Stephen Um, council member of the Gospel Coalition, gives a brief video introduction to fasting here. This is a helpful encouragement for Christians, especially in North America, to revive the habit of fasting.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/video/stephen-um-benefits-dangers-fasting

While we fast and pray in secret, that doesn’t mean we don’t talk about fasting. Ask your elder or fellow members for help or guidance in how to fast. If you’ve never done it before, perhaps just skip one meal, and use that time to pray instead.

Below you will find this next week’s prayer and fasting 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.

Day 9

Target the Heart: Quiet

Fasting is an opportunity to quiet your heart before the Lord.  Quiet sounds nice in the business of our chaotic world.  Many experience a sense of release from the distractions of life when fasting, particularly when your fast is more than one meal.  Fasting should lead us to a more focused time in the Word, prayer, and seeking the presence of the Lord. But this isn’t more chaos but a slowing down and quieting our hearts before the Lord. 

Target the Word: Psalm 131:2

Target God: Worthy of our Quiet Attention

Pray that God would grant us all freedom from the craziness around us. That like David we can say that we have calmed our soul – then he will have our full attention and we will listen well in the joy of his presence.

Day 10

Target the Heart: Waiting

As we fast and pray we do not know what the Lord will have in store for us.  But we know that it will be good. We will be sanctified and he will be blessed as we respond to whatever he has in faith. 

Target the Word: Psalm 25:4 – 5

Target God: Trust

We are called to wait patiently and not with anxiety. Waiting quietly before the Lord is a sign that we truly trust Him.  Ask the Lord to help you to wait patiently and expectantly knowing that in the waiting, when practiced in faith, He will lead us in His truth and He will teach us.

Day 11

Target the Heart: Attention

Fasting and praying has the effect of taking our focus off of food and directs that energy and those desires to Him. Jesus is the bread of life and gives us living water. Our goal in fasting ultimately isn’t to get a church plant – it’s to get God himself. 

Target the Word: Psalm 34:8

Target God: He is Good!

Consider the goodness of God during your time of fasting.  Thank him in specific ways for his goodness and join with King David in finding your refuge in Him alone.  This is important as we consider planting a church for we will be calling people to “taste and see that the Lord is good!”

Day 12

Target the Heart: Worship

As we fast and pray, quieting our souls before Him, waiting patiently before Him, and giving our attention to Him, we should also give ourselves to worshipping Him.  You can do this by meditating on the doxologies in Scripture. Consider his attributes contemplating his holiness, wrath, mercy, love, omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence, and his immutability. Let your heart be amazed. 

Target the Word: Romans 11:33 - 36

Target God: Express your Worship in Words to Him

Spend some time during your time of fasting expressing to God your joy in all that He is.  That is the heart of worship.  You can recite Scripture to Him or even sing a song to Him. He created your voice to worship Him so why not while there is no food in your mouth let it be filled with worship?!   The Trinity Hymnal is available online at this link:  Hymnary

Day 13

Target the Heart: Confidence

We are fasting and praying believing God will do something to the praise of His Glory.  We don’t know what that is and we may even be surprised or even perplexed. But we can be assured of this, our capacity to ask lacks the imagination to comprehend what He will ultimately do.  We can fast with this confidence: His answers to our prayers and desires are perfect and will lead us to praise Him more. 

Target the Word: Ephesians 3:20 – 21

Target God: Power

As we fast this month let’s ask God to demonstrate the “power at work within us” so we can magnify the Lord to one another and to those the Lord may bring to us as we seek to make disciples, whether in Beavercreek or Moraine.  Paul tells us earlier in Ephesians that the power that is at work within us (the Church) is the same power that raised Christ from the grave (Eph. 1:15 – 23).  Pray with confidence to our all powerful God that He would accomplish His perfect purpose all to the praise of His glory. 

Day 14

Target the Heart: Resolution

You may be thinking, “yes, I need to be resolved to not eat – I’m so hungry right now!” Well certainly you need to be resolved in your fasting to fast.  However, and more significantly, you should take some time as you fast to consider what the Lord would have you resolve to do as it relates to planting a church.  Jonathan Edwards wrote 70 Resolutions throughout his life.  Here’s his 5th Resolution:

“Resolved, never to lose one moment of time; but improve it the most profitable way I possibly can.” 

Edwards feared wasting his time.  This is right for all of us.  Resolve in your fasting to use the time the Lord has given to you to promote the things of His Kingdom – it might include direct involvement in the church plant. It might be serving faithfully at the sending church.

Target the Word: Ephesians 5:15 - 16

Target God: Seeking Him

Pray that the Lord by His Spirit would make clear what you should be resolute about.  Where do you need to be making changes, even big changes, to accomplish the work the Lord would have for you to do?  Ask the Lord for resolve to do what is pleasing to Him. 

Day 15

Target the Heart: Bold Words

Boldness was on last week’s guide as well – but it is appropriate to keep this before us as we fast.  Throughout Acts we see the gospel being “preached with boldness.” That’s significant since it was often in the face of danger and persecution.  That bold preaching was the context for many wonderful conversions and always opportunities to proclaim a risen Christ. Yet, we are made of flesh, and we could fear the wrong things!  The apostle Paul asked the church in Ephesus to pray for words to be given for this bold declaration.  You too should desire that such words would be given to you so that you like Paul can declare boldly this Jesus who is the bread of life. 

Target the Word: Ephesians 6:10 - 20

Target God: Ruler

Pray that God would give you words to use in this bold proclamation of the Gospel.  You need not fear and can be bold because He declares earlier in Ephesians that all other powers are under His feet, in subjection to Him.  We need not fear!  Pray for words to proclaim this bold, wonderful, Christ exalting news to those around you and for those who will be leaving on the church plant.