FAST 2026 | Pastor Scott Silcox
FAST FACTS
Fasting doesn’t begin with removal, but with attention.
We tend what we value.
FAST SCRIPTURE
Psalm 37:4 “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”
Hebrews 12:28-29 “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.”
Leviticus 6:12-13 “The fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it; it shall not go out. The priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and he shall arrange the burnt offering on it and shall burn on it the fat of the peace offerings. Fire shall be kept burning on the altar continually; it shall not go out.”
FAST
Delight recalibrates desire
We don’t fast to escape life, we fast to enjoy God more clearly.
FAST PRACTICES
Begin each day acknowledging God’s nearness.
Replace hurried prayer with unhurried presence.
Let gratitude shape the fast before discipline does.
WEEK 1 DECLARATION
Tending the Flame
God, You are the one who lit this fire. We didn’t create it, and we don’t want to rush past it. As we fast and pray, slow us down. Show us what needs to be trimmed. Take away what clouds the light You’ve placed in us.We lay aside what distracts us, not because it’s bad, but because we want what is best. Help us care for what You’ve entrusted to us. Let our lives burn steady and true. Amen.
FAST FACT
What grows unchecked begins to smoke.
Trimming restores clarity.
FAST SCRIPTURE
Psalm 1:1-3
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.
Psalm 119:15-16
I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.
Matthew 6:16-18
And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
FAST
Mediate on what shapes the light.
Fasting helps us notice where excess, noise, or habit is draining oil without producing light.
FAST PRACTICES
Scripture meditation rather than information intake.
Honest self-examination without condemnation.
Naming distractions instead of defending them.
WEEK 2 DECLARATION
God, we need You more than we admit. We confess that we often run on empty and call it strength. As we fast this week, teach us how to receive again. Fill the places that have grown dry. Restore what hurry and noise have worn down. We don’t want borrowed faith or shallow devotion...we want hearts that stay ready and lives that stay awake. Fill us with Your Spirit. Give us oil that lasts. Amen.
FAST FACTS
Fire fades when the source is neglected.
Oil must be replenished.
FAST SCRIPTURE
John 6:35
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
Isaiah 40:31
but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
Matthew 25:1-13
““At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ “ ‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’ “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’ “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.”
FAST
Restore the inner life
Fasting exposes how often we live on fumes instead of fullness.
FAST PRACTICES
Creating margins for prayer and rest.
Refusing hurry and false urgency.
Practicing dependence on the Spirit, and not willpower.
WEEK 3 DECLARATIONS
Carrying the Light
God, You have called us to be light in this world.
Not perfect light.
Not loud light.
Faithful light.
As we come to the end of this fast,
lift our eyes beyond ourselves.
Help us see people the way You see them.
Help us walk with clarity and compassion.
We choose to carry what You’ve given us.
Into our homes.
Into our work.
Into our city.
Let our lives point to You.
Let the light remain.
Amen.
