If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
2 Chronicles 7:14
STEP 1: Prepare Your Heart
The very foundation of fasting and prayer is repentance. Unconfessed sin will hinder your prayers. Here are several things you can do to prepare your heart:
- Ask God to reveal to you any unconfessed sin in your life. Write down or journal any revelations He makes to you.
- Confess every sin that the Holy Spirit calls to your remembrance and accept God’s forgiveness (1 John 1:9).
- Forgive those who have hurt you. Lay down the hurt, anger and betrayal at the foot of the cross and trust that He will redeem the situation in His own time (Mark 11:25; Luke 11:4; 17:3,4).
- Invite the Holy Spirit to fill you according to His command in Ephesians 5:18 and His promise in 1 John 5:14,15.
- Do not underestimate spiritual opposition. Satan sometimes intensifies the natural battle between body and spirit (Galatians 5:16,17).
STEP 2: Prepare Your Body and Set Expectations
Fasting requires reasonable precautions. If you take prescription medication or have a chronic ailment, consult your physician first. If you are Type 1 Diabetic (Type 2’s are perfectly fine to fast), Pregnant, Nursing or younger than 17 years old, you should abstain from fasting.
- Avoid binging before or after your fast and avoid high-carb and sugary foods before and after your fast
- Prepare yourself for temporary mental discomforts, such as impatience, crankiness, and anxiety.
- Expect to feel hunger. Know that hunger passes like a wave, ride out the waves with God. (Philippians 4:12-13)
- Expect temptations and use the Word of God to overcome those temptations. (Luke 4:2-12)
- Be careful about sharing too openly about your fast. Fasting is an intimate experience between yourself and the Lord. Be aware that others may not be supportive of your efforts and Satan may try to use that to discourage you. See (Matthew 6:16-18)
- If you are concerned about the safety of fasting, click here.
STEP 3: Set a Schedule
For maximum spiritual benefit, set aside ample time to be alone with the Lord. Listen for His leading. The more time you spend with Him, the more meaningful your fast will be. For example:
- Starting your day
- Begin your day in praise and worship.
- Read and meditate on God’s Word.
- Invite the Holy Spirit to be with you during your day.
- Pray.
- Mid fast
- Take a short prayer walk, put your Bible app on audio mode and listen to God’s word during your walk.
- After your walk, spend time in prayer.
- Prior to breaking fast
- Get alone for an unhurried time of “seeking His face.”
- Be still and listen to His voice.
- Meditate on what He has taught you and revealed to you throughout your fasting time.
The above is just an example. Create your own schedule to fit your needs and goals.
STEP 4: Know the boundaries of your fast
Your time of fasting and prayer has come. You will find that you’ll start to have lots of questions. When does my fast start? When does it end? What can I have during my fast? Should I exercise? Those are just a few examples. We’ve listed below the standard boundaries that most people follow. But this is YOUR fast. It’s between you and God. Set your boundaries according to how you feel God is leading you.
- The fast starts as soon as you swallow your last bite of food on the evening before your fasting day.
- The fast ends 24 hours after your last bite. For example, if you finished dinner at 6:30 PM on Wednesday night, then you should break your fast at 6:30 PM on Thursday night.
- No food allowed at all. If it contains calories, its not allowed
- Drink lots of water
- Black coffee, unsweet teas, unflavored mineral water, unflavored sparkling water and unflavored seltzer water are allowed
- If you feel weak, you may need to supplement with electrolytes. This includes high quality salt, magnesium, pickle juice
- Exercise only moderately. Do not over exert yourself.
- Rest as much as your schedule will permit.
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Blessings,
Ronni
Restore Your Temple 