Fasting

Each year, our church family dedicates a month in the beginning of the year to seek the Lord through prayer and fasting. While fasting is a season of self-denial, it has become a time of joy, breakthrough, and renewed expectation. Scripture reminds us that when we seek God with our whole heart, he meets us in ways beyond what we can imagine. Whether you’ve fasted with us before or this is your first time, we invite you to take this next step with us.

Fasting is a spiritual discipline often neglected in our culture, yet over the years, our church family has experienced its power in seeking God through this ancient practice. Fasting is not a means to manipulate God. It does not make him love us more. It’s not a way to show off our spirituality. Fasting about humbling ourselves, confessing our desperate need for him, and letting go of anything that keeps us from his presence.

Richard Foster defines fasting as “abstaining from food for spiritual purpose,” while others describe it as “the voluntary denial of a normal function for the sake of intense spiritual activity.” At its core, fasting is about letting go of physical things to create space that allows us to chase after spiritual things of God.

Fasting isn’t just about what you let go of, but what we grab hold of. It’s about combining intentionality and intensity to seek after God.

If you are new to fasting or need a refresher, Revival Starts Here by Dave Clayton offers a practical guide, including a helpful section on choosing your fast.

➡ CLICK HERE TO READ “HOW TO START YOUR FAST

As you seek the Lord in this season, consider these two primary categories of fasting:

Food Fast – For those who are able, prayerfully consider fasting from food in some form.
Digital Fast – We encourage everyone to engage in a form of digital fasting to create space for prayer and reflection.

FOOD FAST

There are several different types of food fasts. Below are three that we have leaned into over the years.

Major Fast — abstaining from food and/or certain drinks for 24 hours or longer, continuing to drink water, juice, and broth throughout.
Minor Fast — abstaining from food and/or drinks for certain periods of time (i.e. sunup to sundown), continuing to drink water throughout.
Partial Fast — abstaining from certain foods (i.e. dessert, alcohol, meat)

DIGITAL FAST

A digital fast means setting aside your phone, TV, tablets, gaming systems, and computers—except for work purposes—to create more space for reading, praying, thinking, and meaningful conversation. It’s an opportunity to deepen your connection with God and the people around you.

➡ CLICK HERE FOR OUR DIGITAL FASTING GUIDE