21 Day Fast
Fasting
Every new year comes with the hope of a fresh start and a renewed sense of determination for reaching personal goals. Imagine what it would be like in 3 weeks or 6 months from now, if we, as a body of believers spent time focusing on what the Lord is doing and giving our first 21 days of talking with, listening to, and sacrificing for Him.
God is up to something big and each of us get to be a part of making a Kingdom impact. I encourage you to lean into daily prayer and fasting, lean on God and trust that He has a plan for you, for your life and then let’s live it out.
Fasting is the biblical principle of abstaining for spiritual purposes.
Prayer connects you with God, while fasting disconnects you from the world.
Prayer and fasting together produces miracles.
First, fasting is not intended to persuade God to change his mind. Some Christians have the mistaken idea that fasting is a sure way to get God on their team. They learned the hard way that fasting was never intended to be used as a tool to manipulate God.
Second, fasting will not make you more acceptable in God's eyes. It is not another number on the list of things you must do to be acceptable. Fasting is not commanded in scripture. There aren't a lot of rules and regulations concerning fasting. The most definitive rule is to do it privately, away from the view of friends and neighbors. It should not be a public exhibition. It is a spiritual exercise, not a public demonstration, and it should be between you and God. There are times when the church should be called to fast, but these times are not as frequent as the times that individuals who seek to glorify God would fast.
Third, biblical fasting is not done to lose weight. That's the way the world would think. Our world has been obsessed with our appearance. Business experts talk to us incessantly through infomercials, filling our minds with the idea that we have to look good to be acceptable. Fasting was never meant to be a diet plan.
We do not fast to impress God or to convince him that we are sincere to validate our righteousness. If you are considering a fast or are presently fasting, realize that:
1) It is not a tool to manipulate God to change his mind
2) It is not a commandment that will make you more acceptable in God's eyes
3) It is not a weight loss gimmick
If you are participating in a fast for any of these three reasons, you are setting yourself up for your disappointment.
Now, taking a closer look at what fasting is intended for is the next step in understanding and appropriating the truth of scripture about this optimist understood subject. If the purpose we cling to when fasting is not spiritual in nature, focused solely on God, we will never understand or benefit from this discipline. I believe there are specific reasons for fasting that are presented in scripture:
First, fasting prepares us. As we prepare for what God calls us to, fasting puts us in the proper attitude for God to conform us to that purpose and to His image. It is a time when things that seem vital to our happiness and success lose their allure as we seek Him. We need to take time to separate ourselves from the influence of the world. Fasting provides the opportunity to get away from the negative impact the world has on our decisions and allow us to hear God without outside interference.
Second, it cleanses. Fasting is a means of personal cleansing for the physical and for the spiritual body, ridding it of impurities. No matter how much we intend to avoid the impact of living in a falling world, the influence is obvious. Our souls, like our bodies, need cleansing. Because we are spirit beings, the spirit is accordingly refreshed during times of fasting by the work of the Holy Spirit.
Third, fasting equips us for the battle we wage against Satan. One powerful verse deals with fasting and the way it is connected to our victory over the strongholds in our lives. Isaiah made the connection:
Is this not the fast that I have chosen:
To loose the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the heavy burdens,
To let the oppressed go free,
And that you break every yoke? (58: 6)
When Satan gains a foothold in our lives, we tend to try everything but fasting. The period when Satan did his best to tempt Christ, a fasting Messiah, triumphed over the evil one. Matthew 4:1
I'm afraid we busy ourselves with other things because we don't know how to appropriate God's healing power in our lives. Isaiah's words indicate that strongholds can be effectively broken by fasting. Yet we seem hesitant to apply this principle when it comes to the strongholds that put so many of our families in bondage. It's too simple, some would say.
Yet, I think we cheat ourselves out of victory by not heeding the truth of scripture in fasting against strongholds. Fasting breaks strongholds.
Scripture gives us striking examples where fasting played a significant role in changing lives and nations. We would be wise to learn the lessons of those who have gone before us.
Lesson 1: Fasting is essential in hopeless situations. Hopeless situations respond to fasting.
Lesson 2: Fasting is crucial during national crisis.
Lesson 3: Fasting is essential and invaluable to knowing the will of God. It is directed toward God himself. We affirm that God is more important than our physical desires. It is beneficial to fast in preparation and direction for ministry, for personal cleansing, and for victory over strongholds. Prayer and fasting together produces miracles.
Reference Scriptures
Matthew 6:16-18,
Matthew 9:14-15,
Matthew 17:14-21,
Luke 18:9-14,
Acts 27:33-37,
Nehemiah 9:1-3
Every new year comes with the hope of a fresh start and a renewed sense of determination for reaching personal goals. Imagine what it would be like in 3 weeks or 6 months from now, if we, as a body of believers spent time focusing on what the Lord is doing and giving our first 21 days of talking with, listening to, and sacrificing for Him.
