Overview:
We encourage you to join us as the City family comes together for a one-week fast. Have you ever decluttered your house? Fasting helps declutter our souls and hear the Lord with better clarity. Our prayers align more with God’s will when we hear more clearly.

We have two fasting levels: level 1 and level 2.  We recommend Level 2 for everyone unless you're new to fasting.  Find all the details on our app under "Fast."


Our Focus: 
We want to grow closer to the Presence of God this year.  We want to grow by pursuing the word, prayer, worship, community, and being a light to our world.  During this fast, we have the added focus on prayers for Pastor Clayton and his fight with cancer.  God, move in, on, and through us in 2024!

Dates:
Monday, February 19th @ 6 am through Sunday, February 25th @ 6:00 pm

Level 1 - A Beginning Fast (both food and social media)

• Fast delicacies (sweets, caffeine, sauces, rich foods, alcohol).  Daniel would fast delicacies on his partial fast.
• Fast all social media unless you need to be a part of it for your job.
• Choose two nights of the week not to watch any TV.
• Fast one meal on the final day of the fast.
• If you can, join us for staff prayer at the church on February 22nd from 2 pm to 3 pm.
• Join us for the Prayer Gathering on Wednesday, February 21st, from 6:30 to 7:30 pm.
• Look at the City Church Prayer Focus document under the Fast tab on our app and pray with us daily.
• Do our Daily Devos each day from the City app. 

Level 2 - An Intermediate Fast (both food and social media)

• Fast one meal per day and use that time to do devotions.
• For all other meals, fast delicacies, or non-essentials (sweets, caffeine, sauces, rich foods, alcohol).  Daniel would fast delicacies on his partial fast.
• Fast all social media and secular radio. For the seven days, listen to mostly worship music.
• Choose three nights of the week not to watch any TV.
• If you can, join us for staff prayer at the church on February 22nd from 2 pm to 3 pm.
• Join us for our Prayer Gathering on Wednesday, February 21st, from 6:30 - 7:30 pm.
• Sunday, February 25th, fast all meals from sundown on Saturday to sundown on Sunday.
• Look at the City Church Prayer Focus document under the Fast tab on our app and pray with us daily.
• Do our Daily Devos each day from the City app. 

FAST BASICS

What is Fasting?
Fasting is abstaining from food or any other “necessity” for spiritual purposes.  While it is most often associated with not eating food, removing media and other forms of entertainment can also help us focus on our relationship with God.  Some fast for a diet or other motivation, but Biblical fasting always centers on spiritual purposes.  In most cases, fasting is a private matter between the individual and God.  There are, however, occasional times of corporate or public fasts.  We like to take part in corporate fast occasionally here at The City.

Why Fast?

1. Scripture teaches that fasting helps us suppress our flesh (sinful nature).
   
   
2. Fasting helps us to depend on the Holy Spirit more. When we eliminate distractions in our lives, we become more sensitive to the Spirit's promptings and voice. Fasting also enables the Holy Spirit to reveal your true spiritual condition, resulting in brokenness, repentance, and a transformed life.
   
   
3. Fasting brings humility. It helps us recognize our need for God and exposes our need for comfort.  (Ezra 8:21) (Psalm 35:13)
   
   
4. There is power when we add fasting to prayer.  (Matt 9:14-29, Isaiah 58:6)
   
   
   

Fasting confirms our utter dependence upon God by finding in Him a source of sustenance beyond food.    ---   Dallas Willard



Tips for Fasting

1. Fast with a focus - Choose a spiritual focus for your fast. It can be for spiritual growth for yourself, to reconcile a relationship, for a significant decision you have to make, etc. It is biblical to fast corporately with others for a common spiritual focus.
   
   
2. Replace the time you give up with the fast with spiritual exercises - Allow yourself to replace a mealtime with reading God's word, prayer, or both.   Allow yourself to replace media time with spiritual disciplines as well. Study a specific Bible topic during those times.
   
   
3. When you fast, expect physical and spiritual resistance - Hunger pains, headaches,  fatigue, irritability, loss of energy, nausea, and faintness are all possible effects of fasting.  There will be some adverse reactions as toxins leave the body. There will also be spiritual opposition to fasting.  Discouragement, depression, a strong desire to give up, temptation, and distractions are a few of the strategies the enemy uses to get our focus away from drawing near to God.  (Ephesians 6:12)

Jesus has many lovers of His kingdom of heaven, but he has few bearers of His Cross. Many desire His consolation, but few desire His tribulation. He finds many comrades in eating and drinking, but He finds few hands who will be with Him in His abstinence and fasting…         ---   Thomas a Kempis



Types of Fasting

1. Normal Fast
   You eliminate solid food but drink liquids. Most believers use this method.  You replace that eating time with spiritual disciplines.
   
   
2. Partial Fast
   You eliminate selected items from the diet or specific meals.  Examples might be eliminating sweets, caffeine, meat, and rich foods.  The Daniel fast is a popular partial fast where you only eat fruits and vegetables for a time.  You replace that eating time with spiritual disciplines.
   
   
3. Soul Fast
   You refrain from media for a specific time period.  You can do a partial media fast and remove some of your media sources.  You then replace that media time with spiritual disciplines.  If your job requires you to work on media, you only do work-related projects.

Fasting Resources

• The chapter on fasting is from “Celebration of Discipline” by Richard Foster.
• Personal Guide to Fasting - Bill Bright
• Fasting for Beginners - David Mathis (Desiring God Ministries)
• Why do Christians Fast - John Piper
• What is Biblical Fasting and Does It Work? - Brittany Yesudasan (CRU)