A new adventure is about to begin

I am getting excited about the “21 Days of Prayer” beginning on January 11th. Since telling our church family last Sunday about this time of prayer and fasting, I have gotten many questions about fasting. This has helped me realize the need to direct everyone to some fasting resources.

Let me start by letting you know up front that we are not asking everyone to go 21 days without any food. Especially, if you have never fasted for an extended period of time. We are asking everyone who calls ROCK Church home to fast something from January 11-31. You may fast one meal, one day, one week or the whole 21 days.

In order to have a successful time of prayer and fasting, I encourage everyone to begin your preparations now. There are several ways for you to start getting ready:

• Do some research on the different types of prayer and fasting. Here are a few resources I have found recently.
  • Awakening
  • Jentezen Franklin on fasting
  • Campus Crusade for Christ – How to Fast
  • Campus Crusade for Christ – 7 Basic Steps to Fasting
• Ask God what type of fast you should do.
• Clear time in your schedule for prayer. Fasting without prayer will only make you hungry and irritable. Fasting with prayer will supercharge your spirit.
• Prepare spiritually. We are not taking this time so that we will be physically hungry. We are setting aside these 21 days so that our spirit man will feast and grow strong. As we prepare our hearts and plan for times of focused prayer, we set ourselves up for success. I would encourage you to join us for prayer each Wednesday at 7:00pm in the auditorium during this season. Also, set aside time each day to read the Bible. We will post a daily devotional as we read through the Book of John.
• Prepare physically.The more intense the fast you will undertake, the more important it is to wean yourself from sugar, caffeine and as much salt as possible. Please consult with your physician before beginning a fast, especially if you take prescription medication or have a chronic ailment. Some persons should never fast without professional supervision.

I want to thank Pastor Matt Fry for inviting our church to be a part of this time of prayer and fasting. He has been a tremendous encourager to me personally over the last few months. I believe ROCK Church is better because of his input.

I must admit that this will be a new thing for me. I have taken times in the past and devoted them to prayer and fasting. But, I have never done an extended fast before. This year, I am committing to a Daniel Fast. I am nervous and excited all at the same time. More than anything else, I want my spirit to grow stronger and for Jesus to be glorified.

I’ll post more in the next few days. How are you getting ready?