Hey Church! Below is the information we will be giving out this weekend for our 3-day Fasting and Prayer Campaign. This is available here so you can begin to prepare! We are so excited about what God will do through the dedicated prayers of His people here at Waters. See below:
Fasting and Prayer Campaign
Purpose:
The purpose of our fasting and prayer is to see God fulfill the theme of our year: That many people will experience God’s presence and give to His purpose. This year is going to be an incredible season for our church. We want to win the spiritual battles over two church plants in Woonsocket, RI and Milford, MA. We want to see lives radically changed for the Lord’s purposes.
What is fasting?
Fasting is the act of abstaining from food (and sometimes drink) for spiritual reasons in order to open oneself to God. Fasting is a physical expression of humility. Fasting denies the physical body food so that the spiritual part of one’s life can be built up and strengthened.
Scriptural Examples:
When to fast?
Scripture gives us many examples of fasting and prayer for times when God’s work was to move forward in power. Nehemiah did so when he heard about the condition of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 1:4). Esther called for three days of fasting and prayer when the Jews were under the threat of death (Esther 4:16). Daniel fasted and prayed during the Babylonian exile (Daniel 9). Jesus taught His disciples that some demonic activity is only defeated through fasting and prayer (Mark 9:29). It is clear from scripture, when God’s people were to experience a real move of God on their behalf, they gave themselves to fasting and prayer.
Ideas for Fasting:
We understand the broad spectrum of experience with Christian fasting in our church. For some, this is the very first attempt – take it slow and steady. For others, you’ve fasted before (perhaps often). Here are some ideas to help you out:
- Adhere to all physician assigned dietary restrictions. Do not hurt yourself. If you need a certain type of food or calorie intake for your health, make sure to take it.
- If this is your first ever fast, consider fasting 2 of 3 meals per day. This would be a great first step into the practice.
- Ultimately, the strictest form of fasting is water only. If you wish to do this, make sure to get plenty of water and sleep. By day two you may feel lethargic. You may also feel totally energized. People react differently. Watch yourself and be smart.
- PRAY! Fasting is not just giving up food. Fasting is giving up food for prayer, reflection, meditation, and contemplation of the scriptures and confession of sin. Get alone with the Lord and talk to Him. Let the Spirit speak to you. God may reveal habits or attitudes that He wants to change. If you are stuck in prayer, read from the Psalms. This would also be a good time for you to pick a book of the Bible and read through it during the three days.
- Other types of fasts (though not necessarily exemplified in scripture) include: liquids only, fruits/vegetables only (sometimes called the “Daniel fast” from Daniel 1), or some kind of dietary shake in the morning and no lunch/dinner. The idea here is to deny your physical body what it enjoys and desires while feeding your spiritual body the food God offers in His Word and presence.
SCHEDULE of PRAYER:
This is a schedule (per meal) of the key ideas to pray for during our campaign. This will help our church pray in the same direction. Your prayer time is not restricted to only these items, but we would ask that you touch on them for each prayer time as a show of solidarity and unity of mind and purpose. We have scheduled the topics per meal time you will be fasting:
Sunday, January 29th – Dinner:
Pray for yourself – an open heart, God’s Spirit, empowerment in the Gifts of the Spirit, and a fresh sense of His presence in your life and in the church.
Confess sins, reflect on this past year, ask God to lead you for this year.
Monday, January 30th – Breakfast:
Give thanks to God for specific blessings in your life. Read Psalm 118.
Healing for the nations. That the Gospel would be preached in all the Earth (Matthew 24:14).
Monday, January 30th – Lunch:
Milford Launch. The Failla family (Campus Pastors).
Pray that the Spirit of God will empower those who are part of these campus teams – guest services, children’s ministry, the band, etc.
Pray for the Milford area/school systems to be open and hospitable to the church.
Pray that our church will be a blessing to this town.
Monday, January 30th – Dinner:
The Families of Waters Church.
Pray for the broken homes among us – for healing and grace.
Pray for the marriages at Waters. Pray for fidelity and purity in the homes.
Pray for the children raised by Waters Church – that they will know the Gospel and honor God with their lives.
Tuesday, January 31th – Breakfast:
The Newer Christians among us.
Pray for the 840 people who have given their lives to Christ in 2016.
Pray for those who may have not come back – that the Holy Spirit will lead them back.
Pray for many more to make the decision to get baptized.
Pray for those who may have difficulty with old relationships because of their new life in Christ.
Tuesday, January 31th – Lunch:
Woonsocket Launch. The Shekleton family (Campus Pastors)
Pray that the Spirit of God will empower those who are part of these campus teams – guest services, children’s ministry, the band, etc.
Pray for the Woonsocket area/school systems to be open and hospitable to the Church.
Pray that our church will be a blessing to this town.
Tuesday, January 31th – Dinner:
Pray for the Holy Spirit to empower all God’s people in our church for work and ministry.
Pray for the fullness of the Holy Spirit in our Church (Ephesians 5:18).
Pray that we will see the gifts of the Spirit operate in our Church – in small groups, during the weekend prayer at the altar (1 Corinthians 14:1).
Pray that all the gifts of the Spirit will be used in a spirit of self-less love (1 Corinthians 13).
Wednesday, February 1st – Breakfast:
Pray for yourself – an open heart, God’s Spirit, empowerment in the Gifts of the Spirit, and a fresh sense of His presence in your life and in the church.
Confess sins, reflect on this campaign. What has God done in you these three days?
Sing a song to God. Read Psalm 100.
Wednesday Lunch:
Have a meal. If you had a water/liquid only fast, please eat a light meal. You may do yourself harm if you “gorge” because of hunger. Ease your way back into food.
WEDNESDAY – February 1st – FIRST WEDNESDAY! (Don’t miss it!)
