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When I heard these words, I sat down and wept.
I mourned for a number of days, fasting and praying before the God of the heavens - Nehemiah 1:4
THE GOAL OF OUR 2022 FAST
The main goal of fasting is always to draw nearer to God. Biblical fasting always has to do with eliminating distractions for a spiritual purpose; it hits the reset button of our soul and renews us from the inside out. It also enables us to celebrate the goodness and mercy of God and prepares our hearts for all the good things God desires to bring into our lives.
This year as we go through the Book of Nehemiah, during our 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting because just like him, we will fast in order to see God rebuild the broken "walls." Spiritually, the walls represent broken- down areas of our lives, relationships, faith, trust, church and nation. In the past season, many things in our lives were shaken and maybe even broken down or damaged. Together, we will rise up and build the walls because “the good hand of our God is upon us!” (Nehemiah 2:8b). “The God of heaven Himself will prosper us!” (Nehemiah 2:20a).
Remember, your personal fast should present a level of challenge, but it is very important to know your body, your options, and, most importantly, to seek God in prayer and follow what the Holy Spirit leads you to do.
This year as we go through the Book of Nehemiah, during our 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting because just like him, we will fast in order to see God rebuild the broken "walls." Spiritually, the walls represent broken- down areas of our lives, relationships, faith, trust, church and nation. In the past season, many things in our lives were shaken and maybe even broken down or damaged. Together, we will rise up and build the walls because “the good hand of our God is upon us!” (Nehemiah 2:8b). “The God of heaven Himself will prosper us!” (Nehemiah 2:20a).
Remember, your personal fast should present a level of challenge, but it is very important to know your body, your options, and, most importantly, to seek God in prayer and follow what the Holy Spirit leads you to do.
WHAT IS THE DANIEL FAST?
The type of fast that we will be doing as a church is called the Daniel Fast. The Daniel Fast is based on the prophet Daniel’s fasting experiences as recorded in the Bible. The fast is a biblically based partial fast. According to Daniel 1, the results were: (v. 17) learning, skill, wisdom, spiritual understanding, favor, and better appearance! (v. 19) In Daniel 10, the fast resulted in answered prayer and spiritual insight. (vv. 11-12) One of the great things about the Daniel Fast is that you are not limited to any specific amount of food, but rather to the kinds of food you can eat.
PRAYER GUIDE
The Prayer Guide is a must for anyone who is joining us in the 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting. Each day has a scripture, a short devotion, and prayer. The Prayer Guide can be accessed only on our Discover Point Church App and will also be posted online on social media each day.
OTHER TYPES OF FAST?
We realize that not everyone may be able to do the Daniel Fast due to various reasons. Below are some other options that may work for you during the next 21 days.
COMPLETE FAST
In this type of 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 type of food in the morning and afternoon. This can either correlate to specific times of the day, such as 6:00 am to 3:00 pm, or from sunup to sundown.
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.
SOUL FAST
This fast is a great option if you do not have much experience fasting food, have health issues that prevent you from fasting 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 back into your life in healthy doses at the conclusion of the fast.