03 Feb Introduction to Fasting

Dear Central Life Family,

One of the goals for this 14-day fast is that you would personally experience a new intimacy in your relationship with God. As you begin, we encourage you to prepare your heart spiritually.

The foundation for fasting and prayer is repentance. Unconfessed sin can hinder your prayers. Here are several things you can do to prepare your heart:

• Remember that God is your Father and He loves you and is for you.
• Confess every sin that the Holy Spirit calls to your remembrance and accept God’s forgiveness (1 John 1:9).
• Seek forgiveness from people whom you have offended, and forgive those who have hurt you (Mark 11:25; Luke 11:4; 17:3,4).
• Ask God to fill you with His Holy Spirit according to his command in Ephesians 5:18 and His promise in 1 John 5:14,15
• Surrender your life fully to Jesus Christ as your Lord; refuse to obey your worldly nature (Romans 12:1,2).
• Begin your time of fasting and prayer with an expectant heart (Hebrews 11:6).
• Do not underestimate spiritual opposition. Satan sometimes intensifies the natural battle between body and spirit (Galatians 5:16,17).

Final fasting tips:

• Keep your fridge and pantry stocked with the items you need. Being unprepared to fast sets you up to give into temptation.
• Make it a priority to attend church during your 14-day fast. Being around other believers will encourage you to keep on going when fasting gets difficult.
• If you are fasting with others, you may want to meet together in a small-group setting. You can share what God is showing you in your devotional time as well as spend time in prayer together.
• If you mess up, don’t get discouraged. Just get right back on track and keep going. God’s mercies “are new every morning” (Lamentations 3:22-23). He wants you to finish, and He will give you the grace and strength to do it! If you sincerely humble yourself before the Lord, repent, pray, and seek God’s face; if you consistently meditate on His word, you will experience a heightened awareness of His presence (John 14:21). The Lord will give you fresh, new spiritual insights. Your confidence and faith in God will be strengthened and you will feel refreshed.

Our prayer is that this will be a significant time in your life where you experience God’s presence like never before!

Praying expectantly with you,

Ps James and Anna