God is up to something big and each of us get to be a part of making a Kingdom impact. I encourage you to lean into daily prayer and fasting, lean on God and trust that He has a plan for you, for your life and then let’s live it out.
Fasting is the biblical principle of abstaining for spiritual purposes.
Prayer connects you with God, while fasting disconnects you from the world.
Prayer and fasting together produces miracles.
First, fasting is not intended to persuade God to change his mind. Some Christians have the mistaken idea that fasting is a sure way to get God on their team. They learned the hard way that fasting was never intended to be used as a tool to manipulate God.
Second, fasting will not make you more acceptable in God's eyes. It is not another number on the list of things you must do to be acceptable. Fasting is not commanded in scripture. There aren't a lot of rules and regulations concerning fasting. The most definitive rule is to do it privately, away from the view of friends and neighbors. It should not be a public exhibition. It is a spiritual exercise, not a public demonstration, and it should be between you and God. There are times when the church should be called to fast, but these times are not as frequent as the times that individuals who seek to glorify God would fast.
Third, biblical fasting is not done to lose weight. That's the way the world would think. Our world has been obsessed with our appearance. Business experts talk to us incessantly through infomercials, filling our minds with the idea that we have to look good to be acceptable. Fasting was never meant to be a diet plan.
We do not fast to impress God or to convince him that we are sincere to validate our righteousness. If you are considering a fast or are presently fasting, realize that:
1) It is not a tool to manipulate God to change his mind
2) It is not a commandment that will make you more acceptable in God's eyes
3) It is not a weight loss gimmick
If you are participating in a fast for any of these three reasons, you are setting yourself up for your disappointment.
Now, taking a closer look at what fasting is intended for is the next step in understanding and appropriating the truth of scripture about this optimist understood subject. If the purpose we cling to when fasting is not spiritual in nature, focused solely on God, we will never understand or benefit from this discipline. I believe there are specific reasons for fasting that are presented in scripture:
First, fasting prepares us. As we prepare for what God calls us to, fasting puts us in the proper attitude for God to conform us to that purpose and to His image. It is a time when things that seem vital to our happiness and success lose their allure as we seek Him. We need to take time to separate ourselves from the influence of the world. Fasting provides the opportunity to get away from the negative impact the world has on our decisions and allow us to hear God without outside interference.
Second, it cleanses. Fasting is a means of personal cleansing for the physical and for the spiritual body, ridding it of impurities. No matter how much we intend to avoid the impact of living in a falling world, the influence is obvious. Our souls, like our bodies, need cleansing. Because we are spirit beings, the spirit is accordingly refreshed during times of fasting by the work of the Holy Spirit.
Third, fasting equips us for the battle we wage against Satan. One powerful verse deals with fasting and the way it is connected to our victory over the strongholds in our lives. Isaiah made the connection:
Is this not the fast that I have chosen:
To loose the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the heavy burdens,
To let the oppressed go free,
And that you break every yoke? (58: 6)
When Satan gains a foothold in our lives, we tend to try everything but fasting. The period when Satan did his best to tempt Christ, a fasting Messiah, triumphed over the evil one. Matthew 4:1
I'm afraid we busy ourselves with other things because we don't know how to appropriate God's healing power in our lives. Isaiah's words indicate that strongholds can be effectively broken by fasting. Yet we seem hesitant to apply this principle when it comes to the strongholds that put so many of our families in bondage. It's too simple, some would say.
Yet, I think we cheat ourselves out of victory by not heeding the truth of scripture in fasting against strongholds. Fasting breaks strongholds.
Scripture gives us striking examples where fasting played a significant role in changing lives and nations. We would be wise to learn the lessons of those who have gone before us.
Lesson 1: Fasting is essential in hopeless situations. Hopeless situations respond to fasting.
Lesson 2: Fasting is crucial during national crisis.
Lesson 3: Fasting is essential and invaluable to knowing the will of God. It is directed toward God himself. We affirm that God is more important than our physical desires. It is beneficial to fast in preparation and direction for ministry, for personal cleansing, and for victory over strongholds. Prayer and fasting together produces miracles.
Reference Scriptures
Matthew 6:16-18,
Matthew 9:14-15,
Matthew 17:14-21,
Luke 18:9-14,
Acts 27:33-37,
Nehemiah 9:1-3
Types of fasts
CONGREGATIONAL FAST IN JOEL 2:15-16
Blow the trumpet in Zion, consecrate a fast, call the secret assembly; gather the people, sancify th congregation.
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
COMPLETE FAST
In this fast, you drink only liquids, typically water with light juices as an option.
PARTIAL FAST
This fast is sometimes called the “Jewish Fast” and involves abstaining from eating any types of food in the morning and afternoon. This can either correlate to specific times of the day, such as 6:00 – 3:00 pm, or from sunup to sundown.
