Week of Prayer & Fasting

January 13-17, 2025

Quick Links: About Fasting | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5

It’s a new year, a fresh start … and God wants to speak to us. Follow along with the daily prayer guide each day, and join us on January 15 for a time of collective prayer midweek.

[JUMP TO PRAYER GUIDE]

24/7 Prayer Sign Up

This year, we’re introducing 24/7 Prayer to our Week of Prayer & Fasting at FAC. We encourage you to sign up for a time slot below to pray during our week together. As we pray, let’s join Jesus in the renewal He wants to bring to each of our lives, our FAC community, and our city:

Sign Up to Pray

Please use the form below to sign up and commit to pray during a specific hour. You can sign up for multiple hours if you like by filling out the form again.

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What is Fasting?

Fasting is understood as “voluntary abstinence from food or drink, especially as a religious duty.” As followers of Jesus, the purpose of all spiritual disciplines, including fasting, is to help us to become more like Jesus. We follow in His footsteps. Fasting helps us – personally and corporately – become aware of how God desires to work in and through us.

We should never be motivated by the idea that our fasting will move God to do what we want. We can’t manipulate God. The purpose of our fasting is to draw us closer to God and to seek His will for our lives.

“One of the greatest spiritual benefits of fasting is becoming more attentive to God — becoming more aware of our own inadequacies and His adequacy, our own contingencies and His self-sufficiency — and listening to what He wants us to be and do.” (E.L. Towns)

In the book of Esther, the Jews were on the verge of destruction because of Haman, one of the king’s advisors. Haman was filled with anger against a Jew named Mordecai because he didn’t bow or worship him. Haman looked for a way to destroy all of Mordecai’s people, the Jews, throughout the whole kingdom of Xerxes.

Mordecai knew he was in trouble, so he sought help from Queen Esther, who was his niece. Now, for Queen Esther to approach the king for help without being summoned first was very dangerous – she would literally be risking her life. So Esther called a fast.

“Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.” (Esther 4:15-16 NIV)

Those 3 days of prayer and fasting changed history forever.

This was her moment. Esther went to see the king, knowing she was possibly walking to her death. Because Esther approached the king on behalf of her people, they would become a nation not of defeat but of favour and rescue.

When God’s people fast with a proper motive – seeking His will – and with a humble and repentant spirit, amazing things happen.

This is our moment. We’re going to pray and fast as a church community. We’re going to seek God’s will for our lives, our church, our communities, our country, and our world.

Quick Links: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4| Day 5 | Return to Top

About Fasting

For this church-wide Week of Prayer & Fasting, choose a 1, 3, or 5-day fast between Monday, January 13-Friday, January 17. Fast for as long as you like; however, use wisdom and pray for guidance. Ask the Holy Spirit to lead and guide you when making this decision.

Beginners are advised to start slowly. Keep yourself hydrated at all times. Drink plenty of water and juices. Remember to replace your eating time with prayer and reflecting on the Word. We’ve provided 5 days of guided prayer and Scripture for everyone to lean into together as a community, regardless of how long you choose to fast.

Words of Caution

Please consult your family physician before attempting to fast if you have a physical condition that’s affected by your food intake, have any chronic illness, and/or are taking any kind of prescription medications. If you’re unsure whether you should participate for any reason, please consult your family physician.
Infants and small children should not fast. Older children who can understand fasting can participate by choosing a food they usually have each day and giving that up during the fast. The important thing is to explain that we’re giving up something to focus on God.

What to Expect When Fasting

When we fast, our body detoxifies, eliminating toxins from our system. This can cause mild discomfort like headaches and irritability during withdrawal from caffeine and sugars. Naturally, we’ll have hunger pains. It’s important to limit physical activity and exercise moderately to take time to rest.

We’re following Jesus’ example when we fast. Spend time listening to praise and worship. Pray as often as you can throughout the day. Get away from the normal distractions as much as possible and keep your heart and mind set on seeking God’s will for us.

