First Wednesday! [August 2020]

Biblical fasting always has to do with eliminating distractions for a spiritual purpose; it hits the reset button of our soul and renews us from the inside out. It also enables us to celebrate the goodness and mercy of God and prepares our hearts for all the good things God desires to bring into our lives. Remember, your personal fast should present a level of challenge, but it is very important to know your body, your options, and, most importantly, to seek God in prayer and follow what the Holy Spirit leads you to do. Remember, the goal of fasting is to draw nearer to God. Types of Fast Complete Fast: In this type of fast, you drink only liquids, typically water with light juices as an option. Selective Fast : This type of fast involves removing certain elements from your diet. One example of a selective fast is the Daniel Fast, during which you remove meat, sweets, and bread from your diet and consume water and juice for fluids and fruits and vegetables for food. Partial Fast: This fast is sometimes called the “Jewish Fast” and involves abstaining from eating any type of food in the morning and afternoon. This can either correlate to specific times of the day, such as 6:00 am to 3:00 pm, or from sunup to sundown. Soul Fast : This fast is a great option if you do not have much experience fasting food, have health issues that prevent you from fasting food, or if you wish to refocus certain areas of your life that are out of balance. For example, you might choose to stop using social media or watching television for the duration of the fast and then carefully bring that element back into your life in healthy doses at the conclusion of the fast. Scripture References Matthew 6:16-18 Matthew 9:14-15 Luke 18:9-14 Acts 27:33-37 Nehemiah 9:1-3 Extra Resources Resource for Fasting As A Family - https://www.facebook.com/pg/KidsCenterFWC/posts/?ref=page_internal FWC Daily Devotionals - https://thefwc.blog Guide to Fasting and Prayer - https://www.cru.org/us/en/train-and-grow/spiritual-growth/fasting/personal-guide-to-fasting.html 7 Basic steps to Successful Fasting & Prayer - https://www.cru.org/us/en/train-and-grow/spiritual-growth/fasting/7-steps-to-fasting.html Fasting 101 Questions -https://jentezenfranklin.org/products/fasting-101-questions