by Kari Stewart on December 21, 2022
Why Fast and Pray?
The word “fast” can stop you in your tracks. When you talk about fasting, you know that you are going to give up something you enjoy for a period of time. When we fast, what we are saying is, “There is something more important in my life that I need to see God move in. More than food, more than social media, more than caffeine — I need to hear from God, have discernment in a situation, give the things I am worried about more deeply to Him.”
Fasting and prayer are spiritual disciplines that are important for us to participate in as we seek to know God’s heart and will for our lives. A spiritual fast is abstaining from something for a period of time for the purpose of drawing closer to God. What you choose to fast from is between you and God.
Prayer is simply a conversation with God as our Heavenly Father and friend. We can pray out loud or in our heart — God longs for us to chat with him, to tell him what went right in our day and where we experienced hurt and disappointment. He welcomes us to share what we are afraid of and what we are embarrassed about. Also, to thank him for providing for us. Bottom line: He longs to hear from us and acknowledge His presence in our lives!
As believers in Jesus, we are invited to be imitators of Christ. We see in God’s Word that fasting and prayer were part of Jesus’ life.
There are several types of fasting that you can prayerfully consider. You should select something that you will miss deeply. It’s when we deeply miss something in our daily routine that reminds us that we are fasting, and you can pray right then as you are ready to reach for the item you are fasting from.
Types of fast:
Partial Fast — Removing certain elements from your diet: meat, dairy, sweets, caffeine, bread, etc. A meal or two each day.
Complete Fast — You drink only liquids, typically water with light juices as an option.
Soul Fast — This is a great option if you are not able to abstain from food for health reasons, if you are new to fasting, or if you wish to refocus certain areas of your life that are out of balance. You might choose to pause social media or screen time.
He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted. — Job 5:9
You are invited to join us from January 5 to January 11 as we start 2023 with fasting and prayer together! Our fast will conclude on Wednesday night, January 11, at 6:45 pm, with an all-campus night of prayer and worship at Timberline Fort Collins in the South Auditorium for those that can attend.
You can sign-up right here to receive a daily email with a devotion, video, scripture, and prayer.
Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions – It would make my day to talk with you!!!
Kari Stewart, Missions Pastor
