The discipline of fasting is seen throughout the Bible and is a helpful way to draw closer to God and hear Him more clearly. When a community of believers fasts with humility and repentance, acknowledging your sin in sorrow and choosing to turn away from it, change can happen in our city!

Here are a couple of helpful tips when it comes to fasting:

• Consult your physician if you have pre-existing conditions or health issues.
• Write out what you are choosing to fast and share with an accountability partner.
• Choose a fast that will challenge you so that in your lack and your heightened desire, you press into God's presence, His word, and His people.
• Stay sensitive to the Holy Spirit's leading. The goal is not just to abstain from food, but to draw nearer to God.

Plan in advance what you will read or study for the duration of the fast. Choose a Christian book, a topic to study in scripture, or a specific book of the Bible. It's important to feed your soul the nourishment it needs while your body is craving other things. If you are new to reading the Bible, start in John or Acts. Commit to reading something from the Bible each day of the fast. Download the YouVersion app and choose a daily devotional that you can be committed to.

Prayer is how we talk to God. There are so many ways you can pray: out loud, silently in your own mind, or through journaling. You can sit in your favorite chair, pray with a partner, or go on a prayer walk in your neighborhood. No matter how you pray, know that God wants to hear from you and the more you do it, the better it goes! Journaling while fasting is the most significant way you can track what God reveals, speaks, and asks of you. You might read back what you wrote at the beginning of the fast and be amazed at how the Holy Spirit guided your words and by the prayers that God answered.