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Fasting Basics

by | Apr 13, 2016 | Uncategorized | 0 comments

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fasting

Why Fast?

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Many people don’t fast because they do not know why they should fast. Simply put fasting is a discipline or habit that we are all required to do. In fact Jesus implied that all of His followers should fast (Matthew 6:16-18; 9:14,15) For Him it was a matter of when believers would fast, not if they would do it.

2 Chronicles 7:14:

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

Here is a great resources on Fasting – (9 Reasons to Fast)[/text_output][/container][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row padding_top=”0px” padding_bottom=”0px”][vc_column fade_animation_offset=”45px” width=”1/1″][container id=”” class=”” style=””][text_output]

Fast Focus

[/text_output][text_output]1) Each Day we are praying for something or someone else:

  • Me Monday’s: Praying specifically for yourself.
  • Team Tuesday’s: Praying for all the Different Teams at church.
  • World Wednesday’s: We’re praying for increased healings at church especially for bones, wheelchairs, blind, deaf, mental healings (adhd, bipolar, schizophrenia); Salvations and Church Growth.
  • Connect Thursday: Praying for everyone in our Connect Groups
  • Family Friday: Praying for Your family/Kids/Relationships
  • Senior Saturday: Praying for Senior Leaders of the Church
  • Song Sunday: Thanksgiving Prayers. Prayers to say thanks to God for what he has done.

2) What are we praying for?

  • Head = For the mind of Christ | Think like Jesus | Decision Making | Clarity | Wisdom
  • Helmet = For Protection
  • Hands = Everything we do will be the will of God | Building His Kingdom | Fruitful | Growth
  • Heart = Free from offence | Relationships will flourish | Love | Mercy | Grace
  • Blessings = Provision physically, emotionally, spiritually and financially.

3) Verses to pray?

  • Head:
    • 1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (ROM.12.1-2) 
    • 8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. (PHP.4.8)
  • Helmet:
    • Those who live in the shelter of the Most Highwill find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 This I declare about the Lord:He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;he is my God, and I trust him. 3 For he will rescue you from every trapand protect you from deadly disease. 4 He will cover you with his feathers.He will shelter you with his wings.His faithful promises are your armor and protection. 5 Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night,nor the arrow that flies in the day. 6 Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness,nor the disaster that strikes at midday. 7 Though a thousand fall at your side,though ten thousand are dying around you,these evils will not touch you. 8 Just open your eyes,and see how the wicked are punished. 9 If you make the Lord your refuge,if you make the Most High your shelter, 10 no evil will conquer you;no plague will come near your home. (PSA.91.1-10)
  • Hands:
    • Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. 5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. (JHN.15.4-5)
  • Heart:
    • 1 If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. 3 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing. 4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. 8 Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! 9 Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! 10 But when the time of perfection comes, these partial things will become useless. 11 When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. 12 Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. 13 Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love. (1CO.13.1-13)
  • Blessings:
    • So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him. (MAT.7.11)

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How to Fast

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1. Your Goal

You need to start with “why”. Why are you fasting? Is it to grow closer to Jesus, for guidance, for healing, for breakthrough in circumstances, for wisdom, patience and grace to handle a difficult situation? As a Church we have a corporate goal but if you fast in your personaly capacity, ask the Holy Spirit to give you clarity. The “why” will help you to keep going when it’s tough and to have a laser focus during prayer.

2. The Type

What type of fast are you undertaking?  Decide on the following:

  • The length: How long you will fast – a meal, a day, a week, weeks?
  • The type:   Whatever your fast, it should be a sacrifice for you. We suggest water only, or water and juices but for some people food is not difficult to fast so think about tv, social media etc.
  • The activities:  Are there any physical or social activities you will restrict for the length of the fast.
  • God time: Fasting without spending quality time with God is just dieting. Devote time to prayer, worship and reading God’s Word.

 

3. Body Prep

Fasting takes a toll on your mind and body. Therefore you need to consult your physician if necessary. We suggest you eat smaller meals before starting a fast as well as eating raw fruit and vegetables for two days before you start.

The first three days are usually the hardest.

  • Mental discomfort: Prepare yourself for temporary mental challenges, such as impatience and moodiness.
  • Physical discomfort. Prepare yourself for temporary challenges such as fleeting hunger pains, dizziness, temporary tiredness and sleeplessness.

 

4. Time Prep

Plan your time to be alone with the Lord. The more time you spend with Him, the more meaningful your fast will be. Include praise and worship, prayer and reading the bible. Just like we plan and schedule meetings with people, we suggest doing the same when fasting and spending time with Jesus.

5. The Finish

When you finish your fast begin eating gradually. Don’t jump into a pizza or solid foods immediately. This is likely have negative, even dangerous, consequences. It will result in good health.

6. Expectations

Be expectant, trust and have faith that your fast will make a difference even if it’s just to get closer in your relationship with Jesus.

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Prayer

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Many people want to know what prayer is. Well  in it’s most basic definition prayer is simply talking to God. The best example of prayer, is to look at a loving parent and child relationship and how they communicate. That is true and real prayer. Although prayer is not a formula, there are a few elements that should be included in our communication: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication (ACTS).

A

To adore God is to worship, praise, honor and exalt Him. A great example or a great guide is reading Psalms.

C

When we focus on God, like a loving father, he will highlight areas in our heart that are hurting us and our relationship with Him through the Holy Spirit. Confession of sin is not about condemnation but always restoration of our relationship.

T

A thankful heart will always trump a negative attitude. When we give thanks to God, for who He is and for all He has done it keeps our heart right and it enables us to recognize that He controls all things. S Supplication is standing in the gap and praying not just for our needs but also the needs of others. If you find it hard to find the right words to pray we suggest to be real with God and praying scriptures verses will always help.   Examples:

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 1filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God. Phil 1:9-11

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,  so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light Col 1:9-12

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every familyin heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Eph 3: 14-19

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. Eph 1: 17-19

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Types

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A Full Fast

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With a full fast, you drink only liquids (you determine the number of days).

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Daniel’s Fast

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Simply put, you eat no meat, no sweets and no bread. Drink water and juice. Eat fruits and vegetables.

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Partial Fast

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With a partial fast you decide wether it is a Full Fast, Daniel Fast or giving up at least one item of food.

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General Fast

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Fasting has to be something that is very difficult to give up for a period of time. Due to health reason many people can’t fast food but in these situations one can fast tv, technology or whatever God is placing on your heart.

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