As we enter this time of heightened spiritual devotion, it’s important to be aware that Satan will do everything he can to pull us away from our prayer and Bible reading time. When we feel the enemy trying to discourage or distract us, we need to immediately go to God in prayer and ask Him to strengthen us in the face of difficulties and temptations.

How to End a Fast

Don’t overeat when the time comes to end your fast. Because our digestive systems have most likely reduced enzyme production, overeating or ingesting certain foods too quickly may cause nausea, stomach aches, or diarrhea. Introducing regular foods slowly will help stop fasting safely without disrupting the digestive system.

Quick Links: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4| Day 5 | Return to Top

Prayer Guide

Regardless of how long or if you choose to fast, we encourage everyone to engage in 4 days of guided prayer and meditation as we seek to listen to God individually and as a community at FAC this week.

Quick Links: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Return to Top

Introduction

“If I were to stand on a street corner and ask, ‘What comes to mind when you hear the word fast?’, most people would say something about the pace of life these days – it is fast, probably too fast. They would talk about the word “fast” as an adverb of speed and not a verb of abstinence. Curiously, there’s a common root for both connotations of the word.

‘Going fast’ – travelling or working fast, or having a fast connection to the internet – that kind of fast comes from the same word as ‘fasting,’ in the sense of abstaining from food. Our English word ‘fast’ comes from the Old English fæsten, which denoted ‘firm,’ such as ‘to hold fast’ to some decision or principle. We also may talk about ‘a long, fast friend,’ meaning someone who has been a secure friend, someone who has been tight with you – a steadfast friend. The word ‘fast’ became a verb, applied to the abstinence of food because of one’s ‘holding fast to a particular observance,’ which was a firm resolve. That’s how the scriptures speak of fasting: more an affirmation of resolve rather than a renunciation of some desire.

Jesus talks about fasting in the Sermon on the Mount when He teaches about giving and praying. Jesus presumes we do all 3: pray, give, fast. In Matthew’s gospel, we hear Jesus saying, ‘When you fast …’ Not ‘If,’ but ‘When you fast …’ He makes the assumption that people would hold to the practice of fasting since fasting was a common practice in His day; they needed instruction on how to do it properly.

We’re inviting you into a time of prayer and fasting, with various options to suit your personal circumstances. We invite you to hold fast to Jesus and seek His face because we are resolved that nothing matters more.” – Pastor James Paton

“Announce a time of fasting; call the people together for a solemn meeting. Bring the leaders and all the people of the land into the Temple of the Lord your God, and cry out to Him there.”
(Joel 1:14 NLT)

Day 1: Surrender

“We are all disciples of someone or something. We’re all being transformed into the image of something …The question isn’t ‘are you being formed?’ but ‘who or what are you being formed into?’”
– John Mark Comer

Silence & Solitude

Be still and quiet. Slow your mind and heart. Prepare your heart. Take a few deep breaths and focus on God.

Scripture for Meditation

Spend a few minutes reading and meditating on the scriptures below. Read the verse(s) through a few times. Read quietly to yourself, then read it out loud.

Ask, “Lord, what do you want to say to me?”
Ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes and heart to see God’s truth.

Luke 22:42 (NLT): “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

John 3:30 (NLT): ”He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.”

Video: Watch Pastor Hernando’s message to us on Surrender:

[VIDEO HERE]

Reflect

What is impacting you from today’s verses and video?
What is God saying to you?
What is the truth you need to apply to your life?

Record

How did God speak to you today? Write it down.

Request

Conclude your time today by talking to God about what He has shown you and making your requests to Him.

Day 2: Believe

If you want to experience the life of Jesus, you have to practice the lifestyle of Jesus.
– John Mark Comer

Silence & Solitude

Be still and quiet. Slow your mind and heart. Prepare your heart. Take a few deep breaths and focus on God.

Scripture for Meditation

Spend a few minutes reading and meditating on the scriptures below. Read the verse(s) through a few times. Read quietly to yourself, then read it out loud.

Ask, “Lord, what do you want to say to me?”
Ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes and heart to see God’s truth.

