FASTING AND PRAYER

FASTING AND PRAYER

Make Plans To Begin 2023 In Prayer

Get ready to pray with the global Foursquare community this Jan. 9-29, 2023
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES:
OPPORTUNITIES FOR PRAYER + WORSHIP:
  • PRE-SERVICE INTERCESSION:  Sundays at 9:30 am, in the youth room – Come early on Sunday mornings and pray over the service and those attending. 
  • SOAKING PRAYER:  Tuesdays from noon to 1:00 pm – Our sanctuary is open for weekly prayer, worship, and reflection. 
  • HARP AND BOWL (WORSHIP AND PRAYER):  Tuesdays from 6:30-to-7:30 pm – Everyone is always welcome to join the Harp and Bowl Connect Group on Tuesday nights. It is a great time of worship mixed with intercessory and prophetic prayer.
  • WORSHIPFUL PRAYER:  Thursdays from 4:30-to-6:00 pm – The sanctuary doors are open and worship music is on.
  • SUNDAY MORNING GATHERINGS:  Sundays in January – Destiny is shifting all of our weekend services to “platform His presence” all month long. We will start with a short devotional thought, and then leave the rest of the morning for prophetic worship.

WHAT IS PRAYER AND FASTING, AND WHY SHOULD I PARTICIPATE?

Destiny Foursquare encourages the practice of prayer and fasting. But if you are unfamiliar with the practice, we wanted to offer a few tips to help you prayerfully consider how you can participate in a corporate or personal time of fasting.

Fasting is simply choosing to deny ourselves of good things, for a specific period, in favor of better things – namely, time seeking time away to spend with God. We don’t fast to impress Him or to earn His love or acceptance. We already have that! During times of fasting, we remind ourselves of our total dependence on Jesus and willingly let go of other things so that we can focus more intentionally on Him.

Here are a few thoughts to help you participate:

  • Decide what and how long you will fast
    • Total Fastwith or without water.
    • Partial Fastabstaining from certain foods and/or a limited quantity of food, like Daniel’s fast in Daniel 10:3, where he fasted delicacies, meat, and wine. For example, you may choose to fast certain meals, like lunch. Or to just drink fruit and vegetable juices.
    • Non-food Fastfasting things other than food, like TV, certain activities, or social media.
  • Fast Safely
    • Especially if you are choosing to fast significant amounts of food, please ensure that you are healthy. Consider consulting a physician if you are unsure.
    • Pregnant women, diabetics, and those with poor health or eating disorders should not fast food.
    • Fasting can be a healthy practice that is beneficial to your body. Limiting physical activity and ensuring adequate rest are important.
    • Slowly reintroduce foods after fasting.
  • Take time to Pray
    • Fasting is more than doing without. It is a season of reallocating priorities to focus on prayer and seeking the Lord.
    • Take part in intercessory prayer or worship meetings and schedule specific prayer times.
  • Avoid Religious Displays and Beliefs
    • In Matthew 6, Jesus encourages fasting as a practice done before the Lord, not to appear more holy before people.
    • Fast as a confident child of God, not a fearful slave trying to gain something from God.
  •  Grace
    • Fasting is difficult. Rely on the strength that God graciously gives to those who ask.
    • If you slip up, take it to the Lord in prayer, and continue with the rest of your fast. His yoke is easy, and His burden is light.
  • Expect Results
    • This time of focused attention on prayer will accomplish much in your life and the life of our church.