Dedicate yourselves to one hour of Bible reading and prayer a day if possible.  Use this guide to guide your prayer emphasis on each day.  It is fine to pray for all of the areas each day if you can make the time.

Monday- Pray for personal repentance.  Ask God to convict you of any sin and ask for forgiveness.  1 John 1:9

Tuesday- Pray for the success of the mission of our church (Connecting people to God, each other, and their mission).  Pray for the leaders of the church, for the whole church body, and ask God to reveal to you what role he has for you in the mission.

Wednesday- Pray for God to heal the racial division and strife in our world.  Ask God to reveal to you how you can help make this happen

Thursday- Pray for an end to the Covid pandemic.  Pray for safety and wisdom for all of our frontline healthcare workers.  Pray for a cure and a trust in God to replace the fear.

Friday- Pray for our schools.  Pray for the safety of students, teachers, and staff.  Pray for wisdom for our teachers and administrators as they navigate during the pandemic.

Saturday- Pray for the leaders of our country from local to federal.  Pray that they turn their hearts to God for wisdom. 

Sunday- Pray for our upcoming elections.  Pray that people will look to God for guidance in their voting and for peace no matter the election results.

Here are some Scriptures to help along the way:

• Consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly. Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord. Joel 1:14
  
• But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Matthew 6:17-18
  
• While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off. Acts 13:2-3
  
• And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed. Acts 14:23

Types of Fasts

Matthew 6:16–18 (ESV) — 16 “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 

Your personal fast should present a level of challenge, but it is very important to know your body, your options, and most importantly, to seek God in prayer and follow what the Holy Spirit leads you to do.

Complete Fast

In this type of fast, you drink only liquids, typically water with light juices as an option.

Selective Fast

This type of fast involves removing certain elements from your diet. 

Partial Fast

This fast is sometimes called the “Jewish Fast” and involves abstaining from eating any type of food in the morning and afternoon. This can either correlate to specific times of the day, such as 6:00 am to 3:00 pm, or from sunup to sundown.

Soul Fast

This fast is a great option if you do not have much experience fasting food, have health issues that prevent you from fasting food, or if you wish to refocus certain areas of your life that are out of balance. For example, you might choose to stop using social media or watching television for the duration of the fast and then carefully bring that element back into your life in healthy doses at the conclusion of the fast.