20 Days of Fasting and Prayer

We will start the new year with 20 days of fasting and prayer 6 – 26 January 2025. Welcome to join us Monday to Saturday 7pm to 8pm for collective prayer at New Life Alvik. We will be praying from Psalm 34:18, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit”.

Why Fast, Why Pray?

In Matthew 6, Jesus gave us specific directions on how to live as a child of God. That pattern addressed three specific characteristics of a Christian: Giving, Praying, and Fasting. Jesus said, “When you give,” “when you pray,” “when you fast.” He clarified that fasting, like giving and praying, was a normal part of Christian life.

What is Fasting?

Biblical fasting is giving up specific foods and drinks. The type and length of the fast you choose are between you and God and should not be determined by what anyone else is doing. We want to give God our best and our first. Fasting, prayer, and reading God’s Word go hand in hand. Also, pray for God’s purpose and plan for your life to be revealed when you fast. Fast and pray about every major decision in your life. Simply said, fasting is a way to conquer the physical. When you refrain from feeding your body, you feed your spirit and grow closer to the Lord.

How Do I Fast?

The idea of fasting is to refrain from something valuable and precious to you and to give yourself to prayer and fasting to God instead. There are different types of fasts. Find the fast or combination of fasts that fits you the best.

Full Fast: Drink only liquids, especially water. On this type of fast, you may also drink 100 percent fruit or vegetable juices to maintain your strength. You establish the number of days for your fast in your prayer time.

Partial Fast: There are many options for partial fasts. Below are just a few for you to choose from. But remember, the type of fast you choose is what you and the Lord agree upon.

• Give up one item of food or drink such as caffeine, coffee, soft drinks, or sweets, or give up one meal.
• Fast for a specific number of days.
• Choose to fast from 6 am to 3 pm or sunrise to sundown. When doing this type of fast, consider your work and sleep schedule. The hours that you sleep should not be considered part of your fasting period, so the timeframe for this type of fast may vary.
• Give up other things you enjoy, such as watching TV, social media, sports, etc.

Daniel fast: The most frequently used example of a partial fast is found in Daniel, chapter 10. The Daniel Fast is a fast from meats, sweets, breads, and any drink, except water, for a specific time (Daniel 10:2-3). The easiest way to think of this fast is that you eat vegetables and fruits and that you only drink water.

What About Prayer?

1. Prayer builds our relationship with Jesus

We are first called to prayer because it is a way to build our love relationship with Jesus Christ.

2. Prayer helps us deal with hardships and temptation

Jesus’ prayer life shows us the importance of spending time to pray, to “commune” with God. In the New Testament, we find that Jesus prayed daily to God the Father; it was His lifeline and way to understand the Father. When He faced tough situations, His habit was to seek the will and guidance of the Father. If even Jesus needed it, how much more do we need it!?

3. Prayer helps us to understand God’s heart and will

This motive to pray is interwoven in the former one. In Luke 6, we read how Jesus intensively was praying to understand whom He was to choose from the crowd of people and disciples that followed Him, those today known as the apostles.

4. Prayer is preparing for God’s intervention

Prayer is like standing guard and standing in the gap on behalf of people, situations, cities, and nations. As we pray out God’s prayer and purposes for them, we prepare the ground for God’s intervention.

5. Prayer is a weapon in our spiritual warfare

According to Ephesians chapter 6, we are fighting a spiritual warfare through prayer (in the name of Jesus). Prayer gives us the authority to overpower darkness in the unseen world. The earth is like a battleground where battles are fought over the lives of individuals and the destinies of nations and peoples.

6. Prayer prepares our world for revival 

2 Chronicles 7:14 “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land”.

7. Prayer is a way to exalt God

Too few people make time in their prayer life to exalt God for who He is. Prayer is a time to focus on God’s attributes and His character, a time to thank Him for who He is and what He does.