Our church is focused on fasting for the month of August. We’re seeking the Lord together. This series of blog posts will compile our daily prayer guide and give further food for thought (because you’re not eating real food). While we fast in secret, we are not alone in thinking biblically about it. Let’s encourage and pray for one another in this time.
Donald Whitney writes in this article about fasting.
https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/the-discipline-of-fasting/
While he does not enumerate all of the different purposes for fasting, he points at several of them. Most importantly, he calls us to not lose sight of the gospel. We’re not fasting biblically if we have forgotten the gospel, or if it is not associated with the spread of the gospel.
As we continue through this month, let’s pray that we all grow in our faithful devotion to God alone, better understanding his purposes for us.
Below you will find our first week’s prayer guide:
Worshiping the Lord and Fasting
(Acts 13:2)
For the entire month of August, we, as a church family, will be before the Lord in a special time of worship. We have called for a corporate commitment to fast and pray, as each is able in an effort to not only recover a neglected spiritual discipline but to position ourselves to see God work in amazing ways in and through us as a church family. While the focus is primarily on church planting, as you will see we are not limited to that topic. The elders will publish a daily schedule each week so that we can be together as we move through the month. This is only a guide so feel free to move beyond what is suggested. We hope you find the guide helpful. If you have any questions, please contact your elder.
The first week is drawn primarily from Joey Parker’s sermon on fasting delivered on Sunday morning, July 26.
Day 1
Target the Heart: Discipline
We fast in freedom. We are not creating a new law that says how long you must fast, how often you must fast or that you even have to fast. It should not be a burden, but rather a spiritual discipline we freely take part in together this month to aid our prayers. Our fasting is in response to God’s goodness and grace in our lives, not an effort to earn his favor.
Target the Word: Nehemiah 1: 1-6
Target God: Strength
Pray that God would grant us all the needed strength for prayer. Pray that we would all labor tirelessly before the Lord according to His provision. Like Nehemiah pray for specific people in our congregation whom you know are struggling in some area.
Day 2
Target the Heart: Decision
If you have never fasted before, or you don’t regularly fast then take baby steps. Don’t decide that Moses’ 40 day fast seems doable and go for it. Perhaps start with skipping a meal or a snack. See how your body reacts and adjust accordingly. Frequency is not the issue but how you are spending the time you’re not eating that’s important.
Target the Word: Psalm 50:23
Target God: Order
Ask God to help us order our way rightly, according to His will and way. Discipline in the area of fasting and prayer can often lead to the development of discipline in other areas of our lives as well. Pray for one another to that end.
Day 3
Target the Heart: Direction
When you fast, you’re supposed to feel hungry. That’s the point. You recognize the physical need and direct all of the attention that your body wants to place on your hunger and focus on God and Christ, the bread of life. Our fasting should take place when we are able to focus on and spend more time in prayer. Fasting on the busiest day of your week may not be the best option.
Most of us know our body pretty well. There’s no need to push ourselves to a point physically we know will either harm our bodies or completely distract us from focusing on prayer. Some of us, due to health reasons may not even be able to fast at all. If you are in that category, please don’t feel guilty about not fasting. You can still join together in a time of devoted praying.
Target the Word: 1 Chronicles 29:14-19
Target God: Intercession
Thank God for His provision in Christ. Thank Him also for the material blessings He has granted us. Like David prayed for Solomon, pray for Joel and Joey according to 1 Chronicles 29:19. Be sure to replace the phrase “build a palace” with “plant a church”.
Day 4
Target the Heart: Affection
Our affections drive us. We ought to have a healthy affection for food that pushes us to eat in a way that honors God. When we fast, that affection is tested in a good way. It refocuses that affection on God and others. God has placed us, as His children, in the Church, the body of Christ and has given us an affection for one another that drives us to pray for each other.
Target the Word: Philippians 1:8-11
Target God: Integration
We recently commissioned the Zemmer family who are thankfully now settling back into life and ministry in Brazil. As we fast, we should pray for the Zemmers and the Church in Brazil. Pray for Shelly and the baby. Pray that as they go back God would give them direction. Pray specifically for ways they can integrate back into fellowship with believers during this time when they still aren’t able to have in person gatherings.
Day 5
Target the Heart: Guidance
The church in Antioch started with a pool of 5 men who were prophets and teachers and needed guidance on who should go. This is when they were worshipping the Lord and fasting. We must remember that this passage is descriptive of what happened in this specific church. It isn’t a formula to be followed in all cases. The takeaway is that when they came to a point where they knew they were going out, but they didn’t know the next step, the next details. They recognized that they couldn’t move forward without direction from God and so they stopped and fasted together.
Target the Word: Acts 13:1-4
Target God: Insight
We didn’t have a pool of 5 men that we were choosing from. In God’s providence he had us waiting for at least 2 men to be ready to go. And now we feel we are in that position; we sense the same need to fast and pray and seek God’s guidance on all the other details that go along with planting a church. So, while the details differ a bit, we are very much in line with the heart that is behind the fasting in the church in Antioch. Ask God to grant insight regarding the next steps. Pray for the weekly gathering on Sunday nights planned for the Fall that God would use them to knit together the hearts of those who sense God is leading them to go.
Day 6
Target the Heart: Commitment
Ask yourself sincerely before God: Have I seriously considered the implications of a church plant? Am I resistant? If so, why? Are my reasons biblical and necessary? Or are they personal and optional? Should I be going to help the work there? If I stay how can I fill the ministry void that will be left by those who are going? Let’s use our time in August as a time to earnestly consider these things as we fast and pray together.
Target the Word: Psalm 34:4
Target God: Seeking
Some go and some stay. Pray and ask God to make it clear not only to you but to each of us. Pray we would all agree we all have fears only God can deliver us from.
Day 7
Target the Heart: Confession
Is our heart burdened for evangelism/discipleship? Have we behaved a bit like Jonah and gone the other way? We recently sang these words together in worship: “from cowardice defend us, from lethargy awake.” Do we feel the need for confession? Lethargy and comfort are two idols that plague many of us here in America and around the world. Sadly, many are comfortable with the way things are and church planting, evangelizing unbelievers and then discipling them all comes at a cost. We need to share the confession that we also sang together from the same song “forth on thine errand send us, to labor for thy sake”.
Target the Word: 1 Samuel 3:1-10
Target God: Readiness
Like Samuel do we say to the Lord, “Speak, for your servant hears?” We need to pray for the progress of the Gospel through Word and Spirit, specifically through the work that God is doing here at GCC and as we seek to plant a church.
Day 8
Target the Heart: Boldness
John Knox is famously quoted as praying “Give me Scotland or I die.” He had a heart that was willing to pray boldly to God because he knew only God could answer such an audacious prayer. Isn’t Beavercreek and West Kettering/Moraine or even all of Dayton a much smaller things to ask for? Are we burdened, broken and bold enough to plead with God for the souls of men?
Target the Word: Matthew 6:5-15
Target God: Magnify
We should be praying Your Kingdom Come, Your Will Be Done from the prayer potion of Matthew 6. We should desire to see kingdom outposts all around that are magnifying the name of Christ. Together let’s make John Calvin’s family motto the guiding motive behind all of our prayers and fasting, “Our hearts we offer to you, O Lord, promptly and sincerely.”