7 day New Year's Fast to Bless 2009 and Ask God's Will

[kayte]

Mathew 6

Fasting; The True Treasure; Wealth (Mammon)

17"But you, when you fast, (W)anoint your head and wash your face 18so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your (X)Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

Jesus Teaches About Worship
But when you fast, perfume your head and wash your face,
So that your fasting may not be noticed by men but by your Father, Who sees in secret; and your Father, Who sees in secret, will reward you in the open.


Fasting

16 "When you go without eating, do not look gloomy like those who only pretend to be holy. They make their faces very sad. They want to show people they are fasting. What I'm about to tell you is true. They have received their complete reward.

17 "But when you go without eating, put olive oil on your head. Wash your face. 18 Then others will not know that you are fasting. Only your Father, who can't be seen, will know it. He will reward you. Your Father sees what is done secretly.


I wanted to ask a special request.
If it 's God's will..
I'd like to do a begin a 7 day fast starting New Year's Day
through January 7th. I want to let go of some behaviors and I
want to fast on certain things..and I want to ask God to bless the process
and reveal what my focus will be in 2009

If anyone is interested in being prayer fasting partners for the seven days via PM...that would be wonderful. Your fast is of course your choice! ..you can share how you'll be fasting or that can be betweeen you and Our Father. I will share what I am fasting on or from

We could PM each other each day to say the fast commitment had been kept that day along with any thoughts,bible verses,prayers or blessing ..or simply that the commitment had been kept....
and additionally we can synchronize a time to pray at the same time...once or thru-out
If you are interested please PM me or if it appeals to you and another member instead...
may God bless you on the journey

Blessings

 

[kayte]

MORE INFORMATION on 7 day New Year's Fast to Bless 2009 and Ask God's Will

Fast When You Hunger for God
Whitney Hopler

Editor's Note: The following is a report on the practical applications of Scot McKnight's new book, Fasting: The Ancient Practices, (Thomas Nelson, 2009).

The ancient practice of fasting is a natural way to express your faith with your whole being -- body and spirit together -- whenever you experience a sacred moment that compels you to respond. Your spirit's hunger for God can find fulfillment when you fast with your body.

Here's how you can respond to your hunger for God through fasting:

View fasting as a response

. Fasting is simply a natural, inevitable response of a person to a sacred moment in life -- a moment when focusing on the physical pleasures pales in comparison to focusing on the spiritual reality you're encountering. Fast for what you can give to God,is simply a way of worshipping Him.


Fasting is a more complete expression of devotion to God that can free you to focus your attention better on God.

 

[kayte]

Prepare yourself to encounter God through fasting. When you realize that your intimacy with God is superficial and you long to experience Him more directly, respond by fasting, and you may find that you encounter God more deeply and powerfully. Through fasting, render yourself freer to hear from God through prayer than you may be when you're not fasting. Let your love for God motivate you to reach out to Him through fasting.


Repent through fasting. Empathize with God's grief over your sins by fasting. Engage your entire person in repentance by using your body to turn away from self-indulgence and toward God. At church, schedule some times to fast with others for group repentance, just as you all sometimes gather to feast together in celebration (at church parties, potluck dinners, etc.). Express your personal repentance through fasting at times like during Lent and Holy Week, when God seems absent from your life, and when you realize your own complicity in society's moral wrongs.

Plea through fasting.
While keeping mind that fasting isn't a manipulative tool to add to your prayer requests, you can still fast to give yourself wholly to God when you're pleading for something or someone. Fast when you find a particular condition intolerable, and you can't be satisfied until you spend time with God expressing your concerns about it.

Grieve through fasting. Consider fasting when someone dies as a way of expressing your respect for that person and your pain at losing him or her. If eating seems sacrilegious at the time, fast for a while.

Discipline your body through fasting. When you become especially aware of your own sins and weaknesses and your resulting need for God's grace, consider fasting as a way to learn discipline that will help you grow. If you discipline your body through fasting, your spirit will follow, and you'll grow closer to God -- which will transform you into a more loving and holy person.

