Prayer & Fasting
Throughout the year, we set aside dedicated periods of prayer and fasting, designed to cultivate a consistent rhythm of re-orienting our hearts and minds toward God.
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As Christians, prayer and fasting are spiritual disciplines that allow us to focus our attention on God by denying ourselves the usual comforts of food or other pleasures. By doing so, we are humbling ourselves before God and agreeing with Jesus when He says “Man must not live on bread alone…” (Matthew 4:4). We pray in order to communicate with God, and we fast to remind ourselves that we are ultimately dependent on Him.
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“At the end of the day, our heart is that we grow closer to Jesus. Maybe you’ve been through a fast and know a little of what to expect, great. Maybe this will be your first time, honored to have you! Regardless of your experience, we’ve made this guide available to give you as much information as you need so that the practical hurdles that tend to stand in the way of growing closer to God can be removed. We are for you, and we know that God has so much for each of us this year. If you still have questions, feel free to reach out to us, we are here for you!”
— Pastor Jared & Pastor Abraham
choose a fasting method
Fasting
If you would like to join us during this time, see different fasting options below and pick one that works for you. Remember that fasting is about denying ourselves something we need/desire and refocusing that urge to seek and connect with God.
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(NO FOOD AND NO WATER)
A dry/absolute fast is the most extreme form of fasting; it is fasting from both food and water. Paul went on a 3 day dry fast. “And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank” (Acts 9:9).
Caution: This should not be undertaken for over 3 days, and it should only be done if you have a clear directive from the Lord and are in good health.
What this fast will look like for you: As mentioned above, this should not be undertaken for more than 3 days. However, you can challenge yourself by doing a dry fast for the first day or last day of the fast. After doing 1-3 days of a dry fast, move to a different type of fast below.
Expect to feel some, or all of the following symptoms:Hunger
Irritability
Poor Focus
Headaches
Fatigue
Replace your “meals” with reading and praying to God. Use the physical urge as a signal to feed yourself spiritually.
How to prepare for a Dry Fast: Make sure you have clearance from a medical professional. Communicate with your family and friends about your intent, do not plan to fast for more than 3 days, and closely monitor how you are feeling (energy levels, sensations, etc). When finished with the fast, do not rush into eating solid food, and make sure to drink fluids along with electrolytes / sodium to rehydrate. -
(NO FOOD, ONLY WATER)
This type of fasting is what one normally thinks of when the word “fast” is mentioned. It involves not eating any food, but only drinking water. When Jesus was tempted by Satan in the desert, he did a water only fast: “...being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry” (Luke 4:2).
Caution: This should only be done if you have a clear directive from the Lord and are in good health.
What this fast will look like for you: You can choose to do water only fast for the full 7 days or split up the days. For example, you can do water only fast for the first few days, then the rest of the days can be a partial fast, and vice versa.
Expect to feel some, or all of the following symptoms:Hunger
Irritability
Poor Focus
Headaches
Fatigue
Replace your “meals” with reading and praying to God. Use the physical urge as a signal to feed yourself spiritually.How to prepare for a Water only Fast: Similarly to a dry fast, it is wise to consult with a medical professional to ensure you are safe to do a prolonged water only fast. Do not neglect electrolytes / proper sodium intake even during this water fast, as it will allow you to stay hydrated, and will help with the symptoms you will experience.
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(ABSTAINING FROM CERTAIN FOODS)
A partial fast is abstaining from certain foods, specifically ones that you might crave / have a strong desire for. The Catholic church fasting tradition of lent is an example of a partial fast; red meat and white meat are fasted from during Ash Wednesday and Friday.
Another example is in the book of Daniel: “I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled” (Daniel 10:3). A partial fast could mean abstaining from meals on a set day or abstaining from certain kinds of foods. This is commonly referred to as the Daniel fast (no meat, no sweets, no dairy. Soup only, fruit and vegetables only).
What this fast will look like for you: A partial fast for the full 7 days is more achievable than either a dry or water only fast, but will still require discipline and consistency. Since you will still be eating meals, one way to intentionally spend more time with God is to block out some time after dinner or before you sleep to meditate on His word and or pray.
