Here are seven things to think about as you consider your fast.
· Everything is an experiment. If you have never fasted before, consider using this 21-day period as your first experiment.
· Jesus assumes you will fast. Jesus promoted fasting to His disciples when He said in Matthew 6:16 "when you fast . . . the Lord will reward you in secret." Interestingly, He didn't say "if" you fast—He assumes we will fast.
· The Holy Spirit guides us when we fast. The disciples found direction through fasting. Acts 13:2 says "while they were worshipping and fasting, the Holy Spirit directed them . . ."
· God rewards those who seek Him. God gives us an invitation with a promise in Hebrews 11:6b - "the Lord is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." Fasting with prayer brings us the greatest reward: His presence in our lives.
· It's WHO you are and WHOSE you are that matter most. We have chosen this fast to begin at the beginning of 2023. You might want to use this fact to help you establish or re-establish your commitment to having your identity firmly rooted and planted in Jesus Christ. We know that living in our culture can cause us to shape our identity around what we DO instead of who we are. Why is this important? Because it's in knowing our identity as sons and daughters that enables us to thrive in our current assignments from the Lord.
The main mission of the enemy of your soul is identity theft. He wants to confuse you into thinking your job, career plans, bank accounts, significant other, house, car—your "fill in the blank"—are what define you. These are all good things and many are gifts from the Lord. But to allow them to give us definition is a cheap imitation of who you really are: a beloved son or daughter of the King. When you fast from having your identity in anything but Jesus, you deepen your determination to being called to Jesus only.
· What fasting is not. Fasting is not an activity that is based in striving to "do" anything for the Lord. Fasting is setting time apart for a season to intentionally hear from God and to grow closer to Him. It's not activity-based, it's relationship-based.
· What kind of fasting should you do? Pray about it! It's between you and the Lord. Historically, we find many fasts in the Bible that involve giving something up and replacing it with prayer. Here are some ideas:
· Fast from a particular food (Daniel fasted from meat and ate only vegetables and water for 10 days).
· Fast from a particular meal or meals. Instead of eating that meal, use the time to pray for breakthrough in a certain situation.
· Fast from prayerlessness, self-sufficiency, and self-reliance. Instead, make daily declarations of your dependence on God through prayer.
· Fast from identity theft. Seriously! Make a daily commitment to review with the Lord anything in which you are allowing yourself to find your identity other than Him (career, job, social media, etc.)
· Fast from fear, anxiety and worry (replace those things with prayers of dependence, trust and peace).
· Fast from negativity. Are you prone to criticism of others and/or yourself? What if you fasted being critical and every time you had a critical thought you prayed for the person or situation you feel negative about?
