21 Days of Fasting and Prayer

Services

Sunday - 10AM Worship Service | Wednesday - 7pm

January 8-28, 2024

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE DIVINE KIND

Our theme for this year's 21 Days of Fasting and Prayer is CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE DIVINE KIND. We don't want to fall into the trap of going through the motions of religion. Instead, we want to truly encounter God, whether in our public gatherings or in our private devotions. We are going to look at 4 examples of people who had LIFE-CHANGING encounters with God, and how THE ONE who is the same yesterday, today, and forever wants us to encounter Him today!  

Fasting

The goal of fasting is to deepen our awareness of 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. 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.

Types of Fasts

COMPLETE FAST: In this type of fast, you drink only liquids, typically water with light juices as an option.

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.

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.

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.

Timing of Fasts

At Carpenter's, we encourage fasting for 21 days each year in the month of January. This is part of 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting, a season of focused prayer as a church family. You may also choose to fast at other times during the year for your own spiritual development. It’s very typical to fast a single meal, a whole day, or three days or more. The timing of your fast is not as important as the strength of your focus on God as you fast.


Resources on Fasting

7 Basic Steps to Successful Fasting and Prayer, Bill Bright.

Guide to Fasting and Prayer, Bill Bright

Fasting 101 Questions, book by Jentzen Franklin


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