Dear children of God,
As the year is about to close, and many are contemplating what happens next, I want to invite you to start the new year and the next decade with prayer & fasting. I have personal needs that require answers and direct interventions from God, how about you? There are many in my life that I need to see 2020 be a better year for them, with real victory over addictions, poverty, depression, disease, physical unfitness, spiritual blindness, 
mental illness, aimlessness, and cyclical relational struggles. So many are lost spiritually or are wandering and have simply lost their way. Many have good intentions, but few are walking in their call. Further, our community, our state, and our nation is suffering, with entrenched hatred, deceptions, & division that threatens to wreak havoc on our society this coming year if we don’t see changes. I want to encourage you to make this coming decade the most fruitful season of your life so far and to launch it spiritually with prayer & fasting. Resolve to not turn away from the problems, and the people that need us, but to address them powerfully through prayer & fasting. Resolve to stop merely complaining about the politics & pundits and step into the midst of the fray through prayer & fasting. Are you concerned about the planet; the environment (our oceans, forests, clean water & air), human trafficking, exploitation & forced migration, international relations and our prospects for peace? I exhort you to take bold & immediate action! I invite you to start the next season with prayer & fasting. We are needed at such a time as this, to be engaged in the most effective way possible.
Warning: You are in danger of possibly missing your moment, and wasting the next chapter of your life. When we are unsure of what actions to take on the things that are already strongly pressing on our hearts, it is good to seek wisdom from God in prayer & fasting. So time invested in prayer & fasting is powerful & effectual for the need we are praying for, and for getting direction from God in what other actions, if any, we must take.
I invite you to launch the 2020’s with prayer & fasting. Want to know if this is right for you now? It’s easy. If this message is intended by God for you to take action on, your heart has likely been stirring the whole time you have been reading this. Further, throughout today, your heart will likely not be settled until you have resolved to join us. If that is not the case, no worries, this is likely not your time. If your heart is stirring, and if you want to join a group of people that will be dedicating January to prayer & fasting, respond to me at dannelson@calvarychapel.com or PM me on FB, and I will add you to a private group where we will be connecting, communicating, praying, interceding, and supporting each other daily throughout January. It is not necessary to have experience in prayer & fasting, and each person’s fast will likely be quite different from others, and some things are best learned by doing it.
Whether you are joining our group or not, if you have prayer needs, please do not hesitate to send your prayer requests in. Jesus taught that some victories are only won through prayer & fasting (see Mathew 17:21 & Mark 9:29)
P.S. Q&A for those that are asking . . .
What is fasting?: A fast is when you give up something that you normally experience that brings you comfort, satisfaction, or pleasure and rededicate that time to spiritual communion with God, letting whatever discomfort (ie. hunger) serve as a reminder to pray and as an impetus for passionate, disciplined, focused, and/or purposeful prayer; in the battle between the flesh and the spirit, it is lifting the spiritual while pressing down the physical.
Some examples of different types of fasting include:
No food at all (only water)
No breakfast, lunch, or dinner
No solid foods (only liquids, including soups)
No sugars or pleasure foods
Vegetables, Nuts & Fruits only
(These are just a handful, other types of fasts may include …)
No TV, or no Netflix, etc.
No (special) hobby
No marital relations
Can I mix and match my fast according to what God puts on my heart?: Definitely. Most people probably will if they will fast throughout January. There is not a steadfast rule. This is really between you and God. Thus it may be a few days of one type of fast and then change to another type of fast.
Is it OK if I have never done this before?: Definitely yes. This is a spiritual discipline that is learned by experience and through discipleship from others. By joining a private prayer & fasting group, you will be able to talk and encourage openly among those that are in it together, without trying to impress those on the outside with your spiritual resolve (as Jesus warned). This is a Biblical way of fasting together as recorded in the New Testament.
Are there health concerns?: Sometimes, yes. Please heed this warning: Those with certain medical conditions (such as diabetes), or job situations (such as emergency responders, or operators of industrial machinery), need to take this into consideration when planning a fast. Be cautious and seek guidance. Some may consult their physician if they are unsure what is advisable. And remember that pleasures other than foods can be given up for those whose caloric intake, blood sugar, or other issue are a concern.
I was going to do a cleanse, and wanted to lose weight anyway. Does that count for prayer & fasting?: In the end, God decides that. But I would suggest the answer is NO.
Why are you doing this?: Because we believe God put it on our hearts to do so, and we just want to make sure that those that are supposed to be with us, have been properly invited.
Do you believe that only the most spiritual people are the ones that will join you?: No. And it doesn’t matter we or other people think anyway. This is about what God might do when we respond to our call in prayer & fasting.
You have now been invited, exhorted, & encouraged. All that remains is that I might offer a blessing:
May God richly bless you, powerfully move upon you, and effectually use you, as His difference maker in the coming decade. May this year be the launch of the most beautiful season of your life, for God’s glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.