Introduction

Thank you for taking part of our 7 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. Below you will see the heart behind the fast, different types of fasts, along with digital prayer guides for adults and kids.

The goal of fasting is to draw near to God.

It hits the reset button of our soul and renews us from the inside out.

As you begin this fast, there are a few things to think about:

REMEMBER WHY YOU ARE DOING THIS: As you begin your fast, your body may start to feel the effects of what you're doing. This can happen physically if you're giving up food or possibly mentally or emotionally as you give up things things like social media, games, and so on. As you go through the fast, remember that you're doing it to bring God's presence into your life and for His hand over the things you're praying for. When it gets tough, remind yourself that you're doing this to humble yourself and get closer to God and seek His will over your life.

FOCUS ON THE GOOD: During a fast, it's easy to focus on what we're giving up and to let our pride and boastfulness overshadow the purpose of the fast. It's also common to start feeling the physical effects of the fast and to let negative thoughts and complaints about those effects slip out of our mouths. Be mindful of this tendency and make an effort to speak positively and give praise to God throughout the entire fast, even when you're feeling fatigued. Remember that the purpose of the fast is to draw closer to God, not to draw attention to ourselves or our struggles.

GIVE GRACE WHERE NEEDED: As you progress through the fast, you may be tempted to "slip up" and give in to your cravings or desires. If this happens, don't let guilt and shame consume you. Instead, pray and ask God for forgiveness, and remember that this experience is an opportunity to see that our flesh is weak but God's grace is strong. Don't let feelings of guilt stop you from seeking God's will during this time of fasting and prayer.

BE MINDFUL OF YOUR BODY: It's normal to experience fatigue and other physical and emotional changes during a fast. However, it's important to listen to your body and not push yourself beyond your limits. If your body is telling you that it needs something, it's okay to give it what it needs. The purpose of the fast is to strengthen your faith, not to cause negative physical harm to yourself. If you have specific dietary needs or concerns, consider taking supplements or vitamins, and consult with a medical professional before starting the fast to ensure that you can safely participate in a way that promotes both spiritual and physical well-being.

COMMON FAST TYPES:

DANIEL FAST: based on the Biblical book of Daniel. It involves a 7 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.

POSSESSION/ENTERTAINMENT FAST: giving up a particular possession or technology for 21 days. This includes TV, game console, computer technology, social media, 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.

Adult's Guide

We have designed a prayer and devotion guide to assist you on your journey during the 7 Day Fast. Our guide offers different types of fasts you can participate in as well as sections for notes that use can use to document and reflect during the fast.

Get Adult's Guide

Kid's Guide

As a companion to the adult guide, our kid's guide gives kids the opportunity to participate in the fast in a way that is engaging and focuses on giving up an item or activity rather than food like typical adult fasts. The guide gives activities that drives the theme of the day home in a way that is easily understandable.

Get Kid's Guide

Daily Reading

Click on the day below to view each reading and prayer

Scripture:
Psalm 51:10-12: Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of my salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
Daniel 6:10: Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.
Exodus 33:18-19: Then Moses said, ‘Now show me your glory.’ 19 And the LORD said, ‘I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy
on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.’”

It was Daniel’s practice, three times a day, to go to an upstairs room in his apartment, open the windows facing Jerusalem, get down on his knees, and pray to the one true God. No doubt, Daniel prayed at other times also. He likely prayed throughout the day. But there were these special times, set aside times, where it was his priority to meet with God in prayer. In fact, it was such a priority to Daniel that when the king passed a decree that for the next thirty days people could only pray to the king, Daniel was unfazed. “No way.” Daniel may have been an important official in Darius’ kingdom, but when the king’s law (don’t pray) conflicted with God’s Law (pray), the choice was clear. Daniel kept right on praying.

Read Daniel 6. Daniel was thrown in the lion’s lair, but God protected Daniel, delivered Daniel, honored Daniel, and put it in the Bible for all to see.
Of the many truths in this stunning chapter, one concerns Daniel’s prayer. Three times a day, he set aside a special time to pray. God nowhere commands us that we must do the same, but there is wisdom here. Wisdom would suggest a special time, or several briefer times, set aside each day to meet with God in prayer. A time we prize. A time we protect. A time we prioritize.

Let’s also look at Moses. Moses sought God and prayed that God would show him His glory. We see that because Moses sought God and prayed, God answered him. Let’s also note what Moses prayed. “Show me YOUR glory.” Moses’ intentions were pure. He was seeking God’s glory, not his own.

