21 Day Fast
LIVES WILL BE TRANSFORMED!
fasting
21 DAYS
Experience the rewards of this important biblical principle on your life
by joining us in a 21 day fast in the month of January.
New Hope Freewill Baptist
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21 Day Fast
Many Christians fail to tap into one of the most powerful and rewarding spiritual reservoirs we have at
our disposal—fasting. And it's often because they don't know much about this important command for
Christ's followers. This manual is devoted to sharing with you the "what," "why," "how" and "when" of
this important scriptural discipline so you can put it into action for your life. If you've never fasted or
want to know more about it, we want to cover the basics with you.
WHAT IS FASTING?
Biblical fasting is giving up specific foods and drink for a specified number of days. The type and
length of the fast you choose is between you and God, and should not be determined by what
anyone else is doing. (See specific Types of Fasts below.) The entire congregation will participate in
a 21-day fast at the beginning of the New Year. We want to give God our best and our first.
Fasting, prayer and reading God's Word go hand in hand. When you fast, also pray for God's
purpose and plan for your life to be revealed. Fast and pray about every major decision in your life.
Simply put, fasting is a way to conquer the physical and open the door to the supernatural in your
life. When you deny your body, you feed your spirit and grow closer to the Lord.
WHY FAST?
In Matthew 6, Jesus gave us specific direction on how to live as a child of God. That pattern
addressed three specific duties of a Christian: Giving, Praying and Fasting. Jesus said, "When you
give," "when you pray," "when you fast." He made it clear that fasting, like giving and praying, was a
normal part of Christian life.
When all three discipline - giving, praying and fasting - are at work in your life, you release the
complete power of God. It's much like the lesson Jesus taught in Mark 4:80. When you pray, you
release the thirty-fold return. Praying and giving releases sixty-fold blessing. But when you pray, give
and fast, you will see a hundred-fold return!
HOW DO I FAST?
Before beginning a fast, write down a plan and make a verbal commitment to the Lord. When
you approach it with determination, you'll be less likely to waiver in weak moments.
There are several types of fasts which are explained below:
CORPORATE FAST. New Hope will be participating in a Corporate Fast for 21 days. A corporate
fast is a joint fast of believers for a specific purpose that can yield powerful results. Although this fast
involves others, it is also a very "private and personal experience." Esther called for all her people to
fast against danger for 3 days (Esther 4:16). Samuel declared a fast for national revival (1 Samuel
7). Daniel fasted for direction and insight for the future and fate of his nation .
Below are other types of fasts:
FULL FAST. Drink only liquids - especially water. You may also take in clear broth and 100 percent
fruit or vegetable juices in order to maintain your strength.
PARTIAL FAST. Known as the 21 Day Daniel Fast. Give up one food item or drink such as coffee,
soft drinks or sweets or give up one meal. Chose to fast from 6 am to 3 pm or from sun-up to
sundown. That hours that you sleep should not be considered a part of your fasting period.
Pastor Ron Smith is asking the entire New Hope Freewill Baptist Church congregation to fast and
pray for 21 days in the month of January with a focus on:
 Renewed Spiritual Passion, Purpose, and Purity in our own lives…
 Spiritual Awakening in our Families, Workplaces, Churches, Communities, and the Nation…
 Financial Breakthrough for our Church…
 Clarity of Vision for Pastor…
 Revival with Baptism of the Holy Ghost for each Member of New Hope…
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21 Day Fast
The 21 Day Daniel Fast
Dan 10:2-4 In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks. I ate no pleasant bread, neither
came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were
fulfilled. And in the four and twentieth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river,
which is Hiddekel;
This is what we call a 21 Day Daniel Fast or a Partial Fast, where the Intercessor is willing to:
1. Go into Mourning – meaning we humble our Body to seek God for a spiritual purpose.
2. For three full weeks – meaning 21 days.
3. No pleasant bread – meaning we eat no sweets or bread during the fast.
4. No flesh in my mouth – meaning we eat no meat during the fast.
5. No wine in my mouth – meaning we drink no wine or sugary drinks during the fast.
6. By the river – meaning we separate from worldly distractions as we seek God in prayer.
In verse 4 of Daniel Chapter 10, Daniel also indicated that he had separated himself to be by the river
during his fast. It is also important we remove ourselves from worldly distractions, if we truly desire to
seek God. In order to do this effectively, separation helps us to tune the world out, so that we may tune
more into the Spirit. Reducing our time spent in front of the TV or gossiping with friends on the phone
will help us to focus more on our devotional life.
