THE FAST THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING: WHEN GOD BREAKS THROUGH YOUR RESISTANCE

I didn't want to be a pastor.

Actually, that's putting it mildly. I was running as fast as I could in the opposite direction.

I grew up in poverty. My parents divorced when I was a teenager, and the remainder of my youth was extremely challenging—the kind of challenging that makes you determined never to go back. I was going to be the first person on either side of my family to attend college, and I had clear plans: choose a career that would make as much money as possible and get as far away from my past as I could.

Ministry? That was the last thing I wanted. Ministers didn't make money. Ministers struggled. Ministers lived the kind of life I was desperate to escape.

But God had other plans.

I'd been sensing His call to Christian ministry since high school. And for years, I ran. I ignored it. I pushed it down. I made different plans.

Then I encountered a spiritual discipline that I couldn't outrun: fasting.

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THE CHALLENGE I DIDN'T WANT

During my college years, I was involved in two campus ministries: Baptist Student Union and Campus Crusade for Christ (now called CRU). Both groups challenged students to incorporate regular fasting into their spiritual lives.

Their challenge? Fast one day a month. Skip meals. Spend that time in prayer and God’s Word instead. I'll be honest—it sounded miserable.

After all, I prayed regularly. I was reading Scripture. I was involved in ministry activities. Wasn't that enough?

But something—Someone—kept nudging me to try it. So I did. I began fasting once a month during college. And that's when everything changed.

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WHAT FASTING REVEALS

Here's what I didn't expect about fasting: it strips away all the noise.

When you're hungry, you can't hide from yourself. You can't distract yourself with busyness or entertainment or even food. You're left alone with God and the truth you've been avoiding. For me, that truth was glaringly clear: I was running from God's call on my life.

During those monthly fasts, as I prayed instead of ate, I couldn't escape the reality:

- God had called me to ministry

- I was in disobedience

- My plans were built on fear, not faith

- Money couldn't satisfy the way I thought it would

- I was trading eternal treasure for temporary security

Month after month, the conviction grew stronger. The call became clearer. My resistance became more obviously foolish. Fasting did what nothing else could—it silenced my excuses and amplified God's voice.

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THE SURRENDER

I can't point to a single dramatic moment when everything changed. It was more like a slow thawing—the gradual melting of years of resistance. But through prayer and fasting, I finally surrendered to God's call. I stopped running. I stopped making my own plans. I stopped letting my past dictate my future. And you know what? I am so thankful that I did.

The joy I've experienced in vocational ministry, the relationship with Jesus that has deepened over 25+ years of serving Him—this has been my ultimate treasure. Not the money I could have made. Not the distance I could have put between me and my past.

Jesus. The privilege of serving His church and community. That surrender, catalyzed by fasting, changed the trajectory of my entire life.

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WHY FASTING FEELS COUNTERCULTURAL (AND UNCOMFORTABLE)

Let me be clear: fasting is not comfortable. It's not supposed to be.

We live in a culture that avoids discomfort at all costs. Hungry? Eat immediately. Bored? Scroll your phone. Anxious? Distract yourself. Uncomfortable? Fix it now. Fasting goes against every instinct of our comfort-seeking hearts. That's exactly why it's so powerful.

Fasting creates space for God to speak by removing the things we usually use to drown Him out.

Fasting reveals what we're really depending on. When you can't reach for food, you realize how often you use it for comfort, distraction, or control.

Fasting demonstrates seriousness. When you tell God, "I'm willing to be uncomfortable to hear from You," you're communicating that this matters more than your comfort.

Fasting breaks the power of the urgent. When you skip a meal to pray, you're declaring that spiritual realities are more important than physical ones.

It's countercultural. It's uncomfortable. It feels extreme. And that's exactly why it works.

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FASTING FOR COMMUNITY OUTREACH: WHY IT MATTERS

So what does my personal fasting story have to do with community outreach? Everything.

Here's what I've learned over 25+ years of leading churches in community engagement: The most transformative outreach initiatives are always preceded by significant prayer—and often, by fasting.

When we fast and pray for our communities, several things happen:

1. We Break Through Spiritual Resistance

Just as fasting helped me stop running from God's call, fasting breaks through spiritual resistance to community outreach. Churches that have been stuck, fearful, or apathetic find clarity and courage when they fast.

2. We Gain God's Heart for the Community

When you're hungry and praying for your neighborhood, God has a way of breaking your heart for what breaks His. You stop seeing community needs as interruptions and start seeing them as invitations.

