St James' Church

A QUICK GUIDE TO FASTING DURING 24/7 PRAYER WEEK

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?
Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
Then your light will break forth like the dawn and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard…
Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: “Here am I”…
Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.”
Isaiah 58:6-12

WHAT IS FASTING?
(This is only meant to be a very brief introduction & intended to give you a few pointers.)
■ Fasting is the voluntary giving up of something we normally do regularly (Watching TV, food, chocolate, surfing the web, alcohol) in order to increase our focus and time commitment for God.
■ Most commonly fasting is linked to food and can mean a normal fast from all food, a very simple diet or a group fast. Some 24-7 groups have set up a fasting rota to cover their prayer period. Fasting is not a legal requirement but a very flexible discipline and can be adapted to all sorts of situations.
■ A total fast of food and drink for any length of time or an extended fast of more than a couple of days should not be attempted without reading up a bit more and getting some advice. Also if you struggle with an eating disorder you probably need to chat to someone you respect before starting any sort of food fast.

WHY SHOULD WE FAST?
■ Jesus expects us to fast (Matt 6:16-18) and suggests that there are answers to prayer we will be unable to get without fasting (Matt 17:21)
■ The Bible is full of it – Esther, Anna, Cornelius, Paul, Daniel, Ezra and David all fasted
■ The early church practised it (Acts 13:3)
■ Breakthroughs in the past have been linked to it – Luther, Knox, Wesley, Spurgeon, Brainerd, Edwards all fasted. Whenever Charles Finney (who led about a million people to Jesus) felt the anointing of God receding in his life he would get away to pray and fast for several days.
■ Revival breakthroughs today, particularly in Latin America and Africa, see fasting as essential.
■ Roger Forster says that fasting drains away unbelief (and then the Word of God builds our faith).

If, in 24-7, we want to see the tide turn and the spiritual breakthroughs we hope for ourselves, our families and for our church happen we need to take fasting seriously.

WHAT SHOULD WE EXPECT TO SEE HAPPEN THROUGH FASTING?
■ It is not a ‘cure all’ for all our spiritual struggles or a short cut to a happy, problem-free life – it is a weapon in our walk and warfare as Christians.
■ Fasting is not a competition and we do not fast to earn answers or twist God’s arm.
■ We fast to intensify our connection with God and improve our communication so prayer is more effective
■ It humbles us and brings us to an awareness of our need of God
■ It renews the sense of balance and priority in our walk with God
■ It heightens our spiritual sensitivity and clears the channels of communication with God
■ It hits at our deep-seated selfishness and strengthens our self control.
■ It clears the ground for greater spiritual breakthrough in our lives and the lives of those we come into contact with.

FASTING DURING 24/7 PRAYER WEEK
During this church-wide prayer-partnership, we will be crying out to God for spiritual revival and strengthening in our families and in our church - for our spiritual lives to be rebuilt as our church building is too. You are free to fast however the Spirit leads you:

■ Set aside time during 24/7 Prayer Week to seek God in prayer and fasting as a family/ group
■ Adopt an attitude of prayer as you go about your daily duties at home, at work or at school. Apply what you learnt in tangible actions.
■ Scale down your normal activities. Avoid rigorous exercise such as rock-climbing, cycling or jogging.
■ Be alert! Besides fasting from food, fast from things that distract, such as television, internet, computer games; or things that destroy such as coarse jesting or careless words.
■ Break your fast gradually and wisely. For health reasons, you should consume small portions as you break fast, avoiding chilli or acidic foods as much as possible.

You may want to discuss this with the group you are praying with before deciding, so here are some useful options:

Total Fast
■ Abstain from solid foods and beverages for 24 hours. Take only water.

Partial Fast
■ Abstain from solid foods for an extended part of the day. Take only water. You may fast from sunrise to sundown or from breakfast to afternoon tea.

1-Meal Fast
■ Sacrifice one full meal a day.

Beverage Fast
■ Abstain from solid foods for 24 hours. Take only water and liquid foods such as milk, milo or other health beverages.

Daniel Fast
■ Abstain from meats and other favourite delicacies. Take only small portions of fresh vegetables, fruit and juices. Daniel did this for 10 days.

Esther Fast
■ Abstain from solid foods for 24 hours for 3 days. [ESTHER 4:16]

Recommended for further reading:
■ "The hidden power of prayer and fasting” Mahesh Chavda (Destiny Image)
■ "Into The Fire” Che Ahn (Renew)
■ "God’s Chosen Fast” Arthur (Wallis)

“There are simply no shortcuts to His presence, and the surest path to holiness, purity and power is found in the powerhouse combination of prayer with fasting.”
- Mahesh Chavda, ‘The Hidden Power of Prayer and Fasting.’