Prayer
What is the 28 Days of Prayer?
It’s a new year. (Thank God!) But where do we begin? You may feel the temptation to strive to do more, to make lofty resolutions, and enter back into cycles of hurry. These things aren’t necessarily bad, but we see Jesus model a different way; the way of surrender amidst the cultural anthem of autonomy, the way of dependence on God instead of reliance on self, and the way of true peace.
Patterned on Jesus’ prayer in John 17, the 28 Days of Prayer and Fasting leads us in laying a foundation of prayer before forging ahead. We will pray for ourselves, our church family, those outside of Ethos, and our leadership. We will thank God for who He is, thank Jesus for what He has done, and seek guidance from the Holy Spirit as we listen to Him.
During these 28 days, we have daily prayer points to pray together as a family or on your own, and there will be prayer points for your kiddos as well! Follow @ethos_oh on Instagram or Facebook.com/ethosoh for daily reminders.
The purpose of 28 Days of Prayer
God isn’t interested in us practicing religion; instead, He desires a relationship with us. And God loves for us to talk with Him. 28 Days of Prayer is a way to connect with God personally, ask for His guidance and wisdom, and lean on His provision. And as a community, 28 Days of Prayer is a great way to be united in prayer as we believe God to move in our lives, community, and nation.
How do I pray?
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Find your “thin place” - your designated place to meet with God. (Mark 1:35)
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Keep it simple. (Matthew 6:7-8)
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Keep it real. Pray what you’ve got. (Luke 18:10-13)
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Keep it up. (Luke 18:1)
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We encourage you to download the 28 Days of Prayer devotional and follow the daily prayer prompts laid out on each day. You can find those for download below. ​
Before you pray, you may find it helpful to set your phone aside in an effort to create a distraction-free environment or utilize a journal as a tool to write out your prayers and take note of the impressions God is laying on your heart and mind.
The Digital Fast
The joy of missing out
What is the digital fast?
The Digital Fast is a 28-day journey to reimagine and reexamine our relationship technology and implement practices that prompt us to spend intentional time with God.
A fast is an intentional period of time when we give something up. The Digital Fast isn’t asking us to throw our smartphones in a drawer, but it is inviting us to give up how we currently relate with technology for the purpose of relating with God.
Over the next 28 days, we will experience the four phases - Detach, Discover, Delight, Determine - individually through The Digital Fast workbook and collectively as we participate as a united body. This will change how we view and use technology during the 28 days and throughout the year as well. This will change our relationships with our phones, which will change our relationships with the people around us and our Heavenly Father.
What is the purpose of The Digital Fast?
We have a problem, a distraction problem, a devotion problem. And 91% of us carry this problem around with us 24 hours a day. This amazing piece of technology, our smartphone, has become our single biggest source of distraction. Not only have we become disconnected from each other; we’re increasingly allowing our devices to impact our relationships with God.
So, as a church family, we’re going to band together and engage in a shared experience to intentionally reduce digital distraction and deliberately increase spiritual devotion. Together, we can turn down the noise and experience the time, space, and mental clarity to listen to the voice of God.
How does The Digital Fast work?
We will be using the Aro app (yes, an app) to quantify how much time collectively that we are intentionally spending OFF our phones each week. We’ll be reporting these intentional hours each week as a way to collectively encourage and hold each other accountable.
We will also be utilizing our Digital Fast workbooks to guide our next 28 days.
Fasting
What is the purpose of fasting?
The goal of fasting is to draw nearer to God. Biblical fasting always has to do with eliminating distractions for a spiritual purpose; it hits the reset button of our soul and renews us from the inside out. It also enables us to celebrate the goodness and mercy of God and prepares our hearts for all the good things God desires to bring into our lives. Remember, your personal fast should present a level of challenge, but it is very important to know your body, your options, and, most importantly, to seek God in prayer and follow what the Holy Spirit leads you to do.
Types of Fasts
COMPLETE FAST
In this type of fast, you drink only liquids, typically water with light juices as an option. (Consult your physician when entering a complete.)
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SELECT FAST
This type of 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.
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PARTIAL FAST
This fast is sometimes called the “Jewish Fast” and 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.
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SOUL FAST
This fast is a great option if you do not have much experience fasting 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 at the conclusion of the fast.
Teaching on Fasting
We want to continually expand our minds and understanding of the way of Jesus. God wants us to love him not only with our hearts, souls, and strength, but with our minds as well. In the 7 minute video, Pastor John Mark Comer shares three reasons for practicing a fast.
Interested in learning more about fasting?
Register for our Practicing The Way: Fasting Course here!
28 Days of Prayer Events
Prayer Gatherings at Bale Kenyon - Every Tuesday at 7pm during the 28 days.
January 7th , January 14th, January 21st, and January 28th at 6861 Bale Kenyon Rd.
Our prayer gatherings are a time set aside to pray and be with God. Whether you're new to prayer or have been praying for a long time, we encourage you to attend.
Practicing The Way: Fasting
4 Week Course: Monday, January 13th - Monday, February 3rd at 6576 Africa Rd.