Welcome To The River’s 10 Day Fast Resource Page!

Here’s where you can sign up to be part of fasting and get access to a whole lot of resources to help you during your 10 day fast.

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Join us for our 2024 Church Fast!

From Friday July 26th – Sunday August 4th this year, we’re inviting everyone in The River to join us for a 10 day fast.  2 Chronicles 7:14 tells us that ‘if my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin and heal their land’.

Fasting isn’t about trying to twist God’s arm to do something, it’s about deliberately setting aside other things that take our time and attention, so that we can focus on God.  It prepares our heart to hear from Him better, and prepares our lives for Him to move.

So how can you join in?  There’s lots of ways you can fast – and remember it’s all about finding those things that have a tendency to distract us from God – and choosing for a period of time to put them to one side to focus on Him.

You can do a food fast, an entertainment fast, a social media fast, a hobby fast, a coffee & energy drinks fast, a chocolate and sweets fast – there’s so many different ways you can be a part of it. You can choose to fast something for the whole 10 days or even for just part of the day each day.  What’s one thing that you could put to one side for 10 days that would help you connect with God?

We really believe this will be a significant time for us as a church, and invite you to register here on this page so that we can email you prayer points, fasting tips and encouragement for each day of the fast and keep you connected with what’s happening.

God Bless!

Peter

There’s so many different ways you can fast!

Fasting food is the original Biblical fast, and it’s a powerful way for us to prioritise and invest into our spiritual life by refraining from feeding our physical bodies. There are different types of food fasts, and it’s important that if you do decide to forgo meals and regular eating, that it’s done carefully and wisely. Food fasts generally work better for those who have occupations that don’t require a lot of physical exertion, but there are some people who shouldn’t do a food fast (eg if you’re pregnant, anemic, or have certain medical conditions). [[You can read this guide that we’ve prepared for more information]].  A food fast is particularly effective as a fast because it deals right at the very core of the appetites and desires of our bodies. There can be a real fight to bring our bodies under the
leadership of our spirit while fasting, but there’s a real peace that can come as a result which can have on flow effects into mental and emotional peace and calmness too. There’s a reason that historically when Christians have fasted, it’s been a food fast.

Fasting certain kinds of food:
Choosing to fast types of food that are not essential for your body (eg sweets, treats, carbonated and caffeinated drinks) is a good place to start if you’re fasting for the very first time. You could also forgo snacks in between meal times – it’s amazing how many of us will instinctively go to the fridge or cupboard when we’re bored, procrastinating, or needing a quick pick-me- up. It’s highly unlikely that your doctor would have any issues with you engaging in a fast like this, and you might find that in addition to developing your  relationship with God, that you end up losing a few pounds in the process too!

Daniel Fast:
“Daniel 10:3 – I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine into my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, until three whole weeks were fulfilled.”
The Daniel fast was a fast of all delicacies, meat and wine. Essentially it was a simple vegetarian diet. This is also great way to begin with fasting – and can easily become a lifestyle fast, as it can be maintained safely for an indefinite period of time.

Fasting certain meals each day:
Another way of doing a food fast is to give up a meal each day – eg breakfast, lunch or dinner. For most people this won’t have a massive impact on how their body is functioning, but again, it would be wise to check with a medical professional if you have
any concerns. You’ll probably find it a little easier fasting a meal later in the day (eg dinner) rather than earlier (eg breakfast).

Fasting all food:
When people in Biblical times fasted, they would generally not eat any food at all. One way of doing this is fast all food and replace meal times with a drink of vegetable or fruit juices to help keep some nutrients coming into your body as you’re fasting. There are certain drinks that can almost replace a meal in terms of nutritional value, and so there are numerous ways to engage with a full food fast while not necessarily taking away from a needed dietary intake. On the other end of the scale though, you can do a food fast with just water. It’s very important to continue to drink a lot of water if you’re fasting food to keep your body hydrated. For more information on food fasts – check out the guide to food fasting

Our phones, tablets and computers have a tendency to consume our focus, time and attention throughout the day, and with the advent of the internet they have become the connection tools of choice for keeping up with what’s happening with friends, family and the latest news. However, we’ve probably all found at times that we’re reaching for our phones and scrolling through social media when we’re bored or just looking for a quick pick-me-up. Fasting social media for a time is a great way to break the habit of constant scrolling and point it instead to developing our walk with God. Not only that but many people have found that time off social media has done wonders for their mental health and helped them deal more effectively with things like anxiety and comparison.

