OF PRAYER AND FASTING
Begin Your Year Seeking God
At Victory Church, we have made it a priority to seek God first in prayer. We do this collectively as a church in January through 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting. This time frame is intentional, as it marks the beginning of a new year. Together, we faithfully seek God first, trusting in His power alone to create lasting impact in our lives, our church, and our world.
Daily Prayer Meetings
Throughout the 21 Days, we will be having prayer meetings Monday-Friday from 7p to 8p. This will be a time when you join us for corporate prayer in a relaxed, intimate environment.
Why Pray?
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. Whether you join us in person or online, we would love for you to be a part of 21 Days of Prayer.
Why Fast?
During the January season of 21 Days of Prayer, we encourage fasting as a spiritual next step that can bring clarity and revelation into your life. You can also choose to fast at other times of the year as you seek God.
The goal of fasting is to increase your sensitivity to God. Biblical fasting always has to do with eliminating distractions for a spiritual purpose; it hits the reset button of our souls 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. However, 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.
DAILY PRAYER FOCUS
Every Day Prayer Focus:
- Humble ourselves. Asking for forgiveness for our sins and the sins of our land. (2 Chronicles 7:14)
- Seeking God. Declaring our dependence on God in every area of our lives. (1 Chronicles 16:11)
- His Kingdom come. Praying for the completion of the Great Commission and for revival in our generation. (Matthew 6:10)
- Hear from Heaven. Invite the Presence of God in our church and our lives. Pray for souls to be saved, signs, wonders, miracles, and transformed lives. (Exodus 33:15)
- Believing God for answered prayer to our specific needs – Connection Cards, Pastoral Care update cards, and prayer requests. (Philippians 4:6)
- Praying for people to take next steps in their journey of faith to Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, and Make a Difference. (Ephesians 1:17-18)
Daily Prayer Focus:
- Day 1 (Thu, Jan 10) – Our Leaders – nation, state, and city (1 Timothy 2:1-2)
- Day 2 (Fri, Jan 11) – Our Pastors, church staff, small group leaders, dream teamers, elders (1 Thessalonians 5:12)
- Day 3 (Sat, Jan 12) – Our Cities and surrounding counties (Jeremiah 29:7)
- Day 4 (Sun, Jan 13) – Our Local Missions – Dream Centers, Adopt-a-School, Raleigh Dream Center, WLFJ, Outreach (Luke 4:18-19)
- Day 5 (Mon, Jan 14)– Our Nation–revival in America (Acts 16:5)
- Day 6 (Tue, Jan 15) – International Missions – the Gospel in Israel, unreached people groups, church planting, leadership development. Mission trips to Nicaragua & Guatemala, 12 churches in Ethiopia (Matthew 24:14)
- Day 7 (Wed, Jan 16) – (Church service prayer)
- Day 8 (Thu, Jan 17) – The Lost – services, family members (Romans 8:15)
- Day 9 (Fri, Jan 18) – Small Groups – leaders, members, real life change (Hebrews 10:24-25)
- Day 10 (Sat, Jan 19) – Growth Track and Dream Team – leadership development, covering over every leader, fresh vision (Philippians 1:6)
- Day 11 (Sun, Jan 20) – Children, Students, Young Adults (Psalm 127:3-5)
- Day 12 (Mon, Jan 21) – Families and marriages (Proverbs 24:3-4)
- Day 13 (Tue, Jan 22) – VSOT (Matthew 9:37-38)
- Day 14 (Wed, Jan 23) – (Church service prayer)
- Day 15 (Thu, Jan 24) – My Church – Vision for 2019, building projects, conferences, finances, leaders (Matthew 16:18)
- Day 16 (Fri, Jan 25) – My Vision for 2019 – fresh vision, dreams fulfilled, making a difference (Proverbs 21:30)
- Day 17 (Sat, Jan 26) – My Place of Influence – home, workplace, school (Matthew 5:13-14)
- Day 18 (Sun, Jan 27) – My Freedom – personal freedom and deliverance, breakthrough in every area (Isaiah 54:17)
- Day 19 (Mon, Jan 28) – My Needs – finances, health, family members to be saved and other personal needs (1 Peter 5:7)
- Day 20 (Tue, Jan 29) – Spiritual Awakening – (Joel 2:28-32, Isaiah 6:1-3)
- Day 21 (Wed, Jan 30) – (Closing prayer service)
HOW TO FAST
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. Fasting is never mandatory, and if you choose not to fast, there is no judgment. We do, however, believe that you will see great spiritual benefits if you do.
Types Of Fasting:
DANIEL FAST:
The Daniel Fast is the type of fast that is most heavily practiced at Victory Church. This is a fast based on the fast that Daniel committed to in the Bible.
For more information on the Daniel Fast, including dietary suggestions, check out the link 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 (mentioned above), during which 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.
RESOURCES ON FASTING: