GTCC Community Fast – Prayer Guide

by | Sep 9, 2026 | Spiritual Discipline

GTCC Community Fast – Prayer Guide

What are we doing:  We are seeking to place ourselves in a position of prayer and engagement with God as we head into the fall ministry season.  We aren’t trying to get God to do something for us, we are trying to open ourselves up to what God wants to do in us.

How are we doing that:  By agreeing as a congregation that we must seek God at this time of our church’s life for direction, blessing, and empowerment!  To do that we are going to fast (abstain from food) together for a couple of days as we head toward a service of prayer and worship on Sunday morning.      

When are we doing it? 

  • Friday, September 4, 6 AM to 6 PM
  • Saturday, September 5, 6 AM to 6 PM
  • Sunday, September 6 – 10 AM Prayer Service at Church

What is fasting:   Fasting is the voluntary abstention from food (or other comforts) for a set period of time as a way of focusing on God and deepening our prayer life.

When are we fasting:  On Friday, September 4th and Saturday, September 5th, you are invited to commit the day to prayer.  For those who are able, we invite you to choose to fast that day (abstain from food and drink other than water) for a period of time.  We are recommending fasting from 6 AM to 6 PM each day.

What if I can’t fast: That is fine if it does not fit your life right now!  We encourage you to give it a try, but please join us in prayer even if you don’t stop eating.  Set aside time to pray on these days for our church.  You are welcome to use this guide to lead you into prayer even if you don’t fast.

Can you help explain fasting:  I (Pastor Andy) am no expert on fasting.  This is a fairly new discipline for me, too, but a couple of people who are more experienced in this can help:        

Richard Foster:  Celebration of Discipline (adapted)

The disciplines (of which fasting is one) are God’s way of getting us into the ground; they put us where he can work within us and transform us.  By themselves the Spiritual disciplines can do nothing; they can only get us to the place where something can be done

Fasting:  To use good things to our own ends is always the sign of false religion.  How easy it is to take something like fasting and try to use it ot get God to do what we want.  At times there is such stress upon the blessings and benefits of fasting that we would be tempted to believe that with a little fast we could have the world, including God, eating out of our hands.    

  • Fasting must forever center on God. It must be God-initiated and God-ordained.  Every other purpose must be subservient to God.
  • More than any other discipline, fasting reveals the things that controls us.
  • Fasting reminds us that we are sustained “by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. (Matt. 4:4). Food does not sustain us; God sustains us.
  • Fasting helps us keep our balance in life. How easily we begin to allow nonessentials to take precedence in our lives.  How quickly we crave things we do not need until we are enslaved by them.
  • [There are] many other values of fasting such as increased effectiveness in intercessory prayer, guidance in decisions, increased concentration, deliverance for those in bondage, physical well-being, revelations, and soon In this, as in all matters we can expect God to reward those who diligently seek him.

Excerpt (adapted) from:  Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth, Amazon Link

Practicing the Way:  Fasting

Fasting is one of the most essential and powerful of all the practices of Jesus and, arguably, the single most neglected in the modern Western church. Fasting truly is a lost discipline whose time has come.

In fasting, you are literally praying with your body, offering all that you are to God in worship.  As you yield your body to God, you are breaking the power of the flesh to control you and opening up to the power of the Spirit in its place.  You are learning to be joyful, even when you don’t get what you want.  You are practicing suffering and through it, increasing your capacity for joy in all circumstances.  And you are amplifying your prayers – increasing your capacity to both hear and be heard by God.

Fasting is hard, especially at first.  Though it grows much easier with regular practice.  But the “hangry” feelings that come up when we forgo meals often expose the arenas of our soul most in need of grace – and again, open us to God in surprising ways.  We begin to feed on what Jesus called the “food to eat that you know nothing about.”
Excerpt From:  John Mark Comer’s.  Practicing the Way:  Become Like Jesus, Become Like Him, Do As He Did.  Amazon Link

While We Fast, What Are We Praying For?

As it says above, fasting is not a method of praying that helps us get what we want, but it helps connect us to God in a deeper, more open way. So, we are not praying to ask God to give us something for specific, but to form us in Christ’s likeness during this time.  The goal of a fast or a set aside time of prayer is to encourage our heart to be open to God and open to what God wants to be and do in our church and our individual lives.

To shape our fast, we are going to look at thee characteristics/attributes of God that can be and should be developed within us as a church:

Commitment:  Are we determined to be all that God invites us to be.  One thing that is true about God is that he is committed to us as his people.  The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases! He loved us so much that he gave his only begotten son so that we might have life!   Are we willing to do the work?  Do we believe in what God is doing?

Creativity:  Our God created the beautiful and diverse world that we live in.
He created us!  When we stop trying new things, thinking new things, hoping for new means, we stop being like that creative God!  So, we pray that God gives us creativity.  Is our approach to ministry creative?  Is our leadership sticking with the status quo?  When we are faced with challenges, are we willing to try something different?  Can we be unique?  The creating God calls us to be creative!!

Connection:  Remain in me and I will remain in you.  No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine… My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”  John 15:4,12.   We are fasting to connect to God.  That is the heart of our prayer and our desire in this fast.  Yet, we are also hoping that because of our connection to God, because of the love of God that fills us, we are able to connect to others with that love.  Our prayer is that  the God who invites us to remain connected to him will allow us to be connectional in our relationships within the church and the community.  We live for God’s glory and our neighbour’s good. We seek to cultivate God’s values in the world.  We nurture a community of disciples We are called to build relational bridges.  All of these require connections.  So pray for each other and our church that we can connect to and remain in God’s love and that we connect with others, those who share our faith and those who do not, in order to share that love.

So, these things will shape our fast and our prayers during this time.

Prayer Schedule

Morning Prayer – As you begin the fast each day

  • Praise God for the opportunity to live this day in connection with God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
  • Dedicate your day for God’s glory. That you are able to make this time about God more than about you as the one who is fasting.
  • Confess that you cannot do this fast without his help. Confess that you are aware that we have all fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).
  • Pray that God will fill you with the Spirit today and reveal to you and grow in you God’s character.

Noon Prayer – As you prepare to skip your first meal 

  • Pray that God will make you sensitive to the needs of the world as you begin to notice your need for food.
  • Confess any distractions or burdens that
  • Notice what you are feeling, what you are longing for, what you are missing and give that all to God.
  • Remind yourself why you are fasting! And ask God to use these next few hours to bring you closer to Christ-likeness.

Evening Prayer – As you prepare to break your fast

  • Thank God for the day and the opportunity to be in prayer.
  • Spend 5 to 10 minutes in silence before God.
  • Speak to someone about your experience in the fast today and notice whether you are experiencing any of the same thoughts or feelings. Is that something God is doing in us as a body?  Is there a message in this?
  • Thank God for the food that you are about to eat

End of the Day – As you reflect on your day

  • Grab a journal or somewhere that you can write down your thoughts. You can use these prompts as a guide for your journaling:
  • What has God shown you about your commitment to his will and what God is doing in our church?  Are you feeling any nudges toward a new way of participation?
  • Are you feeling creative? Thinking new thoughts?  Have ideas for ministry?
  • Have you noticed a deeper connection to God today? Has God put anyone in particular on your mind today?  Any specific connections?  Has anyone new (or old) contacted you today that surprised you?  What is that saying?  Is there a way to bear witness to God within these connections?
  • Surrender the night and next day to him!