Pray:
Lord, awaken my heart to Your love. Give me an increased hunger to spend more time in prayer, worship, and Your Word. Please give me a greater awareness of Your holiness, a tender conscience, and a heart to please You in every thought, word, and deed. Speak to me as I read the Word. I pray for understanding and faith as I consider the character of my God. I pray that the people of God at Elevate will be drawn to worship You. I ask You to show me how I can encourage those around me to seek after You with all their hearts.
Scripture:
1 Samuel 16:7b: The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.
Proverbs 4:23: Above all else, guard your heart. For everything you do flows from it.
Matthew 5:8: Blessed are the PURE in heart, for they will see God.

The question of whether a fallen tree makes a noise in the absence of an audience raises the idea of impact and how it relates to our integrity. It is said that integrity is about doing the right thing, even when no one is watching. But does it really matter what we do when no one is watching? The answer is yes, especially when it comes to our relationship with God.

God sees into our hearts, and we cannot hide anything from Him. He knows the core of who we are and is aware of every thought, word, and action we take. Integrity, therefore, comes from the heart. It is about being true to ourselves and to God.

Poor integrity can have negative effects on our hearts, it may lead us to destruction and disobedience to God. On the other hand, good integrity protects, purifies and heals our hearts and ultimately leads to obedience to God. Let us also remember that a falling tree rarely has no impact on other life in the forest. Good integrity can lead others to Christ without you ever saying a word, but bad integrity… well, you know. Consistently poor integrity, which is a form of defiance to God, can create a barrier between us and God, making it harder to hear him.

Good integrity is not about perfection, but about humility, remorse and obedience to God even when no one is watching. It is about being true to ourselves and to God.

Pray:
Father, thank you for the Holy Spirit that is there to guide me, even when no-one else is around. I pray I become a person of integrity. Let Your integrity flow through me. Let my thoughts be your thoughts and my ways be your ways. I know You can see my thoughts and You know them completely. I want to be obedient to you. Allow others to see that you change me from the inside out. Furthermore, let that change spill over to those I come into contact with. Let integrity be contagious and get caught by those around us without us ever even speaking a word.
Scripture:
Romans 12:3-5: For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

We all have different gifts and talents given to us by God, and we are all part of one body in Christ. We are to not think we are better than we actually are and to use our gifts and talents in accordance with the faith God has given us. We are all connected, and we all belong to each other. We should use our gifts and talents to serve one another and help build up the body of Christ. We should focus on serving and helping others, instead of thinking about ourselves. God has given you the gift you need to fulfill the plan He has on your life. Some of us sing well, and some of us sing…. sort of. Some of us, God has blessed with encouragement, and some of us need to work on it. Some of us are creative, and some of us create…. something that only God knows what it is. All that to be said, God has given you a gift. A need that can’t be filled without you. Let’s use these gifts and talents to serve and help others, and not think too highly of ourselves. Let’s be honest in evaluating ourselves and use our gifts and talents in accordance with the faith God has given us.

Pray:
God, Let us always see ourselves as belonging to one another. God, show me what my role and function is in the body of Christ. Make your global Church and our local Elevate Church be a healthy body, each member humbly doing their part. Father, help each of us at Elevate to guard our hearts against pride and self-serving attitudes. I pray that each ministry of our church would have an abundance of volunteers that seek you and know it’s all about Jesus.
Scripture:
Psalm 37:4: Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Christians often go around with a chip on their shoulders constantly thinking about what they can’t do as a follower of Christ rather than the life Christ has given them. We pray for what we want but are often left unsatisfied when God doesn’t wave His magic wand and grant us our wishes. But, when we put our trust and delight in the Lord, it becomes less about what we desire and He will align our desires with His will for our lives. When we seek God first, He will guide us and give us the desires of our hearts that align with His plan for us. Because the desires of our heart will often lead us down a path we don’t want to take.

Remember, God’s ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts. He has a much bigger and better plan for us than what we can ever imagine. So, when we pray for something, we must trust in His timing and His ways, and keep delighting in Him. Let us trust in God’s plan for our lives, and delight in Him daily, knowing that when we do, He will give us the desires of our hearts that align with His will for us. Let us remember that His ways are always perfect, and when we put our trust in Him, He will always lead us in the right direction.

