Seeking God through Prayer & Fasting
-- Practical Helps --
1) Why fasting and prayer? Fasting
and prayer can break bondages and restore fervent commitment to the Lord. It is a means of intensifying prayer.
It is a personal sacrifice with a goal in mind. Prayer changes things. Prayer with fasting is highly powerful.
It can change your world. When you sense that you desire to bless God and to be effective in serving Him is greater
than your desire to live a normal life, it could be a time for a season of fasting and prayer.
2) Specific goals.
It is important to have specific purposes in mind for a season of fasting and prayer.
A. Personal
Goals - We all may have a different way of going about this, but a place to begin would be to select two things
in your life that you would really like to see changed and target them during your fast. I encourage everyone to have
as one of their specific goals the passionate pursuit of Jesus and an increase of His Presence in their lives.
B. For Your Church
- Pray for an increase of His Presence. Pray for the release of miracles and an increase in healings. Pray for
finances - for the people in your church to prosper and for the strengthening of marriages and families.
C. For Your County
- Pray for a continued outpouring of the Holy Spirit to bring revival among all the churches in your region that honor
the Lordship of Jesus Christ and the authority of His Word. Pray for visible and practical unity among His people, especially
among leaders and congregations across the region. Pray for greater conviction of sin among the ungodly. Pray
for a tremendous harvest of souls.
D. Beyond Your
State - Pray for our country's leadership for wisdom and protection. Pray for revival and protection
for our troops stationed in Iraq and other countries. Pray for the release of God's Kingdom in all nations. Pray
for Israel - physical protection and spiritual revelation.
3) How do I fast and pray?
The common thread through all types of spiritual fasting is sacrifice. The sacrifice of
things we normally enjoy constitutes the spiritual fast. While there are many health benefits to fasting for fasting's
sake, the spiritual fast is unto God with spiritual goals. With sacrifice as a guideline, there are
many kinds of spiritual effective fasts. Some of them are:
-
Absolute Fast - No food
or water. MAXIMUM duration is three days. In Scripture, this was used for spiritual emergencies.
-
Water Only Fast - No food,
just water. Maximum duration is around forty days. For long periods, you should learn some of the physical effects and
precautions.
-
Daniel-Type Fast - You
can do this for a long time. It means giving up rich foods and living on a simple diet. Classically, it means
cutting out meats, fish, poultry, dairy products and desserts. It could also describe any other partial fast.
-
Juice Fast - You can live
for quite a while on juices. Individuals who have *diabetes or other blood glucose-related concerns should be extremely
careful and most certainly should check with their physician.
-
Sundown Fast - This is
a fast where you can cut down to one meal a day often eaten after sundown. Although it's harder than it sounds, one
can go a long time on this fast. The key is sacrifice and moderation. In other words, you should never overeat
by stuffing yourself like a Thanksgiving turkey each night. Rather, use this season as a time of prayer and seeking
God. The focus is God not food.
-
"Idols" Fast - Some people
may not be able to do a dietary fast, but can give up unnecessary pleasures or distractions for a season. Fasting from
watching television or using the Internet, newspapers, magazines, sports, hobbies, etc. are all candidates to be sacrificed
for this type of fast.
The key is to ask God how you should fast. The real issue is between
you and Him and that you are sincerely sacrificing something that to you is important. If what you are giving up is
not meaningful, it really doesn't demonstrate the heart and intent of fasting.
4) Can I have any fun? Some
people teach that you have to give up all pleasures. This can lead to bondage. The kind and degree of fast us
between you and God. Go for the fast the Lord has chosen.
5) For Married Couples -
Sexual abstinence is often part of fasting, but it is not a "legal requirement." 1 Corinthians 7:5 says that married couples
are NOT to deprive each other sexually "except with consent for a time that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer."
This means that sexual abstention is permitted for a season of fasting and prayer if it is mutually agreeable. To force
a non-fasting partner to agree to your standard violates the spirit of the Lord's chosen fast. God is looking
for humble servants, not religious extremists. See the last phrase of Isaiah 58:7 for further thought.
I will fast and pray alternating between
the Daniel-Type fast and the Sunrise fast. My intention is sacrifice to God in order to draw near to Him intimately.
Each day brings challenges and the need for direction and discernment. Through fasting and prayer everyday one
can abide in God's Presence to hear His voice and to become empowered by the Holy Spirit to walk according to His
will for their life.
*Medical issues should always be discussed with a physician before starting
any fast involving food.
