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Calvary Christian Center 369 Air Harbor Rd. Greensboro, NC 27455 AWAKENING 2012 Prayer & Fasting Guide
LEGEND:
SATURDAY, SUNDAY, MLK, GRACE DAY: NO FASTING
MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, FRIDAY: NO MEATS, SWEETS, TV
TUESDAY, THURSDAY: TOTAL FAST = LIQUIDS ONLY
FAST ITEMS: MEATS, SWEETS, TV, FACEBOOK, TWITTER, VIDEO/COMPUTER GAMES, VICES, ALCOHOL, DRUGS, CURSING, SMOKING, SECULAR RADIO/MUSIC, FORNICATION/PRE-MARITIAL SEX

Each year at Calvary we begin each year with 21 days of corporate fasting. Fasting in January is much like praying in the morning to establish the will of God for your entire day. In fact, I believe that if we will pray and seek God and give Him our first and best at the beginning of the year, He will honor that sacrifice and bless our entire year! Matthew 6:33 states, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you”. There are several examples of corporate fasting in the scriptures where God promises big rewards for a group that is united in a fast.
Corporate Fasting Scriptures:
1 Samuel 7:5-6, Ezra 8:21-23, Nehemiah 9:1-3, Joel 2:15-16, Jonah 3:5-10, Acts 27:33-37
Fasting is one of the most powerful weapons God has ever given us for our daily lives. We all go through times when we feel like we are not living up to our full potential. Sometimes we lose our spiritual drive and direction, and our spiritual edge . . . this is why we fast.
What does it really mean to lose your edge?
When a lumberjack keeps swinging away at the tree without sharpening his ax, the ax will soon become dull and ineffective. In much the same way, that can happen to us.
Going through our daily routines in our own strength wears us down. Little by little, we lose our closeness to God. Without that closeness, we become ineffective for the purposes His has for us.
Fasting can help you get back your passion! It can recharge you!
Although fasting lasts for a short season, it brings long-term results, which sharpens us, enabling us to face the challenges of life in His strength. Through fasting, you can experience spiritual renewal and direction for your life . . . restoration of relationship . . . healing . . . release from bondages . . . and so much more!
~ Jentezen Franklin, “The Fasting Edge”

Remember that it is the attitude of a heart sincerely seeking Him to which God responds with a blessing (Isaiah 58, Jeremiah 14:12, 1 Corinthians 8:8). May God greatly bless you as you fast!

Do not let what you eat or do not eat become the focus of your fast. The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing. The main thing is drawing closer to God
Fasting is a sign of our desperation and a deep desire for complete repentance — a sign of our hunger for God. It is not a substitute for obedience nor is it a way to manipulate God.
Let us obey this Scripture, “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 1:18).
*******Important note: Fasting requires reasonable precautions. If you have any health concerns, please consult your physician prior to beginning your fast, especially if you are taking medications, have a chronic condition, or a pregnant or nursing a baby.
21 Days of Prayer and Fasting — Beginning January 2 – January 31
Fasting is one of the most powerful weapons God has ever given us for our daily lives.
Fasting can help you get back your passion! It can recharge you!
Fasting resets our spiritual compass.
Fasting is a principle that God intended for everyone to practice. It is not a punishment; it is a privilege!
How to Begin: Start with a clear goal. Be specific. Why are you fasting? Do you need direction, healing, restoration of marriage or family issues? Are you facing financial difficulties? Ask the Holy Spirit for guidance. Pray daily and read the Bible.
Preparing Spiritually: Confess your sins to God. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal areas of weakness. Forgive all who have offended you and ask forgiveness from those you may have offended (Mark 11:25; Luke 11:4; 17:3-4). Surrender your life fully to Jesus Christ and reject the worldly desires that try to hinder you (Romans 12:1-2).
Mark 11:25
25And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
Luke 11:4
4And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
Luke 17:3-4
3Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.
4And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.
Romans 12:1-2
1I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
What to Expect: When you fast your body detoxifies, eliminating toxins from your system. This can cause mild discomfort such as headaches and irritability during withdrawal from caffeine and sugars. And naturally, you will have hunger pains. Limit your activity and exercise moderately. Take time to rest. Fasting brings about miraculous results. You are following Jesus’ example when you fast. Spend time listening to praise and worship. Pray as often as you can throughout the day. Get away from the normal distractions as much as possible and keep your heart and mind set on seeking God’s face.
How to End: Don’t overeat when the time comes to end your fast. Begin eating solid food gradually; eat small portions or snacks.
Calvary’s 2012 Prayer & Fasting Weekly Focus:
1. The Unsaved: (Gal. 5:19-25; Hebrews 1:14; Romans 1:16)
-Our Families, Our Friends and Our Neighbors
2. Community: (Gal. 1:16; Romans 10:14; Matthew 28:19)
-Calvary to be a church that is a light in the community that is
touching the lives of people of all ages, race and backgrounds.
3. Spiritual Release: (Psalm 42:1-2; Psalm 85:4-6; Matthew 5:6)
-People set free from sinful habits, hardened hearts
-Outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon seniors, adults, teens, children
-Miracles, Signs, and Wonders
-Revival of servant spirit at Calvary
4. Financial Miracle: (Proverbs 3:9-10 ; Joshua 1:9 ; Malachi 3:10-12)
-The Community, Our church Family, Funding for the Mission at hand
5. Your Choice

There are many Scriptures on prayer and fasting. Here are several:

Occasions of prayer and fasting in the Bible:
Praying for health: “David pleaded with God for the child. He fasted and went into his house and spent the nights lying on the ground” (2 Samuel 12:16)

Praying for safety: “There, by the Ahava Canal, I [Ezra] proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions” (Ezra 8:21).

As an act of repentance: “When they had assembled at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out before the LORD. On that day they fasted and there they confessed, “We have sinned against the LORD.” And Samuel was leader of Israel at Mizpah” (1 Samuel 7:6).

As a sign of mourning: “They mourned and wept and fasted till evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the army of the LORD and the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword” (2 Samuel 1:12).

Before making an important decision: “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.’ So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off….Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust ” (Acts 13:2-3; 14:23).

Teachings on prayer and fasting in the Bible:
Fasting is a personal event: “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you” (Matthew 6:16-18).

Fasting can be from things besides food: “The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. The wife’s body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband’s body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife. Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control” (1 Corinthians 7:3-5).

Jesus did not require fasting during his time on earth: “They [Pharisees] said to him, ‘John’s disciples often fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating and drinking.’ Jesus answered, ‘Can you make the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; in those days they will fast.’”

Fasting is a form of worship: “Then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying” (Luke 2:37).

Isaiah 58 (KJV)
1Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.
2Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God.
3Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours.
4Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.
5Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD?
6Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
7Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
8Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy reward.
9Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;
10And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon day:
11And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
12And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.
13If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:
14Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
I pray that you will experience the presence and the power of God in an extraordinary way as you commit yourself to Him over the next twenty-one days. Thank you for supporting the Kingdom of God in the earth and the vision of Calvary

Vince P. Hairston

During this time of prayer & fasting I am believing God for: