January 7 - 27

At Berachah Church, we are taking part in 21 days of prayer and fasting from Sunday, January 7-27. This will be a season of focused prayer for us as a church family.

Dedicated Prayer Times

During this 21-day period, you are invited to attend dedicated corporate prayer times with the church. The following two weekly times are available. Choose one or attend both.

Saturday mornings from 7:30 AM-8:00 AM - January 13, 20, 27

Wednesday evenings from 7:30 PM-8:00 PM - January 10, 17, 24.

Whether you enjoy praying out loud or just prefer to pray quietly, please join us. You will be able to join in however you prefer.

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Fasting

Below are the different types of fasts you can partake in over these 21 days, as well as what you can be praying for. The type of your fast is not as important as the strength of your focus on God as you fast. Here are the types of things we invite you to pray and fast for:

For any friends, family, or coworkers who do not yet know the love of Jesus

For strength, wisdom, and endurance to follow Jesus well in 2024

To love those God has placed in your life well, especially during the difficulties we are all facing

For our church to be a place where people can experience Jesus and who he is

Any personal requests you have, commit to bringing them before the Lord every day during this time

However you choose to fast, we look forward to seeking God together for the good of our church and our community.

Types of Fasts

Complete Fast

In this type of fast, you drink only liquids, typically water, with light juices as an option.

Selective Fast

This type of fast involves removing certain elements from your diet (i.e., meat or sugar).

Daniel Fast

During this, you remove meat, sweets, and bread from your diet and consume water and juice for fluids and fruits and vegetables for food.

Partial Fast

This fast is sometimes called the “Jewish Fast” and involves abstaining from eating any type of food in the morning and afternoon. This can either correlate to specific times of the day, such as 6:00 am to 3:00 pm, or from sunup to sundown.

Soul Fast

This fast is a great option if you do not have much experience fasting food, have health issues that prevent you from fasting food, or if you wish to refocus certain areas of your life that are out of balance. For example, you might choose to stop using social media or watching television for the duration of the fast and then carefully bring that element back into your life in healthy doses at the conclusion of the fast.

Why Should I Do This?

The goal of fasting is to draw nearer to God. Biblical fasting always has to do with eliminating distractions for a spiritual purpose; it hits the reset button of our soul and renews us from the inside out. It also enables us to celebrate the goodness and mercy of God and prepares our hearts for all the good things God desires to bring into our lives. Remember, your personal fast should present a level of challenge, but it is very important to know your body, your options, and, most importantly, to seek God in prayer and follow what the Holy Spirit leads you to do.

Scripture references

All throughout the Bible, you will find fasting.

Here are just a few of the many passages:

Matthew 6:16-18

Matthew 9:14-15

Luke 18:9-14

Acts 27:33-37

Nehemiah 9:1-3

2 Chronicles 20