PRACTICE: fasting guide

“What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”
Philippians 4:9 ESV

Welcome!

As many of you know, we are in a year-long series at White Stone titled Practice, where we are exploring a variety of spiritual practices and disciplines and considering how we might intentionally apply these habits to our daily lives. So far, we have focused on the practice of prayer, challenging our church to spend 15 minutes each day in silent prayer before the Lord. We then explored the practice of confession, recognizing both its vertical and horizontal dimensions…it is necessary for us to both confess our sins to God, who is faithful and just to forgive, and to confess our sins to one another as a means of healing and freedom. During this time, we encouraged the use of a candle as a symbol of God’s light, revealing what is hidden and helping us see areas of our lives that need His transforming work.

The next practice we will explore together is fasting. Jesus said in the Gospel of Matthew 6:16, “when you fast,” assuming that fasting would simply be a normal part of the life of every believer. As a church, we are now entering into 21 days of prayer and fasting, and this is your personal invitation to participate. We invite you to approach this as an intentional season of focused prayer, devotion, and pursuit of God’s presence. Let us be reminded: the goal of fasting is not to get something from God, but to open our hearts more fully to Him.

Before beginning, there are four essential steps to consider.
These steps are designed to help you fast with clarity, purpose, and intention.

Choose Your Why.
In Scripture, people fasted for a variety of reasons. Some fasted as an act of repentance, others for deliverance, clarity, or obedience. Some fasted in intercession for others, while others did so to cultivate a renewed hunger for the presence of God. I would ask that you take time now to prayerfully ask God to reveal to you the specific purpose of your fast. And as the Holy Spirit highlights certain words or burdens for you, I would encourage you to circle them. This will help define your focus over the next 21 days.

Possible purposes:
Repentance
Deliverance
Clarity
Renewal
Revival
Intercession
Obedience
Other_______

Choose Your What.
Fasting, at its core, is the intentional withholding of something we desire in order to set our minds and attention more fully on God. While food is often the focus in Scripture, the heart of fasting is devotion, not deprivation. Prayerfully ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in choosing your fast, and circle your selection below:

Complete Fast: This involves abstaining from all food and consuming only liquids (primarily water, with juice as needed) for a preselected period of time.

Partial Fast: This involves abstaining from food for a specific portion of each day (for example, fasting from sunrise to sunset or skipping certain meals).

Selective Fast: This involves removing specific items from your diet, such as sweets, bread, or caffeinated beverages.

Soul Fast: If health concerns prevent a food fast, consider fasting from something that occupies a significant place in your life…such as television, social media, or other forms of entertainment, in order to create more space for God.

Choose Your When.
Determine when and how often you will fast during these 21 days. Will you fast on certain days of the week? Will your fast last from morning until evening? Will you step away from social media for the full 21 days? Clarity and intentionality are key. Once you decide, circle your choice, write it down, and place it on your calendar. Treat this commitment as you would any important appointment—it is time set apart for the Lord.

Options may include:
The full 21 days
A multi-day fast
One day a week (for example, every Tuesday)
A fast from sunrise to sunset
Skipping a meal
Other_______

Choose Your Replacement.
Fasting is not simply about going without—it is about making room. As you remove something from your life, replace it with intentional time in the presence of God through prayer, Scripture, worship, or serving others. Take time now to ask the Lord how He would like you to use the time you’ve set apart. As the Holy Spirit highlights rhythms or practices, circle your selection.

Replace with:

Pray

Read Scripture

Sit in silence

Journal

Worship

Other _______


You should now have your what, your why, your when, and your replacement. 
That means that you are ready to start your time of prayer and fasting. 
Thank you for joining us on this journey.