Fasting is all about a desire for God. It is about being open to the presence of God in our lives. It is about creating space to hear from God. It is about focusing our attention and affection on God as we seek to know Him more and as we make our requests known to Him without our normal distractions.

WHY FAST?

• Deepening Spiritual Focus: a way to center oneself on God and deepen one's spiritual life.
• Enhancing Prayer: making it more focused and sincere.
• Connection With God: cultivating a more profound connection with God.
• Seeking Guidance: fasting can be a way to seek divine guidance or wisdom when facing important decisions or seeking clarity.
• Repentance & Humility: by fasting, Christians express sorrow of their sins and demonstrate a humble spirit before God, asking for forgiveness and renewal.
• Spiritual Strength: fasting can help Christians build spiritual discipline and resilience.
• Solidarity with the Needy: fasting can foster empathy, solidarity, and compassion with those who are less fortunate
• Preparation for Significant religious seasons and events: Lent, Advent, Marriage, etc.

HOW TO BEGIN YOUR FAST

1. Set your objective
2. Make your commitment
3. Prepare yourself spiritually
4. Prepare yourself physically
5. Put yourself on a schedule
6. End your fast gradually
7. Expect results

Although fasting in Scripture is almost always a fasting from food for a certain period of time. There are different types of fasting in the Bible, however, and not all of them involve food. Anything given up temporarily in order to focus all our attention on God can be considered a fast (1 Corinthians 7:1-5). 

Scripture does not command Christians to fast. God does not require or demand it of Christians. At the same time, the Bible presents fasting as something that is good, profitable, and beneficial. The book of Acts records believers fasting before they made important decisions (Acts 13:2; 14:23). Fasting and prayer are often linked together (Luke 2:37; 5:33). Too often, the focus of fasting is on the lack of food. Instead, the purpose of fasting should be to take your eyes off the things of this world to focus completely on God. Fasting is a way to demonstrate to God, and to ourselves, that we are serious about our relationship with Him. Fasting helps us gain a new perspective and a renewed reliance upon God.

During 21 Days of Prayer, NEWSONG is fasting as a community, should you desire to do so. We will be fasting on Wednesdays during the month of September.

EXAMPLES OF A FAST (sunrise to sunset)

• Food (make sure to drink water, perhaps juices, or teas)
• Social Media
• TV
• Cell Phones

OTHER SCRIPTURES ON FASTING

Matthew 16:16-18, 1 Kings 21:9

Matthew 17:14-21, 2 Chronicles 20:3

Mark 2:19, Ezra 8:21

Mark 9:29, Esther 4:16

Acts 10:30, Daniel 9:3

Isaiah 58:6, Jeremiah 36:9