Welcome to your 21 days of prayer and fasting journey! I am so thankful that God has allowed us such a relationship with Him that we can draw closer to His presence by deepening our connection with Him. We are going to endeavor to do this by denying ourselves (fasting), intentionally focusing more on our conversations with Him (praying), and diving daily into the Word of God for direction (devotionals).

Rules of Engagement:

We are going to intentionally pray three times a day. I do not want to put a time limit on our lunchtime prayers, but your morning and evening prayers should be at least 30 minutes. During these times, we will have specific prayer focuses:

Morning Prayers:

• Praise God for the blessing of another day.

• Pray for strength, protection, and wisdom to thrive that day.

• Ask God to search your heart and remove anything that is not of Him.

• Pray this powerful prayer: that God will use you to have a positive impact on someone during your day, in the name of Jesus.

Mid-Day Prayers:

• Praise God for the provisions in your day and your life. If He has moved in any way that day, give Him the glory.

• Focus on specifically hearing and obeying God’s voice for the afternoon.

• Ask God to provide an opportunity to share the love of Jesus in the coming hours, much like in the morning prayer.

Evening Prayers:

• Praise God for the events of the day. Even if it has been a rough one, He was with you.

• Intercede specifically for individuals in your life who need to find the saving grace of Jesus. Name them and pray for each person individually.

• End your daily prayer time by covering schools, public and private, as well as their administrators, staff, and students in fervent prayer. Pray for safety, growth, and for God to move in our educational system.

Fasting:

We are also practicing the spiritual discipline of fasting. Fasting means giving up something (that will be a challenge) to rely on God’s strength to carry us through and to draw closer to Him.

Remember, giving up what you decide to fast is only half of the equation. When the urge for it arises, or during the time you would have spent doing it, use that time for scripture, prayer, worship, or listening to Christian podcasts.

Do not substitute one time-waster for another! If you are fasting social media, do not replace that time with TV. If you’re fasting a meal, don’t waste the time you would have spent eating. Use it to deepen your relationship with God!

I will always start our prayer and fasting times by reminding you of how Jesus instructed us to fast in the greatest sermon ever preached—the Sermon on the Mount:

Matthew 6:16-18“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

So, over the next few weeks, whatever you are fasting, do not go around complaining about it! That is not pleasing to God. Go about your lives in the strength and provision of the Lord!