At this time of year, our church community once again embarks on a journey of prayer and fasting, acknowledging our dependence on God. This guide will unite us in prayer, love, and faith through the Holy Spirit. By engaging in this spiritual discipline, we renew our spiritual walk day by day. During this week, let us reflect on the great sacrifice of Christ through His death and resurrection. As we pray together, we can seek God's blessings for our church, families, communities, and nation.
The guide includes daily devotionals taking advantage of our RightNow Media resource. We will follow along with Francis Chan’s “Jesus’s Farewell Message”. Included are questions to ponder, and prompts to guide your prayer. I encourage you to use this tool to renew your spiritual walk day by day. On Resurrection Sunday, we will culminate our fasting together. Please come prepared to participate in this wonderful time of corporate prayer, worship, and spiritual renewal.
Fasting
Fasting is a ritual where people abstain from food and/or drink for a predetermined period. In the Old Testament, it was most commonly associated with suffering or disaster, often in conjunction with other mourning rituals. And in the New Testament, fasting was seen as a means of expressing reliance on God during times of temptation or spiritual warfare
As John Piper eloquently puts it: "The greatest enemy of hunger for God is not poison but apple pie. It is not the banquet of the wicked that dulls our appetite for heaven, but endless nibbling at the table of the world" (A Hunger for God, 18).
There are two "routes" that one may take to participate.
Complete Fast: From April 14-16, abstain from snacks; April 17-18, eat only breakfast & lunch; April 19, eat only breakfast. You will fast for a little over 24 hours.
Partial/Alternate Fast: From April 14-19, eat only one or two meals each day. Or, fast from something that you "consume" regularly. For example, you may try fasting from the internet or your digital devices, coffee, or certain types of food (ie. Daniel's vegetable-only diet).
Prayer & Fasting Guide
2025 Holy Week
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The following devotionals require a Right Now Media Account. If you have not created an account yet, you may sign up for free here. This is GCF Toronto’s gift to you!
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Parents, the following Easter Week devotional for your kids is also available: Ep. 1: Palm Sunday & Ep. 2: Monday - Jesus is God’s Promise
Watch Session 1 - “Christ Prepares His Disciples” of Jesus’s Farewell Message.
Main Idea: The truths of God are both an invitation into the fullness of life Jesus promises and a challenge to leave behind all our comfortable half-loves.
What is the significance of Jesus washing his disciples’ feet?
When can it be difficult for you to serve others? In what ways does love overcome our excuses for not serving others?
What kinds of things do we turn to when we feel like Jesus’s promises aren’t worth waiting for? What “silver” might we need to give up so that we can faithfully follow Jesus?
Prayer Prompt: Ask God to help you recognize and accept His invitation to follow Him more deeply. Pray for courage to step out of spiritual comfort and trust Him, even when obedience feels uncertain or difficult.
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Parents, the following Easter Week devotional for your kids is also available: Ep. 3: Tuesday - Jesus Teaches About God’s Kingdom
Watch Session 2 - “Christ Reveals the Father” of Jesus’s Farewell Message.
Main Idea: Knowing Jesus is our path to peace, the way to know God, and the road to a full life.
How does belief in Jesus confront our troubled minds?
What makes you anxious? What negative future are you worried will become reality?
Where do you turn for peace and hope in times of chaos? What would it look like to trust God for his peace, hope, and truth in your current circumstances?
Prayer Prompt: Ask God to move your understanding of Him beyond facts into a real, personal relationship. Pray that you would not just know about God but truly experience His presence, love, and guidance in your daily life.
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Parents, the following Easter Week devotional for your kids is also available: Ep. 4: Wednesday - God Protects His People
Watch Session 3 - “God with Us” of Jesus’s Farewell Message.
Main Idea: Christians have an advocate, the Holy Spirit, who lives within us so that we might learn truth and obey God’s commands.
What does it mean to be indwelt by God?
In what ways do you think we experience God through obedience to his commands? Do you feel like obedience is the sort of experience you want from God? Why, or why not?
What worries, concerns, or excuses can keep us from obeying God? What specific excuses are keeping you from going where the Holy Spirit is leading you?
Prayer Prompt: Ask God to make you more aware of the Holy Spirit’s presence in your everyday life. Invite Him to lead you in truth and obedience, not just in big decisions, but in small, daily moments too.
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Parents, the following Easter Week devotional for your kids is also available: Ep. 5: Thursday - Jesus is the Passover Lamb
Watch Session 4 - “Abiding in Christ” of Jesus’s Farewell Message.
Main Idea: Spending time with God leads us to know and experience his love and joy in our everyday lives.
What is the connection between our obedience and God’s love and joy?
In what ways could chasing God’s joy change the way you approach his commands?
What could you do to abide more in Jesus so that you might know more of his joy? What do you think it looks like to live joyfully, even when things aren’t going your way?
Prayer Prompt: Ask God to help you love others the way He loves you. Take a moment to think of specific people—those who are easy to love and those who are more difficult.
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Parents, the following Easter Week devotional for your kids is also available: Ep. 6: Friday - Jesus Is On Trial
Watch Session 5 - “Better with the Spirit” of Jesus’s Farewell Message.
Main Idea: The invisible realities of our lives—our sure hope in Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit—should change the way we view and react to our circumstances.
What blessings did the disciples receive when Jesus left?
What circumstances cause you to worry about the future? What could it look like to turn your worry about the future over to Jesus?
Where in your life is the Spirit encouraging you to focus more on Jesus?
Prayer Prompt: Ask God to meet you in your pain with hope. Be honest about your sorrow or fear. Ask Him to hold your grief and remind you that it’s not the end of your story. Pray for eyes to see the joy ahead and for strength to endure with peace and expectation.
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Parents, the following Easter Week devotional for your kids is also available: Ep. 7: Saturday - Jesus Dies for Our Sins & Ep. 8: Sunday - He is Risen!
Watch Session 6 - “Christ’s Prayer for Us” of Jesus’s Farewell Message.
Main Idea: Knowing God causes us to grow in our desire to live for him and to build unity with other Christians.
What is the purpose of unity in the church?
Would you rather be protected during hostility or never experience hostility at all? Why?
What differences will we have to overlook or overcome to make unity in the church a reality? What challenges might you face as you seek to build unity? How could we work together to overcome these challenges?
Prayer Prompt: Ask God to deepen your relationship with Him, to grow your love and unity with other believers, and to help you reflect His glory in everyday life so others might see Jesus through you.
While the complete fast from food does not begin until Wednesday, you may want to consider starting to reduce your food intake several days before.
If you are doing the complete fast, please do not abstain from beverages like juice and water. But please be aware not to over indulge.
If you are doing a partial fast, please take care not to overeat. As Ptr. Marc Sosmena puts it: "Strive for self-control. This is the most important because it corresponds to the purpose of the exercises: the conquest of self, to be able to restrain cravings and other compulsive behaviors are evidences of spiritual growth."
Tips for Fasting:
If you have a medical condition which prevents you from fasting, please do not feel guilty about not fasting from food, and do an alterative fast instead. The principle is to avoid consumption in order to turn our attention to God.
If you are going to do a "digital" fast, please consider how this may affect your work. For example, if you work from home on your computer, it may not be a good idea to fast from the internet; rather, fast from the television or social media instead.