During this Lent season, Rockland invites you on a church-wide journey in fasting and prayer. From Ash Wednesday to Maundy Thursday, we are going to deny the flesh and fill ourselves with the Spirit.

Fasting creates space for prayer by clearing away distractions and sharpening your focus. It can be a way of humbling yourself before God, acknowledging that your physical needs are secondary to your dependence on Him for spiritual sustenance. The act of fasting encourages self-denial and helps believers break free from the grip of worldly attachments, allowing you to seek God more earnestly. It is in these moments of sacrifice that the heart becomes more receptive to God’s voice, and the soul becomes more attuned to His presence and guidance.

Each person who participates will select from three types of fasts or will make a combination of all three:

1. Soul Fast – Remove a non-food, earthly distraction such as social media, political news, tv or other forms of entertainment. To be maintained during the entire duration of Lent.
2. Daniel Fast – a partial food fast such as no meat, or no carbohydrates, or no sugar or no processed food or no alcohol or no soda. To be maintained during the entire duration of Lent.
3. Food Fast – Create a fasting plan that is commensurate with any health limitation. Skip one to two meals per day OR abstain from eating food from sunrise to sunset OR fast for 24 hours, 1-3 times per week.

We think it is important that food is a core part of your denial during your fast. We want you to seek hunger not health. It is no coincidence that Eve was tempted by Satan with food as was Jesus after fasting for forty days in the wilderness. After his baptism, Jesus was nudged by the Spirit to fast before beginning His ministry, showing the significance of this practice in times of preparation and spiritual warfare (Matthew 4:1-11). Similarly, the early Church devoted themselves to prayer and fasting as they sought the Holy Spirit’s guidance in decision-making and mission work (Acts 13:2-3). In our modern context, prayer and fasting remain essential tools for spiritual growth, helping fellow believers cultivate a deeper relationship with God, discern His will, and experience His power in their lives.