21-day fasting - Introduction.

  BY Argie Simonis

Those of you who have already tried it know this, but for you who haven't tried it yet, have you thought about what would happen if every day, for 21 days, you sought the face of the Lord through fasting? 

We've done it before, and we'll do it again with you starting this Monday, January 8-28.

The reason we are doing it now is because from the beginning of the year we want to give our priority to the Lord because

"we seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to us." Μatt. 6:33

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-- Fasting can change our lives because it is a Biblical way of humbling ourselves before God. And when we do this the Lord promises:

"... God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." James 4:6

"Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up." James 4:10

Fasting has both physical and spiritual benefits for us:

-- It is a Biblical way to subdue the desires of the flesh. We prioritize our spiritual needs over the physical.

-- It is preparation for the coming temptations. You train your body not to always get what it wants.

-- Excess weight is lost and our body is detoxified.

-- Fasting is the key to re-ignite your passion for the Lord and it separates those who are just wishing for revival from those who are truly experiencing revival.

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-- Practical advices --

1. When and how?

- Selection of appropriate fasting for pregnant or nursing women. A pregnant or nursing woman is not allowed to completely abstain from food. There are other options that we will mention later.

- Those under the age of 18 should only fast under the advice and supervision of their parents.

- If you are taking medication or have health problems, consult your doctor.

- During the fasting period, avoid intense activities that require high energy consumption.

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2. Motivation

- Fasting is NOT enforced, but done voluntarily. Even if in your church, for example, the pastor sets a fasting for a certain time and for a certain goal, it is something that cannot be imposed on you through fear or guilt.

An extended fast should only be done by the Lord's leading to YOU personally, and not try to imitate someone else whom the Lord has led to do so.

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3. Proper preparation.

Prepare your heart before starting the fast. Stay in prayer and ask the Lord to lead you into this fasting.

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4. What is the correct fasting?

Biblically, there is no specific rule for fasting, just as there is no verse that speaks of a 21-day fast.

For those of you who can go 21 days without food, go for it. Those who CANNOT, there is for example Daniel's fast,

"But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself." Dan. 1:8

"Prove your servants, I beseech you, ten days; and let them give us vegetables to eat, and water to drink." Dan. 1:12

"And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king's meat." Dan. 1:15

- What we encourage you to do is think and pray about what YOU can do in the 21 days we begin this fast. Ask the Lord to show you which fast is right for you.

- Even if you cannot fast for 21 days, fast as many days as you can. Our advice is during the fasting period do NOT focus so much on the choice of your food as on PRAYER and SEEKING the Lord.

- Fasting is an act of sacrifice. If you are young and healthy and content with one good meal every day, then you can comfortably fast for 21 days with complete abstinence from food. You can only drink water and juices.

- If you have health issues or have a job that requires intense physical movement and energy consumption, then it is certainly good to choose another fast, but it still needs to include that element of sacrifice that I mentioned earlier.

~~ What and how you will fast, is something only between you and the Lord. ~~

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5. What do I do during the fast?

If you are not doing it already, 

~ wake up a little earlier and start your morning with prayer.

~ Fill your time studying the word of God, stay in prayer and in seeking the Lord's presence.

~ Start memorizing scriptures that have spoken to you and given you revelation. Pray in tongues.

When someone says he is fasting and goes without food but continues to be in front of the TV for hours watching news, movies and soap operas, then he is not on a fast but on a diet.

We need to understand that the main purpose of fasting is to withdraw from other activities and devote your time and attention to the Lord:

"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." James 4:7

~~ The reason we fast is to have more time with the Lord and not to do other activities. ~~

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6. How do I complete the fast?

It is important to keep in mind how we will end the 21-day fast that we have started. We must be careful about what we eat the day after the end of the fast. We can't just start eating regular meals exactly like we were eating before. This is something that should be done gradually, depending on the type of fasting we did.

We will speak more about that when the time comes.

May the Lord bless you as you join us in this 21-day fast!