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CRAVE: 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting
January 18 – February 7
Matthew 5:6
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
What is crave?
CRAVE is 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting at Lighthouse Vineyard Church where we intentionally set aside time to focus on hearing and listening to God’s voice and fixing our eyes on him to see what he is doing. We do this by minimizing the distractions in our lives, recognizing that we can focus on God better when we do this.
We want to crave God more than we do food or anything else in our lives.
Why should I be a part of crave?
Something supernatural happens when we unite in a unified pursuit of God’s presence!
The goal of fasting is to draw near to God, hear his voice clearer, and experience his presence more.
CRAVE is designed for everyone. It doesn’t matter if you’re brand new to Lighthouse Church, if you’re young or old, or if you’re single or married with kids—we want you to be part of it.
What is fasting and why should i fast?
Fasting is one of the best spiritual disciplines available to us, and it helps to center our hearts and minds on God. Jesus began his ministry with 40 days of fasting, and continued fasting throughout his lifetime. All throughout Scripture, fasting is a way to add power to our prayers. When God’s people fast and pray, miracles happen.
Fasting is essentially giving up food for a period of time in order to focus your thoughts on God. While fasting, many people read the Bible, pray, or worship.
Fasting and prayer go together. You can pray without fasting, and you can fast without praying, but when you combine the two, there’s a noticeable increase in our prayers. Prayer involves both speaking and listening. And fasting is a key companion in both. Fasting helps us to discern his voice through the noise and distraction of our lives. When we fast our mind is more alert, focused, and open. Fasting also helps us to break through the walls that stand between us and the release of God’s plans, purposes, and power.
Is there something you’ve been praying for, working to overcome, or seeking God’s wisdom on? Fasting is a perfect way to quiet all the noise and tune in to what God has to say.
One thing to note is that, fasting is not about us. it is about our relationship with God and connecting with him.
“Say to all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted… was it for me that you fasted?
– Zechariah 7:5–6
“If our fasting is not unto God, we have failed. Physical benefits, success in prayer, the ending with power, spiritual insights—these must never replace God as the center of our fasting.” – Richard Foster
In Matthew 6:16, Jesus tells His followers, “When you fast” and then gives specific instructions about how they are to fast and pray. It’s interesting that Jesus didn’t say ‘if’ you fast, He said ‘when’ you fast. This tells us that Jesus assumed His followers were going to fast. This means fasting is a spiritual discipline every Christian must devote themselves to.
All throughout The Bible, God’s people consistently took time to fast and pray in order to grow closer to God and experience breakthroughs in specific areas. If you want to deepen your relationship with God or see Him move supernaturally in a specific area, this is a great time to fast.
What is god asking you to do?
We’re inviting you to take time, prepare your heart, and ask God what He wants of you during these 21 days. Even if that means fasting longer than you’ve ever fasted, removing more comforts than you’d prefer, or taking time to pray early in the morning and late at night, we’re expecting God to move in our Lighthouse family. When deciding on a fast, we encourage you to seek God in prayer and follow what the Holy Spirit leads you to do.
Once you hear from God and have clarity on what CRAVE will look like for you, we encourage you to write it down and share it with your someone. Sharing your goal to your Home Group, family, or friends is an excellent way to share what God is doing in your life and to build accountability.
It’s important to note that fasting without prayer is simply not eating. Remember that the goal is to not eat (or only eat specific types of food) for a time so that you can redirect your focus, energy, and attention toward God. The goal is to replace consuming food with time reading God’s Word and in prayer.
Choosing a fast
Fasting is an invitation from the Lord for us to engage with Him in a deeper way. There is no right or wrong way to fast, and there are many different kinds of fasts to choose from.
Here are some common fasts to choose from:
Full Fast
In this type of fast, you drink only liquids, typically water with light juices as an option.
Partial Fast
A limited fast that could either entail abstaining from certain foods for a prolonged period or abstaining from all foods for a portion of the day (e.g., abstaining from eating before 3:00 P.M.).
The Partial Fast is a good stepping stone to a Full Fast for those who have never fasted before. There are many types of partial fasts. A few are listed below.
Daniel Fast. This is the most frequently used example of a partial fast. Eat no meat, no sweets and no bread. Eat nuts, fruits, and vegetables, and drink water. 
Other types of partial fasts could include:
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Giving up one food item, such as caffeine or sweets. Is there a food you really enjoy that would be a sacrifice to abstain from during the fast?
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Giving up one meal and replacing that time with prayer. 
