Fasting is one of the least known disciplines in the church, but it is a practice mentioned both in the Old and New Testament of the Bible and by Jesus Himself, and it has incredible power for our lives today.

Fasting disconnects us from the world.
Fasting isn’t about punishing yourself because God wants you to suffer, rather it’s about intentionally disconnecting from worldly things for a season so you can hear from God and experience the full life He

has for you.

LEARN MORE ABOUT FASTING

Prayer is most effective when it isn’t something we do every

now and then, but when it’s a lifestyle we cultivate. To

understand how to have a lifestyle of prayer, we can look at

the example Jesus gave during His life on earth.

HAVE A CERTAIN TIME

Jesus got up early in the morning to spend time with His

Heavenly Father. Make a daily appointment with God —

whether it’s first thing in the morning, at lunch, or in the

evening — and faithfully keep it.

HAVE A CERTAIN PLACE

Jesus had a specific place He went to pray. Having a

designated place to pray helps us remove distractions and

frees us to worship and pray out loud.

HAVE A CERTAIN PLAN

When Jesus taught His disciples how to pray, He gave them

a prayer outline. We call it “The Lord’s Prayer.” This outline,

along with several other tools, is available in this guide. As we

pray every day, our plans for our prayer time can vary, maybe

including worship music, Bible reading, and quiet time to

listen to God. It doesn’t always have to look the same; it just

helps when we have a plan for connecting regularly with God.

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place.

When He finished, one of His disciples said to Him,

“Lord, teach us to pray…”

LUKE 11:1

“Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be Your Name.

Your Kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it

is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver

us from the evil one. For Yours is the Kingdom and the

power and the glory forever. Amen.”

MATTHEW 6:9-13 NKJV

God isn’t interested in us practicing religion; instead,

He desires a relationship with us. God has adopted

us as His children and loves for us to call Him our

Father. Starting our prayer time acknowledging

our relationship with God is powerful for us and

delights Him as well.

You have not received a spirit that makes you fearful

slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when

He adopted you as His own children. Now we call Him,

“Abba, Father.”

ROMANS 8:15 NLT

Proclaim your intimate relationship with God,

addressing Him lovingly as your Father and thanking

Him that you are His child.

PRAYER:

“Father, I come to You in prayer today thankful that I am

Your child. I know I am a sinner, but You have forgiven

me and adopted me as Your own, and I am so grateful to

call you my Father. Thank you for loving me. I love you.”

God loves when we worship Him, and there is power in

Part of being a child of God is caring about what

He cares about. We know His will is perfect, and we

acknowledge His wisdom and sovereignty when we pray

His agenda first.

He will always give you all you need from day to day if

you will make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.

LUKE 12:31 TLB

Spend time focusing on what God is focused on.

His priorities include:

• Saving the lost

• Wisdom and guidance for those in authority –

parental, spiritual, governmental, work-related

• Accomplishing His purpose in our lives

PRAYER:

“God, I recognize there is no better plan on earth than

Yours, and I pray for Your will to be done in my life

(name the areas of your life where you need more of

God’s presence today) and in our world. This world is

lost and needs You desperately, and I pray for every

person to know You as their personal Lord and Savior.

I pray for the leaders in my life (pray specifically over

parents, spiritual leaders, government leaders, employers,

and any other leaders in your life), that you would

give them supernatural wisdom and discernment as

they lead. Give them a revelation of Your will and Your

purpose for them. And I give my life to You again today;

have Your way in my life! Anything You want to do in

me or through me, I will do. I ask today for wisdom and

clarity as You show me my next steps.”

God promises to supply all our needs, and He wants us

God has offered us complete forgiveness, and we can

receive it at any time. When we turn away from our

sins and receive His forgiveness, our hearts are more

prepared to forgive others as well.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will

forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

1 JOHN 1:9

Ask God to check your heart and life and show you areas

where you might need to ask for forgiveness from Him.

Then, it is your turn to forgive those who have offended

you. We can even choose to forgive people in advance.

Ask God to forgive you and to help you forgive others.

PRAYER:

“God, thank You so much for offering me the gift of

forgiveness. Show me any areas in my life that I need

to bring before You in order to receive forgiveness and

healing. I confess that I have been struggling with sin

(talk to God about any areas of sin in your life),

and I know that You want me to be clean again. Please

forgive me for my sin. Thank You for showing me

unfailing grace. As You have so freely forgiven me,

I also want to freely forgive others. Please help me let

go of all of my offenses. I release to You those who have

hurt me, and I trust You to handle those situations

according to Your perfect will.”

Spiritual warfare can seem difficult to understand,

but the Bible makes it very clear that we have an enemy

who is trying to steal from us, kill us, and destroy us.

As we pray, we take our stand against the enemy and

fight from a place of victory through Jesus as we’re

empowered by His Holy Spirit. There is power in God’s

Word, and every lie the enemy has told us can be

replaced with God’s truth.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but

against the rulers, against the authorities, against the

powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces

of evil in the heavenly realms.

EPHESIANS 6:12

By recognizing that the enemy wants to destroy you,

you can shed light on his lies and claim God’s truth over

your life. Ask God to show you any lies you’re believing

or areas of warfare happening in your life. Ask Him

to expose the enemy and to help you understand and

receive His truth. Simply speaking the Name of Jesus

has great power in the spiritual realm. The Bible tells us

in James 4:7 that if we resist the devil, he will flee from

us. Through prayer, we can resist him and walk forward

in freedom.

PRAYER:

“God, I recognize that my struggles today aren’t against

the people or circumstances around me, but against the

enemy. Please help me to see how the enemy is lying to

me. Help me to recognize his lies, take them captive, and

make all of my thoughts obedient to the truth of Your

Word (list out any specific areas God shows you where

you have believed a lie that needs to be replaced with His

truth). While the enemy wants to destroy me, I know

that You came to give me life to the fullest. I speak the

name of Jesus over my life and declare that no weapon

formed against me will prosper. I don’t have to fear the

enemy because the One who is in me is greater than the

one who is in the world.”