Prayer and Fasting Week | Haven Church Toronto

Our Prayer & Fasting week is about seeking God for the coming year, our church and our city.

It will begin on January 21st at 7pm at our opening worship & prayer night and it will end on January 28th at 10am.

We will start out with an opening worship & prayer night on January 21st at 7pm.

We will then have 3 in-person prayer gatherings: Tuesday, Thursday & Sunday Morning.

Every morning from Monday – Friday, there will be 30 minuets morning prayer on Zoom from 7am – 7:30am online.

You can see schedule below and further down the page, you can read how you can prepare for this week in "steps to prepare for prayer & fasting week".

You can view the details of this week's schedule on our church center page.
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What is fasting?

Fasting is a core spiritual practice for disciples of Jesus. In the Old Testament, we read about people like Moses, David, Elijah and many more who fasted. In the New Testament, one of the first things we read about Jesus is how he fasted. Jesus both taught on the practice of fasting and showed us how to do it. The key figures of the New Testament continued this practice, as did the early church. It was common practice in the early church to fast twice a week for hundreds of years!Fasting is a temporary abstinence from food (solid or liquid, but not water) for a period of time, in order to intensify our expression of need for something greater, namely God and his work in our lives. By fasting, we set something aside to concentrate, intensify, and contend for something that is more important.

The purpose of fasting

There are many purposes of fasting and many rewards to reap from it. The primary purpose of fasting centers on God. It must be God-initiated and God-ordained, as Richard Foster would say. The primary purpose then, is to glorify God and love and adore him, and as a result, become more like him.

There are many secondary purposes, such as: increased effectiveness of prayer, solidarity with the poor, starving the flesh and feeding on the Holy Spirit, guidance in decisions, increased concentration, deliverance for those in bondage, physical well-being, revelations, victory over a specific sin and so on.

Steps to Prepare for Prayer & Fasting Week

To get the most out of this week, it’s important that you prepare both spiritually and practically. We encourage you to follow these steps in order to be as well prepared as you can. Here is our advice on how to prepare:

If you have any health issues, dietary restrictions or are on medication, then we recommend that you talk to your physician before you attempt a fast and follow their advice.
If you can’t or prefer not to fast from food, then we recommend that you fast from something else. Here are some things to fast from other than food (this list is not exhaustive): Social Media, Streaming, Phone, your favourite foods etc.
Don’t start running before you can walk. If you have never fasted before, do not attempt a full fast right away. Begin with a partial fast for a duration of 24 hours.
If you have experience with fasting and would like to try a full fast, then go ahead. A full fast is no food but drinking lots of water for however long you want (minimum one day).
When you have decided how you want to fast, then decide what day(s) you want to fast on during the week. Then decide how much time you are going to devote to prayer and God’s Word during the fast.
Decide which prayer gatherings you want to attend and put them in your calendar!
Before you begin the prayer and fasting week, examine your heart through prayer and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any unconfessed sin.
Come with an expectant heart and trust that God will answer your prayers and the longings of your heart.

Prayer and Fasting Week 2024

What is fasting?

The purpose of fasting

Steps to Prepare for Prayer & Fasting Week