Prayer and Fasting Winter Workshop

He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. - Luke 10:2

Inspired by Luke 10:2, we are asking disciples to join one another regionally in daily prayer at 10:02 AM and 10:02 PM for eight days to kick off 2021!

In addition, we encourage our churches to split up the first week of 2021, to focus on a day of corporate prayer and fasting locally in the following order:

• Boise - Monday the 4th

• Missoula - Tuesday the 5th

• Bend - Wednesday the 6th

• Eugene - Thursday the 7th

• Corvallis - Friday the 8th

• Salem - Monday the 11th

• Medford & Redding - Tuesday the 12th

• Bellingham - Wednesday the 13th

• All together prayer at 10:02 AM/PM - Thursday the 14th

Together, we pray that our hearts can be unified in Christ. We pray that through prayer and fasting the Lord of the harvest may be glorified and that we can start of 2021 in humble dependence on him.

Good news sharing from the workshop:

Lessons on prayer and fasting:

Practicals on developing a stronger prayer life:

1 - Write down prayer requests or journal your prayers. You are 86% more likely to complete something if you write it down. Make it important!

2 - Learn how to say no more often to activities that would pull focus from your prayer life or to say no if you can't commit to a fast at that time. These days, people assume you have no integrity, but as disciples we can show them that our yes' will remain our yes' when we follow up in prayer. Set a specific time and place to pray or fast; don’t have a back door, or leave it up to chance.

3 - Keep a prayer journal to disciple yourself and grow in your clarity of heart and emotional expressiveness.

4 - Start where you can start! Don't burn out on a forced 72 hour water fast. Seek out others who are praying and fasting. Ask for their help to encourage your efforts if you humbly want their help to grow.

5 - Keep progressing and don’t settle - We cannot have big results from small praying. The rule of prayer is the rule of the harvest: sow sparingly in prayer, reap sparingly; sow bountifully in prayer, reap bountifully. The trouble is we are sometimes trying to get fruit from our efforts, that we don't support with prayer.

6 - Most of us can disciple one another with the word. We know the books and scriptures to reference. But can we disciple one another in fasting and prayer? Have a discipleship time to walk with one another in your trials and burdens, actively handing them over to God through prayer and fasting.

Post workshop questions for reflection:

• On a scale of 1-10 (1 being non-existent and 10 being in step with the spirit 24/7), what was your prayer life like before this week’s workshop? How can it change this year?

• What things are you focused on praying for during this time of prayer and fasting?

• What are some habits you hope to eliminate through fasting and prayer this year?

• As you pray with your church and the NW churches, what is God showing you about those relationships?

• What are your reservations with fasting or prayer consistently over a prolonged period? Have you shared those concerns with God?

• Was there a time in your life when you felt connected to God’s power source of prayer? How was it different from doing things on your own strength? How do you want to do things this year?

• How does prayer lighten your spiritual load? Matthew 11:28-30

• How has your fasting been going so far? What were your successes last year? What’s your greatest challenge going forward?

• Read Luke 10:2. What is your responsibility in the harvest? How can you work together with God in this endeavor?