Pray:
God, help us find our delight and joy in You. Satisfy us and teach us to be content in You, always, no matter the circumstances. I pray my heart would be drawn to You more than anything else and that Elevate Church, will be passionate worshipers of You, demonstrating our delight in You by our service to others and our giving to the Kingdom.
Scripture:
Psalm 22:27-28: All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, for dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations.
Habakkuk 2:14: For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

In a time of rebellion, immorality and apathy towards God, Moses cried out, “Lord, reveal Your glory to me.” God answered his prayer and Moses was blessed with a glimpse of God’s glory, and also heard God’s voice declaring His nature.

Exodus 34:6-7 tells us that God’s glory is defined by His compassionate, merciful, loving and forgiving nature. He is also perfectly just and does not excuse the guilty. When we pray for God’s glory to be revealed, we are asking for His nature to overwhelm our own, and for His presence to drive out any influence that opposes Him.

Today, we find ourselves in a similar situation as the one Moses was in. Our nation and the world are increasingly contentious with God, and the name of Jesus is met with resentment. Holiness and morality are in decline, and the Church is facing a battle for its survival.

As we witness 3,500-4,000 churches closing their doors annually, and 2.7 million people leaving the Church each year, we realize that we are in a desperate place. In this hour, we join our hearts in prayer, crying out to God, “Reveal Your glory to us! Overwhelm us with Your fire, revive us with Your presence and show Your glory in the Church and in the world.”

“Father God, reveal Your glory to us!”

Pray:
God, I pray that the believers in our community would be a city set on a hill and ‘salt and light’ to the world. I ask that we would influence other nations with righteousness. I pray You give me Your perspective on reaching this world with the Love of Jesus. Lord, instill in me a passion to join You in the mission of pursuing people to know You so that You are glorified among all nations and peoples. Lord, may I hunger and thirst after You and desire that for all people.
Scripture:
Ephesians 1:18–19: I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. …”

Life gets busy sometimes, we’re running here, there, and everywhere. In those times, we often fail to see beyond what is right in front of us. But God wants to show us much more. He wants to open the eyes of our heart and reveal what He has called you too. As much as that is a desire of your heart, I promise He wants it more. His desire is for our good and for us to become everything He has called us to. It’s time to stop just living for the moment and look beyond to the future God has called us to as well as the future we are to declare for others.

Pray:
I pray that I would be filled with hope because of the gospel. I ask You to help me see beyond the moment to all that You have in store for me. I pray that You would work in power in my own life, freeing me to live for Your glory. God, make me ready to share the reason for my hope with my neighbors and friends. I pray specifically that people in my circle will come to faith in Jesus this year.
Scripture:
Psalm 9:10: Those who know your name trust in You, for You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You.
Jeremiah 29:13: You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
1 Chronicles 29:13: Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the Lord your God.
Colossians 3:2: Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

For the last 7 days, we have been chasing after God as we pray and fast. We have deliberately chosen to focus on Him and seek His presence. We have deliberately chosen to take time to read His Word and listen to His voice. For some of us, we can honestly say we didn’t really ‘hear’ from God in a profound way during this time. For others, this has been an amazing time of growth, and we have felt His guidance and direction about something we were seeking. Regardless of what we have learned through this time or if we have ‘cheated’ on something we were going to fast from, these past 7 days have been crucial to us because we have obeyed God’s command to seek His presence. It is always a beautiful thing when we chase after God and we put Him first because we desire to know Him more. And He promises us that when we seek Him, He will be found.

As we conclude, it is important to ask, “Now what?” How can you remain committed to seeking Him? Very simply, decide to love God and seek Him. That’s right, decide. Look for opportunities to spend time with Him and to learn from Him. Daily. Decide to chase after Him and not the things of this life that quickly distract us from Him. Daily. Give Him your whole heart. Daily. Look for Him in each day, through people, circumstances, the Bible, and creation. Daily. It will take intention, effort, desire, and time. But it will be so worth it as your relationship with Him grows, develops, and you fall more and more in love with Him. Hebrews 11:6 says that God will reward those who earnestly seek Him. Will you continue to earnestly seek after the God of this universe who loves you completely and desires to walk with you daily? The reward will be great because God is great!

Pray:
Father God, thank You for these last 7 days of focusing on You. Thank You for the promise that You will be found when I seek You. Thank you that You don’t hide from me but that You constantly draw me near to You. Please put a hunger and a thirst in my life for You Lord. You are so beautiful. So amazing. So forgiving. So good. And I am deciding to chase after You with all of my heart from this day on. Daily. Lord, may I put You first and seek Your face. Daily. I love you, Lord and I want to love and know You more. Amen.