Fasting is a time to focus all our attention on God alone. Fasting is starving the flesh, not the body to feed the spirit. It’s a subtle but significant difference. This is not about punishing our bodies. The word “flesh” in the New Testament symbolises earthly desires that can distract us from a deeper reliance on God.

For example, Galatians 5:16-18 (NKJV) says ‘Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.’

It’s the battle of the flesh and the spirit. The good thing is, our spirit is in contact with the Spirit of God. As a follower of Jesus, the call is to crucify or starve the flesh, so that we can feed the spirit – and scriptures tell us true freedom is found when we do that.

When we fast, ideally the desire for fleshly things decrease, whilst our spiritual desires are strengthened and increase. When our spirit is stronger the desire to indulge in unhealthy or even unproductive habits decreases and our desire to pray and read His word and extend His love to others grows.

Additionally the power is in both prayer & fasting. The combination of prayer and fasting is right through scripture. We can do both without each other, however, there is something extra that takes place when we combine them. There is significance in seeking God with everything. Jeremiah 29:13 says that – ‘You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.’

When we fast, the spirit is brought to the forefront and you may find you will hear God clearer and be led in the types of things to pray for.  It’s interesting to note that all of the great ancient philosophers fasted, men like Socrates and Plato. They established that when we fast our minds are sharper, more alert and can cut through the noise and exhaustion of life.  During a church corporate fast, we’ll be providing you with daily prayer prompts. However, below are some Biblical examples of things people would pray for during fasts.  

Prayers of Repentance.  Repentance means to rearrange our entire way of thinking and feeling in order to turn from that which is wrong.  Biblically, to repent is to turn from your sin and to walk in the other direction.  In Joel 2:12 God says “repent sincerely and return to me with fasting and weeping and mourning.”  Fasting is a way to repent well, to invite the Spirit of God to help us confess and rearrange our thinking, feelings and actions.   

Prayers for grieving. Fasting is a way to process our grief with God as we let him into our pain and heartache.  God’s people often fasted when grieving over their sin or loss.  2 Samuel 1:12 says ‘the Israelites wept and fasted the rest of the day, grieving the death of Saul and his son Jonathan, and also the army of God and the nation Israel, victims in a failed battle.’ 

Prayers for breakthrough. In Dunkirk in May 1940, over 300,000 Allied soldiers were trapped in the north of France with the German army closing in. This looked to be one of the greatest disasters in UK military history with the British army facing annihilation.  King George VI took the bold step of calling the entire nation to a day of prayer and fasting.

All around the country, people queued up outside churches to pray. People at home called out to God for their loved ones, pleading with Him to rescue them.  What happened next was staggering: the opposing German army made strategic mistakes, freak localised storms grounded enemy attack aircraft, while calm waters allowed for small British boats to join navy ships in reaching their forces. Fog cover kept them safe. In all, over 330,000 soldiers were evacuated, more than ten times the estimate.  God is a God of breakthrough and responds to our humility and desperation.  

Prayers for clarity.  

Fasting is an intentional choice to press into the depths of God’s heart, and when we do, our spirits are more finely tuned to hear His plans and move forward in our divine purposes.  The apostles modelled this in Acts 13: after fasting and praying, God spoke to them to send out Paul & Barnabas for work He had called them to do.   

Prayers for protection from evil.  

In Matthew 17, Jesus casts out a demon from a young boy.  Jesus explained that this kind of evil does not go out except by prayer & fasting.  

A key to successful fasting is to fast within community. The first thing a Navy Seal is taught when starting basic underwater training is the importance of your swim buddy. He’s your team mate and you never separate for any reason. Together there is a much higher chance of survival. Likewise, fasting with a friend is so powerful because we have someone else going through the same fasting experience. We can encourage each other in the moments we feel like quitting. We can share what God is showing us and can come out the other side together changed. If you’re part of a Group, gathering over the fasting period to pray and support each other is so helpful.

• Consider the power of a made-up mind.  

Much like a runner whose greatest secret is to have a made-up mind on the distance they’re running before starting the run, one of the greatest keys with fasting, is to make a decision before we start how long we’ll fast for.  Writing your commitment down, telling others for accountability purposes and planning your diary well to avoid tempting situations all helps to stick to your decision. However, if you do falter, don’t let that stop you, just pick up from where you had your ‘pause’ moment and keep pressing into God.  

• Don’t over commit.  

A marathon runner can’t just turn up to the race line without any training. It’s best to start with small runs to prepare the body. In the same way, when we start to fast we should start small, start short – our bodies require conditioning to it. Once we’ve succeeded at a one day fast, the prospect of a three day fast becomes far less daunting.   

• Prepare well in the kitchen.  

It’s a great idea to be well prepared in the kitchen before the fast begins.   Possibly prepare some meals in advance, particularly if we’re responsible for providing meals for family. Or maybe you need to stock up on all the essential Daniel Fast foods so you can avoid the supermarkets on your fasting days.  

• You may need to talk to a doctor before you begin a fast.  

We recommend that you consult with your doctor or health professional before taking part in any fast; especially for persons with medical conditions, anyone taking medication, pregnant women and mothers who are nursing. All children and youth under the care of parents need to consult with their parents or caregivers if they are taking part in fasting.  On completing the fast we advise that you not rush back into eating the regular foods you ate before the fast, as it may cause some minor discomfort in your body.