The Surrender Fast Watts Chapel Missionary Baptist Church 3703 Tryon Road Raleigh, NC 27606 (919) 828-7348 www.wattschapel.org Rev. Dr. Harry L. White, Jr., Pastor Fasting Dates: January 5-25 l Victory Night Worship: January 25 Fasting Dates: January 10-30 Victory Night Worship: January 30
A C A L L T O P R AY A N D FA S T Watts Chapel Missionary Baptist Church January 10-30, 2019 A Prayer and Fasting Guide by Reverend Dr. Harry L. White, Jr., Pastor Greetings! I am asking every member of the Watts Chapel Family to begin 2019 seeking God through participating in a season of prayer and fasting for 21 days. Prayer with fasting is a proven method to draw closer to God, experience deliverance from strongholds, and receive answered prayers and to experience God s supernatural intervention. Seek the Lord to guide you how He wants you to fast and what to fast for in this season in your life. We will begin our season of prayer and fasting on Thursday, January 10, 2019 and conclude our season of praying and fasting on Wednesday, January 30, 2019. On Wednesday, January 30, we will have a Victory Night Worship Celebration at 7:00 p.m. I have prepared a daily prayer and fasting devotional to direct our season of praying and fasting at Watts Chapel. I am offering the following suggestions as we begin 2019 praying and fasting unto God: Fresh fruits, vegetables, and water only, or Eat one meal per day and eliminate all other meals, or Eliminate sugar, soda, starches, and sweets from your diet for 21 days, or Give up something you NEED to give up.
BECOMING STRONG IN SPIRIT P r aye r a n d Fa s t i n g G u i d e by Pastor Harry White As Christians, God expects us to seek Him through the practices of prayer and fasting (Matthew 6:5-18). Becoming spiritually strong should be one of our priorities in life. Ephesians 4:13-16 Jesus prayed and fasted in the wilderness for forty days and nights. Prayer is talking to God who listens and responds because of His love for us. Fasting is voluntarily abstaining from food for spiritual purposes. Prayer can be rather easy but the combination of prayer and fasting is challenging. Despite the demanding nature of combining prayer and fasting, the rewards of drawing closer to Him far outweigh the cost of seeking Him through prayer and fasting. There are various spiritual practices available to Christians that desire to develop spiritual strength. Worship, meditation, study, fellowship, and solitude are among the spiritual practices that produce spiritual strength. Prayer and fasting are two Godordained practices that cultivate spiritual maturity and develop spiritual strength. Types of Fasts The normal fast is abstinence from all food except water. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. (Matthew 4:2) The absolute fast is to abstain from food and water. For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything. (Acts 9:9) The partial fast is the restriction of our diet rather than complete abstinence. But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way (Daniel 1:8).
Ten Reasons Christians Should Pray And Fast 1. To become more like Jesus. Matthew 4:2 2. To experience God s intervention in circumstances, challenges and problems in life. Jonah 3:5, 10 3. To more fully praise, worship, and honor God. Acts 13:2 4. To receive clear direction, deeper insight, and revelation from God. Daniel 9:2, 3, 21, 22 5. To be better prepared, anointed, and usable to God. Acts 14:23 6. To identify and open our hearts to the hungry. Isaiah 58:7 7. To intercede on behalf of the sins, challenges, and weaknesses of others. Nehemiah 1:4-11 8. To develop self-discipline, humility, and examination in life. 1 Corinthians 9:27 9. To experience renewed health and wellness. Isaiah 58:8 10. To glorify God! 1 Corinthians 10:31 Spiritually, you will experience a more successful fast when you spend time each day in prayer and communion with God. Establish a time during the day for quiet time and meditation on the Word of God. Study His Word and seek His face. Praying Always... Who Should Not Fast There are some people who should not fast. Pregnant women, post-pregnant women, diabetics, heart patients, and persons with gout, liver disease, kidney disease, cancer, bleeding ulcers, tumors, and blood disease. For those persons, there is an alternative. Participate in a replacement fast and abstain from watching TV, playing computer games, surfing the net, Facebook, talking on the telephone, shopping, or some other habit you NEED to give up.
Life-Changing, Spiritually Renewing Experience Read Isaiah 58:6-14 Isaiah lists several fruits of fasting. What are the fruits that Isaiah lists about the exercise of fasting? For Your Information Begin with a partial fast or eliminate a meal or two meals from your daily eating habits. It's important to keep in mind that we are on a fast, which is restricting food for spiritual purposes. So, while we can eat as much food as we want and any time we want...we want to keep in mind that we are fasting. Fill yourself with God s Word while you fast. Spiritually, you will experience a more successful fast when you spend time each day in prayer and communion with God. Establish a time during the day for quiet time and meditation on the Word of God. Study His Word and seek His face. Be intentional about praying while you fast. Pray and fast with a partner or a group of people. Don t be legalistic with yourself. If for any reason you eat something you shouldn't have during the fast, it is better to ask for forgiveness and continue, than it is to stop the fast. Don t pray and fast to force God s hand. Don t pray and fast to impress people. Don t pray and fast for selfish reasons. You may want to supplement your diet with a multivitamin. Prayer connects you to God, fasting disconnects you from the world.