3. We Receive Strategic Direction

Some of our church's most effective community partnerships came directly from insights we received during fasts. When we're desperate enough to skip meals and pray, God speaks with remarkable clarity.

4. We Build Spiritual Stamina

Community outreach is hard. It requires sacrifice, patience, and perseverance. Fasting trains us in these disciplines before we ever step into the community.

5. We Demonstrate We're Serious

When your congregation sees leadership willing to fast for community transformation, it communicates that this isn't just another program—it's a spiritual movement.

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PRACTICAL APPROACHES TO FASTING

If you've never fasted before, or if it's been a while, here are some practical ways to begin:

PERSONAL FASTING APPROACHES:

1. Single-Meal Fast

Skip one meal (usually lunch) and spend that time in prayer instead. This is a great starting point for beginners.

2. 24-Hour Fast

Fast from dinner one day to dinner the next day (or breakfast to breakfast). This is what I practiced monthly in college—one full day, once a month.

3. Extended Fast (3-7 Days)

Multiple days of fasting, typically done during critical decision-making or seeking God's direction. Requires more preparation and should be done with wisdom.

4. Daniel Fast

Based on Daniel 1:12, this involves abstaining from certain foods (meat, sweets, processed foods) while eating vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. Good for those who can't do a complete food fast for medical reasons.

5. Partial Fast

Skip certain meals or types of food for a set period. For example, fast breakfast and lunch daily for a week, eating only dinner.

CORPORATE FASTING APPROACHES:

1. Church-Wide Fast Day

Designate one day where the entire congregation fasts together, gathering in the evening to pray and break fast together.

2. Prayer Team Fast

Your community outreach prayer team commits to fasting weekly or monthly for your ministry initiatives.

3. Leadership Fast

Church leadership (elders, staff, ministry leaders) fast together before major decisions or launches.

4. Seasonal Fast

Corporate fast during significant church seasons—like the 40 days before launching community outreach, or annually during Lent.

5. Rolling Fast

Different groups fast on different days throughout a week or month, creating continuous prayer coverage. For example: prayer team on Mondays, staff on Wednesdays, volunteers on Fridays.

MODIFIED FASTING FOR SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES:

Some people can't do traditional food fasts due to medical conditions, medications, pregnancy, nursing, or eating disorder history. Consider:

- Media fast: Abstain from TV, social media, or entertainment

- Technology fast: Limit phone/computer use to essentials only

- Sleep fast: Wake up early to pray instead of sleeping in

- Activity fast: Give up a hobby or leisure activity to create prayer time

The key isn't the method—it's the heart posture of sacrifice and seeking God.

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HOW TO START FASTING FOR YOUR COMMUNITY

If you're feeling prompted to incorporate fasting into your community outreach prayer life, here's how to begin:

THIS WEEK:

Step 1: Start Small

Don't try to do a 40-day fast if you've never fasted before. Start with a single meal. Skip lunch this week and spend 30-60 minutes praying for your community instead.

Step 2: Have a Clear Focus

Don't fast just to fast. Fast with specific prayer intentions. Pray for:

- God's heart for your community

- Clarity about where to serve

- Breakthrough in resistance or fear

- Specific community needs

- Protection over your outreach initiatives

- Volunteers to step forward

- Partnerships to develop

Step 3: Prepare Practically

- Hydrate well before and during your fast

- Clear your schedule during fasting time to pray

- Have Scripture ready to meditate on

- Tell someone you're fasting for accountability

- Plan what you'll eat to break your fast (something light)

Step 4: Expect Discomfort

You'll be hungry. You'll be tempted to quit. You might get a headache. That's normal. The discomfort is part of the process—it drives you to depend on God.

Step 5: Journal What God Reveals

Write down insights, Scripture verses, convictions, or direction you receive during your fast. These become confirmation when you look back later.

THIS MONTH:

Try a Monthly Fast

Commit to fasting one day a month for the next three months. Same day each month (first Monday, third Wednesday, etc.). Consistency builds discipline.

Invite Your Team

If you lead a community outreach team or prayer group, invite them to fast together monthly. Share what God is revealing to each of you.

THIS YEAR:

Plan a Strategic Fast

Before launching any major community outreach initiative, plan a 3-7 day fast. This could be:

- Leadership team: 3 days

- Prayer team: 7 days (staggered or together)

- Whole church: 1 day together

Mark it on the calendar now. Don't wait until you feel like it—you'll never feel like fasting.

