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FAST DAY 2/3

Fasting Toward Intimacy, Not Transaction

As we continue our 21-day fast and step into around-the-clock prayer, it’s important to pause and talk about why we pray and fast the way we do.

This was something that took me years to truly understand and I pray this helps.

Fasting is not meant to turn prayer into a transaction.

It is meant to deepen intimacy.

If fasting only becomes a way to ask God for things, we’ve missed its greatest gift. The goal of fasting is not to get answers, it’s to get closer.

Intimacy Changes the Way We Pray

When prayer is transactional, it sounds like this:

“God, I prayed…now please move.”

But when prayer is intimate, it sounds like this:

“Father, I’m here. Speak if You want. I’m listening either way.”

Intimacy shifts prayer from a checklist to a relationship.

It moves us from doing time in prayer to dwelling with God.

Jesus modeled this kind of prayer constantly. He didn’t rush the presence of the Father. He withdrew often—not because He needed more power, but because He valued nearness.

“But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” (Luke 5:16, ESV)

The Secret Place Is Not a Location…It’s a Posture

The secret place isn’t about a room, a schedule, or a technique.

It’s about availability.

You can spend thirty minutes in prayer or an entire day with God when intimacy is the goal. In intimacy, silence is not wasted time. Waiting is not failure. Stillness is not inactivity.

“Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10, ESV)

In the secret place, God is not in a hurry.

And He is not grading your performance.

Prayer That Is Rooted in Love Lasts, HalleluYah!

Friends, please slow down here: One of the dangers of extended fasting and prayer is burnout.

That happens when prayer is driven by pressure instead of love.

But intimacy sustains us.

When prayer flows from relationship:

  • We don’t strive to impress God
  • We don’t panic when nothing feels dramatic
  • We don’t measure success by emotion or outcomes

“Abide in me, and I in you.” (John 15:4, ESV)

Abiding is not accomplishing; it is about remaining.

Our 24/7 Prayer Is About Presence Before Petition

As we pray in 30-minute blocks throughout the day and night, remember this:

You are not stepping into a shift to perform.

You are stepping into a moment to be with Him.

If all you do is sit quietly before the Lord, that time is not wasted.

If all you do is worship, that time is not empty.

If all you do is listen, that time is not unproductive.

God is far more interested in your heart than your words.

Let Fasting Slow You Down, Not Speed You Up

Fasting removes distractions so we can recognize what has always been available: the presence of a loving Father.

“Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:8, ESV)

As we continue this fast, let’s resist the urge to rush through prayer moments.

Let’s choose intimacy over intensity.

Presence over pressure.

Relationship over results.

The secret place is not about how long you stay…it’s about who you’re staying with.