Thank you for taking part of our 21 Day Fast. We pray and believe that God has big things in store for you and you take time to seek Him and align yourself with His heart. We will be walking through a devotional and reading plan from Pastor Stovall Weems - available through the bible app here.
As you begin this fast, there are a few things to think about:
REMEMBER WHY YOU ARE DOING THIS: As the first few days progress, depending on what fast you choose, your body may begin to fatigue from the lack of food that it has become accustom to. This can also be true if you give up non food related items. Your mind is going to react from the change of daily pattern and not feeding on the media it is used to receiving. It is important in those moments to remind yourself why. You are doing this to seek God and draw closer to Him.
FOCUS ON THE GOOD: As we progress through the fast and begin to experience the fatigue mentioned above, it becomes easy to begin to complain and see only the negative that we are experiencing. We must in those moments focus on the good that will be experienced from this. Don't live your days complaining to others the negatives you may experience. Instead, focus on giving God gratitude. Another important thing to remember is to be careful with restricting yourself during the fast. It is a good idea to be very clear in what you are planning to "give up" and be consistent throughout the 21 days. However, if you spend all of our time focusing on what you can't do, you will leave yourself little time to focus on what you can do. Don't become so strict with your diet or with giving something up that you loose sight of the goal.
GIVE GRACE WHERE NEEDED: During this time, you will reach a point where the desire to "slip up" will become so great that you may ultimately make the decision to eat or consume something that you have given up. If this happens, give yourself grace. Dwelling on mistakes will take away from seeking God. Be sure to reset yourself and get back on track. Ask others who are walking through this with you to help you stay on track. If you know someone who is doing this fast that may slip up, extend grace to them as well. Help them stay on track but don't beat them down if they make a mistake.
BE MINDFUL OF YOUR BODY: We have talked about fatigue and we know that the first few days can be the most challenging. We know that you will begin to feel different as you stop giving your body certain foods. Be sure to keep check of your health. While we know that we are denying ourself certain things, we must make sure that it never moves into the health concern category. While we want to complete these 21 days, never let the desire to complete this fast put you in a situation were your health can be a concern. Make adjustment and speak with a medical professional if necessary.
COMMON FAST TYPES:
DANIEL FAST: based on the Biblical book of Daniel. It involves a 21 day ad libitum (as much or as often as necessary or desired) food intake period, no animal products and preservatives, and inclusive of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds.
MODIFIED DANIEL FAST: similar to DANIEL FAST listed above; however may be altered in some way. Examples is doing the DANIEL FAST but also including bread or crackers in your diet. Or perhaps eating meat in one meal per day.
ONE MEAL FAST: consists of completely giving up one meal per day to use time to pray and read God's Word. This is best to be done consistently with same meal each day, but can be modified based on the situation.
JUICE (LIQUIDS) FAST: a fruit or vegetable juice fast that allows you to enter into fasting but still gives enough energy to function. If you have sugar sensitivities or problems (e.g. diabetes), consult your doctor before attempting this (or any other) fast. This fast can also be modified to add supplements to water or juices.
POSSESSION FAST: giving up a particular possession or technology for 21 days. This includes TV, game console, computer technology, etc. During the time you would normally do these activities, take a moment to pray, worship, or read your bible.
SOCIAL MEDIA: fasting from one or all social media accounts during the 21 day fast. If this fast is chosen, it is recommended that you log out of the accounts or hide the apps to remove temptation. It is also recommended that when you feel the desire to scroll on social media, take a few minutes to pray, listen to a worship song, or read from your bible.
As you fast, we are believing that God is going to do some great things in your life. We know that the best is yet to come and we pray you begin to experience it while you seek His will.
Be blessed.