GUIDELINES FOR AN EFFECTIVE FAST
Fasting creates the necessary conditions for a spiritual breakthrough.
Examples of a Fast
1. Jehoshaphat – Get supernatural help.
II Chronicles 20:3-4
2. Ezra
Direction on which way to go.
Ezra 8:21-22 KJV
3. Esther – Enlargement and Deliverance
Esther 4:14-16
4. Jesus – Power
Matthew 4:1-2 KJV
Luke 4:13-14
A breakthrough is a sudden, dramatic, important, and significant advancement. It results in historic events that are landmarks in your life and the history of whatever you are fasting about.
A spiritual breakthrough is always preceded by a time of humbling oneself before God in fasting and prayer where there is focus on repentance.
Repentance is not a negative word, it is asking God to shed His light upon your heart so you see the better way of doing things. He shows you what has been hindering you and you change that. A fast is about changing the wine skin such that new wine can be poured in.
This 21-day fast will make 2022 a historic year for you.
Thus, the purpose of this fast is to prioritize God’s word and generate faith through encounters with God by way of insights you receive. These insights will lead to unusual things happening as you declare them into your life.
1. Seek God’s face for your life in 2022 (about situations you are facing or dreams you aspire to attain).
2. Spend time in the word of God to find specific words in scripture that give light to you on the issue.
3. Set aside special times to have extended time in prayer more than you will do on regular basis.
Accordingly, three activities are therefore required during this fast:
1. Spending time in prayer that God may reveal His words for your life.
2. Spending time ministering to the Lord in thanksgiving and worship.
3. Spending time meditating on His word. This involves speaking those words back to yourself as you contemplate them in your heart, thereby creating visual experiences of the word being fulfilled in your life. This should further lead to expressions of joy over the word in thanksgiving and praise.
Declare those things fulfilled and fortify your assurance through reading the scriptures.
Additionally, you should devote time in prayer to “pray through” things you may have seen in the word and have been waiting on God for.
A fast becomes a pleasurable experience once you begin to receive insights into the word and integrate that revelation into your being by calling it into existence as though it were. Also, ask for wisdom for its fulfilment and then you have begun to partake of the divine nature.
Things You Must Do For An Effective Fast
1. Set out time daily to pray, read the word, declare it into your life, and also minister to the Lord.
2. Approach the fast with a sense of purpose. Determine the things you want to talk to God about and receive the results into your life. Receiving it means entering into the reality of possessing it. It means moving from saying “I’m sure God will do it” to declaring “on the 15th of December I received it”.
3. Break your day into three watches (i.e. morning, afternoon, and night watches), when you will fellowship with God and exercise your faith to receive the things you seek. Depending on your daily schedule, afternoon watches might be much shorter and may serve as an opportunity to remind yourself of those things you are receiving from God.
Make good use of your free time and breaks to feed on God’s word and mutter it to yourself. Speak out in faith as many times as possible every day the things God will do in 2022. Speak life into every situation and everything you have laid your hands on.
Apply continuous faith pressure during this fast. Every time you think about those landmark events, speak out words of faith. If you can, pray thrice a day over them with praises.
4. Make your fast a time to feed on God’s word and offer up believing prayers – prayers combined with faith-filled words and thanksgiving to God. Do not struggle. Do not beg. Appropriate the blessings He has bought.
Identify the major things you want a breakthrough in.