What is Fasting?
A biblical fast is when you dedicate a period of time to focus on God. It involves two things:
1) Going without food.
2) A focus on prayer + reading the Word of God.
Fasting is a way that we draw closer to God. It's an act of obedience and surrender that positions us to hear from God more clearly and experience Him in a deeper way
Fasting is the most effective way to position ourselves spiritually to amplify God’s plans and purposes for our life. Fasting is not about twisting God’s arm to make Him move on our behalf, rather it’s about saying to God that we want to increase our level of intimacy with Him.
- Concentrated prayer each day
- Commit to fasting a number of days in a row or at least one meal each day
- Read your Bible daily
- Join us in worship at our encounter nights in April & May (check your local campus for more info)
- Think and pray about what to fast, and the purpose for your fast.
- Talk with your doctor about any health concerns that may affect your fasting.
- Consider finding a prayer/fasting partner who can support and encourage you.
- When you fast, your body detoxifies. Limit your activity, exercise moderately, rest and drink lots of water!
- If you happen to break your fast, don’t feel guilty and don’t give up. instead pick it back up and keep going.
- When it’s time to end the fast, go slow with your food intake, and start with fruits, vegetables, juices and eggs.
If you were to fast one meal a day.
Replace the time you would have spent eating that meal with:
- Reading your Bible
- Praying to God
- Engaging in Worship
We’re believing that during this 14 days of Prayer & Fasting you will hear from God, encounter His presence, and experience an acceleration of spiritual momentum in your life.
If you haven’t participated before, why not make 2024 the year that you take this exciting step of faith.
Follow along our stories on @futuresaustralia for prayer points and encouragement
April 22 - May 5
Prayer and Fasting - Ps Ashley Evans
Be inspired as you hear Ps Ashley’s testimony of the power of prayer and fasting in his life and how prayer and fasting bring supernatural encounters with God and vision for our lives.
Notes From Ps Ashley's Message
Prayer and fasting are two essential elements of spiritual warfare.
Paul encountered the resurrected Jesus on the road to Damascus and was struck blind for three days. During this time, he fasted, and his ministry vision was radically changed.
Fasting opens us up to God to receive fresh vision for our lives.
The New Testament Church fasted as part of their devotion and worship of God.
While the Church in Antioch was fasting, God called Paul and Barnabas to the work He had for them.
Jesus did not begin His ministry until He spend 40 days fasting in the wilderness.
We need to ask God to lead us into fasting and speak to us about our future. As we fast, God can release His spiritual gifts into our lives.
Fasting releases God’s power and authority and brings spiritual insight.
We fast because we anticipate God wants to do something in our lives. There is an encounter with God on the other side of our fast.
What does fasting do?
- It robs us of physical energy to fight things physically so that we begin to fight spiritually.
- It brings an emptying of our self and declares dominance over the natural.
- It aligns us to agree with God and His will for our lives.
14 Devotional Plan
Day 1
Psalm 139:23–24 (NLT) Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
Day 2
Hebrews 4:16 (NLT) So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
Day 3
Jeremiah 29:13 (ESV) You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.
Day 4
James 4:6b–8a (NLT) … “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 7 So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. …
Day 5
Psalm 63:1 (NLT) O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water.
Day 6
John 7:37a–39a (ESV) … “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ” 39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, …
Day 7
Psalm 1:1–3 (ESV) Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.
Day 8
Acts 13:2 (NLT) One day as these men were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Appoint Barnabas and Saul for the special work to which I have called them.”
Day 9
John 10:27 (ESV) My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
Day 10
Psalm 37:7a (NLT) Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. …
Day 11
Philippians 4:6–7 (NLT) Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Day 12
Hebrews 11:6 (NLT) And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.
Day 13
Romans 10:17 (ESV) So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
Day 14
John 15:4–5 (ESV) Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.