SOUL FAST
This fast is a great option if you do not have much experience fasting from food, have health issues that prevent you from fasting from 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 into your life in healthy doses at the conclusion of the fast.
(NOTE: Choose your preference(s) for your fast)
Blow the trumpet in Zion, consecrate a fast, call the secret assembly; gather the people, sancify th congregation.
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
COMPLETE FAST
In this fast, you drink only liquids, typically water with light juices as an option.
PARTIAL FAST
This fast is sometimes called the “Jewish Fast” and involves abstaining from eating any types of food in the morning and afternoon. This can either correlate to specific times of the day, such as 6:00 – 3:00 pm, or from sunup to sundown.
SOUL FAST
This fast is a great option if you do not have much experience fasting from food, have health issues that prevent you from fasting from 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 into your life in healthy doses at the conclusion of the fast.
(NOTE: Choose your preference(s) for your fast)
21 Days of confessions
Day 1- I can do all things through Him who strengthens and empowers me//I am self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency; I am ready for anything & equal to anything through Him who infuses me with inner strength and confident peace.…Phil. 4:13
Day 2- I will stand still, wait on God’s direction, and trust the Holy Spirit to supply me with all things I need…Phil. 4:19
Day 3- I will think on things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely and of good report; if there be any virtue, if there be any praise, I will think on these things and God’s peace will be with me… Phil. 4:8-9
Day 4- The favor from the Lord is upon me…Prov. 12:2
Day 5- I will succeed and prosper and be in good health, even as my soul prospers spiritually…3 John 1:2
Day 6- Goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever…Ps. 23:6
Day 7- This is the day the Lord hath made; I will rejoice and be glad in it…Ps 118:24
Day 8- I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth…Ps.34:1
Day 9- I will cast all my anxieties, worries and all my concerns upon him; for he watches over me…1 Pet. 5:7
Day 10- I will cry for help and the Lord will hear and rescue me from all my troubles…Ps. 34:17
Day 11- I am blessed in the city and blessed in the field…Duet. 28:3
Day 12- I will trust and rely confidently on the Lord with all my heart and not rely on my own insight or understanding… Prov. 3:5
Day 13- I will obey God’s word that I may be wise and successful in everything I do…Joshua 1:8
Day 14- I will not trust in my flesh, for in my flesh dwells no good thing…Rom. 7:18
Day 15- I will cast down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, I will bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ…2 Cor. 10:5
Day 16- I will observe and do the commandments of God; my way shall be prosperous and I shall have good success…Joshua 1:8
Day 17- I will hide in the shadow of God’s wings in the times of trouble for He is my refuge and my fortress… Ps. 91:2
Day 18- I will walk in the Spirit that I do not fulfill the lust of the flesh…Gal. 5:16
Day 19- I will be strong and courageous for I know God is with me…Joshua 1:18
Day 20 – I will rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him…Ps 37:7
Day 21- I will receive the righteous desires of my heart when I delight myself in the Lord… Ps. 37:4
Day 2- I will stand still, wait on God’s direction, and trust the Holy Spirit to supply me with all things I need…Phil. 4:19
Day 3- I will think on things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely and of good report; if there be any virtue, if there be any praise, I will think on these things and God’s peace will be with me… Phil. 4:8-9
Day 4- The favor from the Lord is upon me…Prov. 12:2
Day 5- I will succeed and prosper and be in good health, even as my soul prospers spiritually…3 John 1:2
Day 6- Goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever…Ps. 23:6
Day 7- This is the day the Lord hath made; I will rejoice and be glad in it…Ps 118:24
Day 8- I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth…Ps.34:1
Day 9- I will cast all my anxieties, worries and all my concerns upon him; for he watches over me…1 Pet. 5:7
Day 10- I will cry for help and the Lord will hear and rescue me from all my troubles…Ps. 34:17
Day 11- I am blessed in the city and blessed in the field…Duet. 28:3
Day 12- I will trust and rely confidently on the Lord with all my heart and not rely on my own insight or understanding… Prov. 3:5
Day 13- I will obey God’s word that I may be wise and successful in everything I do…Joshua 1:8
Day 14- I will not trust in my flesh, for in my flesh dwells no good thing…Rom. 7:18
Day 15- I will cast down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, I will bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ…2 Cor. 10:5
Day 16- I will observe and do the commandments of God; my way shall be prosperous and I shall have good success…Joshua 1:8
Day 17- I will hide in the shadow of God’s wings in the times of trouble for He is my refuge and my fortress… Ps. 91:2
Day 18- I will walk in the Spirit that I do not fulfill the lust of the flesh…Gal. 5:16
Day 19- I will be strong and courageous for I know God is with me…Joshua 1:18
Day 20 – I will rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him…Ps 37:7
Day 21- I will receive the righteous desires of my heart when I delight myself in the Lord… Ps. 37:4
