Opening prayer and transition
Prayer for healing of minds, emotions, and bodies in Jesus’ name.
Blessing over the people and light-hearted comment about “sinners/singers” saved by grace.
Transition to the morning teaching and reference to the notes on fasting and prayer.
Purpose of the teaching
Many new people in the church do not fully understand prayer and fasting.
Long-time members also need renewed direction, inspiration, and encouragement from Scripture for an effective and profitable fast.
Pastor’s personal struggle with coughing and mic; testimony of praying over the upcoming fast and the church.
Realization: the Lord, as the Good Shepherd, cares more about the people and their fasting than the pastor does.
Emphasis that believers must hear the Shepherd’s voice; call to open hearts and spirits to the Word and notes.
What fasting is (definition and biblical basis)
Fasting described as a spiritual discipline taught in the Bible, not an afterthought or optional for Christians.
Reference to Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7) and the three practices: praying, giving, fasting (“when you pray… when you give… when you fast,” not “if”).
Reading/summary of Matthew 6:16–18:
Do not fast to impress others; keep normal appearance; the Father sees in secret and rewards openly.
Clarification: corporate fast cannot be fully secret, but the heart motive still must be God-centered, not people-centered.
Cultural critique: problem of overeating and food addictions; fasting is needed, not optional.
Why fast? Main reasons
1. Health and personal reset
Fasting brings health benefits; warning about “digging graves with forks and spoons.”
Pastor’s personal testimony: fasting at the beginning of the year as a “reset” that affects months afterward and increases awareness of what is eaten.
2. Fasting gives more time for prayer
Time normally used for preparing, eating, and cleaning up can be redirected to prayer.
Acknowledgment of family responsibilities; encouragement to use available time for prayer.
Biblical link between fasting and prayer: example from Acts 13 (worshiping, fasting, Holy Spirit speaks, Paul/Barnabas set apart).
Explanation of the church’s prayer schedule for the fasting week (Monday–Friday, 6:30–8:30 with personal prayer, worship, exhortation, and corporate prayer each night, plus guest ministers and special focuses).
3. Fasting shows the depth of desire in prayer
Fasting demonstrates how serious and desperate a person is about a prayer need.
Challenge to those struggling with addictions, family issues, or sin to get desperate enough to say no to food.
Story of a former pastor who listed God’s blessings and then asked, “What are you willing to do?”
Scriptural support from Joel:
Call a holy fast, sacred assembly; return to God with all the heart, with fasting and weeping.
Teaching that fasting “turbocharges” prayer and reaches the core of one’s being.
4. Fasting releases God’s supernatural power
Observation of revival signs: increased Bible sales, campus awakenings, baptisms, and renewed spirituality.
Note that whenever God moves, the devil attacks (division, discouragement, defeat, depression, doubt).
Emphasis that united prayer and fasting delivers decisive blows to the enemy.
Ezra 8:23 (“we fasted and prayed… and he answered”).
Isaiah 58:6 (fasting that loosens chains of injustice, breaks yokes, sets oppressed free).
Testimony of church growth attributed to prayer and fasting (services, groups, leaders, missions).
Warning: forward movement invites spiritual resistance, requiring vigilance and continued fasting.
Importance of fasting in Scripture (examples)
Often precedes major victories, miracles, and answered prayers.
Moses fasting before receiving the Ten Commandments.
Israelites fasting before miraculous victory.
Daniel fasting for guidance and understanding God’s plan (reading Jeremiah, receiving revelation).
Personal example: pastor fasting over whom to marry and other major decisions (work, place to live, business partnerships, missions trips).
Nehemiah fasting and praying before rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls, completing a century-old problem in 52 days.
Jesus fasting 40 days before public ministry and during temptation in the wilderness.
First Christians fasting during key decision-making (Acts 13, etc.).
Application: fast over important life decisions; don’t rely on human wisdom alone.
Precautions and heart posture in fasting
Earning answers or manipulating God.
A hunger strike against God.
Aligning with God’s will and opening space for what God already desires to do.
Fast only as health allows; consider partial fasts if on medication, etc.
Warning against “sneaky” or superficial consecrations (e.g., trivial fasting windows that cost nothing).
Encouragement to make fasting truly sacrificial and appropriate to one’s work and physical capacity.
Practical guidance: types and structure of fasting
Types of fasts mentioned:
Water fast (all food and juices abstained from; not recommended for everyone for five days).
Partial fast (eliminating certain foods or meals).
Juice fast (fruit or vegetable juices only).
Counsel on nutrition and physical activity:
Ensure nutrients; limit strenuous exercise; do not let exercise become an excuse to skip prayer/fasting.
Guidance on breaking the fast:
Avoid heavy foods immediately (e.g., burritos, large meals); ease back into eating with lighter foods like fruit.
Corporate fasting and commitment
Corporate fast provides structure, accountability, and mutual encouragement.
Testimony of previous years:
New believers and first-time fasters completing five days.
Past 21-day fast (juice/soup only) and challenges met by the congregation.
Value of structure: same as work or school schedules; helps people follow through.
Mention of attendance statistics from previous years and desire to see increased participation (with the reminder that numbers represent people, not pride).
Fasting as assumed biblical practice
Jesus says “when you fast,” implying fasting is assumed for Christians.
Note of a resurgence of fasting teaching in recent decades, including influence from African and global churches.
Observation: when God prepares to move, he stirs people to prayer and fasting.
Biblical reasons people fasted (summary list)
Seeking God’s protection and deliverance.
Called to repentance and renewal.
Humbling themselves in worship.
Dangers in the discipline
Risk of empty ritual or fasting without meaning.
Encouragement to start fasting and seek right motives as you go.
Repeated call to hear the Good Shepherd’s voice and recognize that God wants to speak, guide, and bless more than people often realize.
Fasting as feasting on Jesus
John Wesley quote: fasting must be done unto the Lord, with the eye singly fixed on Him, to glorify the Father.
Story of an Indian orphanage that fasts every Friday and calls it “feasting on Jesus,” praying specifically for the American church.
Call to fast and leadership responsibility
Fasting starts with spiritual leaders and elders; leaders must model what they preach.
Fasting often arises from spiritual desperation and urgency: “turn to me now while there is time.”
Warning about increasing end-time deception; need for discernment and closeness to God.
Fasting and inner focus
Fasting is more about focus than food; more about saying yes to the Spirit than no to the body.
It is an outward response to an inward cry, an expression of brokenness and need.
Calls to return to God with the heart, not just external religious acts (rending hearts, not garments).
Fasting as response of a broken heart; God is drawn to the weak, broken, needy.
Immense responsibility and mission
Believers carry the immense responsibility to be salt and light, preaching the gospel to a lost world.
Fasting is a humble response to this responsibility, seeking God’s help and power to fulfill the mission.
Closing exhortation and prayer
Pastor expresses desire to communicate God’s heart and encourage participation in the fast.
Emphasis that God wants to speak and move, and fasting clears space in the heart.
Call to fresh consecration and commitment for individuals and families.
Prayer that God will bless and strengthen everyone who takes part, and closing invitation to join nightly prayer during the fasting week.
