We’re thrilled your committing the first part of your year to developing yourself spiritually.
Do you want 2020 to be the best year of your life? If so, commit to making it your best year spiritually. Make a decision, here and now, to seek Jesus with reckless abandon and watch as He begins to transform every area of your life! Trust me; I know from personal experience that there is no better investment you could make in yourself and in your family than to put God first in this way. That’s why we can confidently say this will be the best year of your life, if it’s your best year spiritually.
The goal of fasting is to draw nearer to God. Biblical fasting always has to do with eliminating distractions for a spiritual purpose; it hits the reset button of our soul and renews us from the inside out. It also enables us to celebrate the goodness and mercy of God and prepares our hearts for all the good things God desires to bring into our lives. Remember, your personal fast should present a level of challenge, but it is very important to know your body, your options, and, most importantly, to seek God in prayer and follow what the Holy Spirit leads you to do. God desires to bring into our lives.
Types of Fast
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.
Activity/Media Fast
Forgoing a time consuming activity such as entertainment, hobbies, TV, Internet, Sports. ETC. This fast is common for those who do not have much experience fasting food, who have health issues that prevent them from fasting food, or who wish to refocus certain areas of their lives that are out of balance. For instance, some might select to abstain from using social media or watching television for the duration of the fast, carefully bringing that element back into their lives in an orderly fashion at the conclusion of the fast.
3 Day Fast
This fast can be a Full Fast, Daniel Fast or give up at least one item of food.
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.
Complete Fast
In this type of fast, you drink only liquids, typically water with light juices as an option.
Timing of a Fast
Your personal fast should present a level of challenge, but it is very important to know your body, your options, and most importantly, to seek God in prayer and follow what the Holy Spirit leads you to do.
At the Bridge of Hope Church, we are entering a time of Prayer and Fasting, a season of focused prayer as a church family. 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. The timing of your fast is not as important as the strength of your focus on God as you fast.
Scripture References
Matthew 6:16-18
Matthew 9:14-15
Luke 18:9-14
Acts 27:33-37
Nehemiah 9:1-3
https://www.cru.org/train-and-grow/spiritual-growth/fasting/7-steps-to-fasting.html.