Mark 9: 14-29 (NLT): “But when the evil spirit saw Jesus, it threw the child into a violent convulsion, and he fell to the ground, writhing and foaming at the mouth. “How long has this been happening?” Jesus asked the boy’s father. He replied, “Since he was a little boy. The spirit often throws him into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.” What do you mean, ‘If I can’?”, Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes. The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” When Jesus saw that the crowd of onlookers was growing, he rebuked the evil spirit. “Listen, you spirit that makes this boy unable to hear and speak,” he said. “I command you to come out of this child and never enter him again!

Then the spirit screamed and threw the boy into another violent convulsion and left him. The boy appeared to be dead. A murmur ran through the crowd as people said, “He’s dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and helped him up to his feet, and he stood up. Afterward, when Jesus was alone in the house with his disciples, they asked him, “Why couldn’t we cast out that evil spirit?” Jesus replied, “This kind can be cast out only by prayer.”

Video: Watch Pastor Cory’s message to us on Believing:

[VIDEO HERE]

Reflect

What is impacting you from today’s verses and video?
What is God saying to you?
What is the truth you need to apply to your life?

Record

How did God speak to you today? Write it down.

Request

Conclude your time today by talking to God about what He has shown you and making your requests to Him.

Day 3: FAC Prayer Night

Today, please join us at an FAC location near you as we gather together to pray:

Wednesday, January 15

12:00 pm – Online (Wednesday Noon Prayer via Facebook LIVE)
7:00 pm – Southwest Ministry Centre (201 2577 Bridlecrest Way SW)
7:00 pm – FAC Deerfoot in English (Harvest Rooms CDE)
7:00 pm – FAC Deerfoot en Español (Centro de Oración)
7:00 pm – FAC Deerfoot em Portuguguês (Sala 255)

Quick Links: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Return to Top

Day 4: Seek Him

“The first and most basic thing we can and must do is to keep God before our minds.”
– Dallas Willard

Silence & Solitude

Be still and quiet. Slow your mind and heart. Prepare your heart. Take a few deep breaths and focus on God.

Scripture for Meditation

Spend a few minutes reading and meditating on the scriptures below. Read the verse(s) through a few times. Read quietly to yourself, then read it out loud.

Ask, “Lord, what do you want to say to me?”
Ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes and heart to see God’s truth.

Matthew 6:33 (NLT): “Seek the kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”

Video: Watch Pastor Alexandre’s message to us on Seeking Him:

[ADD VIDEO]

Reflect

What is impacting you from today’s verse and video?
What is God saying to you?
What is the truth you need to apply to your life?

Record

How did God speak to you today? Write it down.

Request

Conclude your time by talking to God about what He has shown you and by making your requests to Him.

Day 5: Be Filled

“Spiritual disciplines are practices based on the lifestyle of Jesus that create a time and space for us to access the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, and in doing so, be transformed from the inside out.”– John Mark Comer

Silence & Solitude

Be still and quiet. Slow your mind and heart. Prepare your heart. Take a few deep breaths and focus on God.

Scripture for Meditation

Spend a few minutes reading and meditating on the scriptures below. Read the verse(s) through a few times. Read quietly to yourself, then read it out loud.

Ask, “Lord, what do you want to say to me?”
Ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes and heart to see God’s truth.

Ephesians 5:1 (NLT): “Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children.”

Romans 8:1-17 (NLT): “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. ²And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. ³The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. ⁴He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.

⁵Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. ⁶So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. ⁷For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. ⁸That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.

⁹But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) ¹⁰And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. ¹¹The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.

¹²Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. ¹³For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. ¹⁴For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.

¹⁵So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” ¹⁶For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. ¹⁷And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.”

Video: Watch Pastor Fernando’s message to us on Being Filled:

[ADD VIDEO]

Reflect

What is impacting you from today’s verse and video?
What is God saying to you?
What is the truth you need to apply to your life?

Record

How did God speak to you today? Write it down.

Request

End your time by talking to God about what He has shown you and by making your requests to Him.

This concludes our Week of Prayer & Fasting for 2025; thank you for joining us! If you’d like to share what you learned during this experience as an encouragement to others at FAC, please contact Pastor Heather Brown — we’d love to hear from you!

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