Prayer & Fasting

We would love for you to join us in an extended time of prayer, fasting and personal devotion.   We have found that corporate, “all-church” fasts cause us to draw near to the Lord and release faith so that He can meet us in very unique and special ways. We have also found that His presence grows greater and greater with each day of the fast. Without fail, God always shows up!

Prayer, coupled with fasting, is a principle that God intended for everyone to be able to enjoy. Through this kind of “intensified prayer,” you will grow closer to God and grow stronger in your spiritual walk like never before. Many have experienced a release from the bondages of sin, restoration in relationships, financial blessings, spiritual renewal, supernatural healing, and most of all, a new depth of relationship with the Lord.

PRAYER

One of the greatest desires of HighRidge Church is to be in prayer for one another. If you or someone you know is in need of prayer for any need, please follow the steps below to submit a prayer request to the HighRidge Prayer Ministry.

1. 1. What will happen when your prayer request is submitted? All submitted prayer requests will be sent to the HighRidge Prayer Ministry Team which is composed of over 100 individuals who are passionate about interceding on behalf of those in need.
   2. Are prayer requests kept confidential? Once your request is submitted to the Prayer Ministry Team, it is no longer confidential. We ask that you provide enough information to guide our prayers, but nothing that should be kept confidential unless approved by the person in need of prayer.
   3. Are names required with the request? In order to help the Prayer Ministry Team feel connected to the request, we ask that you include at least the first name of the person we will be praying for.
   4. After I submit the request is there anything else I should do? As God answers your prayers, please be sure to submit a Praise Report. It encourages the members of the Prayer Ministry Team and gives great glory to the Lord!

FASTING

The purpose of fasting is ultimately God Himself. There are many reasons to undertake a fast, but the bottom line for them all is to align your heart directly with Him. Think of that as the big picture. The small picture, the immediate purpose for a fast, can vary. So the first step for any kind of fast is to declare our immediate purpose. Fasting can’t be done casually, because there isn’t any spiritual benefit in simply not eating. Going through the motions just makes us hungry, but genuine, purposeful fasting is a powerful discipline for the disciple of Jesus and can play a part in literally transforming your life.

To help us define a godly purpose for fasting, here are 10 reasons to consider:

1. To strengthen prayer
2. To seek God’s guidance
3. To express grief
4. To seek deliverance or protection
5. To express repentance and return to God
6. To humble oneself before God
7. To express concern for the work of God
8. To minister to the needs of others
9. To overcome temptation and dedicate yourself to God
10. To express love and worship to God

Throughout the Bible, we see people fast for a variety of reasons:

1. To be like Jesus (Matthew 4:1–17; Luke 4:1–13)
2. To obtain spiritual purity (Isaiah 58:5–7)
3. To repent from sins (Jonah 3:8; Nehemiah 1:4)
4. To influence God (2 Samuel 12:16–23)
5. To mourn for the dead (1 Samuel 31:13; 2 Samuel 31:12)
6. To request God’s help in times of crisis and calamity (Ezra 8:21–23; Nehemiah 1:4–11)
7. To strengthen prayer (Matthew 17:21; Mark 9:17–29)

None of these purposes amounts to twisting God’s arm to do what we want. Who can do that? God is not a genie who will grant us whatever we wish. He is a good father who is working out His sovereign will. Our reasons for fasting are for our own humility. By denying ourselves for a time, we provoke ourselves to rely more on God Almighty. It isn’t about changing God; it’s about changing us. In fasting:

1. We pray more intently
2. We become more receptive to God’s guidance
3. We lean more on Scripture to hear His voice
4. We demonstrate our grief and honest repentance
5. We physically declare that we need God to survive
6. We sense spiritual reality more than the physical world
7. We prepare to love others better than ourselves

Lastly, fasting helps us to remember the true source of our utmost joy. Most people would agree that food is a good thing. If you’re unable to fast but chose to abstain from something else, such as a hobby or technology or entertainment, those can also be good things. All good things come from God, but the human heart is inclined to worship God’s gifts rather than God Himself. Fasting helps our hearts to look past the good gift to the good God, who blesses us despite ourselves.

“I DON’T REALLY FEEL LIKE IT”

Even if fasting makes sense, you may not feel like you need it right now. But think of fasting as similar to praise and worship. Oftentimes joy overflows in songs of praise, but more often singing leads us into joy. We sing first and that brings us to a place of thankfulness and joy. Likewise, when our souls overflow with godly emotions and repentance, we may be led to fasting, but far more often we need to choose to fast in order to be humbled and to fight our pride by rejecting the ways we so often cope with our feelings. It’s the proactive approach.