2026 Fast Guide and Devotional
Preparing New Wineskins for New Wine
This season of fasting is an invitation into sacred expansion.
We are not fasting to impress God.
We are fasting to encounter God.
We are not denying ourselves to suffer.
We are denying ourselves to be strengthened.
Stretching is uncomfortable.
But it is holy and necessary.
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Over the next 4 weeks, we will seek God together through prayer, Scripture, discipline, and devotion. We are allowing God to stretch our faith, deepen our obedience, and enlarge our spiritual capacity.
May this be a season of clarity, courage, and consecration.
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Purpose of This Journey
Stretch is a sacred season of preparation and positioning.
It is a time to step back from distractions, step away from excess, and lean more intentionally into God’s presence and God’s Word. As we abstain from certain foods and habits, we are learning again how to trust God as our source, our strength, and our sustainer.
This journey is about preparation. It moves us through four sacred movements: alignment, healing, turning, and readiness. Each week builds upon the last, guiding us from awareness to restoration, from repentance to preparation, so that we are spiritually equipped to receive what God is releasing in this season.
God is calling us into new levels of growth, responsibility, and impact. This fast helps us build the spiritual discipline and dependence we need to walk faithfully into what’s next.
We are stretching now, so we can stand strong later.
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Background of The Daniel Fast
Fast Ends Sunday, April 5, 2025 after Sunday Service
What is the Daniel Fast?
The Daniel Fast is a biblical fasting practice rooted in the life and witness of the prophet Daniel.
It is based primarily on:
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Daniel 1:8–16 – Daniel refuses the king’s rich food and chooses vegetables and water.
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Daniel 10:2–3 – Daniel abstains from “pleasant food,” meat, and wine during a season of prayer and mourning.
Rather than a total fast, the Daniel Fast is a partial fast that emphasizes:
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Simplicity
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Discipline
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Dependence on God
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Spiritual clarity
The Daniel Fast is not about dieting. It is about devotion.
What the Daniel Fast Includes:
Fruits • Vegetables • Whole grains • Legumes • Nuts & seeds • Water
Foods Typically Avoided:
Meat • Dairy • Processed foods • Added sugars • Fried foods • Alcohol • Caffeine (as led)
Allowable Foods Throughout the Fast
All fruits: These can be fresh, frozen, dried, juiced, or canned. Fruits include but are not limited to apples, apricots, bananas, blackberries, blueberries, boysenberries, cantaloupe, cherries, cranberries, figs, grapefruit, grapes, guava, honeydew melon, kiwi, lemons, limes, mangoes, nectarines, oranges, papayas, peaches, pears, pineapples, plums, prunes, raisins, raspberries, strawberries, tangelos, tangerines, watermelon
All vegetables: These can be fresh, frozen, dried, juiced, or canned. Vegetables include but are not limited to artichokes, asparagus, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chili peppers, collard greens, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, garlic, ginger root, kale, leeks, lettuce, mushrooms, mustard greens, okra, onions, parsley, potatoes, radishes, rutabagas, scallions, spinach, sprouts, squashes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, turnips, watercress, yams, zucchini, veggie burgers are an option if you are not allergic to soy.
All whole grains: including but not limited to whole wheat, brown rice, millet, quinoa, oats, barley, grits, whole wheat pasta, whole wheat tortillas, rice cakes, and popcorn.
All nuts and seeds: including but not limited to sunflower seeds, cashews, peanuts, and sesame. Also, nut butters, including peanut butter.
All legumes: These can be canned or dried. Legumes include but are not limited to dried beans, pinto beans, split peas, lentils, black-eyed peas, kidney beans, black beans, cannellini beans, and white beans.
All quality oils: including but not limited to olive, canola, grape seed, peanut, and sesame.
Beverages: spring water, distilled water, or other pure waters.
Other: tofu, soy products, vinegar, seasonings, salt, herbs, and spices.
Alternative Fasting Options:
Everyone can stretch! We recognize that not everyone is able to participate in a traditional Daniel Fast for various health reasons and concerns. If you are unable to abstain from specific foods, we invite you to choose an alternative way to stretch during this journey. This season is about removing distractions and increasing intentional focus on God.
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Below are alternative ways to participate:
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1.Media & Digital Fasts
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Limiting or eliminating news intake
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Fasting from social media
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Reducing television or streaming
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Turning off non-essential notifications
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No phone use during certain hours of the day
2. Attention & Habit Fasts
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Fasting from unnecessary shopping
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Fasting from negative self-talk
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Fasting from gossip or complaining
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Fasting from multitasking during prayer or devotion
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Fasting from anything that has been consuming too much of your time and attention away from God.
