RELENTLESS PURSUIT 2026 (Presentation).png

21 DAY PRAYER & FAST GUIDE

food for Thought

“Some battles are best won on your knees in prayer.”

Jeremiah 29:13

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

“Perhaps some are wondering what the relationship is between the supreme rank of the redeemed to the subject of prayer and intercession. The explanation is that prayer is not primarily God’s way of getting things done. It is God’s way of giving the Church on-the-job training in overcoming the forces hostile to God. This world is a laboratory in which those destined for the throne are learning, by actual practice in the prayer closet, how to overcome Satan and his hierarchy. God designed the program of prayer as an apprenticeship for an eternity of reigning with Christ,.”

- Paul E. Billheimer

(Book: Destined for the Throne).

“God is free in His dispensation of mercy to do as He pleases. But this I do know: that before God enables His people to bring in a harvest, He pours out a spirit of prayer upon them. The surest sign that God is about to send power upon us is a great movement of prayer in our midst.”

- John Piper

JWC | RELENTLESSLY GOING WHERE WE HAVE NEVER GONE BEFORE

How You Can Participate in the

21 Day Prayer & Fasting

We are aware that this is the first time some of us have heard about the Christian discipline of fasting. We want this to be a positive, life changing experience. We have therefore proposed several different levels at which you can participate with the rest of the congregation.

beginner level:

Prayer is simply communication with God. Fasting on the other hand is an intentional abstention from food, or any other craving, for a set period of time, to seek God through prayer. Your petitions in prayer are always made to God in Jesus’ name. You may already have a regular time of prayer at least once a week where you petition God for your needs, and on occasion, the needs of others, but you’ve never fasted. You find yourself eager to learn what it truly means to commune with God on a level deeper than the one you’re currently experiencing.

FASTING FOR BEGINNERS: If food is too great to abstain from at this early stage, then you can choose to abstain from any form of media, including social media for a set period of time during the day. For example, you can choose not to view any media from 6:00a.m-9:00p.m., and spend that time praying at the top of each hour. Or you can skip one meal a day, and spend that mealtime praying.

intermediate level:

You may have enjoyed in the past some of the benefits of prayer and fasting, perhaps you spend a total of forty-five minutes to one hour during the week in prayer intercessions (praying for your needs and the needs of others). You have fasted for at least one day in the past where you abstained from a meal or a hobby to seek God through prayer. You’ve read books on prayer or have been part of a training course on prayer, and are looking for opportunities to put it to good use.

FASTING FOR INTERMEDIATE LEVEL:

You can do the suggestions above or do what’s known as the Daniel fast. The Daniel Fast eating plan is like a vegan diet with more restrictions. The only beverage is water and the primary foods are fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes. There are no sweeteners on the fast — and no processed foods or chemicals. During this fast, set aside four times during the day to pray: 9:00 a.m., 12:00 noon, 3:00 p.m., and 6:00 p.m. If you are an early riser, add a 6:00 a.m. prayer time.

advanced level:

Perhaps all of the above is true of you. In addition, you pray daily for 15-30 minutes. You have fasted for three days or more in the past and have experienced God’s blessings through it. You have a regular habit of taking prayer requests from people in need and praying over their needs.

FASTING FOR ADVANCED LEVEL: You can do either, or all of the above, or you can do an absolute fast. While we don’t recommend you go the entire day without any food or water, you can consider skipping breakfast and lunch each day, and end the day with a light evening meal. During this fast, you should plan to be in prayer at the top of every hour, or every other hour.

warning:

Consult your physician before beginning a fast, especially if you have a preexisting medical condition, or are an expectant or nursing mother. While fasting is a spiritually fulfilling exercise, God would not command a physical exercise that would harm His people physically or emotionally.

Remember, none of these suggestions are hard and fast rules. They are guidelines. The scriptures give plenty of liberty in how one should engage in the fast. The goal is not simply to abstain, but to prayerfully seek God’s presence and power in your life.

PRAYER FOR COMMUNITY & NATION | DAY 15 TO 21

day 15: January 25

Our Community would be a Habitation for God’s Presence

Lift your neighbors before the Lord, asking for God’s presence to fill our region, making it conducive for God to speak and work in the lives of all who live around you. Pray for your neighbors by name, asking God to reveal Himself to each one. Find out who the spiritual leaders of our community are and pray for them during this period. Attend community wide prayer events where Christians gather to pray for the community.
Pray for social justice and compassion efforts to rise up and be successful. Join in public displays of your faith with other believers. Lastly, ask God to give wisdom about transforming the underlying issues in our community where powers and principalities derive their power.