How to prepare for a Partial Fast: Decide what it is you are cutting out for the next 7 or specified amount of days you decide. Buy your groceries ahead of time. Prepare spiritually by confessing your sins to God. Schedule your prayer time or bible time each day.
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(ABSTAINING FROM OTHER THINGS)
For those with medical conditions, or are pregnant, this fast is the safest and most convenient but not necessarily the least difficult. In fact, depending on what you are giving up, it might be more difficult than fasting from food or water.
What this fast will look like for you: Similarly to the previous fasts, you can choose to mix and match the amount of days, but a default guideline is to decide on one thing you are giving up for 7 days. Each time you crave or want to engage in the said activity or thing, read your bible or pray instead.
How to prepare for a Non-Food fast: Decide what it is you are fasting from (like watching TV, social media fast, mobile phone fast, listening to music, exercising). Specify the amount of days you want to fast; be clear with your goal. Prepare spiritually, and communicate with others if needed. Structure your prayer time or bible time each day.
LEARN MORE ABOUT FASTING:
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Guidelines above are taken from Pastor Vlad Savchuk and his course on fasting at Vlad School (free with registered account)
What we’re praying for
Prayer
As a church plant, we want to know what God’s vision is, what He is saying to our community, and we want to make sure we are doing His will, not ours. During this time we are praying for:
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As reflected in our pillars, we will be praying for Garden, Family, and City.
Garden — We will be praying that as a family, we become an example to our city of a people committed to intimacy with God first and foremost.
Family — Our prayer will be for unity and for relationships to be formed at Eden and in Houston.
City — There are hurting, broken, and people in need wherever we look. Our prayer is that God gives us eyes to see the people around us in need, and a heart to act.
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For us to root down, we need support financially. We are specifically praying for a potential building, location, and more financial support.
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God might have planted a concern or need in your heart. Pray for it!
faqs
Frequently Asked Questions
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A simple structure would be to follow a bible plan – a good resource for this is the YouVersion bible app and look for different bible plans and commit to it. However, feel free to dive deep into topics or specific books in the Bible as you see fit.
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None of us are perfect. Messing up is okay; just continue where you left off. Don’t let perfectionism ruin the true intent of this season, which is to seek and spend time with God. As C.S. Lewis said, “If we only have the will to walk, then God is pleased with our stumbles.” So long as we are stumbling towards God, it is all good.
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Some things you can do to help with following through:
Partner up with someone and hold each other accountable.
Prepare your environment; remove distractions and make it easier to read / pray by having things like your bible visible. On the other hand, make food / whatever thing you are fasting from invisible or hard to reach so you don’t get tempted.
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No, you will not be put on the spot if you are successful or unsuccessful in your fasting. We are meeting everyday to know what God is speaking to the congregation; it is not a roll call or progress report.
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Technically they would still count as food, but feel free to customize your fast and stick with it.
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Absolutely. Feel free to choose a fasting method that works for you, then build out a plan on when you transition to a method, and commit to your plan. We recommend creating a calendar to keep yourself accountable.
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Hopefully you have communicated with your family/friends that you are doing a fast, as they will likely respect your dedication. Politely decline and let them know your commitment. However, don’t beat yourself up if you do break the fast for whatever reason. Reset, recommit, and simply continue where you left off.
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These are simply some recurring themes of prayer we have outlined; feel free to change it up everyday.
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As a church body, we encourage you to do the full 7 days. If you are unable to do so, do what you can and create a plan to finish out the full duration at a later date.
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Most of us need to spend less time on social media/devices/technology. A simple plan is to fast from all social media apps (Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook, Reddit, you name it). Prepare by telling your friends/family that you will be unplugging for however many days you’ve chosen. Uninstall the apps on your phone to make it as hard as possible to break your fast. Install YouVersion or any other Bible app if you don’t have it already, so that every time you are tempted to use social media, you open the bible app instead. While this plan is simple, it most definitely will not be easy. But we challenge you to do it anyway!