3.Time-Based Fasts
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24-hour water-only fast (if medically able)
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One meal per day fast
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Sunrise to sunset fast
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Weekly 24-hour full fast
Weekly Focus & Devotional Rites
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Each week of this journey invites us into a deeper stretch—not all at once, but gradually. These weeks are not about getting through a fast; they are about being formed as we prepare to receive what God desires to pour into our lives, our church, and our community.
Luke 5 is a chapter about call, confrontation, healing, release, and readiness. As we move through this fast, we will journey through Luke 5 together, giving space for the story of Jesus and those He encounters to shape our own stretch.
Scripture: Luke 5:1–11 (Jesus calls the disciples)
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Summary: Before the nets are left behind, Jesus first asks for attention. In Luke 5, Jesus steps into Simon’s boat and teaches before He ever asks him to follow. This week mirrors that moment: learning how to sit, listen, and make space for Jesus to speak into our everyday routines. This week invites us to establish a rhythm that allows Jesus into the ordinary places of our lives.
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Focus: Establishing presence and intention
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Discipline: Daily Devotional Practice
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Foods to Eliminate:
• All sweeteners and sweets:
o Including but not limited to sugar, raw sugar, honey, syrups, molasses, and cane juice.
o Candies, cakes, cookies, pies, etc
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• Beverages:
o Including but not limited to coffee, tea, carbonated beverages, energy drinks, and alcohol.
Day 1 — Why I’m Fasting: Matthew 6:16–18
Reflection: Is my fasting about appearance, obligation, or deeper intimacy with God?
Day 2 — Preparing My Heart: Psalm 139:23–24
Reflection: What is God revealing in me before He does something through me?
Day 3 — Stretching My Appetite: Matthew 4:1–4
Reflection: What appetites have been shaping me more than God’s Word?
Day 4 — Creating Sacred Space: Mark 1:35
Reflection: Where in my day can I intentionally make room for God?
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Day 5 — Guarding My Mind: Philippians 4:8–9
Reflection: What thoughts need to be filtered during this fast?
Day 6 — Learning Stillness: Luke 10:38–42
Reflection: What distractions is God inviting me to reorder so I can choose the better portion?
Day 7 — Rest & Reflection: Hebrews 4:9–11
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Reflection: Where am I striving instead of trusting God’s sufficiency?
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Thought of the week: Before the stretch of obedience, there is the rhythm of presence.
Scripture: Luke 5:12–16 (Jesus heals the man with leprosy)
Summary: The man with leprosy carries visible pain, isolation, and loss, but Jesus does not rush him or recoil. He touches him. This week invites us to bring before God the places where we have experienced loss, distance, or longing. Like the man in the story, we are invited to come as we are, without hiding, without explanation.
Focus: Naming what has been lost or carried silently
Discipline: Lament
Foods to additionally eliminate:
• All meat and animal products:
o Including but not limited to beef, lamb, pork, poultry, and fish.
• All deep-fried foods:
o Including but not limited to potato chips, french-fries, corn chips.
Day 8 — Naming What I’ve Lost: Lamentations 3:17–24
Reflection: What loss needs acknowledgment so healing can begin?
Day 9 — Acknowledging Disappointment: John 11:21–26
Reflection: Can I trust God’s power even when His timing feels delayed?
Day 10 — Releasing Unspoken Pain: Psalm 62:8
Reflection: What have I been carrying that God is inviting me to pour out?
Day 11 — Grieving Deferred Dreams: Habakkuk 1:2–3
Reflection: What long-held expectation needs honest conversation with God?
Day 12 — Making Peace with Change: Ecclesiastes 3:1–4
Reflection: What season shift am I resisting that may actually be stretching me?
Day 13 — Letting Go with Grace: Isaiah 43:18–19
Reflection: What former attachment must I release to perceive what God is doing now?
Day 14 — Healing Through Lament: Psalm 13
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Reflection: How does bringing my full emotion to God strengthen my faith?
Thought of the week: You cannot carry a new vision with old wounds.
Scripture: Luke 5:17–26 (The paralyzed man lowered through the roof)
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Summary: In this passage, healing comes after a decisive moment. Healing begins the moment after someone chooses to change direction, remove barriers, and create access. This week invites reflection on what may need to shift in us. Repentance here is not about shame; it is about movement. It is about choosing a new direction that aligns with healing and wholeness.
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Focus: Re-alignment and redirection
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Discipline: Confession & Repentance
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Foods to additionally eliminate:
• All leavened bread:
o Including Ezekiel Bread (it contains yeast and honey) and baked goods.