Routinely schedule one or two days each week to fast. Use the time to respond physically to the reality of a broken world, the presence of sin in your life, and your yearning for more love and holiness. But beware of using fasting as a weapon to battle your body's appetites, it's a good gift from God that you're simply choosing to refrain from for a time in order to focus on responding to a sacred moment.

Add fasting to your church's calendar. Throughout each year, schedule some time for your church's congregation to fast to respond to different purposes, such as commemorating the major events in Jesus' life or dealing with serious issues facing the world (poverty, abuse, the environment, the economy, wars, etc.).

Confront injustice through fasting. Fast as a way of expressing poverty in your body, to show solidarity with those who are impoverished by injustice in our fallen world. Divest yourself of some resources -- food -- for the good of others.

Use fasting to confront injustices in our own attitudes and behaviors, as well -- to break the hold of unhealthy habits in your life and help you grow in holiness. Ask God to give you a clear vision of what He would like your life to look like. Then, through fasting, express your complete surrender to that vision.


Embody hope through fasting. Protest the problems in our fallen world and embody God's hope for a better world by fasting. Fast to express your hope for the world to become as God intends for it to be. As you fast, become more motivated to do your part to make the world a better place.

Take care of your health. Understand the demands that fasting places on your body. Don't fast at all if you have special physical concerns, such as pregnancy or a chronic illness. If you do fast, be sure to do so in a balanced way that doesn't harm your health.

Don't be too hard on yourself. If you break your fast before the appointed time, simply confess your failure to God and try to do better next time. God is merciful when an intended fast doesn't work out well. Be merciful to others who fail after they've committed to fast with you.

Avoid hypocrisy. Regularly evaluate your fasting efforts and ask yourself what difference they're making for the better in your life. If fasting isn't improving your morality and relationship with God, something's wrong.

Shift attention off yourself and toward God. Always keep in mind that you should be fasting to draw closer to God -- not to impress other people or try to earn God's favor.
Fast only when you can do so in a healthy, balanced way.

Keep the benefits of fasting in mind.
Although fasting is simply a response to sacred moments rather than a way to obtain benefits, often God will choose to bless you through the process of fasting. Some of the benefits include a deeper sense of God's presence with you, freedom from bad habits that had previously controlled you, answers to prayer, and justice for people in need. But always keep in mind that these benefits emerge out of your response to sacred moments.

 

[OhmyKimB]

I like this idea! I would like to join!

 

[NappturalWomyn]

I will join you. I can fast for seven days. I will do a partial fast only because of my hectic work schedule. I will eat just vegetables and mushroom products (quorn) for protein, oats, millet, quinoa, soy milk/cheese, water, tea, fruit for seven days with you. Nothing else. I also thought about fasting during the day and eating one plain meal as above at night. I think this is just what I need for 2009.

 

[kayte]

I like this idea! I would like to join!

I will join you.

Great! I will PM you both shortly...

 

[HeChangedMyName]

I pray God's strength and endurance for all of the participants in this fast.

Isaiah 41:10

Fear not, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed. I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will uphold you with My victorious right hand.

And to piggyback off Kayte's initial post

Matthew 6:17-18
But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

 

[kayte]

I pray God's strength and endurance for all of the participants in this fast

Standing in agreement


Praying the Lord's blessing,peace beyond all understanding,
insights and His Hand over our journey with His Love
and for those who are also fasting and privately
may the Lord also be strong and steadfast with you
as with His all children

 

[kayte]

This is the seventh and ending day of the fast and there were insights and miracles and
learning curves in discipline..along the way...and prayers and personal disappoinment in not adhering perfectly to the fast

but what..riches the Lord has provided in serenity ..openess....bravery and re-direction
focus and proactivity

I am so grateful God engineered my New Year to begin this way
and I can never express gratitude enough for the brave candid sister warriors who
were part of this..and who I was privileged and blessed to mutually share and commune
with in divine support~

I put a prayer in my prayer box at a church I always stop and pray in for all of us who fasted and not just those on the 7 day fast ..... for all of us on a fasting journey

to the LHCF fasting sisters.. heartfelt gratitude
Thank God for you
Thank God....
and may we soldier onward