In our fast, we are not trying to do exactly as Daniel did, but the Pattern and Principle of Daniel’s fast is
what we desire to apply. The key is to apply Biblical Principles as we are lead by the Holy Spirit. Here
are some suggested guidelines for participating in this fast.
1. If you take medicines - continue taking your meds as prescribed. If you need eat to take your
meds, eat as little as possible. If you have a serious illness check with your doctor before fasting.
2. Choose to give up something - you like to eat or some activity that you would normally do
during this 21 day period of consecration. You may eat only one meal per day instead of two or
three. You may choose to watch no TV or fast from all negative words during your 21 days. You
should be led by the Holy Spirit as to how you should organize your own personal fast.
3. Foods that you should not eat - during the fast are: White Bread, Cake, Candy, Cookies, Ice
Cream, Red Meat, Coffee, Tea, Kool-aid, Sodas. Do your best avoid fried fried foods also.
4. Foods that would be Ok to eat - during the fast are: Salted or Unsalted Crackers, Soups, all
kinds of Vegetables, all kinds of Fruits, Nuts, and Drink lots of Water (filtered or bottled water is
better). If you must eat meat, eat only baked fish or baked chicken, not fried and do your best to
eat very little meat.
5. If you are not used to fasting - in the first few days your body will rebel because you have
moved it out of its comfort zone. It will give you all kinds of headaches and hunger pains. But be
assured you won’t die. After about four days these pains begin to subside and your body will
adjust. If you mess up or fall off the wagon during your fast don’t quit or give up, but get back on
your fast and continue to seek God in Prayer and Devotional Reading.
6. Fasting is an act of faith – and faith pleases God. It takes faith to fast, to discipline your body,
your mind and your time to diligently seek God in this spiritual discipline, but the rewards are
worth it. Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God
must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
7. Jesus said his followers would fast – because to follow Jesus means there are seasons in our
lives when we deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow him by following his example.
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21 Day Fast
Use the following suggested Prayers and Scripture Readings to begin your devotional time each
day during the fast. Or you may read your Bible or use other devotional literature as the Holy
Spirit leads you. Begin your prayer time with Praise and Worship and end it with Thanksgiving.
January 1: To Increase in Spiritual Hunger and Holiness
As the New Year begins, ask the Lord to awaken your heart to His love. Pray for increased hunger to
spend more time in prayer, worship, and God’s Word. Receive communion. Pray for a greater
awareness of God’s holiness and ask Him to give you a tender conscience and a heart to please Him in
your every thought, word, and deed.
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your
presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of my salvation and grant me a willing
spirit, to sustain me (Psalm 51: 10-12, NIV).
January 2: To Walk in Wisdom and Revelation
Ask the Lord to open your eyes to see Him more clearly and your ears to hear anything He desires to
speak. Pray for a Spirit of wisdom and revelation that you might know Jesus more deeply and have a
profound understanding of the authority He has given you in Christ Jesus.
I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of
wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be
enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious
inheritance in the saints, and the incomparably great power for us who believe (Ephesians 1:17-18,
NIV)
January 3: To Be Filled with Power and Purpose
Ask to be filled with and controlled by the Holy Spirit. Pray for the supernatural works of Jesus to be
manifested in your life and that those around you will be transformed as they seek to know the powerful
God that you serve. Pray that you would fulfill God’s purpose in your generation and that the very
course of history would be changed because you lived.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with
hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 15:13,NIV).
For when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep (Acts 13:36, NIV).
January 4: Prayer for Your Family To Experience Fresh Encounters
Invite the Lord to visit your family in a fresh new way in 2011. Pray that this year, you and your family
and your close friends will encounter the holiness and sovereign power of God that will leave each one
changed by His touch.
Behold I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth; do you not perceive and know it, and will you not
give heed to it? I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert (Isaiah 43: 19, AMPL).
January 5: To be Saved and Delivered
Pray for any loved ones by name who do not know the Lord or have fallen away from Him. Ask the Lord
to reveal Himself to them as the awesome God that He is. If any are filled with hurt, shame, doubt or
fear, pray that they will run to God and not away from Him. Pray a hedge of protection around your
family from all deception, temptation, and any plans of the Enemy that would thwart the good plans God
has for them.
…Believe in and on the Lord Jesus Christ—that is, give yourself up to Him, take yourself out of your
own keeping and entrust yourself into His keeping, and you will be saved; [and this applies both to] you
and your household as well (Acts 16:31, AMP).
