What is the significance of 21 days of prayer?

Fasting

The goal of fasting is to draw near to God.

It hits the reset button of our soul and renews us from the inside out.

Fasting enables us to celebrate the goodness and mercy of God. It prepares our hearts for all the good things God desires to bring into our lives.

When deciding on a fast, we encourage you to seek God in prayer and follow what the Holy Spirit leads you to do.

Scripture References About Fasting

Types of Fasts

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.

Complete Fast

In this type of fast, you drink only liquids, typically water with light juices as an option.

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.

The timing of your fast is not as important as the strength of your focus on God as you fast.

We encourage fasting for 21 days each year in the month of January. This is part of our 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting season.

You may also choose to fast at other times during the year for your own spiritual development. It’s very typical to fast a single meal, a whole day, or three days or more.

It all started when...

The Suggested Fast: The Daniel Fast

16 And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get. 17 But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. 18 Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you are doing in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

Matthew 6:16-18 (NLT)

Several types of fasts exist. If you choose to follow another type of fast during this 21-day period, it’s perfectly acceptable. The Daniel Fast is suggested because it is a biblically based partial fast that almost anyone can participate in. Susan Gregory is a recognized contemporary champion of The Daniel Fast. The following description of The Daniel Fast is excerpted from her website:

The Daniel Fast is a method of fasting used by hundreds of thousands of Christians throughout the world. The fast is based on the fasting experiences of the prophet Daniel along with standard Jewish fasting principles.

The Daniel Fast is a partial fast, meaning that some foods are eaten and others are restricted. The fast is typically followed for 21 consecutive days and is like a vegan eating plan with more restrictions and the only beverage on the fast is water. 

First and foremost, the fast is a spiritual discipline where followers of Jesus Christ can draw nearer to God and focus more of their attention on Him and His ways. In today’s busy and distracting culture, entering a fasting experience is like pushing the pause button on a hectic life and centering more on the rest that Jesus offers. This quieter and more focused time allows you to hear the still small voice of Holy Spirit as He reveals God’s truth and direction for your life. 

Church congregations, study groups, and individuals often use the Daniel Fast as their method of fasting to begin the New Year, during Lent, or other times. This method of fasting opens this powerful discipline to many people who find it difficult to fast for multiple days on a water-only or liquid-only method of fasting (called a normal fast). The blessing is that you can continue to meet your home and work responsibilities while fasting and receiving from the Lord. 

Fasting was designed by God, not to change Him, but rather to change us! Fasting doesn’t show God that you are good or deserving. Only Jesus Christ does that for us. However, fasting does bring us into an experience where our hearts are more open to what the Lord wants to show us for our individual lives.

While you will pay more attention to the foods you eat during the fast, only focusing on the food element of fasting keeps you from experiencing the richness that’s available to you. Focusing on the food element keeps you attending to your flesh rather than to your spirit that connects with the Spirit of God.

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh,
but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 
Romans 8:5 ESV

You can still enjoy your meals; however, this is a time to be simple and more basic so that food and feeding the flesh is in balance with your spiritual experience of fasting. 

 For more information    http://daniel-fast.com/aboutthefast-2/     or   https://draxe.com/daniel-fast/     

Dr. Josh Axe, DNM, DC, CNS, offers three (3) keys to successfully completing The Daniel Fast. To learn more, please watch this helpful 7-minute video:

For some suggested Daniel Fast recipes from Susan Gregory, click this link:

http://daniel-fast.com/myrecipes/

Here is a infographic to help you over the next 21 days.

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