Welcome To Great Beginnings!

We are so excited to be embarking on this journey of fasting and prayer together! Great Beginnings, which is what we are calling our dedicated time of fasting and prayer as a church body, will begin Tuesday, January 1, 2013 at 6:00 pm, and end Tuesday, January 21, 2013. We hope this blog will be a helpful aid in this journey!

What is fasting and why should we fast?

           Fasting, which should always be done hand-in-hand with dedicated times of prayer, is an act of obedience, a spiritual discipline, a sacrifice to God, and a humble act of worship. Typically, fasting means abstaining from food.

           There are many Scriptural examples of fasting. Moses fasted and received a covenant-- The Ten Commandments (Exodus 34:28). He fasted again when he cried for mercy for his people (Deuteronomy 9:13-20). David fasted for repentance and for prayer for the welfare of his child (II Samuel 12). Nehemiah fasted and prayed for the safety of his people in Jerusalem (Nehemiah 1). Daniel fasted in confession for himself and his people (Daniel 9). The church in Antioch fasted and prayed for Paul and Barnabas as they were sent off to preach the Gospel (Acts 13). Paul and Barnabas fasted and prayed as they appointed elders for various churches (Acts 14). And of course, Jesus fasted for 40 days in the wilderness (Matthew 4). We cannot begin to imagine the prayers of love, mercy, grief, and blessing our Savior prayed as He fasted there.

            In all of these instances, fasting and prayer were done in communication with the Lord. And in all of these instances--and more—the Lord was sought, and the Lord answered.

            We are emphasizing this time as a time of “Great Beginnings" because, through this concentrated time of fasting and prayer, we seek to begin our new year, and each new day, with knowing that His mercies are new every morning. We are asking God, as it says in Psalm 90:12, to teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. We long to see spiritual growth in our church and surrender our days to God. We long for the Holy Spirit to reveal our spiritual condition. And we long for repentance and transformation.


Who should not fast from food?

             Everyone, of course, can set aside this time in dedicated prayer. However, if you have a medical condition in which fasting could interfere with your physical health, we recommend consulting your physician, and possibly refraining from fasting if necessary. Fasting from things such as internet, television, or any other thing that turns our hearts from spending time in the Word and in prayer is a good alternative for those who wish to participate but who cannot fast from food, and also is a great source of additional fasting for those who can fast from food. God knows our hearts towards Him!

How to prepare for a fast: Spiritually and Physically:

         Spiritually, we should prepare for the fast by being in prayer and studying the Word of God. We should come into this time humbly, seeking no accolades or acknowledgement. We should enter this time simply for communication with the Lord.

         Physically, we can prepare for the fast by eating a healthy diet of vegetables and protein in the days preceding the fast, and limiting sugar, white flour, white rice, starchy foods, and other forms of simple carbohydrates which our bodies burn up quickly for fuel.

Types of fasting:

          We recommend setting goals ahead of time for the type of fast you plan to do. If you choose to do a Daniel fast, which restricts the diet to vegetables, fruit, and water (and there are variations of this fast), we suggest planning your menus ahead so that your time is not consumed with preparing new ways to cook fruits and vegetables. This would defeat the purpose of setting aside the time we usually spend in food preparation for times of prayer.

           You may choose to do a juice-only fast, or a water only fast. You could also choose to graduate your fast from one type to the next, week by week. Or, you could choose to fast a meal only every day. This is between you and God.

           As always, if there are medical concerns, consult a physician.

Journaling: 

          We recommend writing down specific prayer requests you have at the beginning of the fasting period, and continuing to write down daily the things the Lord is teaching you, the things you may be struggling with during this fast, and prayerfully, how the Lord is answering you. Sometimes our prayers are being answered when we do not know it, and we may recognize this process long past the fasting period, and sometimes our prayers are answered after the fasting period has ended, so it will be good to be able to reflect on how and what you specifically prayed for. Some space is provided in the booklet (which you can obtain at First Baptist Church of North East) for personal reflection on the daily devotionals, but we also recommend keeping a separate journal for specific prayers.