Awaken City Church

Awaken City Church….. “Awakened Hearts Loving Our City”

As we are closing in on the end of this year and decade I am already in the process of preparation for 2010. For me it means doing an honest assessment of my life and sorting through the clutter. Before I can seriously look at the new places I want to go, I have to be willing to leave the places that I have been. As we prepare for 2010 I believe the first step is to ask yourself what things need to be left behind? Are their habits or sin patterns that need to be broken? is there forgiveness that needs to be extended? Are their mindsets and perspectives that need adjustment? We have to be courageous enough to let go of anything that will keep us from all that God has for us in 2010. Jonah 2:8 says, “Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.”

Secondly, as we close in on 2010 we have to be willing to prepare, to get ready, to position ourselves for all that is coming! In light of this, I wanted to give you more info and some options to think through regarding our coming 21 day fast! Before you look over the different options I think it might be important to answer the following questions:

· When is the last time your faith cost you something?

· What does radical love really look like?

· Are you really satisfied with just attending church?

· Is there an unshakable resolve that marks your life as you commit yourself to the destiny of Awaken City Church that includes, your time, your commitment and your finances?

We must embrace the same attitude as King David!

But King David replied to Araunah, "No, I insist on paying the full price. I will not take for the LORD what is yours, or sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing." 1 Chronicles 21:24

With that, please look over the different options and start making plans now on how you will participate in our upcoming fast.

While preparing for your fast, it is important to choose ahead of time what type of fast you will participate in. Not only will this help with making the necessary preparations to implement your plan, but as you commit to a specific fast ahead of time, and know how you’re going to do it, you will position yourself to finish strong.

Choosing your fasting plan is a very personal decision. We are all at different places in our walk with God and our spirituality should never be a cause for comparison or competition. There is nothing more “inherently spiritual” about one type of fast as opposed to another. Your personal fast should present a level of challenge to it, but know your body, know your options, and most importantly, seek God in prayer about this and follow what the Holy Spirit leads you to do. It’s also important to not let what you eat or do not eat become the focus of your fast. This is a time to disconnect enough with your regular patterns and habits in order to connect closer to God.

Listed below, are some options and variations of different types of fasts you can choose to engage in. As you read over the information provided here, please consider how it applies to your circumstances and convictions. Fasting does require reasonable precautions. If you have any health concerns, please consult your physician prior to beginning your fast – especially if you are taking medication, have a chronic condition, or if you are pregnant or nursing.

This type of fast refers to omitting a specific item(s), activity or habit from your time of prayer and fasting. For example, you may choose to eliminate red meat, processed or fast food, or sweets. It could also involve fasting from an activity or habit, such as television watching, or social media.

The Daniel fast is a great model to follow that proves to be extremely effective for spiritual focus, bodily discipline and purification in the body and soul. It is probably one of the most commonly referred to types of fasts, however within the term “Daniel Fast”, there is room for broad interpretation. In the book of Daniel, we find two different times where Daniel fasted, once in Daniel 1 and again in Daniel 10. Daniel 1 states that he ate vegetables and water, and in Daniel 10, while the passage does not give a specific list of foods that Daniel ate, it does state that Daniel ate no rich (or choice) foods as well as no meat or wine. So based on these two verses, we can see that either of these, or any variations in between constitutes a fast. Again, there is nothing “inherently spiritual” about one type of fast as opposed to another. It is important to seek God in prayer and follow what the Holy Spirit leads you to do.

Here are some links that provide some suggestions of what a Daniel fast can look like as well as some recipe options.

A juice fast is when no solid food is consumed and instead involves the intake of vegetable juices, fruit juices and water.

A water fast is eating no foods and drinking no liquids except water for a period of time. Extreme precautions should be taken with a water fast and should be done under the direction supervision and monitoring of your physician.

A total fast is where nothing – neither liquid, solid food or even water is consumed for a period of time. We do not recommend total fasting as this can be very dangerous to your health. Attempting to go without water especially, for any period of time can be extremely harmful to the body.

Excited about our future!