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21 Day Fast
January 6: To Serve God Together
If you have never prayed, worshipped, or shared communion together as a family unit, or if you have
gotten away from this habit, consider how you can begin this practice regularly. Set aside time today to
pray with at least one other family member and declare,
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15, NKJV).
January 7: To be Healed and Reconciled
Pray for the healing of families across America. Ask God to send a revival to families, causing many in
entire bloodlines to become born again. Ask God to restore any broken marriages for which you are
aware. Pray for reconciliation between parents and children and to repair breeches among other family
members.
Turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers... (Malachi
4:6, NKJV)
January 8: Prayer for Your Workplace To be a Habitation for God’s Presence
Lift your business or workplace before the Lord, asking for God’s presence to fill the atmosphere,
making it conducive for God to speak and work in the lives of all who are employed there. Pray for your
employer and/or co-workers by name, asking God to reveal Himself to each one.
I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing (1 Tim 2:8, AMPL).
January 9: To Value Integrity
Pray that leaders in your workplace would uphold a standard of godliness in business dealings and
financial planning. Ask God to strengthen your co-workers against the temptation to compromise. Pray
that those in your workplace would walk in God’s ways and honor Him with their finances.
…we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through
all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the
Lord and please him in every good work (Col 1:9-10, NIV).
January 10: To Experience Revival
Pray for revival to sweep the nation. Pray for revival to break out in your industry, whether you work in
education, government, business, media, entertainment, or religion. Ask the Lord to raise up dedicated
Christians who will become a voice to reform your specific industry. Pray for the President of our nation.
Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? (Ps. 85:6,AMPL)
January 11: Prayer for the Church To Receive a Fresh Outpouring of God’s Spirit
Ask God to prepare your congregation and His Church in the city with a new wineskin in order to
receive the new wine He wants to pour out upon His people this year. Invite the Lord to sweep “the
house” clean of any impurities and welcome His Holy Spirit to come in a fresh new way.
But new wine must be put into new wineskins (Mark 2:22 b, NIV).
January 12: To be Served by Visionary Leaders
Ask God to give your pastor and other church leadership prophetic vision for the New Year. Pray that
the Lord would revitalize each leader and his family spiritually, physically, and mentally. Pray that the
Lord would prepare “fresh bread” for them to serve God’s people. Ask God to show church leaders how
they can speak to the issues of the day with boldness and truth and as such become reformers for
society’s problems.
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21 Day Fast
I will stand my watch and set myself on the rampart, and watch to see whatHe will say to me (Habakkuk
2:1, NIV).
January 13: To Experience God’s Presence and Power
Pray that corporate gatherings will be marked by the tangible presence of God and that every time the
people gather in large or small groups they will have a supernatural life-changing encounter with God.
Ask in faith for God’s Spirit to manifest in awesome worship, powerful preaching of the Word, united
fervent prayer, liberal giving, acts of kindness, supernatural healings, miracles, and new births in Christ.
…enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and
perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus. After they prayed
the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke
the word of God boldly (Acts 4: 29-31, NIV).
January 14: To Prepare Her Members to be Agents of Transformation
Pray that your church and churches across the nation would equip the body of Christ to do the work of
the ministry, transform their spheres of influence, and impact the world for Christ in publicly meaningful
and tangible ways. Pray for a foundation in the Word of God to be laid again in the lives of Christians
and for the restoration of a biblical worldview in God’s people.
His intention was the perfecting and full equipping of the saints (His consecrated people), that they
should do the work of ministering toward building up Christ’s body (the church) (Ephesians 4:12 AMPL).
January 15: Pray for Your City and State To be Cleansed of Sin
Understand that a city or region cannot receive God’s blessing if it is built on sin and bloodshed. That
type of foundation causes the people to labor and gain nothing. Pray, and ask that God’s mercy and
forgiveness be poured out in your city for any sins that have been committed. Name any specific sins
you are aware of such as injustices, racisms or covenant breaking.
I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father's house, have committed against you.
We have acted very wickedly toward you. Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses,
saying, 'If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, but if you return to me and obey my
commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and
bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.' (Neh 1:6b, 8-9 NIV)
January 16: To Uphold Righteousness and Justice
Seek the welfare of your city so there will be a spiritual climate for the gospel to expand rapidly. Pray for
righteous leaders and just laws. Ask that governmental officials would gain God’s perspective on any
injustices occurring in your area and revelation of how to solve them. Pray for the media to be honest,
truthful, and report accurately the news that really matters in your region.
