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Dear Bethlehem Church,In January of 2021, we kicked off the new year and called our church to participatein 21 days of corporate fasting and dedicated prayer. This time of prayer and fastingstrengthened us as a church like never before. Through a unified time of fasting atthe beginning of the year, we set the tone and the trajectory of our church, renewingour commitment before the Lord. We saw so much fruit and heard countless storiesof breakthroughs during that time, and we are excited and expectant as we prepareourselves to do it again this year.Prayer isn’t the proofof your faith, it’s thefuel for your faith.”JASON BRITTThere is supernatural strength in corporate prayer. Jesus said, “If two of you agreeon earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Fatherin heaven” (Matthew 18:19). When we share the experience of fasting and prayingtogether as the body of Christ, we will have more focus and power in our prayers andtake new spiritual ground.As we seek God’s face, the purpose of our fast will be to focus on the repentanceof sin and unbelief in our lives, turning from our sin and asking God to establish uswith His truth. Psalm 139:23-24 says, “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try meand know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me inthe way everlasting.” God loves us too much to leave us in our sin. We are fully seenby God, and still passionately pursued by Him. Ask God to show you specific areasin your life that are in need of repentance and ask for forgiveness. Pray that Godreveals strongholds and generational sin or habits that He wants to deliver you fromso that you may experience freedom and new, abundant life in Christ. I believe thatGod is calling Bethlehem to new heights as a church; and in order for that to happen,we must take new ground in our own personal spiritual lives. If we are all seekingGod’s will and fasting together, imagine what we could accomplish in a place ofunity and faith!I am praying for you as you seek God during this time!Be blessed,Jason1

Why Do We Fast?God created us with the need and the desire for food,so why would we choose to go without it?Fasting is going without food for a predetermined length of time for spiritual reasons.As humans, we are so often driven by our fleshly appetites and desires, and fastinghumbles us and also awakens us to our great spiritual need and hunger for God.SO JESUS SAID TO THEM,“BECAUSE OF YOUR UNBELIEF; FOR ASSUREDLY, I SAY TO YOU,IF YOU HAVE FAITH AS A MUSTARD SEED, YOU WILL SAY TO THISMOUNTAIN, ‘MOVE FROM HERE TO THERE,’ AND IT WILL MOVE,AND NOTHING WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE FOR YOU. HOWEVER,THIS KIND DOES NOT GO OUT EXCEPT BY PRAYER AND FASTING.”Matthew 17:20-21 NKJVFasting for spiritual and health reasons is an ancient practice, and we see fastingpracticed all throughout Scripture. Moses, Daniel, Ezra, Esther, Nehemiah, Johnthe Baptist, and Paul all fasted. Even Jesus Himself fasted (Matthew 4:1-11). Whentalking to His disciples, Jesus said, “When you fast ” not if you fast (Matthew 6:16).Though we are not required to fast in order to be saved, fasting was an expecteddiscipline throughout the Old and New Testament and should be a regular spiritualpractice in the life of a believer to help build our character, draw us near to God, andstrengthen our faith.When you have been praying for something for a long time and haven’t seen theresults you want, fasting can help bring the breakthrough you are seeking. Whenyou give up a necessity like food, it gets God’s attention and lets Him know you areserious. We do not fast in order to manipulate or coerce God into answering ourprayers, but rather to acknowledge our complete dependence on Him in all things.Fasting is saying that we desire the Lord more than we desire this thing. As PastorJason says, when we fast, we are declaring before Him, “I need You more than I need.”The goal of fasting is to eliminate distractions and align ourselves with God, prayingaccording to His will, not ours. Fasting gives us spiritual eyes to see, gaining Hisperspective on how we may pray in order to accomplish His purposes. In essence,we are declaring and demonstrating, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done.”34

What Do We Fast?THERE ARE 4 TYPES OF FASTSC OMPL E TE FA S TIn this type of fast, you drink only liquids. Typically water and/or light juices.SEL E CTI VE FA S TThis type of fast involves removing certain foods from your diet. One exampleof a selective fast is the Daniel Fast, named after Daniel the prophet in the OldTestament, during which you remove meat, dairy, sweets, alcohol, and bread fromyour diet, and consume water and juice for fluids and plant-based foods.PAR TI AL FA S TThis fast involves abstaining from entire meals for a designated amount of time.One example of this fast is called the “Jewish Fast” which is a full-day fast thatbegins with sunset in the evening and continues until sunset the next day. A minorfast day begins at dawn and concludes in the evening. This can either correlate tospecific times of the day, such as 6:00am to 3:00pm, or from sunup to sundown.Bottom line: Keep it simple.Choose something that has become a distraction or a hindrance for you, or somethingthat is dominating too much of your time and eliminate it. Whatever you choose to fast,take the time you would normally spend doing the activity from which you are fasting andspend it with God in prayer. Your fast may appear to be simple to some, but it is a hugestep of faith, especially if you are new to fasting. Each person should commit to fast athis or her individual level of ability and availability during the next 21 days.SOUL FAS TThis fast is a great option if you do not have much experience fasting food, havehealth issues that prevent you from fasting food, or if you wish to refocus certainareas of your life that are out of balance. For example, you might choose to stopusing social media or watching television for the duration of the fast and thencarefully bring that element back into your life in healthy doses at the conclusionof the fast. Set limits on your screen time and/or your media use. You might giveup certain movies and television entirely or just at certain times of the day or week.You could say no screen time after a certain time. Or delete the social media appyou use the most on your phone. Then, use that time you would have otherwisespent on a screen in prayer and studying the Word.56

