We live in perilous times and it is exactly times like these where God wants to shine His light through His church the brightest. People all around us need Jesus and the closer we walk to Jesus, the more His light will shine through us! Therefore, we challenge you to join us on a journey that will take your faith further, transform your life, and allow the light of Christ to shine through you in new ways this year! This is a challenge that anyone and everyone can participate in to some capacity, regardless of your spiritual maturity or physical health. If you want to grow closer to Jesus and transform your life, then keep reading to see how you can join the 21 Day Challenge!
So what is this challenge?
I am challenging you to join us for 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting!
Now before you balk at this challenge, allow me to share some specifics because if you want to take your faith further in 2021, this will do it!
We will be launching 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting on Monday, February 8 and will go until Sunday, February 28th.
This 21 Day Challenge will be called “For such a time as this”. The primary goal of this fast is to strengthen the body of Christ collectively by strengthening each member individually.”
There is no better way to do this than through fixing our eyes on Jesus through prayer and fasting. Therefore, we are structuring this time of prayer and fasting in such a way as to make it possible for anyone and everyone to participate.
What Fasting Is NOT:
Fasting is NOT about twisting God’s arm and getting Him to do what we want or need. Fasting also is not a legalistic or ego-driven exercise whereby we make ourselves more spiritual than others around us. When we fast for the wrong reasons, we don’t gain anything spiritually by doing it.
There are 3 primary reasons the Bible calls believers to fast.
- Drawing near to God and aligning our heart with His will for us (not trying to get Him to do our will).
- Overcoming unbelief in our hearts and strengthening our faith by spending more time in the word of God.
- Crucifying our flesh and its desires so that we are strengthened in our Spirit.
Our time of prayer will be structured so that over the course of 21 days we will focus on each of these 3 areas.
My goal is to guide you through this fasting process so that you maximize your opportunities for spiritual growth and shining the light of Christ!
This is why it is OK for each person to approach this in a way that is right for them, based upon their life, schedule, health, and how the Lord leads.
Here is what the fast will look like (These are my recommendations for maximum effectiveness):
- You WILL still be eating during this time.
- I DO NOT recommend fasting from food completely for such a long period of time.
- Rather, we will focus on fasting from the activities that distract us from Jesus by consuming the majority of our free time.
- Focus on adjusting your diet in ways that are safe for you and your health condition.
- For example, consider removing sugar from your diet but still eating 3 healthy meals a day.
- Consider doing a “Daniel” type fast or something similar where you focus the majority of your meals around only eating vegetables each day.
- Consider removing one of your favorite foods (Chocolate, bread?) during this time but still eating regularly otherwise.
- Consider skipping 1 or 2 meals each day (if you don’t have any underlying health issues or your health advisor approves before you start.).
- IF and HOW you fast from food is entirely up to you! In these ways, you create an area where you are DENYING your flesh, which is the primary catalyst for spiritual growth (Galatians 5:16)!
- Don’t give in to the temptation to overdo it, especially if you have never fasted before. It’s NOT about how much or how far you take it. Rather, it’s about taking small steps AWAY from their flesh and CLOSER to God. He is just as pleased with a small change for His sake as He is with no eating at all. SOMETHING is better than NOTHING and is just as valid as EVERYTHING!
- Remember to ALWAYS drink plenty of water and juice if you choose to skip any meals throughout the day.
- Next, choose one or more distracting activities to remove during the 21 days (Golf, Surfing, TV, Social Media, YouTube, etc). I recommend removing whichever of these takes up most of your free time each day.
- Notice I said “Free time”. Fasting should not mean removing time from work or family, as those are both necessary.
- INSTEAD of doing that activity, you will set aside that time each day to be alone with Jesus. Aim for at least 30 minutes each day. If need be, you could wake up earlier too.
- You can also change how you are fasting each week of the fast to keep it fresh.
- Get accountability and prayer by joining our online community group. The key is to do this together so that you have support and are encouraged by knowing you are a part of a bigger work God is doing.
I have created a group in our online community for this 21 Day Challenge where I will post regular prayer items and verses to help you focus and grow during this time. Remember, as you grow individually, the entire body is strengthened collectively.
I believe that by God’s Grace you CAN DO THIS! We will take it one step at a time and we will be blown away at what God does through this process! In fact, I believe this challenge will transform your life should you choose to accept it!
To Join the 21 Day Challenge “For Such A Time As This”, join the online community group here.
I look forward to seeing you on the inside and launching together on February 8th!
