This outline is a brief guide to prayer and fasting as we enter into a season of consecration. Our shared goal is to be on One Accord so that the Spirit of the Living God can flow freely in and through us corporately.

Click the link below for a downloadable version of the prayer guideline.

Fasting, at its heart, is about giving up something that satisfies you in order to intentionally pursue satisfaction in God alone. ~Tiffany Montgomery

Prayer is essentially an honest conversation with God. It is important that we lose our fear of praying "wrong". There is no wrong way to pray honestly because prayer is a matter of the heart that brings us into an intimate relationship with God through the Holy Spirit.

Together we will focus on 7 types of prayer and fasting. Keep in mind, this list is not intended to be exhaustive, but rather to focus New Covenant Church in a common direction so that unity and oneness can be birthed as we consecrate ourselves to prepare for a holy visitation from the Lord our God:

10 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes. 11 And let them be ready for the third day. For on the third day the LORD will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. 12 You shall set bounds for the people all around, saying, 'Take heed to yourselves that you do not go up to the mountain or touch its base. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death. 13 Not a hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or shot with an arrow; whether man or beast, he shall not live.' When the trumpet sounds long, they shall come near the mountain." 14 So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and sanctified the people, and they washed their clothes. Exodus19:10-14

1. 40-Day Complete Fast (no food or water) – Moses and Jesus both give us examples of a 40-day complete fast; Moses in Exodus 34:28 and Jesus in Matthew 4:2. The purpose of this type of fast is to prepare us for a challenging Spiritual test.

2. A Complete Fast (no food or water) – The duration of a complete fast could range from part of a day to an entire day to several days or weeks. This was the most common in scripture. Ezra 8:21-23

3. A Partial Fast can also vary in duration from part of a day to weeks. While the complete fast abstains from all food for a time, a partial fast abstains from certain foods or drinks for a time. The most common fasting is often called a 3-day spiritual fast while others fast 10 days, 14 days, 21 days, 30 days, or even 40 days. In Daniel, we see believers who ate only fruit, and veggies and drank water for 10 days to honor God while in captivity. Daniel 1:12

4. The Daniel Fast is a partial fast that basically refrains from meat, tasty bread, wine, and oil for the skin, for 21 days. Daniel 10:3

5. A Non-Food Fast – For those of us with a medical condition, the non-food fast is the wisest way to practice this spiritual discipline. In scripture, we see several examples of non-food fasts: Sex 1 Corinthians 7:5; Exodus 19:15; Unholy things such as foods, items, people, places, practices, etc…think of places and spaces that expose you to unholy things e.g. social media and television as an example of things to abstain that are non-food. Joshua 3:5

6. Group Fast – A time of group fasting can be powerful on a personal and corporate level. This type of fasting can be a variation of any of the different types of Biblical fasting. The point is not that everyone is fasting from the same thing, but that we are fasting about the same thing. Matthew 18:20; The spiritual principle of unity is working in us when we join together in diverse forms of fasting for a common purpose.

7. Isolation Fast – While Jesus does not give us a detailed outline of things to abstain from during a fast He does show us how effective isolation is for fasting. Jesus often withdrew from His disciples to spend time alone with God. Luke 5:16

1. Prayer of Lament – The Book of Lamentations is a prayer of Lament flowing from the heart of Jeremiah the prophet; I called on Your name, O LORD, From the lowest pit.

56 You have heard my voice: "Do not hide Your ear From my sighing, from my cry for help." 57 You drew near on the day I called on You, And said, "Do not fear!" Lamentations 3:55-57

2. Prayer of Thanksgiving

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to

Him, and bless His name. Psalms 100:4;

in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

3. Prayer of Faith – When we pray in faith, we reaffirm that we have faith in God's will for us. It isn't us enforcing our will into His, but it is us conceding that His will be done. Here is the example that Jesus set for us;

41 And He was withdrawn from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and prayed, 42 saying, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done." Luke 22:41-42;

The prayer of faith is how we submit our will to the will of God in full assurance and confidence in His power to subdue all things unto Himself:

And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. James 5:15

4. Prayer of Intercession – Intercession is the act of praying on behalf of another person or group of people. When we pray for the well-being of others, we are interceding on their behalf. Intercession is how we petition God on behalf of Philadelphia because we want "Our City" to be "God's City." We also intercede on behalf of the nation as Daniel did in Daniel 9:1-27 (bear in mind that nations are comprised of people). Like Daniel, we enter into intercessory prayer with repentance. Another Biblical example of effective intercession is seen in Nehemiah 1:1-11

5. Corporate Prayer – Corporate prayer is praying in a group. This can bring a sense of unity and community to the local Body of Christ. Acts 12:5-18 gives us a glimpse of the power of corporate prayer, as does Acts 4:23-33;

And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness. Acts 4:31

6. Prayer of Consecration – When we take communion, we are praying a prayer of consecration. This means we are consecrating the bread and the wine (or grape juice) and asking God to make them holy. Jesus, Himself did this in Matthew 26:26-27

7. Prayer of the Holy Spirit – Sometimes, we don't know what we want or need to pray for. In Romans 8:26-27 the Bible says,

"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us through wordless groanings. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit because the Spirit intercedes for God's people in accordance with the will of God."

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Let us also fast using any of the options offered above during one of the periods indicated below.

1. 6 am- 6:00 pm

2. Midnight-12noon

3. 12 pm-12 am

If you have a medical condition, please consult your physician before engaging in any food fasts.