All In Prayer Booklet: Welcome & Fasting

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WELCOME
A NOTE FROM BRIAN
Thank you for going “all in” with us for the next 40 days to seek the Lord’s direction and provision for the future of Calvary Baptist Church. As we praise God for over 80 years of His faithfulness, we are uniting to seek Him for the next chapter of our ministry. Beginning on March 5, we are asking you to set aside time each day to pray and fast on behalf of your church. (For some fasting ideas, please see the next page.)
What will the next 40 days hold? What spiritual fruit will be produced over the next 5 ½ weeks? God knows. But I read something recently that moved me.
“There is nothing magical about forty days, but there is something biblical about it. That’s the number of days Jesus spent in the wilderness fasting and praying. It marked a critical chapter in His life - the transition from His earthly father’s business to His heavenly Father’s business. Jesus was tested like never before, but this experience set the stage for His greatest victories over the enemy. The war against sin and Satan may have been won on Calvary’s cross, but a key battle happened in the wilderness three years earlier. When Jesus returned to Galilee, He wasn’t the same person.”
In this booklet, you’ll find the Sundays are formatted to be devotional and thought provoking, while Monday through Saturday will have specific requests for you to pray about. The quotes, Scriptures, and model prayers are simply meant to be a guide.
What if miracles that will happen decades from now, trace their origin back to this season of prayer? What if God is just waiting to show us His glory in a way like we’ve never seen before? What if the next 40 days change everything?

In Christ,

Pastor Brian



FASTING
A Quick Guide

Many of us have medical or practical reasons that make fasting a bit of a challenge. We would ask that this not become a legalistic burden, but an act of self-denial as a sign of humble desperation to hear from God. Here are some ideas of how to approach a fast: 

A Regular Fast: Traditionally, a regular fast means refraining from eating all food. Most people still drink water or juice during a regular fast. When Jesus fasted in the desert, the Bible says, “After fasting forty days and nights, he was hungry.” This verse does not mention Jesus being thirsty.

A Partial Fast: This type of fast generally refers to omitting a specific meal from your diet or refraining from certain types of foods. Daniel 10:2-3 says, “At that time I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks. I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over.” In Daniel 1:12, they restricted their diet to vegetables and water: “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink.” Maybe you have a sweet tooth and fasting from sweets would be a sacrificial idea for you.

A Full Fast: These fasts are complete- no food and no drinks. Acts 9:9 describes when Paul went on a full fast for three days following his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus: “For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.” Esther also called for this type of fast in Esther 4:15-16: “Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: ‘Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.’” It is recommended that this type of fast be done with extreme caution and not for extended periods of time.

Israelite/ Ramadan Fast: Another approach to fasting that has been widely used in Hebrew history and even in other religions is to fast from sunrise to sunset for a specific number of days.
A Non-Food Fast: Although not mentioned in the Bible, Christians today commit to fasting from other activities as well. Some give up entertainment such as TV, movies, Social Media, the internet, etc. to concentrate on prayer.

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Our mission is simple: Become whole-hearted followers of Jesus Christ. The people of Calvary Baptist Church in Grand Prairie, TX seek to fulfill our mission by accomplishing these four actions: See God - To experience God in fresh ways every week. Share Life - To enjoy biblical community with our church family. Serve Others - To manifest God’s love in tangible acts of service. Stay Connected - To remain in supporting fellowship during the pains of life.