Real Hope In Christ – Service to the Lord God Almighty!

21 Days of Prayer and Fasting

Day One
Praying for a Breakthrough

Day Two
Connecting With God Relationally

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Day Three
Listening When God Speaks

Day Four
Prayer of Dependence on God

What Is The True Purpose of Fasting?

Matthew 4:1-11
¹Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. ²And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.³And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”

⁴But he answered, “‘It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

⁵Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple ⁶and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “‘He will command his angels concerning you,’and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”

⁷Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

⁸Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. ⁹And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”

¹⁰Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,”‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”

¹¹Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.

Fasting. We all know or have heard of someone who has fasted. Perhaps you have fasted. But what exactly is the significance of fasting?

Fasting is the act of sheer devotion to God. Simply put fasting places God first and foremost before everything.

That’s it. The disconnection from the earthly masters that bind us. Fasting displays the commitment to set aside physical gratification to seek the spiritual connection with the Lord God Almighty. It means turning away from what we consider the natural in order to invoke the supernatural.

Overall 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.

Types of Fasts

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.

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.

Ten Things to Pray For During Your Fast

Before fasting set your mind on how you want to connect with God and what your specific goals are. Many pray to be closer to God, or for deliverance from harmful habits or other earthly bonds. Many seek wisdom or courage or strength to endure a time of trouble.

Let us be mindful that we are seeking the Lord God Almighty, the Creator of Heaven and Earth and to offer our thanks and grattiude always.

Prayer of Thanks
My good, good, Father, Your love never fails. Even when I fail You, You love me all the same. Thank You for a love that never gives up on me. Thank You for the comfort of knowing that I am secure in the promise that nothing can ever separate me from Your love. I thank You for Your perfect love that seeks the best in my life. I am grateful for Your sacrificial love that did not withhold the Lord Jesus Christ from me. Thank You for sending Him to die on the cross so that I can truly realize that You love me greatly. You are good. Amen.