“Know that the LORD Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.” (Psalm 100:3; NASB95)

“For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand. Today, if you would hear His voice, 8 Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, As in the day of Massah in the wilderness,..” (Psalm 95:7–8; NASB95)

“I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing..” (1 Tim 2:8, AMPL).

Matthew 13:58 “…. and he did not do many miracles there …. Oh how that breaks my heart because I so desire that God be active in my community! Therefore, I must pray. “

day 16: January 26

For Integrity to be Valued in our community workplaces

Pray that leaders in your area/our region would uphold a standard of godliness in business dealings and financial planning. Ask God to strengthen their employees against the temptation to compromise. Pray that those in the workplace would walk in God’s ways and honor Him with their finances.

“How blessed is the man who fears the LORD, Who greatly delights in His commandments. His descendants will be mighty on earth; The generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in his house, And his righteousness endures forever. Light arises in the darkness for the upright; He is gracious and compassionate and righteous. It is well with the man who is gracious and lends; He will maintain his cause in judgment.” (Psalm 112:1– 5; NASB95)

“…we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every good work.” (Col

1:9-10, NIV).

day 17: January 27

Our Community To be Cleansed of Sin

Understand that a city or region cannot receive God’s blessing if it is built on sin and bloodshed. That type of foundation causes the people to labor and gain nothing. Pray, and ask that God’s mercy and forgiveness be poured out in your area/our region for any sins that have been committed. Name and repent for any specific sins you are aware of such as injustices or covenant breaking.

“Look upon my affliction and my trouble, And forgive all my sins.” (Psalm 25:18; NASB95)

1 John 1:8–10 — “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.”

day 18: January 28

Pray for our Nation’s Leaders

Pray for the president, the vice president, all the Cabinet and the chief justice and associate justices of the Supreme Court to receive the wisdom of God, members of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Pray that God would give them wisdom beyond their own understanding and the courage to chose the right path no matter how narrow the gate. Pray that God would give them the grace and strength to stand against the temptation to use power as a weapon but rather to carry it reverently as one would a child. Pray for the SPIRITUAL LEADERS of our country that they would hear your voice and know your heart. Pray that they would lead from their knees and by that simple grace bring each one of us to our knees before your throne. Have mercy on our nation Lord, In Jesus name, Amen.

Scripture References: I Timothy 2:1-3; Psalms 122:6; Mark 3:25; Proverbs 21:1; I John

5:14-15.

day 19: January 29

Pray for Jerusalem

“Pray for peace in Jerusalem. May all who love this city prosper.” (Psalm 122:6). Pray that God would remove the veil He has sovereignly placed over the eyes of Israel, that they would recognize Jesus as their Messiah. (2 Corinthians 3:14). Pray for the current leaders in Israel, including the prime minister, the mayor of Jerusalem, and all those in military service. Pray that God would raise up government leaders in Israel (and worldwide) who will not seek to "divide the land," and who would recognize the unique significance of Jerusalem in God's end-time purposes.

(Jeremiah 31:10) Pray that God would continue to draw the Jewish people to Himself according to His sovereign plan. Pray that God would show His loving kindness to His people Israel and keep them as the apple of His eye. Ask that God would hide them under the shadow of His wings, from the wicked nations and people group who oppress them, and from their deadly enemies who surround them. (Psalm 17:7-9).

Pray that Israel's relationship with the United States be strong, and that our nation’s leaders and policies, recognize and support God's purposes for Israel.

day 20: January 30

For the Church in our area/region to Experience God’s Presence and Power

Pray that corporate gatherings in our area/region would be marked by the tangible presence of God and that every time people gather in large or small groups they will have a supernatural life-changing encounter with God. Ask in faith for God’s Spirit to manifest in repentance, worship, united fervent prayer, acts of kindness, supernatural healings, miracles, and new births in Christ.

“…enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus. After they prayed the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly” (Acts 4: 29- 31, NIV).

day 21: January 31

Thank God for what’s about to happen next.

Spend today thanking God for including you in His family. Thank God for giving us the gift of prayer and fasting. Thank God for hearing all your prayers over these 21 days. By faith, thank God for all He is about to do, (and perhaps has already begun doing) in response to each prayer point you brought up before Him these last three weeks.

Psalm 107:1 – “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.”

Psalm 30:12, “that I might sing praises to you and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever!”

Psalm 52:9, “For what you have done I will always praise you in the presence of your faithful people. And I will hope in your name, for your name is good.”

Psalm 57:8, “Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn.”