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you
(Psalm 89:14, NIV).
January 17: To Attract God-Honoring Commerce
Pray for businesses that promote unholy lifestyles to be exposed and shut down and their owners to
find Jesus Christ. Ask God to bring in business, commerce, education, and entertainment to the
community that would honor Him and bless the people.
Live as children of light (for the fruit of light consists of all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find
out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose
them (Eph. 5:8b-11,NIV).
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21 Day Fast
January 18: Prayer for the Nation To Uphold God’s Laws
Open your Bible to Exodus 20 and read as a declaration the Ten Commandments over this nation. (For
example: You shall have no other gods before Me, you shall not kill, you shall not commit adultery).
Pray that God’s laws will be written on the hearts of the people of the nation—and that monuments,
plaques, laws, and statutes that honor God and His Word will be preserved.
For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will
imprint My laws upon their minds, even upon their innermost thoughts and understanding, and engrave
them upon their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people (Heb. 8:10, AMP).
January 19: To Acknowledge God as the Lord
The United States of America is the most blessed nation in the entire world. Pray that we will not lose
sight of the One from whom all our blessings come,
and institution in our society (city, county, state and nation) we would acknowledge God as the source
of all provision and protection. Pray that as Americans, we would embrace our nation’s motto, “In God
we trust.” Pray that we would turn from trusting in money and trust in the living God who gives us richly
all things to enjoy.
Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people He has chosen as His own inheritance (Ps
33:12, NKJV).
January 20: To Choose Life
Pray that our nation, as a people and in our laws and government, would choose life. Pray that
everything that must take place to restore the protection of the unborn will take place from our state
legislatures to the U.S. Supreme Court.
I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death,
blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live… (Deut.
30:19, NKJV)
January 21: To be Filled with God’s Glory
Pray that America would once again be a city (nation) set on a hill and “salt and light” to the world. Pray
that we would influence other nations with righteousness rather than by exporting unholy lifestyles. Pray
the US would have God’s perspective in how we align with other nations and that we would please the
Lord in a biblical alliance with Israel. Ask God to fill this land with His glory.
For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea
(Hab. 2:14, NKJV).
How to Break Your Fast Wisely
When you finish an extended fast (3 days or more), your stomach will have shrunk considerably, which
means you will not require as much food to make you feel satisfied. Also, your metabolism will have
slowed, causing you to need fewer calories to get through the day.
Take advantage of the opportunity to eat smaller portions of high quality food rather than larger
quantities of lower quality food.
Good foods to use when breaking your fast include steamed veggies (yellow squash, broccoli, etc.) and
fresh fruits like watermelon and blueberries. Stay away from anything spicy or sour or acid.
Breaking your fast with whole foods (rather than juices) will help stimulate a bowel movement, which is
very good.
Don’t try to eat everything at once, but slowly get back into eating the foods you like.
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21 Day Fast
Bringing Your Fast To A Biblical Conclusion (Read Isaiah 58)
Isaiah 58:1 Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their
transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.
2 Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook
not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in
approaching to God.
3 Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and
thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours.
4 Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye
do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.
5 Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as
a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable
day to the LORD?
6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens,
and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house?
when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
8 Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy
righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward.
9 Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou
take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;
10 And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in
obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday:
11 And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones:
and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
12 And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of
many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell
in.
13 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the
sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways,
nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:
14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the
earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
Conclude Your Fast With A Special Offering to the Poor:
In Matthew 6, Jesus gave us specific direction on how to live as a child of God. That pattern
addressed three specific duties of a Christian: Giving, Praying and Fasting. Jesus said, "When you
give," "when you pray," "when you fast." He made it clear that fasting, like giving and praying, was a
normal part of Christian life.
When all three disciplines - giving, praying and fasting - are at work in your life, you release the
complete power of God. It's much like the lesson Jesus taught in Mark 4:80. When you pray, you
release the thirty-fold return. Praying and giving releases sixty-fold blessing. But when you pray, give
and fast, you will see a hundred-fold return!
There are several ways you can give to the poor:
 Give a Special Offering through your Church’s Benevolent Program.
 Give to Local Charities in your community that reach out and minister to the poor.
 Give to International Para-Church Ministries that a have specific outreach to the poor.
As you have prayed, fasted and given, expect your life to be transformed with great rewards following
soon! You will see a hundred-fold return with the fruits of your righteousness increasing in every area
of your life! May God our Father richly bless you and make you a blessing everywhere you go.
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