• All refined and processed food products:
o Including but not limited to artificial flavorings, food additives, chemicals, white rice, white flour, and foods that contain artificial preservatives.
Day 15 — Examining My Patterns: Lamentations 3:40
Reflection: What recurring behavior is God inviting me to evaluate honestly?
Day 16 — Releasing Old Habits: Hebrews 12:1
Reflection: What weight is slowing my spiritual progress?
Day 17 — Renewing My Mind: Romans 12:2
Reflection: What mindset must change for my next season to flourish?
Day 18 — Realigning My Priorities: Matthew 6:33
Reflection: What does it look like to seek God first in practical, daily ways?
Day 19 — Saying Yes to God’s Will: Luke 22:42
Reflection: Where is God inviting me to surrender control?
Day 20 — Courage to Change: Genesis 12:1–4
Reflection: What familiar place, pattern, or comfort zone is God asking me to leave?
Day 21 — Walking in Obedience: James 1:22–25
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Reflection: Where am I being called to move from hearing to doing?
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Thought of the week: Stretching sometimes requires dismantling what once worked. Alignment makes room for restoration.
Scripture: Luke 5:27–39 (The call of Levi & the teaching on new wine)
Summary: Levi leaves everything to follow Jesus, and Jesus closes the chapter by teaching about new wine and new wineskins. This final week invites us to consider what kind of container we are becoming. Preparation is about openness. For the sake of our fast, we can define openness as being willing to release what cannot hold what God is pouring next.
Focus: Readiness and expectation
Discipline: Availability & Preparation
Foods to additionally eliminate:
• All dairy and egg products:
o Including but not limited to milk, cheese, cream, butter, and eggs.
• All solid fats:
o Including shortening, margarine, lard, and foods high in fat.
DAY 22 — WEEK 4
Expanding My Capacity
Isaiah 54:2–3 (NLT)
“Enlarge your house; build an addition. Spread out your home, and spare no expense! For
you will soon be bursting at the seams. Your descendants will occupy other nations and
resettle the ruined cities.”
DEVOTION
Isaiah isn’t writing to people who have more than enough. He’s writing to people in a tight,
restricted place — and right in the middle of that, God says: stretch. Enlarge. Spare no expense.
This isn’t a building project. It’s a belief project. Sometimes the reason we haven’t received what
we’ve prayed for isn’t because God hasn’t said yes. It’s because we haven’t made room for the
yes.
We ask for overflow but we’re still living like scarcity is our permanent address. This week, let
God put a finger on the places in you that have shrunk — the spots where you’ve quietly stopped
believing things could be different.
Don’t just renovate. Prepare for what’s coming. You can’t receive what you’re not prepared to
hold.
REFLECTION
What needs to expand in me to sustain what I’ve been praying for?
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DAY 23 — WEEK 4
Strengthening My Faith
Ephesians 3:16–19 (NLT)
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“I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner
strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in
him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have
the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and
how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to
understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power
that comes from God.”
DEVOTION
Paul isn’t just praying for a miracle here. He’s praying for the strength to hold one. Because you
can receive a breakthrough and still not be built on the inside to steward it. That’s the part we
don’t talk about enough.
Paul prays that Christ would make a home in your heart. Not visit — make a home. That’s not a
one-time event. That’s the everyday work of a deepening relationship. Consistent presence.
Roots that go down before the fruit comes up.
Strong roots make for stable fruit. Every time you say no to something this week, you’re saying
yes to something deeper. You’re not just preparing for a breakthrough — you’re becoming the
kind of person who can carry one.
REFLECTION
Is my inner life strong enough to carry answered prayer?
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DAY 24 — WEEK 4
Trusting God’s Timing
Habakkuk 2:2–3 (NLT)
“Then the Lord said to me, ‘Write my answer plainly on tablets, so that a runner can
carry the correct message to others. This vision is for a future time. It describes the end,
and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take
place. It will not be delayed.’”
DEVOTION
Habakkuk was frustrated. He’d been crying out and it felt like nothing was moving. And God’s
answer wasn’t an explanation — it was an instruction. Write this down. Record it. Because
silence isn’t absence. It’s an appointed time.
God said “not yet.” God didn’t say “no.” Those are not the same thing, and it matters that you
know the difference. The vision you’ve been fasting toward has a date on it that you can’t see yet.
It will not be late.
The real question isn’t whether it’s coming — it’s what you’re doing while you wait. Habakkuk
didn’t quit. He climbed to his watchpost and positioned himself to see. That’s what waiting looks
like when you actually believe.
