October 31-November 20

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

As we come out of a season of celebrating God’s work through GCC’s past, we want to join together in prayer and fasting for our future. We want to seek this as a body and invite each of you to join our elders. For 21 days, we will pray and fast as we practice daily stillness, silence, and Scripture reading along with a weekly Sabbath practice


Goals/Desired Outcomes

  • Deepen our rootedness in God’s love as the source of our strength and identity
  • Humbly declare our dependence on God as our Good Shepherd and Provider
  • Willingly open our hearts and fix our eyes on Jesus, trusting him to show us how to best bring the Gospel to those around us as individuals and as a church
  • Reaffirm our personal commitment to God’s vision for GCC
  • Humbly submit ourselves to God’s discerned will for GCC’s future

Choosing A Fast

There are different kinds of fasts, all with a similar purpose – to draw closer to God and become more attuned to his presence and nearness. To make this time more meaningful and spiritually significant, ask God to lead you to the way in which he is inviting you to fast in keeping with your physical limitations. Here are three of the more common types of fasts:

  • Intermittent Fast – giving up 1-2 meals each day; take the time you would typically eat to spend time with God
  • “Daniel” Fast – fruit and/or vegetables and water only (consult with your doctor first; begin weaning yourself off other foods several days prior to starting your fast)
  • Water and/or Juice Fast – no food for a specific period of days (consult with your doctor first; begin weaning yourself off solid foods several days prior to starting your fast)

Goals and Desired Outcomes

Let's Begin

Day 1-6

Days 1-6 (10/31 – 11/5)

Practice 1-2 minutes of Stillness and Silence each morning and/or evening this week (start with less if needed; set a timer if it helps)

 

Prayer Focus Week One

  • Personal: Focus prayerfully on your spiritual, emotional and physical wholeness and wellbeing
  • Church: Pray for a renewed sense of spiritual vitality and community within the GCC Body and for a corporate recommitment to become more fully surrendered to the will of God for GCC

Fasting Begin your preferred fast as you sense the Lord leading you in keeping with your physical limitations (see above)

 

Scripture Reading – Prayerfully and reflectively read Isaiah 58 over the next 6 days

  • Read a couple to few verses each day (morning preferably); if you prefer, read the chapter each day, perhaps from a different translation
  • Reflect on how God speaks to you personally (a good practice is to journal your thoughts)
  • Rest in his personal word that came to you as you read today’s text



Sabbath

Day 7, Sunday 11/6 (repeat for Day 14 & 21)

Honoring the Sabbath

  • Slow Down – take an intentional break for all non-essential activities and distractions
  • Contemplate – reflect on how God has met you and provided for you this past week
  • Delight – take a break from fasting today and enjoy some of your favorite foods (maybe during a football game)!
  • Rest – take a nap, take a leisurely stroll through your favorite park; do something that makes your heart come alive!
  • Pray for a rest to come over your heart, mind, and actions from the Lord.




Day 8-13

Days 8-13 (11/7 – 11/12)

Practice 2-3 minutes of Stillness and Silence each morning and/or evening this week as able

 

Prayer Focus Week Two

  • Personal: Continue to focus on your wholeness and the integration of emotional health
  • Church: Pray that the GCC Body would remain faithful to our vision and values and that we would remain steadfast in this season of weakness, suffering and financial hardship

Fasting Reaffirm and/or adjust your preferred fast commitment this second week

 

Scripture Reading – Prayerfully and reflectively read Colossians 1 over the next 6 days

  • Read a couple to few verses each day (morning preferably); if you prefer, read the chapter each day, perhaps from a different translation
  • Reflect on how God speaks to you personally (a good practice is to journal your thoughts)
  • Rest in his personal word that came to you as you read today’s text

Day 15-20

Days 15-20 (11/14 – 11/19)

Practice 3-4 minutes of Stillness and Silence each morning and/or evening as able

 

Prayer Focus Week Three

  • Personal: Continue to focus on your wholeness and the integration of emotional health
  • Church: Pray for wisdom for the elders as they make ministry and operational decisions for GCC; for guidance for our staff relationships and that each ministry would be led by the Holy Spirit; and that our hearts would move to local and global outreach. Pray also against the schemes of the Enemy that desire to take our eyes off of our vision, values, and love for each other and our community.

Fasting  Reaffirm and/or adjust your fast commitment this third week (prepare your heart and body for Thanksgiving by thinking through how and when to break your fast). A few suggestions:

  • Transition slowly back to your normal diet
  • Ease back in with blander, softer foods to allow your body to adjust (avoid spicy or acidic foods)
  • If doing a water-only fast, consider how to best reintroduce other liquids to your diet (you may want to avoid a lot of caffeine until your body adjusts)

Scripture Reading – Prayerfully and reflectively read Ephesians 1 over the next 6 days

  • Read a couple to few verses each day (morning preferably); if you prefer, read the chapter each day, perhaps from a different translation
  • Reflect on how God speaks to you personally (a good practice is to journal your thoughts)
  • Rest in his personal word that came to you as you read today’s text

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