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WHAT FASTING IS NOT

Before you begin, let me clarify some misconceptions:

Fasting is NOT:

❌ A way to manipulate God into giving you what you want

❌ A spiritual performance to impress others

❌ Punishment or penance for sin

❌ A guarantee that God will answer prayers your way

❌ Required for God to hear you (He always hears His children)

❌ A substitute for obedience in other areas

Fasting IS:

✅ A way to demonstrate seriousness and dependence

✅ A discipline that creates space to hear God

✅ A means of aligning your heart with God's heart

✅ A practice that reveals what you're truly relying on

✅ A biblical pattern throughout Scripture

✅ A tool for breakthroughs when paired with prayer

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THE QUESTION ONLY YOU CAN ANSWER

Here's what I wonder: What is God calling you to that you're resisting?

For me, it was vocational ministry. I ran from it for years until fasting stripped away my excuses and forced me to surrender.

For your church, it might be community outreach. Maybe you know God is calling you beyond your walls, but fear, comfort, or busyness keeps you from obeying. What would it look like to get serious enough about that call to actually fast?

Not just pray about it while eating your regular meals and living your regular life. But to sacrifice. To be uncomfortable. To create space for God to speak so loudly you can't ignore Him anymore.

I'm not saying fasting is magic. I'm saying it's biblical, powerful, and often the catalyst for breakthrough when nothing else works.

God is calling your church to make a difference in your community. I believe that with everything in me.

The question is: Are you willing to get uncomfortable enough to fully surrender to that call?

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ONE THING TO DO THIS WEEK

Don't overthink this. Just do one thing:

Fast one meal this week and pray for your community.

Skip lunch. Spend that hour seeking God's heart for your neighborhood, your city, the people right outside your church's walls. Pray for clarity. Pray for courage. Pray for God to break through whatever resistance exists—in you, in your leadership, in your congregation.

See what happens when you're willing to be hungry for something more than food.

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YOUR TURN

Discussion Question: Have you ever fasted? What was your experience? If you haven't, what keeps you from trying?

Reflection Exercise: What is God calling you or your church to that you might be resisting? What would happen if you fasted and prayed about it for 3 days?

Action Step: Choose a day this week to fast one meal. Write down what God reveals during that time. Share it with one trusted friend or ministry partner.

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WANT TO GO DEEPER?

This blog post draws from Beyond the Walls: Building Your Foundation (Book 1), particularly:

Chapter 1: Pray - Complete framework for prayer-based community outreach:

• Biblical foundation for prayer and fasting

• Multiple prayer strategies including fasting

• How to organize sustained prayer efforts

• Corporate and personal fasting guidelines

• Templates for prayer and fasting initiatives

• Nehemiah's 4-month prayer and fasting model

Chapter 1 provides:

✓ Full theological foundation for fasting

✓ Safety guidelines and medical considerations

✓ Reproducible fasting templates for churches

✓ Corporate fasting planning guides

✓ Common pitfalls and how to avoid them

✓ Action planning worksheets

Get the complete framework: www.outreachanswers.com

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NEXT WEEK: "3 Creative Prayer Strategies Your Church Hasn't Tried"

You've heard about prayer walking and prayer meetings. But what about prayer driving? Text prayer chains? Prayer rooms?

Next week: Three creative prayer strategies that go beyond the standard approaches—and how to match the right strategy to your church's unique culture and context.

Plus: I want to hear YOUR church's creative prayer ideas. What's working in your context that other churches should know about?

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A FINAL WORD

That college kid fasting in his dorm room, wrestling with God's call, running from ministry—he had no idea what God had planned.

He thought he was avoiding poverty and pain. He didn't realize he was running from purpose and treasure. Twenty-five years later, I can tell you: the joy of walking in obedience, the privilege of serving Jesus in ministry, the deep relationship with Him that has grown through decades of following His call—this is worth more than any salary I could have earned.

The fast that forced me to face my disobedience became the fast that changed everything. Maybe that's what God wants to do in your life, in your church, in your community outreach. Maybe you're one fast away from breakthrough. Maybe you're one surrendered meal away from hearing God's voice with clarity you've never experienced. Maybe you're running from the very thing God created you to do.

I don't know what God is calling you to. But I know this: when you're willing to get uncomfortable, to sacrifice, to seek Him desperately through fasting and prayer—He speaks. And when He speaks, everything changes. Are you willing to listen?