JANUARY 12 - FEBRUARY 1
ABIDE is a 21 day season dedicated to prayer, fasting, and worship. It is our prayer that the Lord will use this season in a significant way in your life. This is a time to clear out the distractions of life, focus your heart, and seek the Lord together as a church. No matter where you are in your faith journey, this ABIDE season is for you! One primary way to draw near to Jesus is to study His Word. To help you do that, we will provide a scripture journal centered around the book of John. We hope this tool will assist you in focusing your heart each day as you study God's Word. We handed out John Journals during our weekend gatherings on January 8 & 11. If you did not receive a journal, we will have them available at every gathering during the ABIDE SERIES. We will fast from Monday, January 12 to Sunday, February 1.
Wondering how to use your John Journal? The book of John has 21 chapters, and over the next 21 days, we invite you to read one chapter each day. As you read, use the REAP Method to help you study and reflect on Scripture. To learn more about the REAP Method, click here.
GROW IN YOUR FAITH
As part of ABIDE, your next step of formation as disciples is the ABIDE Cohort. This year’s Cohort will be online only and released right here on our website on January 13, 20, and 27. As you journey through the Cohort, you will begin to see how we are all being formed. However, is that formation faulty or fruitful? In the Cohort, you will see what it looks like to be a disciple and begin to create a Rule of Life as you follow Jesus. The last part of the Cohort journey is to start a FOURmation Group where your Rule of Life is shared with your group so you can encourage each other. We have some new things for the Cohort and Fourmation Groups this year, so even if you have already gone through the Cohort or you are already in a Fourmation Group, we still want you to take part. No registration is needed.
WHAT IS PRAYER?
God started a conversation with His people (us) through His Word. Prayer is our response to Him. And here’s the awesome part, He wants to hear from us. He delights in us.
WHAT IS FASTING?
Removing things from our lives for a time to pursue intimate fellowship with God. Fasting can be an expression of finding our greatest pleasure and enjoyment in life from God. Food, or whatever we fast from, has a mastery over our lives. Fasting says, "I long to be satisfied in God alone."
WHY DO WE DO THIS AS A CHURCH?
A season of focused prayer and fasting puts our church body on the same trajectory. Imagine the power of thousands of people speaking to our heavenly Father at the same time about the same thing.
Fasting Overview
Please keep in mind that your fast is not something that has to be compared to other people’s fasts. It should be challenging for you, though. As we begin our fast, consider your health and nutritional needs.
COMPLETE FAST
This fast involves drinking only liquids, typically water with light juices as an option.
SELECTIVE FAST
This fast involves removing certain elements from your diet. One example of a selective fast is the Daniel Fast, during which you remove meat, sweets, and bread from your diet and consume water and juice for fluids and fruits and vegetables for food.
PARTIAL FAST
This fast involves abstaining from eating any type of food in the morning and afternoon. This can either correlate to specific times of the day, such as 6:00 am to 3:00 pm, or from sunup to sundown.
SOUL FAST
This fast is a great option if you do not have much experience fasting from food, have health issues that prevent you from fasting food, or if you wish to refocus certain areas of your life that are out of balance. For example, you might choose to stop using social media or watching television for the duration of the fast and then carefully bring that element back into your life in healthy doses after the fast.
