Whether you are new to prayer and fasting or just looking to try something new, we’ve compiled a helpful list of resources to help you engage in the joyful disciplines of prayer and fasting. You’ll find a variety of resources, including books, articles, videos and podcasts. We also have a few family-oriented resources to help the youngest members of your family begin to explore how to connect to God through prayer and fasting.
These resources were compiled for 21 Days of Prayer + Fasting. Learn more about this annual event.
Prayer
- Prayer Starter Kit Videos + Downloads from Cru
- This collection of resources from Cru contains articles and videos that give simple, practical instructions on how to pray and spend time with God. Find them here.
- How to Pray: A Simple Guide for Normal People by Pete Greig
- How to Pray is a raw, real, and remarkable how-to guide on prayer for everyone―from the committed follower of Jesus to the skeptic and the scared. Full of biblically sound wisdom, How to Pray will offer honest encouragement and real-life methods to refresh your spirit, revitalize your faith, and help you practice life-giving and life-changing prayer. Buy the book on Amazon.
- FMI Prayer Alerts
- If you’d like to be more intentional about praying for the work of the Gospel around the world, sign up for these helpful text alerts that will periodically remind you to pray. You can sign up to pray here.
- Foursquare Global Prayer Network
- Join the Foursquare Global Prayer Network, a group of over 100,000 churches in 150 countries that commit to praying regularly for Foursquare Churches around the world. You can learn more here.
Fasting
- God’s Chosen Fast: A Spiritual and Practical Guide to Fasting by Arthur Wallis
- First published in 1968, God’s Chosen Fast has long been considered the essential guide to biblical fasting, a vital yet often neglected practice. With simplicity and straightforwardness, Arthur Wallis shares what the Bible says about fasting. It is not merely a how-to manual, but a timeless reference that explains the purpose of fasting, details accounts of fasting in the Bible, and includes a comprehensive biblical index. Purchase on Amazon.
- 10 Tips for Successful Fasting by Lori Hatcher
- This short article offers practical tips on fasting, especially for beginners or those who have been unsuccessful in the past. Read now.
- The practice of fasting podcast by John Mark Comer
- Explore the practice of fasting with pastor and author John Mark Comer on his teaching podcast. John Mark looks at scripture and outlines five different ways that people fast and pray: to repent, to grieve, to cry out to God in a crisis, to ask God to relent, and to know God’s mind when making decisions. He encourages us to explore the practice with a fresh perspective and reminds us that the purpose of practice is to build our relationship with God. Listen now.
- The Purpose of Fasting by The Bible Project
- This short video by the Bible Project outlines the biblical purpose of fasting in an easy-to-understand way. Watch now.
- When God calls you to an extended fast a podcast by Annie F. Downs
- In this episode of the That Sounds Fun Podcast, Annie F. Downs interviews two pastors, Kevin Queen and Dave Clayton, who have both engaged in extended fasts and led their congregations through them. They give practical advice on fasting with family/children, leading a church through a fast, and doing extended fasts well. Listen now.
For the family
- Listen Up: Prayer and Fasting for 5th and 6th Graders by Gateway Kids
- This video from Gateway Church gives a great overview of prayer and fasting for kids in 5th and 6th grade. The teaching content begins at minute 14. Watch now.
