From the beginning, MVMNT Church has always made it a priority to seek God first in prayer. We do this collectively as a church each January with 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting and each August with 21 Days of Prayer. These two months are intentional, as they begin new seasons of the year. Together, we faithfully seek God first, trusting in His power alone to create lasting impact in our lives, our church, and our world.

If you sense God has more for your life, 21 Days of Prayer is a great place to start believing Him for all that He has for you. As you practice seeking Him first, He will move on your behalf like never before. You will start to see the power of prayer impact your relationships, work, family, and every area of your life. Because the Bible teaches that there’s power in our collective prayers, we would love for you to be part of 21 Days of Prayer.

Prayer and fasting are pivotal steps to take in the life of a believer. As you take these steps in your spiritual journey, we believe you will experience more of God’s presence and growth in your relationship with God!

Sometimes we get in our own way with complicated prayers. We begin to pray and give God specific instructions on how to solve the circumstance we are in. The Bible tells us in Isaiah 55:8-9 “‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,’ says the Lord.”  Our role is to understand that God doesn’t need your instruction, He needs you to ask Him and then have faith to trust the process. Here are a few easy bullet points to guide you when you are praying:

1) Ask the Holy Spirit for help – He is your guide.
2) Trust the process – it is part of your journey.
3) Declare God’s Word over your circumstance in your prayers.
4) Have Faith that He hears you and His Word is powerful and never changes. He will do what He says He will do!
5) Anticipate and expect clarity, peace, courage and - most importantly- breakthrough!

The Bible says in John 10:10 “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” You cannot battle the plans of the enemy and pray powerful prayers if you do not know what God’s Word says. It’s clear that we will have trials and challenges . We are told that Satan’s purpose is to destroy God’s plans for our lives. It is vital to know the Bible. Every single answer you need is in God’s Word. It provides you with all of the instructions you need to walk through all of your circumstances in victory and joy.

Faith plays a key role in your breakthrough prayers. You must trust and believe what God says. Praying with expectancy is a way to activate your faith. In Isaiah 55:11 God says “It is the same with My word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.”  Faith doesn’t go by feelings and it doesn’t go by circumstances that are contrary to what God says. Stand on God’s word and expect that He will move the mountain for you if you believe.

The goal of fasting is to draw nearer to God. Biblical fasting always has to do with eliminating distractions for a spiritual purpose. By intentionally abstaining from something that comforts us for a period of time, typically food, we focus on expressing need for the only One who can truly comfort us, God. However, fasting without prayer is simply a diet. When coupled with prayer, fasting becomes a powerful discipline that nourishes our spirit and draws us closer to God. The focus of fasting is not the lack of food, but rather on what we are gaining, the revelation and presence of God.

1.  DISCREETLY (Matthew 6:17-18 NLT) “17 But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. 18 Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.”
 
2. WITH FAITH (Hebrews 11:6 NLT) “6 And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.”

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. Read about the different types of fasts below:

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. One example of a selective fast is the Daniel Fast, during which you remove meat, dairy, sweets, bread, and caffeine 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.