At the beginning of each year, the congregation of Destiny Church takes the first three weeks of the New Year and sets something "natural" in pursuit of something "supernatural".

Each Destiny member is challenged to set something aside out of his or her daily routine and "fast" it as we agree in prayer.

We’ll talk more about this in the final weeks of 2011, but here’s the heart behind our church-wide fast:

1. Every year we begin by praying for the lost (those who don't know Christ) and the exiled (those the Bible refers to as being seperated from God).
We are praying for our families, friends, coworkers, and leaders who have been separated from God to come home to Him.

2. Our specific prayer for 2012 is for God to mend broken hearts and broken relationships.

Starting in January at Destiny, we will begin a new series called just that: “Mend”.
The word mend is from the ancient Hebrew word “tawfar”, which meant "to stitch or repair two pieces that have been ripped apart."

Can you think of anyone whose life or relationship has been torn apart?

So why do we have a church fast every year?
Throughout the Bible, fasting is presented as a spiritual discipline and as an act of voluntary humility. It was often accompanied with confession and repentance. As a church, we are in pursuit of bringing people to Christ, helping them find their next step, and teaching them to do the same. Using Daniel as a template, I challenge each church member to set something aside for the first 21 days of the year and commit themselves to prayer and the pursuit of what God loves most: Bringing people to back to Him!

Here is a list of some of the most commonly fasted things:
Pop, carbonated drinks, other drinks besides water, television, computer, video games, internet, sweets, candy, chocolates, fast food, shopping, using credit cards,lotteries/gambling, red meats, gossiping, Facebook, bad-mouthing, judging, being critical, cursing, tobacco products, alcoholic beverages, naps, sleeping in, pushing snooze... and the list goes on.

I am so excited about what God is doing in the days to come!