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Fast for a specific number of days – one day, three days, you decide.
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Fast from 6:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., or from sun-up to sundown. When doing this type of fast, consider your work and sleep schedule. The hours you sleep should not be considered part of your fasting period.
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Along with fasting food, you might also go on a “media fast,” such as going without television, media, entertainment, social media, non-necessary forms of technology (but not what is required for work) at specific times. When you do this, use that time in prayer and the Word.
Regardless of the type of fast you choose to participate in, it’s important to pray about what God is leading you to do, as well as consult a doctor and educate yourself if you have any questions or health concerns.
What about fasting social media or other activities?
The Bible does encourage us to abstain from specific activities for periods of time to devote ourselves more fully to God (1 Corinthians 7:5). However, fasting in Scripture specifically refers to food. So while choosing to abstain from specific things (ex. social media, TV, etc.) can be helpful, the Bible does not use the word fasting to describe this.
Abstaining from certain activities to grow closer to God is great, and we would actively encourage you to do this, but why not fast and also choose to abstain from one or more specific activities during the period of time you are fasting?
What should i expect when fasting?
The practice of fasting is very different from most of how we live on a day-to-day basis. The Bible mentions fasting over 70 times directly and is referenced even more. This practice is clearly important to God. Even Jesus engaged in a 40-day fast immediately following His baptism.
Heightened Emotional Sensitivity
“Anger, bitterness, jealousy, strife, fear—if they are within us, they will surface during fasting. At first, we will rationalize that our anger is due to our hunger; then we know that we are angry because the spirit of anger is within us. We can rejoice in this knowledge because we know that healing is available through the power of Christ.” -Richard Foster
Physical Effects
Changing the amount and type of nutrients you consume ordinarily could affect your energy levels, leading to physical fatigue. You may also experience headaches during fasting. This is your body’s way of letting you know it is detoxing. Push through the physical to gain the spiritual.
Intense Hunger
Although this may seem like an obvious point of awareness, it is important to note that you may feel hunger in a way that you’ve not experienced before. Use the hunger as a reminder for times of prayer and listening during the fast.
make a plan
The next key to making these 21 days successful is establishing a prayer routine that works for your schedule.
We are creatures of habit, and the goal for these three weeks is to establish a healthy habit of prayer we can carry with us for the rest of the year.
Your plan should consist of three things: a time, a spot, and a plan.
Pick a Time
What is a time that works for you every day? If you have young kids, there is a good chance it will have to be before they wake up or after they go to bed. It doesn’t matter when it is; pick the time that will be easiest for you to stick to and put it in your calendar right now.
Pick a Spot
Your prayer times will be far more consistent if you designate a specific spot for them. Maybe it’s a certain chair or closet. Or it might be your backyard or your car. Again, it doesn’t matter what spot you choose; it only matters that you pick one and stick with it.
Pick a Plan
The best way to ensure you will have success during your prayer time is to go into it with a plan. There are many different models you can follow for this.
One option is to pray through the acronym: ACTS.
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Adoration: Start your prayer by praising God for who he is.
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Confession: Admit any sin in your life.
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Thanksgiving: Next, express gratitude for a few things in your life.
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Supplication: Finally, end your prayer by praying for one person.
What if today was the day you established a routine for your prayers? And what if this time next year, you can look back and know that you’ve prayed every day for the last 365 days? Praying for one day may feel underwhelming, but if you pray every day for a year, the results will be overwhelming!
share your story
We’d love to hear how you were impacted during the fast. There is power in your testimony and God has the potential to use your words to impact someone’s life in a supernatural way.
Share your story with us by emailing prayer@lv.church or sending us a message on social media.
ways to engage
Daily Prayer Room
The auditorium will be open as the Prayer Room Monday-Thursday, 11am-4pm.
There will be music playing to create an atmosphere of intimacy with the Lord. This is an opportunity for you to come to a space with no distractions – just you and Jesus.
Several different prayer stations will be set up for you to engage in to deepen your relationship with Jesus. We encourage you to participate in these as you desire.
Bring your bible and your journal with you.
CRAVE Week
CRAVE Week will include times of worship and some incredible guest speakers.
Here is the schedule for the week:
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Monday at 7pm - Worship Circle in The Beacon
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Tuesday at 7pm - Prayer Room
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Wednesday at 7pm - Special Guest Brenno Aquino
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Thursday at 7pm - Special Guest Speaker
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Friday at 7pm - Breaking the Fast Night of Worship & Carry-in