Here’s some ideas/tips for getting the most out of your social media fast:

Making social media applications harder to access while you’re fasting

  • Remove the social media applications from your phone so that they’re not easy for you to access while you’re fasting. Because they all keep data on the cloud, you won’t lose any data by doing this and you can reinstall it after the fast.
  • There are apps available that allow you to schedule when your social media accounts will work, and when they won’t. Another free way of locking your social media accounts so that you’re not tempted to access them while you’re fasting it is to change your password to something long and indecipherable, and save a copy of that password to somewhere else on your phone. This again just stops you from easily finding yourself on social media.

Staying connected while off social media

  • Find another way to connect with friends and family while you’re fasting – this might be through phone calls or texts or Zoom rather than through social media platforms.

Changing the scrolling habit

When you find yourself picking up your phone to jump on social media you can set up a few other things during the 10 days of fasting that will help draw you closer to God rather than aimlessly scrolling.

  • Create a prayer list of people to pray for and pray for one of them each time you pick up your phone
  • Create a list of declarations that God says over your life and speak these out
  • Open a Bible app and scroll through the Bible instead of social media!

We live in a world that’s surrounded by entertainment and withthe advent of the internet it’s now available at the click of a mouse or the press of a button 24 hours a day. But like any appetite – the more that we feed it, the hungrier we will become for it. So fasting something like entertainment has great value for us – not only will it practically give us numerous hours back in our week to do something perhaps more productive, but it also creates time for us to invest intentionally into our walk with God. Hobbies are great things for us and provide for many a de-stressing and relaxing break from the busyness of the week. But hobbies too can easily grow to the point where we’re constantly thinking about them – be it the next step on our project, buying a needed item or watching a tutorial video. Fasting your hobby for a while to put God first in your life can have a powerful effect on your relationship with Him as well as help to minimize a hobby becoming all-consuming.

Here’s some ideas for getting the most out of your entertainment/hobby fast:

Removing the temptation
Many of us have a habit of just sitting down in front of the TV or turning on our laptops or tablets to watch Netflix or YouTube. For the period of the fast, maybe put the remote in another room so it’s not so easy to turn the TV on. You can change your Netflix etc password to something that’s impossible to remember (make sure you do write it down somewhere) and then log out so that it’s not easy to just turn it on. Remove the app / icon from your browser or tablet.

If you have a regular place where you do your hobby, pack it up for the period that you’re doing your fast – put it away into a box (or at least the key elements that mean that it won’t be easy to start something!)

Plan ahead for things to do instead that will bring you closer to God
Set up things that you can do when you find yourself wanting to engage with your hobby or entertainment.

  • Find a Christian preaching or teaching series online that interests you and do that over the period of the fast
  • Use your device to play worship music / stream worship sessions and spend time with God
  • Do a Bible reading plan with a journal.
  • Set up a regular connection time with a friend who’s also fasting over the 10 days and pray together

More Resources For Fasting

Here’s some ideas of resources that could help build into your walk with God over the 10 days of the fast.

The Bible

  • Youversion has heaps of Bible reading plans – download the app and start one today!
  • The book of Ezra has 10 chapters – you could read/study a chapter a day for the 10 days of the fast

Podcasts

Youtube Videos

Fasting Resources

Books

Other

  • Spend time each day praying in tongues for a set period of time

Is there any fast that’s better than another?

The best fast for you is to give up something that you know is a distraction for you from spending time with God, or something that you’re leaning on instead of leaning on him.

Having said that, a food fast is the original Biblical fast and is arguably the most effective in terms of dealing directly with the physical appetites and desires of the body.