Preparing for Your FastAs you consider fasting, we want to encourage you to spend some time in prayer,ask God to lead you in this time of seeking His face, and listen to the Holy Spirit forHis direction. Ask Him specifically what He wants you to fast. Whether you choose tofast one meal every day or a certain type of food for 21 days, the point is to humbleyourself in a new way and draw near to God to experience greater intimacy with Him.When you fast, expect resistance. Our spiritual enemy, Satan, will oppose you justas he opposed Jesus when He fasted (Matthew 4). The devil does not easily give upany territory he has conquered. But, 1 Peter 5:8-9 says, “Be alert and of sober mind.Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believersthroughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” Fasting is spirituallyand physically challenging, but we embark on this adventure not with fear, but fullybelieving and expecting that God will fight for us as we pray.7How to Use This GuideThere is no specific formula on how to pray. Prayer is simply talking to God. PrayingScripture, God’s words, back to Him, and reminding yourself of His promises is a greatway to connect with Him and know His will and direction for your life.The goal of using this guide is not to add pressure or overwhelm you, but to help youget comfortable talking to God and provide structure for your prayers. Use this prayerguide as a tool to pray intentionally. If your mind wanders, use the prayer prompts torestore your focus. Feel free to add your own personal prayers as well.As you pray, be sure to take time to listen. Write down what God may be speakingto you in the journal space provided. To make your prayer time even more meaningful,you can write notes or prayer requests and play worship music inthe background. The most important step is committing to regularly enteringGod’s presence through prayer.This guide was written to help you find a new level of purpose, effectiveness, andenjoyment in your prayer life. While prayer does take commitment and can requirediscipline to develop into a daily habit, we also want to remember that it’s a “get to,”not a “got to.” It’s a privilege to be able to come to God in prayer.8

DAY 1Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me andknow my thoughts! And see if there be any grievousway in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.P S A LM 13 9 :2 3 - 2 4 , E S VGod, You created me. You know me better than I know myself. Search my heart andpoint out anything that offends You. Give me the power from Your Holy Spirit to turnfrom it in Jesus’ name. Replace it with a greater love for You.FOR FURTHER STUDY, READ PSALM 139:13-24DAY 2For God is working in you, giving you the desireand the power to do what pleases him.P H I LI P P I A NS 2 :13 , NLTGod, thank You for Your Holy Spirit working in me, giving me not only the desireto do Your will but also the strength to accomplish it. Help me to cooperate withYour Holy Spirit, and give me the mind of Christ. I surrender all to You, Lord.I long to do what is pleasing in Your sight.9FOR FURTHER STUDY, READ PHILIPPIANS 2:1-1510

DAY 3The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but helpme overcome my unbelief!”MA RK 9:24, NLTGod, I know that the root of all sin is unbelief. God, I do believe You. I believe inYour authority and Your Word. I declare my trust in You, and I repent of my unbelief.Deepen my trust in You and fill me with faith.FOR FURTHER STUDY, READ MARK 9:14-29DAY 4And it is impossible to please God without faith.Anyone who wants to come to him must believethat God exists and that he rewards those whosincerely seek him.HEBREWS 1 1 :6, NLTFather, I ask You to give me eyes of faith because I know that without faith it isimpossible to please You. I pray that You will help me live out the life You created forme to have through faith.FOR FURTHER STUDY, READ HEBREWS 11:1-3912

DAY 5But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes,he will guide you into all the truth.J O H N 16 :13 , NI VGod, point out any lies that I have believed. Thank You for giving me theSpirit of truth. Lead me and guide me into all truth.FOR FURTHER STUDY, READ JOHN 16:5-15DAY 6Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world,but let God transform you into a new person bychanging the way you think. Then you will learnto know God’s will for you, which is goodand pleasing and perfect.R O MA NS 12 :2 , NLTGod, I repent of any areas where I have conformed to the behaviors and thecustoms of this world. Transform me by renewing my mind and changing theway I think through Your Spirit of truth and Your Holy Word. Thank You forthe opportunity to become a new person in Christ.13FOR FURTHER STUDY, READ 2 CORINTHIANS 5:16-21; ROMANS 814