21 DAY FAST. January Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.

Transcription

1 21 DAY 21 FAST January 6-27 Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. Daniel 9:3

2 "I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled." Daniel 10:3 What is the 21 Day Fast? Simply described, the Daniel Fast removes bread, meat and sweets from your diet for a period of 21 days. However, we want to encourage you to focus beyond what you can or cannot eat, and focus on your purpose behind fasting. Why are you fasting? Before you create your list of foods, write down a prayer list. Make your fast about the why, not the what. Though Daniel consumed a simple diet during 21 day, The Daniel Fast is named more for the prophet s overall character than for his meal plan. Daniel possessed a strength of faith, courage, obedience, devotion, dedication, endurance, and discipline in body, mind, and spirit... Daniel demonstrated his pursuit of excellence in his faithfulness in doing the little things when no one was watching. He had strength to do what was honouring to God, what was right, even in the face of danger or conflict or against what everyone else was doing. How to prepare for the fast? Denying the flesh is difficult. Romans (ch.7) says that what we want to do we don t do and what we don t want to do, that we do. Fasting isn t easy but growing in our relationship with God is more than worth it! This is a time to deny your flesh and feed your spirit pray and read the Word daily. Be clear and specific about the reasons you re fasting. Moses fasted before receiving the Ten Commandments (Ex. 34:27-38). Hannah fasted and prayed to have a child (1 Sa. 1). Jesus fasted forty days in the wilderness. In our case we will have a combination of church needs and your personal needs. Get your spirit prepared. Confess your sins to God. Ask the Lord to search your heart and reveal areas of your life that need to change (Psalms 139:23-24). Get your body prepared. If you have poor eating habits or addictions, this is your chance to create a healthy change. Seek the Lord and get freedom! Prepare your menu. Follow the list of foods to eat and not to eat. God will honour your best sacrifice. When fasting, it s common to experience headaches and irritability as your body detoxifies and experiences withdrawals from caffeine and sugar. And naturally, you will feel hunger. Take advantage of these moments as a reminder of why you re fasting and pause to pray and seek the Lord. What is the purpose of our fast? The reason for this fast is a combination of church (collective) needs and your individual needs and requests. As a church we are fasting and interceding to request divine discernment and guidance for our congregation as we plan the rest of this ministry year and as we look into adding more Sunday services. As an individual, you can add your own personal and family needs. We suggest you write down your personal reason for fasting, and be specific. Do you need healing, direction, restoration in marriage or family relationships, finances. etc? Remember, it is the attitude of a heart sincerely seeking Him to which God responds with a blessing (Isaiah 58:6-9). May God greatly bless you as you begin your fast! What do I do during the fast? Having specific time to spend with God daily and having a list in front of you to pray over will motivate you to keep going when it seems impossible! Answers may not come right away but your fast is about building a deeper relationship with Christ. As God changes your heart, you ll be amazed at how situations around you begin to change, too.

3 Foods Permitted & Not Permitted Permitted All fruits: fresh, canned, frozen, dry, juice All vegetables: fresh, canned, frozen, dry, juice Grains, whole & unprocessed: oats, brown/wild rice, quinoa, whole wheat pastas, rice cakes, popcorn Legumes: all beans, lentils, chickpeas, dry and canned Nuts, of any kinds Natural water to drink Quality Oils: olive, canola, grape, peanut or sesame oil Spices and condiments: salt, pepper, garlic salt, oregano, etc. When buying pre-packaged foods, always check that there are no added sugars, artificial flavours/colours or preservatives. Not Permitted All meats including: beef, pork, chicken, lamb, seafood or birds All animal products including: milk, sour cream, cheese, butter, eggs All sweeteners including: sugar, honey, molasses, artificial sweeteners All bread and baked goods All products with yeast, baking powder and baking soda All processed & refined foods, and foods with artificial additives (flavour & colour), including white rice, white pasta, white flour All deep-fried foods All solid fats including: margarine, butter, lard, shortening All caffeinated beverages, including coffee, tea, carbonated drinks, energy drinks, alcohol Having a list of foods you can or cannot eat for your fast will help take the focus off eating and allow you to spend more time in prayer and reading of Scripture.

4 21 Day Fast Daily Bible Readings DAY 1: Increase spiritual hunger and holiness in my life Psalms 51:10-12 (NLT): Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and don t take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you. Daniel 6:10 (NLT): But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God. DAY 2: Getting closer to God Psalms 24:3-4 (NLT): Who may climb the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? Only those whose hands and hearts are pure, who do not worship idols and never tell lies. Psalms 32:5 (NLT): Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, I will confess my rebellion to the Lord. And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone. DAY 3: Worship wholeheartedly Psalms 111:1 (NLT): Praise the Lord! I will thank the Lord with all my heart as I meet with his godly people. Psalms 27:8 (NLT): My heart has heard you say, Come and talk with me. And my heart responds, Lord, I am coming. DAY 4: Placing the desire of your heart Psalms 27:4 (NLT): The one thing I ask of the Lord the thing I seek most is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord s perfections and meditating in his Temple. Psalms 37:4 (NLT): Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart s desires. DAY 5: Walking with wisdom and revelation Psalms 43:3 (NLT): Send out your light and your truth let them guide me. Let them lead me to your holy mountain, to the place where you live. Ephesians 1:17-18 (NLT): asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. DAY 6: Be full with power and purpose Psalms 61:3 (NLT): for you are my safe refuge, a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me. Psalms 61:5 (NLT): For you have heard my vows, O God. You have given me an inheritance reserved for those who fear your name. Psalms 92:11 (NLT): My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies; my ears have heard the defeat of my wicked opponents.

