January 2 - 8

Prayer + Fasting 2024

"PRAY IN THE SPIRIT AT ALL TIMES AND ON EVERY OCCASION. STAY ALERT AND BE PERSISTENT IN YOUR PRAYERS FOR ALL BELIEVERS EVERYWHERE.” EPHESIANS 6:18 (NLT)

Welcome to Traders Point’s Week of Prayer + Fasting! From Tuesday, January 2 to Monday January 8, we want to collectively enter a rhythm of longing for God. We will 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!

PRAYER

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, express repentance to God, and ultimately declare our sense of dependence on God. We strongly believe the Church’s mission is fueled by the prayer of His people and the power of the Holy Spirit.

12 PM PRAYER

Every day this week at 12 PM, we will go before God to pray. We encourage you to join in! Plan to pray at this time every day this week. 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.

DAILY BIBLE READING

Subscribe to Daily Bible Reading to get the prayer prompts sent to your inbox each morning.

Here are a few tips as you enter this week:

Set an alarm for 12 PM Tuesday, January 2, through Monday, January 8.
Find someone to hold you accountable – a friend, your small group, etc.
Put the Bible verse Ephesians 6:18 somewhere you can see it every day (at your desk, 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 and what you’re believing Him for!
Listen to worship music as part of this time. HERE is our TPCC worship playlist if you want some recommendations.

Prayer Prompts

Our anchor verse is Ephesians 6:18: "Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere."

Paul gives these words to the Ephesians right after informing them that we are in a spiritual battle, and to put on God's armor. Therefore, let us remind ourselves that as we fast and pray, we're doing so with an alertness that we are at war. Prayer is a weapon we have to fight at all times and on every occasion!

Below are the daily prayer prompts, which include descriptions of what we’re praying for that day. You’ll also notice there are Scripture references. The first Scripture listed is an example in the Bible where people fasted and/or prayed for a similar reason. Any other Scripture is a supportive reference to use as a guide in your study and prayer.

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).

Tuesday | Worship

We're praising the Lord for who He is. We are not asking God for anything other than to help our church have a devotion and delight for Him alone.

PRAY FOR

Our entire church to hunger and thirst for God more than anything else

See: Luke 2:36-37 // Psalm 63:1-5

Wednesday | REPENTANCE

We're asking God to forgive us for the ways we fall short. We're seeking His help in turning from our sin and thanking Him for the grace that is available to us through Jesus.

PRAY FOR

Honest confession and true repentance of our sin

God to uproot any pride, complacency and disunity in our church

See: Joel 2:12 // Psalm 51 // 1 John 1:9

THURSDAY | WISDOM

We're asking God for wisdom. We're seeking His direction and guidance in leadership, decisions and approach.

PRAY FOR

Traders Point leaders + staff

Humble submission to God's leadership in all our lives

Reliance upon the Holy Spirit

See: Acts 14:23 // James 1:15 // Colossians 1:9

FRIDAY | MINISTRY PREPARATION

We're asking God to prepare our hearts, minds and bodies for the upcoming ministry season; for endurance, rest, and strength.

PRAY FOR

Traders Point ministries + volunteers

Traders Point’s local + global outreach partners

Fishers launch

Churches and Christian organizations across our city

See: Matthew 4:1-2 // Acts 13:2-3

SATURDAY | GRIEF

We are taking time to grieve over the brokenness in our church and city. We are mourning with those experiencing loss and hurt. As we do so, we are asking God for restoration and hope!

PRAY FOR

Healing (Physical, emotional, mental, spiritual) + peace

Relationships, friendships, marriages

Poverty

Addiction

Vulnerable families (Traders Point Foster and Adoption Ministry)

See: Nehemiah 1:1-4 // Psalm 147:3

SUNDAY | VICTORY

We are believing God for victory. We are asking Him to keep us aware of the spiritual battle we're in against satan and to help us be strong in the Lord's power!

PRAY FOR

People recently baptized and starting a new life with Jesus

The power to love those who don't love or agree with us

The power to choose Jesus over our flesh

See: Judges 20:24-26 // Ephesians 6:10-18

MONDAY | BOLDNESS

We are asking to God fill us with boldness to live out the mission He has given us.

PRAY FOR:

Courage to preach the gospel with grace and truth

Boldness to share Jesus with a friend, neighbor, classmate, co-worker

Confidence to live in a way that models Jesus to others around us

See: Acts 4:29

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 fences! 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.

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.

Prayer + Fasting 2024

"PRAY IN THE SPIRIT AT ALL TIMES AND ON EVERY OCCASION. STAY ALERT AND BE PERSISTENT IN YOUR PRAYERS FOR ALL BELIEVERS EVERYWHERE.” EPHESIANS 6:18 (NLT)

PRAYER

12 PM PRAYER

DAILY BIBLE READING

RESOURCES

ARTICLES

BOOKS + PODCASTS

Here are a few tips as you enter this week:

Prayer Prompts

PRAY FOR

PRAY FOR

PRAY FOR

PRAY FOR

PRAY FOR

PRAY FOR

FASTING

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

For prayer, what will help you be consistent?

For fasting

Frequently Asked Questions