Helpful Guidelines
- Retire to bed early the night before starting a fast as we must be intentional. This will help you begin fresh and early. God is honoured through our being intentional.
- Set your wake up alarm if needed
- Please read and meditate in the daily scriptures provided during this period. Please meditate in the scriptures.
- When praying alone or during the livestream, please attempt to say your words out-loud. This is a very powerful form of prayer as revealed in scriptures. See Daniel 9:20-21
- Write out clearly any personal praise and prayer points so you can keep track and record.
- You may join the fast from 6am to 3pm or 6am to 6pm. During either period make sure to stay focused and spend some time in scripture reading and meditating, as well as praying out-loud.
- Use worship music to help you engage the tangible presence of God.
2 Kings 3:15 says, “But now bring me a musician. Then it happened, when the musician played, that the hand of the Lord came upon him.”
Enjoy these worship videos
“Pray” by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir
“There Is a Balm in Gilead” by The Adventist Vocal Ensemble - Please keep yourself hydrated with water throughout the day.
- Decrease time talking, as talking consumes energy and use your time for meditation (unless it is necessary).
Why should we fast? What are the benefits?
- Jesus said His disciples would fast. Matthew 9:14-15
- Jesus said that demonic problems which defy human logic and scientific solution will not yield without fasting. Matthew 17:21 NKJV
- Jesus said, “When you fast” not “if you fast”, clearly suggesting an expectation. Matthew
- Fasting has been proven to be helpful for the overall health of the human body.
- Fasting regularly helps to kill sinful appetites.
- Fasting trains us in self-discipline
- Fasting opens the human spirit to receive from an indelible experience and revelation from God
- Many moves from God have arisen from individual or collective times of fasting with prayer
- Fasting humbles our soul
- Ready about the Top 10 Benefits of Fasting with Prayer
- Read about Why Add Fasting to Prayer
Is fasting a religious exercise?
Fasting can certainly be an empty religious exercise, devoid of grace, as it is in many major world religions. However, the Christian faith is not a religion, it is a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
Fasting is a decision to draw near to God in prayer and penitence while focusing on spiritual things. Jesus set the example. We can choose to follow in His footsteps and find profit in the practice. Mark 1:12-13, James 4:7, Acts 27:21-23.
Doesn’t the grace of God remove the need for fasting?
The grace of God is given to help us accomplish what we cannot in our own human strength. The testimonies we have heard consistently from some members at Joy Fountain is that they had never fasted before coming to Joy Fountain, but once they set their minds to it, they received great grace and found they had a spiritually fulfilling experience.
Exemptions
The pregnant, elderly, the infirm, and those who are on a heavy medication regime are not advised to fast. Please consult your medical professional for advice and govern yourself accordingly.
If the exemptions apply to you, you are still expected to pray as Jesus said, “My shall be called a house of prayer.”
Read more about Prayer & Fasting
Joy Fountain Church is a church located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
We believe that prayer and fasting is an important part of a believer’s life. If you’re in the Winnipeg area and would like to learn more about prayer and fasting, join us at one of our Sunday services or at a prayer meeting!
We meet Sundays at 10:30am at 106 Burnett Ave., Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
You can also join the live stream of our 10:30am service online.
