At West Ridge Church we regularly call the congregation to a time of fasting and prayer. We do this because we believe that there are things that God will not do unless we fast. If you have been praying for something for awhile, consider adding fasting to your prayers to bring about breakthrough.
What is Fasting?
Fasting is choosing to abstain from food for a certain period of time in order to seek God. It is an intensified form of prayer that aides us in getting into "spiritual shape" not unlike physical training and conditioning. The Bible tells us that we are in a spiritual conflict with sin and spiritual forces that erode our relationship with God and people (Eph. 6:12). Jesus said that some of the struggles we face can only be addressed through prayer and fasting (Mt. 17:21). Fasting with prayer gets us into a position where we can more easily hear from the Lord.
Isaiah 58:6-14 lists the effects that fasting can have on our personal lives and in our world. Fasting: helps us to remember to value other people (v.6), become more generous with our time and resources (v.7), find healing emotionally and relationally (v.8), get direction from God on life decisions (v.9), address relational conflict in our life (v.9), recover things we've neglected (v.12), and restore intimacy with God (v.14). If you want to see breakthrough in your life, fast and pray, and be expectant for how God will move in your life as a result.
Isaiah 58:6-14 lists the effects that fasting can have on our personal lives and in our world. Fasting: helps us to remember to value other people (v.6), become more generous with our time and resources (v.7), find healing emotionally and relationally (v.8), get direction from God on life decisions (v.9), address relational conflict in our life (v.9), recover things we've neglected (v.12), and restore intimacy with God (v.14). If you want to see breakthrough in your life, fast and pray, and be expectant for how God will move in your life as a result.
Ways to Fast
If you are pregnant, nursing, or have any medical conditions please consult with your doctor about what type of fasting is safe for you.
- Abstain from food for 24 or more hours
- Abstain from food from sun up to sun down
- Abstain from one meal per day
- Abstain from select foods of your choice
- Daniel Fast- abstain from certain foods for 21 days (based on Daniel 10:2-3)
The length of a fasting period can vary from just one day to a month. It is important that the fast is a challenge because this is part of our sacrifice to God. A good starting point would be to do a partial fast (of abstaining from certain foods) for at least a week but up to 40 days. Fasting a meal per day can be done for a set number of days per week for a month or everyday for a week. Fasting continuously for multiple hours is typically done for shorter periods of time.
Why Fast & Pray?
Communication is fundamental in any healthy relationship and prayer is how we communicate with God. As is the case in all families and relationships, there are times and seasons when we need to re-connect with one another by pulling back from the busyness and distractions of life. This is why in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, we see God's people commit to seasons of extra prayer and fasting that is focused on the current health of our relationship with God and one another.
Isaiah 58:6-14 lists the effects that fasting can have on our personal lives and in our world. Fasting: helps us to remember to value other people (v.6), become more generous with our time and resources (v.7), find healing emotionally and relationally (v.8), get direction from God on life decisions (v.9), address relational conflict in our life (v.9), recover things we've neglected (v.12), and restore intimacy with God (v.14). If you want to see breakthrough in your life, fast and pray, and be expectant for how God will move in your life as a result.
Isaiah 58:6-14 lists the effects that fasting can have on our personal lives and in our world. Fasting: helps us to remember to value other people (v.6), become more generous with our time and resources (v.7), find healing emotionally and relationally (v.8), get direction from God on life decisions (v.9), address relational conflict in our life (v.9), recover things we've neglected (v.12), and restore intimacy with God (v.14). If you want to see breakthrough in your life, fast and pray, and be expectant for how God will move in your life as a result.