Fasting booklets

Your Guide to Fasting & Prayer
Fasting is the most powerful spiritual discipline of all the Christian disciplines. Through fasting and prayer, the Holy Spirit can transform your life. Fasting and prayer can also work on a much grander scale. According to Scripture, personal experience and observation, I am convinced that when God's people fast with a proper Biblical motive-seeking God's face not His hand-with a broken, repentant, and contrite spirit, God will hear from heaven and heal our lives, our churches, our communities, our nation and world. Fasting and prayer can bring about revival - a change in the direction of our nation, the nations of earth and the fulfillment of the Great Commission. The awesome power can be released through you as you fast through the enabling of the Holy Spirit. These pages are designed to answer your practical questions about fasting and ease any concerns you might have. In these pages, you will learn: How long and what type of fast is right for you How to prepare yourself spiritually and physically How to manage your schedule while fasting How to deal with the responses of friends and loved ones How to make your spiritual experience the best it can be How to maintain nutritional balance and health from beginning to end (including specific juice and broth recipes) How to finish your fast and return to your normal schedule in a HEALTHY way Why Fast?
If you do not already know of the power and importance of fasting, here are some very important facts: Fasting was an expected discipline in both the Old and New Testament eras. For example, Moses fasted at least two recorded forty-day periods. Jesus fasted 40 days and reminded His followers to fast, "when you fast," not if you fast. Fasting and prayer can restore the loss of the "first love" for your Lord and result in a Fasting is a biblical way to truly humble yourself in the sight of God (Psalm 35:13; Ezra 8:21). King David said, "I humble myself through fasting." Fasting enables the Holy Spirit to reveal your true spiritual condition, resulting in brokenness, repentance, and a transformed life. The Holy Spirit will quicken the Word of God in your heart and His truth will become Fasting can transform your prayer life into a richer and more personal experience. Fasting can result in a dynamic personal revival in your own life-and make you a channel of revival to others. Fasting and prayer are the only disciplines that fulfill the requirements of II Chronicles 7:14: "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 will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." If you fast, you will find yourself being humbled as I did. You will discover more time to pray and seek God's face. And as He leads you to recognize and repent of unconfessed sin, you will experience special blessings from God. How To Fast Safely
As you begin your fast, you may hear from concerned loved ones and friends who urge you to protect your health. And they are right. You should protect your health. But I assure you, if done properly, fasting will not only prove to be a spiritual blessing, but physical blessing as well. You may have a physical problem that would make fasting unwise or dangerous. Also, if you are under any type of medication, make sure you talk to your doctor before changing your regime. Prudence and caution are in order. In spite of the absolute safety and benefits of fasting, there are certain persons who may not be able to fast without professional supervision. For example: Persons who are physically too thin or emaciated. Persons who are prone to anorexia, bulimia, or other behavioral disorders. Persons who have tumors, bleeding ulcers, cancer, blood diseases, or who have heart disease. Those who suffer chronic problems with kidneys, liver, lungs, heart, or other important organs. Individuals who take insulin for diabetes, or suffer any other blood sugar problem such as hyperglycemia. How Long & What Type Of Fast?
If you have never fasted before, I applaud your present interest! Fasting has been a major emphasis in the lives of many of the great spiritual leaders throughout history. John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist denomination, fasted every Wednesday and Friday and required all of his clergy to do the same. Effective ministers of God from the apostle Paul to Martin
Luther to John Calvin made it a continual part of their walks with God. None of those men had
a "formula fast" that was the only "right" way. Fasting is about the condition of the heart, not
the number of days. So, start slowly. Fast for one meal a day, or one day a week, or one week
a month.
The Bible Recounts Primarily Two Types of Fasts
A partial fast is described in the book of Daniel. Although the water fast seemed to be the
custom of the prophet, there was a three-week period in which he only abstained from
"delicacies," meat, and wine (Daniel 10:3).
The two primary types mentioned in the Bible are the "absolute" and "supernatural absolute"
fasts. These are total fasts-no food (solid or liquid) and no water. Paul went on an absolute fast
for three days following his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:9). Moses and Elijah engaged in what must be considered a supernatural absolute fast of forty days (Deuteronomy 9:9; I Kings 19:8). So, I strongly advice you to drink plenty of liquids. Obviously, if God leads you to undertake an absolute fast, you should obey. If so, be certain, without doubt, that God is leading you. Water-only fasts that last for more than several days need to be undertaken with complete rest and under medical supervision because of the extreme danger of over-toxification, breakdown of vital body tissues, and loss of electrolytes. I personally recommend and practice water and juice fasting, especially if you are going to fast for an extended period of time. This type of fast will provide you with more energy than absolute or water-only fasts and still lead you into the humbling experience of denying your desire for solid food that you can chew. When it comes to making your final decision about what type of fast is right for you, the best advise I can give you is to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. He will guide your heart and mind as to what is best for you. Remember, the most important
consideration in fasting is your motive. Why are you fasting? To seek something personally from
God's hand or to seek His face in worship, praise and thanksgiving?
Other Types Of Fast:
Media (TV, Facebook, Twitter, Internet, etc.)
Spiritual Preparation
In preparation for this special time with God, I strongly urge you to examine your heart, and
detect any unconfessed sin. Scripture records that God always requires His people to repent of
their sins before He will hear their prayers. King David said:
Come and hear, all of you who reverence the Lord, and I will tell you what he did for me: For I
cried to him for help, with praises ready on my tongue. He would not have listened if I had
not confessed my sins. But he listened! He heard my prayer! He paid attention to it!
Blessed be God who didn't turn away when I was praying, and didn't refuse me his kindness and
love. (Psalm 66:16-20)
Physical Preparation
Although fasting is primarily a spiritual discipline, it begins in the physical realm. You should
not fast without specific physical preparation. If you plan on fasting for several days, you will
find it helpful to begin by eating smaller meals before you abstain altogether. Resist the urge
to have that "last big feast" before the fast. Cutting down on your meals a few days before you
begin the fast will signal your mind, stomach, and appetite that less food is acceptable. Some health professionals suggest eating only raw foods for two days before starting a fast. I also recommend weaning yourself off caffeine and sugar products to ease your initial hunger or discomfort at the early stages of your fast. How long you fast, the kind of fast you undertake, and how you adjust your work schedule depends mostly on your occupation. Persons with office jobs, pastors, or homemakers may find it easier to continue their duties and fast for longer periods of time. Though there are many who engage in strenuous physical labor and have enjoyed their extended fast, if you are so engaged, you may wish to fast only one or more days of the week, limiting yourselves to partial fasting if you are so engaged. Or you may look to weekends as the prime time to abstain from food. Reasons for schedule adjustments, especially during an extended fast, are two-fold. The first is physical. Throughout your fast, you may feel somewhat weaker than normal.
During the first few days, you may feel tired and irritable. Lightening your workload and
cutting down on strenuous exercise would be a very good idea to maintain your health and your
morale.
The second reason is spiritual. Fasting is not just denying yourself food. It is exchanging the
needs of the physical body for those of the spiritual. Long times of prayer and reading God's
Word will be very essential if you are to enter into a more intimate communion with God to maintain your fast to its completion. While fasting, if you dissipate your energy on numerous errands or busy-work to the neglect of spending special time with God, you will starve both physically and spiritually. You will find yourself becoming discouraged and frustrated with your fast instead of being benefited and uplifted and blessed. I don't want that to happen to you. The more time you spend with God in fellowship, worship, and adoration of Him, and the more you read and meditate upon His Word, the greater your effectiveness will be in prayer and the more meaningful your fast will be. So I encourage you to arrange your schedule accordingly!

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