How to get started
1 Pick your fast
Full Fast: Drink liquids only. Please consult your doctor first.
Daniel Fast: Eat only vegetables, fruit, water and juice (minimal amount of carbohydrates).
Partial Fast: Not eating one or two meals on a specific day or abstaining from certain kinds of food.
All-day Food Fast: Abstaining from food one day or multiple days per week.
Activity/Media Fast: Forgoing a time-consuming activity such as entertainment, hobbies, television, internet, sports, etc.
2 Set goals & write them down
Begin with clear personal goals as well as breakthrough goals for your church. Be specific. 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 using your favorite notetaking program or app. Keeping 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 an expression of humility and dependence on God. It is about replacing the daily intake of food, entertainment and human contact with focused times of prayer, spending large amounts of time feeding on the Word of God and spiritual listening. You can use the recommended readings in this guide or continue your normal Bible reading program. The YouVersion Bible App and bible.com have a variety of 21-day Bible reading programs.
4 Open your life before God
One of the great benefits of spiritual fasting is a heightened awareness of God’s presence and power in our lives. It is not that God has moved but that we have. Fasting has a great way of moving us towards a deeper spiritual dependency and away from willful self dependency. The greatest breakthrough will take place when you make time to examine your life and discover what areas most need breakthrough. We ask that you fast for spiritual breakthroughs for your church family and its mission endeavors as well as for yourself.
5 Expect God to move
Enter your fast by 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, ask God to meet you in your doubts and lead you in overcoming them, just as the apostles prayed, “Increase our faith!” (Luke 17:5).
OUR PRAYER FOR YOU
Our prayer for you during the next 21 days is that you will experience a deeper craving for the beauty of the Lord and for the wonder of his leading in your life, and that you will know the fullness of the Holy Spirit and the favor of the God of heaven.
Our prayer is that you will realize you are not alone on this journey. You are joining with your immediate and extended church family in seeking God for significant breakthroughs. These will ripple out and turn into a tidal wave of revival and spiritual awakening across our country.
Our prayer is that you will acquire your own prayer-and-fasting testimony. And that God will overwhelm you with his goodness as you seek his power, presence and provision in every step of your journey.