What is 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting?
On January 2nd we will begin our 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting! This is a time we intentionally set aside time to:
- seek God
- hear from Him
- repent and worship Him.
To get the most from the 21 Days, we encourage you to commit to three things:
- a time of prayer each day
- read your Bible daily
- fast 1 or multiple days
We will end our time of Fasting & Prayer with a special service on Wednesday, January 22nd at 7 PM called SACRED ASSEMBLY. We invite you to mark your calendars and make it a priority to join us for this powerful evening of worship, prayer and consecration.
21 Days of Prayer is for YOU!
If you sense God has more for your life, 21 Days of Prayer is a great place to start believing Him for all that He has for you. As you practice seeking Him first, He will move on your behalf like never before. You will start to see the power of prayer impact your relationships, work, family, and every area of your life. Whether you join us in person or online, we would love for you to be part of 21 Days of Prayer
Prayer and Fasting
During this season of 21 Days of Prayer, we encourage fasting as a spiritual next step that can bring clarity and revelation into your life. You can also choose to fast at other times of the year as you seek God.
What is Fasting?
The goal of fasting is 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. 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.
How Can We Pray?
Daily Prayer Points
FOCUS 1: Unity and Peace: (Psalm 133:1)
January 2- Pray for Unity in the Body of Christ. (Ephesians 4:3)
January 3- Pray for a Spirit of Love and Understanding. (1 Peter 4:8)
January 4- Pray for the Ceasing of Divisive Speech Among God’s People. (Ephesians 4:29)
January 5- Pray for healing of Political Divisions and for Jesus to Be Exalted as King Above All. (Philippians 2:10)
January 6- Pray for Peace in Our Hearts and Congregation. (Colossians 3:15)
FOCUS 2: Generosity and Service: (Galatians 6:2)
January 7- Pray for Renewed Generosity in Giving. (2 Corinthians 9:7)
January 8- Pray for Wisdom in Stewarding Church Finances. (Proverbs 21:5)
January 9- Pray for Willing Hearts to Serve. (1 Peter 4:10)
January 10- Pray for a supernatural hunger to advance God’s Kingdom through Service. (Matthew 9:37-38)
January 11- Pray for Wisdom, Joy, and Perseverance over those who serve on the LifeWay Dream Team. (Hebrews 6:10)
FOCUS 3: Spiritual Growth and Revival: (Psalm 51:10)
January 12- Pray for an Outpouring of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:17)
January 13- Pray for Personal Revival and Passion for Prayer. (Colossians 4:2)
January 14- Pray for Boldness in Sharing the Gospel. (Ephesians 6:19)
January 15- Pray for Revival in the Church. (2 Chronicles 7:14)
January 16- Pray for the Next Generation to Encounter God. (Acts 2:39)
FOCUS 4: Preparation for Sacred Assembly: (Joel 1:14)
January 17- God’s Vision for the Church through our Lead Pastor and his Team. (1 Corinthians 11:1)
January 18- Pray for Spiritual Breakthroughs During Sacred Assembly. (Jeremiah 33:3)
January 19- Pray for Hearts to Be Aligned with God’s Purpose. (Psalm 143:10)
January 20- Pray for Forgiveness and Reconciliation. (Colossians 3:13)
January 21- Pray for the Church to Be a Light in the Community. (Matthew 5:14)
January 22- Pray for Lives to Be Changed Through Jesus. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
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 a Fast
Timing of a Fast
At LifeWay, 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.
Prayer Resources
Four Key Elements to Praying the Scriptures…
1. REVERENCE (Who is God?)
2. RESPONSE (How should I respond?)
3. REQUESTS (What do I pray about?)
4. READINESS (Where do I go from here?)
* Adapted from Daniel Henderson, Transforming Prayer
Praying with Confidence by
Jeff Leake
Following Jesus' advice about how to pray, each of the thirty-one daily readings in Praying with Confidence by Jeff Leake, includes a new pattern to pray based on famous prayers in the Bible, combined with elements from the Lord's Prayer. As you begin your prayer time, the pattern listed for the day guides you through a devotional time with God. As you practice these patterns daily, you'll be amazed at the difference they make in your prayer time and in your life.
Scripture References
Matthew 6:16-18
16 “And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get. 17 But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. 18 Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
Matthew 9:14-15
14 One day the disciples of John the Baptist came to Jesus and asked him, “Why don’t your disciples fast like we do and the Pharisees do?”
15 Jesus replied, “Do wedding guests mourn while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. But someday the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.
Luke 18:9-14
9 Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: 10 “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! 12 I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’
13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ 14 I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Acts 27:33-37
33 Just as day was dawning, Paul urged everyone to eat. “You have been so worried that you haven’t touched food for two weeks,” he said. 34 “Please eat something now for your own good. For not a hair of your heads will perish.” 35 Then he took some bread, gave thanks to God before them all, and broke off a piece and ate it. 36 Then everyone was encouraged and began to eat— 37 all 276 of us who were on board.
Nehemiah 9:1-3
1 On October 31 the people assembled again, and this time they fasted and dressed in burlap and sprinkled dust on their heads. 2 Those of Israelite descent separated themselves from all foreigners as they confessed their own sins and the sins of their ancestors. 3 They remained standing in place for three hours while the Book of the Law of the Lord their God was read aloud to them. Then for three more hours they confessed their sins and worshiped the Lord their God.