5 Romans 15:13 (NLT): I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. Day 7: Bring about fruit of the Holy Spirit Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT): But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. 1 Corinthians 13:4 (NLT): Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud. Day 8: Praise & Worship Exodus 23:25 (NLT): You must serve only the Lord your God. If you do, I[a] will bless you with food and water, and I will protect you from illness. Isaiah 25:1 (NLT): O Lord, I will honor and praise your name, for you are my God. You do such wonderful things! You planned them long ago, and now you have accomplished them. DAY 9: Rescued & Free Psalms 18:2 (NLT): The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. Psalms 16:11 (NLT): You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever. Acts 16:31 (NLT): They replied, Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household. DAY 10: Serve God in Unity Psalms 92:1 (NLT): It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to the Most High. Psalms 100:2 (NLT): Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy. Joshua 24:15 (NLT): But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord. DAY 11: Healed & Reconciled Psalms 107:20 (NLT): He sent out his word and healed them, snatching them from the door of death. Psalms 147:3 (NLT): He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds. Malachi 4:6 (NLT): His preaching will turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers. Otherwise I will come and strike the land with a curse.

6 DAY 12: Receive fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit Psalms 51:2 (NLT): Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. Psalms 51:7 (NLT): Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Mark 2:22 (NLT): And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the wine would burst the wineskins, and the wine and the skins would both be lost. New wine calls for new wineskins. DAY 13: Be served by a visionary leader Psalm 78:24 (NLT): He rained down manna for them to eat; he gave them bread from heaven. Habakkuk 2:1 (NLT): I will climb up to my watchtower and stand at my guardpost. There I will wait to see what the Lord says and how he will answer my complaint. Proverbs 29:18 (NLT): When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is joyful. DAY 14: Be a dwelling place for God's presence Psalms 100: 3 (NLT): Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Psalms 95:7-8 (NLT): for he is our God. We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care. If only you would listen to his voice today! The Lord says, Don t harden your hearts as Israel did at Meribah, as they did at Massah in the wilderness. 1 Timothy 2:8 (NLT): In every place of worship, I want men to pray with holy hands lifted up to God, free from anger and controversy. Matthew 13:58 (NLT): And so he did only a few miracles there because of their unbelief. DAY 15: Valuing Integrity 1 Samuel 16:7 (NLT): But the Lord said to Samuel, Don t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. Proverbs 4:23 (NLT): Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. Matthew 5:8 (NLT): God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. DAY 16: Be cleansed of sin Psalms 25:18 (NLT): Feel my pain and see my trouble. Forgive all my sins.

7 Nehemiah 1:6 (NLT): listen to my prayer! Look down and see me praying night and day for your people Israel. I confess that we have sinned against you. Yes, even my own family and I have sinned! Nehemiah 1:8-9 (NLT): Please remember what you told your servant Moses: If you are unfaithful to me, I will scatter you among the nations. But if you return to me and obey my commands and live by them, then even if you are exiled to the ends of the earth,[a] I will bring you back to the place I have chosen for my name to be honored. DAY 17: Experiencing Revival Psalms 86:6 (NLT): "Listen closely to my prayer, O Lord; hear my urgent cry. Psalms 80:18-19 (NLT): Then we will never abandon you again. Revive us so we can call on your name once more. Turn us again to yourself, O Lord God of Heaven s Armies. Make your face shine down upon us. Only then will we be saved. DAY 18: Defending what is just and right Psalms 89:14 (NLT): Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne. Unfailing love and truth walk before you as attendants. Matthew 6:33 (NLT): Seek the Kingdom of God[a] above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. DAY 19: Experiencing God s presence & power Psalms 43:3-4 (NLT): Send out your light and your truth; let them guide me. Let them lead me to your holy mountain, to the place where you live. There I will go to the altar of God, to God the source of all my joy. I will praise you with my harp, O God, my God! DAY 20: Be filled by God s glory Psalms 22:27-28 (NLT): The whole earth will acknowledge the Lord and return to him. All the families of the nations will bow down before him. For royal power belongs to the Lord. He rules all the nations. Habakkuk 2:14 (NLT): For as the waters fill the sea, the earth will be filled with an awareness of the glory of the Lord. DAY 21: Continue seeking God first Psalms 9:10 (NLT): Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you. Jeremiah 29:13 (NLT): If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. 1 Chronicles 29:13 (NLT): O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name! Colossians 3:2 (NLT): Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.