August 1 - 7

Prayer + Fasting 2024

"For the kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God's power." 1 Corinthians 4:20 NLT

Welcome to Traders Point’s Week of Prayer + Fasting! From Thursday, August 1, to Wednesday August 7, we want to collectively enter a rhythm of longing for God. We desire for God to grow our intimacy with Him, strengthen us for the mission, restore those who are hurting, and reach the lost in our city. We’re excited for you to join us!

As a church that seeks to live on mission, we want everything we do to begin and end with prayer. It is one of the primary ways we commune with God and declare our sense of dependence on Him. We strongly believe the Church’s mission is fueled by the prayer of His people and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Campus PRAYER hour

To kick off our Week of Prayer + Fasting, Traders Point campuses will be open for an hour of prayer on Thursday, August 1. This will be an opportunity for us to gather and set our hearts on Jesus! We will also have prayer counselors available to pray with those who have specific prayer requests. Join us as we pray together!

When: 12-1 PM on Thursday, August 1
Where: All Traders Point locations 12 PM

PRAYER

Every day at 12 PM, we will go before God to pray. This can be at home, work, in your car, or with friends and family. There’s something powerful about our church praying together at the same time from various locations across our city, state and world. Scroll down for daily prayer prompts.

Here are a few tips as you enter this week:

Set an alarm for 12 PM on Tuesday, August 1, through Wednesday, August 7, this week.
Put the Bible verse 1 Corinthians 4:20 somewhere you can see it every day (at your desk or lock screen on your phone).
Locate a quiet place for prayer, if possible. Somewhere free from distractions.
Feel free to journal as you pray. Write down what God sets on your heart, people you're praying over, and what you’re believing Him for!
Listen to worship music as part of this time. Listen to our TPCC worship playlist if you want some recommendations.
Find someone to hold you accountable – a friend, your small group, etc.

Prayer Prompts

Below are the daily prayer prompts. Our anchor verse comes from 1 Corinthians 4:20 - “For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; It is living by God’s power.” Each day, we will be praying for God's power to mark our lives - our worship, families, communities, leaders and church. We want to live by the power of God!

As you pray, before asking God for anything, we encourage you to spend time pausing, praising and confessing. Then move into a time of asking. If you need help, you can use the P.R.A.Y. model - Pause/Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield (see resources section). In the Ask portion, pray the daily prayer prompt.

THURSDAY | GOD’S HOLINESS AND POWER

We’re acknowledging and praising God for His holiness and power. We're not asking God for anything other than for us to be devoted to Him alone!

Reflect on His majesty and greatness
Surrender yourself to God in awe and worship
Pray that our church would deeply value the holiness of God

Isaiah 6:3 NLT - And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory."

Additional Scripture: Psalm 108

FRIDAY | THE POWER OF REPENTANCE

We’re spending time in honest confession. Bring your shortcomings and faults before God and know that because of Jesus' sacrifice, forgiveness is available. There is power in repentance.

Pray sin breaks your heart the way it breaks God’s
Confess to Him (and a trusted person if needed)
Ask God to empower you to turn from sin and toward Jesus

Psalm 51:17 NLT - The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.

Additional Scripture: Psalm 103:12 | 1 John 1:9 | Hebrews 4:16

SATURDAY | TRUST IN GOD’S POWER

We're seeking a deeper trust in God’s power over our own. We believe that He is in control. May our trust in the Lord lead to hope and peace.

Pray for trust in the Holy Spirit’s power to give us peace, hope and joy in difficult circumstances
Meditate on God’s strength and faithfulness

Romans 15:13 NLT - I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Additional Scripture: Psalm 18:2

SUNDAY | GOD’S POWERFUL GUIDANCE

We are seeking God's guidance for decisions and direction.

Are you looking for His direction in your life? Ask Him to help you surrender to His perfect will
Pray for Traders Point staff; that God would give wisdom and guidance to our leaders in ministry

Psalm 25:4-5 NLT - Show me the right path, O LORD; point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you.

MONDAY | THE POWER OF UNITY

We’re praying that God would unify His people. We want to be a sign of God’s unity and peace to a world filled with worry, fear and division.

Pray that we bring peace to the environments we inhabit (work, school, etc.)
Ask for God’s help to love those who disagree with you
Pray that disagreements are had with humility and gentleness
Pray against gossip, slander and disunifying speech

John 17:23 – “I am in them and You are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that You sent me and that You love them as much as you love me.” 

Additional Scripture: Ephesians 4:1-4 | Matthew 5:44

TUESDAY | INTERCEDING FOR OTHERS

 We’re praying for others: family, friends, colleagues, and anyone else on your heart. We are believing in the power of God to restore what has been broken!

Ask God to meet their needs and draw them closer to Himself
Pray for healing, provision and spiritual growth in others
Pray against Satan’s mission to discourage, distract and destroy

1 Timothy 2:1 NLT - I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them.

Additional Scripture:: Ephesians 6:18

WEDNESDAY | POWER TO REACH THE LOST

We’re praying that the power of the gospel reaches the hearts of those who aren’t following Jesus.

Pray for those who do not know Jesus as their Savior.
Ask God to open their hearts to the gospel.
Pray for boldness to share the love of Jesus with our words and our lives.

