CCOG Newsletter

As we prepare for our 21 days of prayer and fasting, there are some aspects to consider. You should begin to discuss with the Lord what He would have you to fast:

1. Complete Fast - you may choose to do this from sunrise to sunset, 24 hours, or more. To do this, abstain from all foods, but remember to stay hydrated. You (and the Lord) decide if this means water only or can include black coffee/unsweetened tea (for those who need caffeine). This type of fasting requires preparation for your body. Start by limiting carb intake and increasing your liquid intake. Take smaller meals between now and the time you plan to begin this type of fasting. When you finish, start back slowly with broth, fruits, and vegetables to reset your system to receive solid food. This is beneficial for those who have no medical issues which would require them to eat at certain times.

2. Daniel Fast - eating only fruits, vegetables, nuts/seeds, and grains. Abstain from meat, dairy, snacks, processed foods, and caffeine. This type of fast is based upon Daniel 1:12 and 10:3, in which Daniel abstained for 10 days and 21 days, respectively. You may choose to do this fast for any length of time during the 21 days of fasting. This fast is beneficial for those who have a medical need to eat or a need based on the physical demands of their job.

3. Partial Fast - what you give up is between you and the Lord. You may choose to abstain from a meal each day, fast one type of food (ex. sweets, junk food, etc.), give up entertainment (social media, TV, secular music, etc.), or surrender a habit you need to break (spending, caffeine, alcohol, etc.). This is useful for those who are new to fasting or if the Lord is dealing with you about something specific to fast.

I also encourage you to have a prayer focus. Without prayer and Bible reading, you are simply dieting (not that dieting is a bad thing!). Is there a specific need that you have that you want to fast about? Do you have lost loved ones? A tough decision? An issue that just keeps plaguing you? This is the perfect time to pray about these things. Additionally, keep your Bible near you. Reach for it when you begin craving food or your phone. Do not be discouraged when your body begins to rebel - headaches, stomach rumbling, or grumpiness. These are indications that the fast is working. Encourage and pray for one another in this process. Remember, we are doing this to follow the example of Christ.

When I started fasting, I thought it was a matter of postponing a meal for 2 hours and then throwing myself on everything I could find in the fridge. Fasting seemed like torture to me and I didn't understand what it was for. I later discovered a lot of powerful truths about fasting, which led me to do regular fasts and then extended fasts of 3, 7, 21, or 40 days.

The first thing we experience when we fast is hunger! If you are hungry, it is normal, it is not proof of lack of spiritual maturity or personal incompatibility with this spiritual practice, as I thought at the beginning.

One of the most important prayers in my life is: "Lord, make me hungry and thirsty for you." Indeed, I have seen that God has prepared a table, that it is full of good things for us, but that God invites the hungry and thirsty to come and help themselves. So it is possible to miss things prepared by the Lord for us because of our lack of hunger for spiritual things.

Hunger can prevent us from sleeping, it can preoccupy our thoughts and become a priority over other activities. It can overturn our shyness and make us ask for food, it can crush our pride and make us beg or eat what we don't like. When we are hungry, we are willing to pay a higher price for food.

In the same way, hunger and thirst for the things of God drive us to seek him. They give us the audacity to seek God. It is this attitude that Jesus describes when he says that it is the violent ones who seize the kingdom of God. When we are hungry for God, no circumstance can prevent us from entering into his presence, from contemplating him, from satiating ourselves with his blessings.

So I fast first of all to be hungry, and when I feel this hunger, I say to my body, "You shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Lord, I am hungry for you, speak to me. I fast to learn to desire God's word more than anything else.”

Specifically, it is the first 3 days that we feel the most hungry when we stop eating. Then, the digestive system rests and the hunger disappears, replaced by dreams of food!

Let us pray together.

Lord, I believe that you have good things for me, please help me fast to create, maintain and increase my spiritual thirst. Teach me to desire your word more than anything else, in the name of Jesus, AMEN