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Day 36 – April 16th:
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” Galatians 6:9 (NIV).
Day 37 – April 17th:
“I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead” Philippians 3:10–11 (NIV).
Day 38 – April 18th:
“So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes. I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed: “Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws” Daniel 9:3–5 (NIV).
Day 39 – April 19th:
“I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength” Philippians 4:11–13 (NIV).
Day 40 – April 20th (Last Day):
“Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ” Colossians 2:16–17 (NIV).
Sunday – April 14th (Non-Fast Day):
“There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience” Hebrews 4:9–11 (NIV).
Fasting will help you have a more intimate relationship with Christ. It will help you to overcome sin, bad habits, and help open your eyes to things that are displeasing to God in your life. Fasting and prayer is a time to separate yourself from your regular patterns and from things of the world and come closer to the Lord. There are so many benefits and reasons for fasting and so many ways to do it. Find out the best way for you. Find out the reason for your fasting and how long you plan on doing it for. However, the problem you long to be free of, may actually be designed to shape and develop you in becoming what the Lord has destined for your life. At the same time keep in mind not every problem will be solved through fasting and prayer, but you will gain wisdom, deeper spiritual insight, and understanding about who you are and the God of our Salvation. The very simple and direct conclusions can be drawn as this: First, if the Bible teaches us to do something, so God can do His part. You should want to obey the Lord in every way that He commands you to obey Him. And second, if fasting and praying are means to a breakthrough that God has for His children, you might want to undertake those disciplines so that you might experience that breakthrough! Fasting restrains our physical pleasure, but it enhances our spiritual pleasure. Our greatest pleasure comes by feasting on the person of Jesus. Fasting reduces the influence of our self-will and invites the Holy Spirit to do more intense work in us. Fasting and prayer can reveal our hidden sin. God can see our sins like a flashing neon sign. Nothing is hidden from His sight. We have found that the harder sins to acknowledge are often the hidden ones, especially when they involve our motives and attitudes. When we fast and pray, we are taking time away from a meal or an activity to devote our entire being to focus on God. We find we are more sensitive to the voice of God, more attuned to hearing what He has to reveal to us. Even though our recognition makes us want to hide our face, our loving Savior lifts our chin to look into his forgiving eyes. As we repent, we no longer want to hide, but rather praise and worship the very One who confronted our wrong. “My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from me, nor is their sin concealed from my eyes” Jeremiah 16:17 (NIV).
Fasting and prayer can teach us to pray with right motives. The more we focus on our prayer time, and press in with heightened sensitivity through the sacrifice of fasting, our will aligns with God’s. No longer are we praying with wrong motives, but we are petitioning the Lord with a heart of worship, gratitude and a concern for things outside of ourselves.“When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures” James 4:3 (NIV). Fasting and prayer can teach us self–control. It teaches us to resists immoral temptation, ungodliness and worldly passions, so that we can live with self–controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age. Because, this is conforming and self–gratification culture, we are not accustomed to waiting for anything, much less denying ourselves. Sacrifice teaches us self–control. When we have to resist the urge for a quick fix to our desire, hunger or even a basic need, we learn not to give up. We hold on; we persevere. “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.”Titus 2:11–12 (NIV). Self–control or temperance can be learned effectively through fasting, which can pour over into the most difficult and rigorous areas of our lives. This will form us more in the image of Christ, we become more like Jesus, which is God’s will is for us. We have come to know God like never before. His grace amazes us in that He would call us into this sacrificial relationship where we gain infinitely more than we give up. Consciously control your thought life and start to detox your brain. In the Bible, fasting (detoxing) was considered a key part of entering into and maintaining a powerful and spiritually dynamic walk with God. To fast biblically, you must voluntarily abstain from food, partially or completely for a period of time for a spiritual purpose. Now is the time to identify the toxins that could be causing your personal, professional and ministry problems. You must start by asking yourself what toxic things such as: food, habits, drugs, or even people do you need to remove from your daily lifestyle.