Romans 1:16 NLT - For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile."

Additional Scripture: Acts 1:8

FASTING

Fasting is another spiritual component of this week. Practically, we will look to give up one meal during the day (consider lunch) and replace that time with worship and prayer.

What is fasting? Fasting is essentially the practice of giving up food (or another habit) for a period of time in order to better focus your thoughts and attention on God. We will fast as an act of communion with God, and as part of a declaration. It’s in no way an attempt to manipulate God to answer our prayers. It is us saying, “What we’re praying for is so important that we’re willing to set aside our everyday life to focus on praying for it!”

While fasting is never commanded in the Bible, we see it modeled throughout Scripture (Exodus 34:28, Nehemiah 1:4, Ezra 8:23, Matthew 4:2, Acts 14:23). We don’t want this to seem legalistic or intimidating. We all have different experiences with fasting, whether plenty or never before. That’s ok! This is simply an opportunity to create a rhythm of longing for God.

New to fasting? Great! Start small. Don’t try to swing for the fence! Begin with what you can do. Trust that God will honor that, as you seek to honor Him. If a meal is too much, consider a particular sweet or activities that you could fast from that may take a chunk of time during the week – social media or tv. 

DISCLAIMER: There may be a number of reasons why fasting from food may not be safe or wise for some. If there are medical concerns, we encourage anyone to first consult their physician and choose something else to fast from. See the FAQs section for more information!

HERE ARE A FEW TIPS AS YOU WRAP UP THIS WEEK

ENDING THE FAST

Have a meal with your family, friends or small group. Talk about your experience, what you're believing in God for this next season, or ways that God answered prayer during the week.
Evaluate how your fast went. Celebrate what went well and how you grew. Give yourself grace in the areas you might not have committed the way you initially intended.
Think about how you can make prayer and fasting a routine spiritual discipline.

For prayer, what will help you be consistent?

Finding a common time/place to pray and read God's word?
Asking for accountability from your small group or a trusted friend?

Remember that prayer is about cultivating a relationship with Jesus. He loves you and wants to spend time with you.

For fasting

Could God be prompting you to do some type of fast one day a week, one week a month, or a few times a year?

Fasting is a process, so take it slow if it's new for you. But know that building a rhythm that allows you to refocus your desires and keep God as your ultimate delight is one of the most powerful ways to engage your faith.

Worship Night

To culminate our week of prayer and fasting, we are hosting a Worship Night at our Northwest location from 7 – 8:30 PM on Thursday, August 8. Worship Nights are spiritually unifying as we all come together under one roof to celebrate the move of the Holy Spirit. Some of our favorite spiritual markers have taken place at Worship Nights, and we are expectant of what God will do at this one. Don’t miss it!

More info

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do I need to pray?

There is no time requirement. You may only have a few minutes during your lunch break or the majority of that hour to pray, worship, and read God’s Word. What matters is intentionally setting that time aside to be with Jesus.

Is 12 PM the only time I can pray?

Absolutely not! If you’re unable to pray at 12 PM, feel free to choose a different time. Or if you want to pray at 12 PM as well as other times during the day, we encourage you to!

Can I fast from something besides food?

The short answer is yes. In fasting, we’re surrendering a habit for a period of time to connect and pray with God. For some, this might be social media or other forms of entertainment. However, what we see in Scripture is that the particular habit that followers of God abstained from while fasting is eating. If you’re able to, we recommend fasting from a meal (consider lunch) and replacing that time with prayer. If you’re new to fasting, start small or consider something else. If it’s medically unsafe for you, see the next FAQ.

What if I have a medical condition or disordered relationship with food?

We do not recommend fasting from food if it is medically unsafe or unwise for you to do so. There are a number of reasons why this could be the case. If it is unsafe or unwise for you, please choose something other than food to abstain from.

For those who have recovered from an eating disorder or actively have a disordered relationship with food, we encourage you not to fast from food and to consult your medical provider. The eating disorder part of someone in recovery's brain can take something good—fasting, which is an important spiritual discipline—and distort it into something harmful. Recovery can be slow and relapses can happen, so if that is you, we encourage you to fast from something other than food.

What we've learned is that for individuals who have or who are currently struggling with eating disorders, fasting from food fuels the problem which has its roots in control. The person in recovery or maintaining recovery has to depend on the Lord to eat—the opposite of those who fast. Eating is the choice to trust in God and the way he designed our bodies. When we fuel our bodies, we choose to trust in God as creator, not in ourselves and what we want our bodies to be like.

Here is a very helpful podcast episode on all of this.

Can I drink water during the fast? What about other drinks (tea, coffee, etc.)?

Yes, please drink water! Everyone will have their own convictions regarding other drinks. This is not a rules-based endeavor. What’s important is using the time you’d normally spend doing one thing and replacing it with time with God.

Will we break the fast together at the end of the week?

Our staff will break the fast with a meal together on Tuesday, January 9. Consider having a meal with your family, friends, or small group that day or sometime that week. This is a great time for reflection and celebration. Talk about your experience, what you're believing God for this next season, and/or ways that God answered prayer during the week! Also, think about how you can make prayer and fasting a routine spiritual discipline in your life.