An Invitation to More of God
Every January, Big House Church kicks off the New Year by inviting our congregation to join in a corporate fast. Our belief is that while we have seen tremendous moves of God in the past, the best is yet to come! From sundown January 8th – 29th sundown, our staff & leadership (and hopefully you!) will fast and pray for a consecration to sweep over the church as we set apart ourselves unto the Lord and His will.
What Is Fasting?
Fasting is a spiritual discipline biblically modeled by Jesus, his Apostles, as well as many ancient heroes of our faith. Fasting involves abstaining from all or certain foods for a set period of time. Fasting is not a religious ritual, nor is it commanded in the New Testament; it is a voluntary act of faith and worship.
Fasting intentionally weakens our flesh to strengthen our dependence upon the Lord. When tempted, Jesus declared, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:4 (NIV).
Why Do We Fast?
The great teacher Derek Prince called prayer and fasting the "hinge of history". The doors of your life can swing open and shut. A brighter, stronger future can come to you. This has happened many times in Biblical and World History. Fasting can add a greater dimension of power to our prayers. Denying our fleshly appetite serves to awaken spiritual hunger and authority.
When King Saul died at the end of I Samuel 31, Israel was ready to be annihilated and assimilated by the Phillistines. It would have been the end of the road for the Messianic line. But a group of simple farmers buried Saul and "fasted seven days". The first verse of the next chapter, II Samuel 1:1 says simply, "and DAVID"!! 40 years later, at David's death, Israel would be the most powerful nation in the Middle East and the name of their God would be known and respected everywhere.
The Scripture says, "They that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength. They shall mount up on wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary...." talk about perspective and power! Wow!
How Do We Fast?
Fasting is abstaining from food or drink for a certain period of time. You can choose to do a total or partial fast. Jesus did a full fast for 40 days, Daniel fasted certain kinds of food and drink. For those who have blood sugar related issues, speak with your doctor before undertaking a fast.
We believe a fast can also involve all sensory things like entertainment, social media, etc. More time is to be devoted to prayer, reading your Bible, and meetings that focus on God. You can join with friends for special gatherings to worship, share, and pray together. You can focus on areas of life that need breakthrough. You can turn toward intimacy with God the Father, Son, and Spirit. Special prayer to repent and break addiction or weakness or sin brings greater cleanness to your life. These are all beautiful fruits of fasting that can shift your life forever.
We are encouraging you to pray about what type of fast to do. Many of us will do the Daniel Fast, but others are choosing to do keto, whole 30, or remove social media. We will have resources and recipes available for those who want more information about the Daniel Fast. A Daniel Fast involves removing sweets, many starches, meat, and eggs. You eat simply to calm the palate and turn your focus off of food and onto spiritual things. We invite you to join us on this spiritual journey to greater breakthrough in your life!
To find out what foods to include while Daniel Fast, click the button below.