods immediately after your fast. Suddenly reintroducing solid food to your stomach and digestive tract will likely have negative, even dangerous, consequences. If you end your fast gradually, the beneficial physical and spiritual effects will result in continued good health. Break an extended fast with some soup or fresh fruit. The next day, advance to small amounts of solid foods such as a raw salad, a baked or boiled potato or a steamed vegetable. Then advance to smaller meals or snacks before returning to your normal diet.
As our 5 days of prayer and fasting comes to an end, ask God to continue to help you experience greater clarity in hearing His voice daily throughout this year. In quietness and solitude, allow Him to speak to your heart. Ask Him how you can continue to grow spiritually throughout the year. The thoughts that come into your mind as you quiet yourself may just be His calling for you in 2024. Trust God that this will be your best year yet as you allow Him to make it your best year spiritually.