What is the point of fasting?

The point of fasting is to give up something that you’re doing regularly and take that time and invest it into your relationship with God – this can be through prayer, worship, Bible study and serving others. Fasting is a powerful way of putting your spirit in charge of your life, and making your body and soul come under the leadership of your spirit.

Is it safe to do a food fast?

There are many different kinds of food fasts. Naturally there would be no health concerns for someone choosing to fast treats and sweets – in fact that’s a better option for their health overall! Even something like the Daniel fast which is essentially vegetables and water can be sustained for a long time with generally no medical concerns for most people. However, food fasts where you are not eating certain meals, or not eating food at all for a period of time – while Biblical – should be approached with caution and care. Anyone who is not 100% healthy or suffers from certain medical conditions, or is pregnant – should consult a medical professional before beginning a food fast.

Click here for our document on Guidelines For Food Fasting

What are you supposed to do when you fast?

Fasting is the giving up of a regular appetite to invest into and feed your relationship with God. Practically, if you’re doing a food fast – then take the times that you would normally be eating and use them to pray, worship and read your Bible. For hobbies, social media and entertainment – it’s the same, instead of turning to these things – for the period of the fast use the time that you would normally be doing these things to seek God and invest into your walk with Him.

Is it bad if I tell other people that I’m fasting?

There’s nothing wrong with telling other people you’re fasting as long as you’re not doing it to score ‘spiritual points’. The Bible is clear in Matthew 6 that it shouldn’t be obvious to people around us that we’re fasting because we’re looking depressed, or tired, or unhappy. Instead Jesus tells us to continue to take care in our appearance and our attitude while we’re fasting. The general rule is don’t go around telling everyone that you’re fasting – because you want the reward that God has for you by keeping it between you and him. But if someone asks why you’re not eating – there’s nothing wrong with saying ‘Oh I’m fasting today’.

What if I break the fast in between?  Can I restart?

Fasting is between you and God, guilt has no place in your relationship with God. The purpose of the fast is to draw closer to The Lord. Breaking your fast is not a sin or make you a failure. God’s love for you is much stronger than any thing you’ve ever done. If you break your fast when you meant to be fasting, or even if it was an accident just get back into the fast and finish strong. It doesn’t have to be the end of your fast.

God’s word says in 2 Cor 12:9 “My strength is made perfect in weakness”. God’s strength often shows up in our weakest moments. So ask God to give you the strength to carry on with your fast and help you to finish strong.

Can I fast to get my particular prayers answered?

God doesn’t need your fast to answer your prayers, the attitude of your heart is more important than your fast. Fasting helps us to come before God with humility and align us to hear from Him clearly. It is not about wanting our own will, but about finding God’s will for our lives. Fasting prepares us for God’s answer.

There are certain things that needs persistence prayer. Daniel fasted and prayed for 21 days (Dan 9), though his prayers were answered the same day, there was a huge spiritual battle that took place in the heavenlies which Daniel was not aware of it. But without stopping, he continued to pray until his prayers were answered.

Focused fasting and praying for a particular need is not wrong, but it is not to manipulate God into giving us what we are praying for. It helps us to surrender or plan and will to His purpose.

Download The Daily Prayer Points For This Year’s Fast

Join Us For Zoom Prayer During The Fast!

Join Us For The Celebration Night On August 4th!

Join us as we finish our 10 day fast together – with a great time of celebration!  You’re invited to join us for dinner to celebrate finishing the fast, and then we’ll have a time of worship and sharing testimonies of what God has done in our lives through this time of fasting.  

PAKURANGA TIMETABLE:

6:30pm – Soups & rolls for dinner in the Connect Area (you must register for this using the link below)

7:30pm – Worship & Testimonies

8:30pm – Finish up

PUKEKOHE TIMETABLE: 

Meeting address will be emailed to you once you’ve completed this form

5:15pm -Soups & pizza for dinner 

6pm – Worship & Testimonies

7pm – Finish up

<<click here to register for dinner on the Celebration Night >>