Keep your diet simple...avoid highly processed foods in favor of simply prepared or raw foods. If you are experiencing weakness or headaches...drink at least 8 glasses of water each day. Often, we do not understand just how much our body needs water, especially when fasting. Be careful not to drink too much water, however, too much liquid can be as bad as not enough. More liquids, less weight...if you haven't been drinking enough water, your body may have developed a pattern of storing water. This water retention equals extra-unwanted weight. By increasing fluids during the Daniel Fast, you are flushing out toxins and teaching your body that it no longer needs to store water. Drink warm/hot water with lemon slices throughout your day, especially before eating, to help reduce fluid retention. Be sure the water is filtered and free from chemicals. Love those hunger pangs...so often when we have hunger pangs, we rush for snacks or something that will make it go away. However, a little insight about hunger pangs may have you making a different choice; hunger pangs actually mean that your body is using stored fat. So if you want to lose some weight during the Daniel Fast, then welcome those hunger pangs. Dehydration often sends a message that "reads" like hunger. So instead of grabbing a snack...go for a tall glass of water! Finally, hunger pangs often pass after a few minutes. So, when you sense hunger...wait it out. Stick with three modest meals and one or two small snacks. However, it is also advisable that you eat smaller meals throughout the day instead of three huge square meals and overwhelm your body. Meal preparation can take more time during the Daniel Fast, but you can also adopt some habits to streamline this essential part of your fasting experiences. Meal Planning - Plan all of your meals for one week. Make sure you have all the ingredients you need along with snack foods! Set a Cook Day - Consider using Saturday as the day to plan all meals for the coming week and then cook several meals in advance. This saves lots of time and lots of frustration in the coming week. Salad Prep - Wash and trim all salad ingredients as soon as you purchase them and then store each item in a container for easy use later in the week. You can make a salad in less than a minute because all the ingredients are already prepared! When you have finished fasting...eat light meals and slowly build back up to your normal diet. During the time of the fast your body has detoxed and cleansed and will become more sensitive to what you eat. TAKE IT SLOW
1. Pray for Assurance of Salvation Read John 3 2. Pray for Passionate Love for God Read Matthew 28 3. Pray for Interpersonal Relationships Read I Corinthians 13 4. Pray for Wise Decision Making Read Proverbs 3 5. Pray for Academic Achievement for Students Read Psalm 48 6. Pray for Just Public Policy & Legislation Read Luke 10 7. Pray for Safety for Campuses Across the World Read Exodus 14 8. Pray for Forgiveness and Reconciliation Read Matthew 18 9. Pray for Gainful Employment Read Philippians 4 10. Pray for Increased Biblical Literacy Read Colossians 3 11. Pray for Eradication of Global Hunger Read Matthew 25 12. Pray for Open Doors & Closed Doors Read Galatians 5 13. Pray for Scholarships, Grants for College Students & Grad Professionals Read Psalm 139 14. Pray for Physical Healing & Emotion, Mental Wellness Read Daniel 1 15. Pray for Deliverance from Strongholds & Addictions Read Daniel 10 16. Pray for Local, National, Global Political Leaders Read Romans 13 17. Pray for Healthy Marriages & Family Units Read Ephesians 5 18. Pray for Missionaries, Pastors & Church Leaders Read Ephesians 4 19. Pray for Obedience to Promptings of the Holy Spirit Read Romans 8 20. Pray for Strong Faith, Hope & Love Read Hebrews 11 21. Pray for Miracles, Signs & Wonders Read Acts 2
Option A T h u r s d a y, J a n u a r y 1 0 - We d n e s d a y, J a n u a r y 3 0
Option B T h u r s d a y, J a n u a r y 1 0 - We d n e s d a y, J a n u a r y 3 0 THE NO LIST NO Dairy This includes cheese, milk, sour cream, butter, yogurt, etc. NO white sugar NO white bread NO overly processed foods NO fried food NO soda NO red meat This includes pork, beef, etc. NO pizza NO white rice NO white pasta This includes semolina & unbleached wheat flour NO chips NO microwave/theater popcorn
Fa s t i n g J o u r n a l Fasting Without Praying is Just Going Hungry... Your days should be filled with unselfish prayer. During the fast, increase the frequency of your daily prayer time.
It is important to not brag or boast to others about fasting... But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. Matthew 6:17-18
FASTING IS A GIFT THAT GOD HAS GIVEN TO THE CHURCH IN ORDER TO HELP US