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Not passive. Not resigned. Ready.
REFLECTION
How am I preparing while I wait?
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DAY 25 — WEEK 4
Stewarding the Promise
2 Kings 4:1–7 (NLT)
“One day the widow of a member of the group of prophets came to Elisha and cried out,
‘My husband who served you is dead, and you know how he feared the Lord. But now a
creditor has come, threatening to take my two sons as slaves.’ ‘What can I do to help you?’
Elisha asked. ‘Tell me, what do you have in the house?’ ‘Nothing at all, except a flask of
olive oil,’ she replied. And Elisha said, ‘Borrow as many empty containers as you can from
your friends and neighbors. Then go into your house with your sons and shut the door
behind you. Pour olive oil from your flask into the containers, setting each one aside when
it is filled.’ So she did as she was told. Her sons kept bringing containers to her, and she
filled one after another. Soon every container was full to the brim! ‘Bring me another jar,’
she said to one of her sons. ‘There aren’t any more!’ he told her. And then the oil stopped
flowing.”
DEVOTION
The oil didn’t stop because God ran out. It stopped because the vessels did. That detail is not an
accident. That detail is the whole message.
Elisha didn’t say wait for the oil and then find containers. He said go get the vessels first. The
miracle came to fill what she had already gathered. Preparation comes before provision. Always.
How many vessels are you gathering? We want overflow but we haven’t borrowed the jars. We’re
believing for more but we haven’t made room for it. The widow’s miracle was limited by one
thing — not her faith, not God’s supply, but the size of her preparation.
Make room. Gather vessels. When you’ve prepared well, God fills every single one.
REFLECTION
Am I gathering vessels for the overflow I’m expecting?
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DAY 26 — WEEK 4
Living with Expectation
2 Corinthians 9:6–8 (NLT)
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21-Day Daniel Fast — Week 4 | Readiness & Expectation
“Remember this — a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one
who plants generously will get a generous crop. You must each decide in your heart how
much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. ‘For God loves a
person who gives cheerfully.’ And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will
always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.”
DEVOTION
A farmer who plants generously isn’t being reckless. He’s being expectant. You don’t plant a field
convinced nothing will grow. You plant because you believe something is coming up.
Ultimately, agriculture is about faith, and faith is a discipline. The longer you go without a
visible harvest, the easier it is to quietly scale back what you’re believing for. To plant a little
less. To protect yourself from disappointment.
But Paul says: plant generously. Live like the harvest is real before you can see it. The person
who plants generously has already made a decision — before the harvest, before the evidence,
before the proof — that it’s coming.
Do your daily choices reflect someone who actually believes God is about to show up? Live like
that person. Today.
REFLECTION
What habits of generosity and discipline prepare me for increase?
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DAY 27 — WEEK 4
Practicing Gratitude
1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 (NLT)
“Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s
will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”
DEVOTION
Three sentences. Short — but not simple. Paul isn’t describing a personality type. He’s
describing a practice. Joy, prayer, gratitude — these aren’t things you feel. They’re things you do.
Consistently. As a way of life.
Gratitude isn’t just a nice attitude — it’s preparation. When you practice it consistently, you train
yourself to notice what God is doing. You build the muscle of recognition before the big moment
arrives.
We are one day from the finish line. Take a moment today to be grateful — not just for answers
that came, but for the hunger that drove you to pray, for the strength to make it this far, for a
God who never required your perfection to stay close.
Gratitude keeps your hands open. Open hands receive more than clenched ones.
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REFLECTION
How does consistent gratitude expand my spiritual capacity?
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DAY 28 — WEEK 4
Consecration & Celebration
Romans 12:1 (NLT)
“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of
all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice — the kind he will find
acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.”
DEVOTION
We made it. Day 28. I want to say that clearly — I am proud of you. The hunger. The sacrifice.
The mornings you pushed through when you didn’t feel like it. That is a living sacrifice. God has
seen every single day of it.
A living sacrifice is different from the Old Testament kind. You don’t lay it down and walk away
— you stay. You remain alive, available, surrendered. Not once. Every day. That’s what these 28
days have been forming in you: open hands, a willing heart, a life that keeps saying yes.
But today is also a day of celebration. Mark what God has done — even what you can’t fully see
yet. The fast is ending. The formation is not.
You are not the same person you were 28 days ago. The new wine is coming. Make sure you’re a
new wineskin.
REFLECTION
What does renewed surrender look like after this stretch?
Thought of the week: New wine requires prepared containers.