Consecration Fasting and Prayer

Prayer, Fasting, and Consecration

Aligning Our Lives with God and His Kingdom

Across cities, regions, and nations, Divergent Church is marked by a shared desire: to live aligned with God and His Kingdom, not simply shaped by the rhythms of the world around us. Whether your local community is with Divergent Church Canberra, you gather with Divergent Church Port Macquarie or are part of our wider global church family in different locations and nations, this call to prayer, fasting, and consecration shapes how we live as Kingdom people.

As the people of Israel approached the Promised Land, they faced uncertainty, resistance, and spiritual opposition. Before any breakthrough came, Joshua issued a clear instruction:

“Joshua told the people, ‘Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.’” Joshua 3:5 (NIV)

Before God moved powerfully among His people, He called them to align themselves before Him.

Consecration: Aligning Ourselves with God

To consecrate ourselves is to intentionally set our lives apart for God — removing hindrances, turning from sin, and aligning our hearts, minds, and habits with His will. Consecration is not about withdrawal from the world, but about clarity within it.

Sometimes consecration looks simple and ordinary: setting aside time to read Scripture, prioritising prayer, or turning down the noise of constant media and entertainment. At other times, it calls us into deeper practices — particularly prayer and fasting.

In conversion, God gives us grace to come to Him. In consecration, we offer ourselves fully to Him.

For a Spirit-filled, missional church like ours — across Canberra, Port Macquarie, and our global Divergent Church family — prayer and fasting are not optional extras. They are part of how we stay aligned with God’s voice, God’s power, and God’s purposes.

Prayer: The Expected Rhythm of Kingdom Life

Jesus begins His teaching in Matthew 6 with a clear assumption:

“And when you pray…” (Matthew 6:5, NIV)

Prayer is not presented as an advanced spiritual discipline reserved for leaders or the especially devoted. It is assumed as normal Christian life. Prayer is not something we do only in services or gatherings — it is meant to shape our everyday lives.

Jesus continues:

“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”— Matthew 6:6 (NIV)

Prayer is not a performance. It is relationship.

We pray together regularly as a church — across locations and cultures — because corporate prayer matters. But if prayer only exists in public spaces, we miss the depth of intimacy God offers in the secret place.

When you pray:

• Don’t pray to be seen (Matthew 6:5)

• Pray to your Father (Matthew 6:6)

  
  

God responds to faith, not eloquence. Often the most powerful prayer is the simplest one: “Help.”

Prayer is also a conversation. We speak — and we listen. Yes, you still need to speak. But listening is part of prayer.

Fasting: A Normal Practice for God’s People

Jesus then continues:

“When you fast…” (Matthew 6:16, NIV)

Again, when, not if.

This is where many modern Christians quietly soften the call of discipleship. We admire fasting in Scripture, but redefine it into something safer and more comfortable.

Setting aside entertainment or habits can be a helpful act of consecration — but biblically speaking, it is not fasting.

The Greek word for fasting, nēsteia, simply means not eating. Fasting is the intentional abstaining from food for a spiritual purpose.

You cannot fast what you do not literally consume.

Even the well-known “Daniel Fast” is technically an act of consecration rather than fasting. Daniel refrained from certain foods to remain faithful to God’s covenant, but he did not abstain from eating altogether.

Fasting is one expression of consecration but not all consecration is fasting.

Fasting Without Performance

Jesus offers a strong warning:

“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do…”— Matthew 6:16 (NIV)

A hypocrite, in Jesus’ day, was an actor, someone playing a role. Failing in fasting does not make you a hypocrite. Pretending spirituality for approval does.

Fasting together for shared purpose is biblical. Fasting to draw attention to yourself is not.

Jesus continues:

“But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others…” Matthew 6:17–18 (NIV)

God is not drawn to spiritual misery. Joy and humility belong together.

A Biblical Pattern Across God’s People

Throughout Scripture, fasting appears again and again as a normal response to crisis, calling, and change:

• Jehoshaphat calls a national fast in the face of overwhelming odds (2 Chronicles 20:3)

• Israel fasts seeking guidance before battle (Judges 20:26–28)

• God calls His people to return to Him with fasting (Joel 2:12)

• Nineveh fasts in repentance (Jonah 3:5)

• Ezra proclaims a fast for protection and direction (Ezra 8:21–23)

• Esther calls a fast for courage and deliverance (Esther 4:16)

• The early Church fasts while ministering to the Lord (Acts 13:2)

• Paul includes fasting as part of apostolic endurance (2 Corinthians 6:4–5; 11:27)

• Jesus fasts before beginning His public ministry (Matthew 4:1–11)

This was not symbolic abstinence. It was real fasting, practiced by ordinary believers responding to God.

Why We Fast Together

1. Aligning Ourselves in Humility

“I proclaimed a fast… that we might humble ourselves before our God.”— Ezra 8:21 (NIV)

Fasting cultivates humility and dependence. David wrote, “I humbled myself with fasting” (Psalm 35:13).

We often assume strength leads to victory. Scripture teaches that God’s power is revealed most clearly through dependence.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”— 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)

2. Seeking Direction as a Church

Ezra fasted “to seek from Him the right way for us” (Ezra 8:21).

As Divergent Church Canberra , Divergent Church Port Macquarie seek God together alongside our global Divergent Church family fasting sharpens discernment and aligns us with the Holy Spirit’s leading.

3. Protection, Provision, and Deliverance

“So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer.”— Ezra 8:23 (NIV)

Fasting in Scripture is often corporate. It is us humbling ourselves. Us seeking God’s help. Us declaring trust in His hand.

Conclusion: A Shared Call

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face…” 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV)

This promise is not directed at modern nation-states. It is spoken to the people of God.

In Canberra, in Port Macquarie, and across our global community, prayer, fasting, and consecration remain central to aligning our lives with God and His Kingdom. When we humble ourselves, God responds — not because we earn His favour, but because He is faithful.

**Want to journey further with us?

Learn more about Divergent Church Canberra, connect with Divergent Church Port Macquarie, or explore how our global Divergent Church family live out prayer, fasting and mission together.

A note: This blog is a rewrite of an older post by Josh which can be found on thinkwritespeaklive.com

(In the next post, we’ll explore practical guidance for fasting wisely and well.)