You’re invited to join The Journey Church in a special Easter Fast leading up to Easter Sunday, April 9. This is a powerful opportunity to turn our focus to Jesus, strengthen our faith and grow closer to God as we prepare for Easter Sunday!

The 40 days leading up to Easter Sunday, April 9 is traditionally called “the season of Lent” and it’s a time of prayer and fasting for Christians to help us turn our focus to Jesus, strengthen our faith, and grow closer to God as we prepare for Easter Sunday.

A fast is simply abstaining from food or something else prominent in your life for a period of time, then replacing the time and desire spent on it with prayer so you can grow closer to God and hear His voice more clearly.

1. Choose one tangible thing to fast from

It's best to make it something you can taste, touch and feel – and  abstain from it completely for the next 40 days (between now and Easter Sunday, April 9).

If you haven't decided what to fast from yet - here are some suggestions:

• Fast from something that is a prominent part of your life.
• Fast from something that you think about every day.
• Fast from something that isn’t healthy for you or that you need to remove from your life anyway (for example, a sin or an unhealthy habit).

Some options to choose from include...

• Social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.)
• Food
• TV / Netflix / movies
• Pornography
• Drinking
• Music
• Gambling
• Unhealthy activities or habits

NOTE: Other than letting the pastors know what you are fasting from, you should endeavor to tell no one else. Yes, keep it a secret between you and the Lord.

3.  Pray!

Every time you think about the thing you are fasting from over the next 40 days… take a moment to pray. Ask God to draw you closer to Him, make you more like Christ and teach you to completely trust Him.

Don’t worry if you give in once or twice. Just keep going.  Remember – the point of fasting is to draw you closer in your relationship with God. We FAST from something material so that we can FEAST on God!

• Make it a priority to attend church during your fast.  Being around other believers will motivate you to keep on going when fasting gets difficult.
• Get connected with a Growth Group to help encourage you during your fast.
• If you mess up, don’t get discouraged! God will help you get back on track (Galatians 6:9).
• Ask God to use this time of fasting to draw you closer to Him.

If you have questions about the Easter Fast, feel free to email Pastor Kerrick at [email protected] or call 212-730-8300