How and why we fast

Welcome to 2011 and the start to the 21 Days of Fasting and Prayer!

I get lots of questions about why and how to fast during this time, so I figured I'd address a few of them here. Please download and read the flyer/ schedule that we've provided for the church here.

Why we fast?

• It's a biblical mandate and a basic discipline of Jesus-followers. Throughout the Bible many key figures fasted (Moses, David, Esther, Daniel, Nehemiah), and namely Jesus fasted for 40 days before He began His formal ministry. The apostles and Jesus-followers of the early Church followed Jesus' example and fasted regularly (see Acts 13:2-3).


• We fast to leverage our natural appetites as an alarm to keep focused attention on God during a season of prayer. In essence, every time I get hungry, it's a reminder to pray and meditate on God's Word and continue to seek His face.

Why 21 days or any other length of time?

• Our 21 day fast is taken from the example of Daniel when he was fasting for breakthrough from God (Daniel 10:2-3).


• There is nothing sacred about 21 days or 7 or 40, but there are biblical examples of each.


• The point isn't to see how long a person can go without food, but to seek God and cry out to Him in desperation for our own needs, but more importantly, for the needs of the Church, our community, and our nation, even the earth.


• At Lifehouse, we do a 21 day fast from the model of Daniel- claiming breakthrough from God for the spiritual needs of our community and asking God's blessing over the Church of this region.


• Honestly, I personally started fasting to kick-off each year when I was in Bible college. First, I fasted 3 days, then a week the next year. After 10 years of fasting personally, I decided to lead our church in this discipline to start each New Year.

How do we fast? What kind of fast do we do?

• There are several different ways to fast: Daniel's fast (meats and sweets), media fast (give up TV, recreational internet, movies, etc), all food, liquids only, water only, and sunrise to sunset liquid only (standard Jewish method).


• There is no right way if your heart is right. The point is to use your appetite(s) as a reminder to focus your attention on God.


• This is a great opportunity to build new habits and kick old ones, so consider fasting TV, video games, or some food that you no isn't good for you.


• If you haven't fasted before, I'd recommend not going 21 days with liquids only, especially if you have a physically demanding job.


• Consider fasting your favorite meal of the day, or fast meats and sweets. I ask our leadership team to do a media fast during this time (it keeps us focused on God and not filling our minds with unnecessary trash).


• There is nothing "holy" or super-spiritual about a more extreme fast. I personally do a liquid only fast for these 21 days, but part of my reason is that I'm so thick, that it probably takes this much time for me to recalibrate, get refocused on God, and clear away all the junk that's built up over the past few months.


• IMPORTANT: this is NOT an effective weight loss plan. Do not fast to loose weight, trust me, you'll gain most the weight you loose back quickly, unless your are establishing good habits during the fast.

My recommendations:

• Fast one meal per day and set consistent prayer times each day and start reading through the Bible.


• If you are able, consider a liquid only fast for a few days during the week.


• Come to corporate prayer times at 6-7am and 7-8pm. Praying with other passionate Jesus-followers will both challenge and encourage your prayer life and focus.

Let's see what God does as we humble ourselves and seek His face, and turn from our wicked ways. Let's pray that God heals our land and transforms our communities!