Every year as a church we set aside this special time of fasting and prayer with one goal in mind; to draw closer to God.

This year will be no different.

Praying and Fasting are two of the most powerful spiritual disciplines we practice as Believers. We abstain from certain foods and pleasures in order to focus on a period of spiritual growth.

Biblical fasting takes a lot of discipline and strength—strength which you can only receive from God.

It requires intentionality and commitment.

Let’s do this Innovation Church!

We’re kicking off 2024 surrendering all to God.

What are we surrendering? EVERYTHING!

As humans, we instinctly feel the need to care for ourselves. Being in control makes us feel secure, in charge of our own outcomes. If we want something to happen in our lives - we look to ourselves to make it happen. Unfortunately, doing that over time builds our independence - making it harder to lean on and depend on God to govern our lives.

The enemy seeks to continuously cloud our mind with worries, doubts, and fears. Often times about things that are beyond our control.

That’s why we must surrender our lives to Jesus Christ, putting Him in control of our lives and everything in it: our gifts, skills, talents, desires and plans. Surrendering to God is a lifestyle of daily giving it all to Him.

EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

- Sometimes a few times within a day.

But we do not need to worry. God is already in control. We need to recognize His authority and move over to let Him lead. He is the Creator of the Universe, so we can trust Him with each day. Letting go is scary at first, but the freedom in our mind and hearts will be worth it.

Over the next 21 days, we are devoting ourselves to prayer and reading His Word, meditating on it throughout our day and focusing on Him; surrendering our lives, our mind, our attitudes, our actions, our motives, our desires, even our already established plans.

Be aware that the enemy will do everything he can to pull us away from anything that encourages us to seek God and grow in our faith. He will try everything from making you focus on all the foods you can’t have, to making you extremely irritable, to tempting you to walk in offense. Causing conflict and discord on your job, with your friends and family or even inwardly.  To have victory against such attacks; make prayer your shield and maintain a posture of humility and submission to God - DAILY!

Below is our 21 Day Reading Plan, each day we will read a chapter from the Book of Matthew. If you have other devotionals or books you’ve committed to during this time, that’s fine. Just be sure to follow-along with the reading below as well.

We are reading this as a church - in unity.

Dominate READING PLAN

  • January 2 - Matthew 1

  • January 3- Matthew 2

  • January 4 - Matthew 3

  • January 5 - Matthew 4

  • January 6- Matthew 5

  • January 7 - Matthew 6

  • January 8- Matthew 7

  • January 9 - Matthew 8

  • January 10 - Matthew 9

  • January 11 - Matthew 10

  • January 12 - Matthew 11

  • January 13 - Matthew 12

  • January 14 - Matthew 13

  • January 15 - Matthew 14

  • January 16 - Matthew 15

  • January 17 - Matthew 16

  • January 18 - Matthew 17

  • January 19 - Matthew 18

  • January 20 - Matthew 19

  • January 21 - Matthew 20

  • January 22- Matthew 21

The fast ends on January 23, 2024, however we will continue our daily reading of Matthew until complete.

  • January 23 - Matthew 22

  • January 24 - Matthew 23

  • January 25 - Matthew 24

  • January 26 - Matthew 25

  • January 27 - Matthew 26

  • January 28 - Matthew 27

  • January 29 - Matthew 28

FOODS/ BEVERAGES TO ENJOY:

• Fruits & Vegetables: fresh, frozen, dried, canned

• Whole Grains: barley, brown rice, bulgur wheat, millet, popcorn, oats, whole wheat flour, quinoa, wild rice

• Legumes: beans, lentils, peas

• Nuts & Seeds: raw, sprouted, dry-roasted, peanuts, cashews, almonds, sunflower seeds

• Beverages: Water & 100% fruit juice ONLY!

FOODS/BEVERAGES TO AVOID:

• All Animal Products: meat, poultry, fish, dairy, eggs.

• Sweets & snacks: chips, vegan sweets, candy, cookies, ice cream, etc.

  • Breads

• Beverages: soft-drinks, alcohol, coffee, tea.

• Deep-fried foods

Participating in the I SURRENDER ALL 21 Day Fast?

Do you want to receive text reminders, updates and more. Sign up below.

ADDITIONAL RECIPES

Balsamic vinaigrette dressing - Combine ½ cup olive oil, 1 tsp. honey, ¼ cup balsamic vinegar, ½ - 1 tsp. Dijon mustard, ½ tsp. garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste. Items can be shaken or placed in a blender to emulsify. Serve over salad.

Buffalo Cauliflower - Chop 6-8 cups cauliflower florets and set aside. Place 2 tbsp. unsalted butter in a saucepan or microwaveable bowl to melt. Once melted add ¼ cup of your favorite hot sauce, and 1-2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice, and a dash of salt & pepper. Whisk it together until blended and set aside. In a separate bowl toss the chopped cauliflower in 2 tbsp. olive oil and toss until well coated then season slightly with a bit of garlic powder. Spread the cauliflower on a baking sheet and roast until it is tender and turning golden brown approximately 20 to 25 minutes. Whisk the hot sauce mixture again and drizzle it over the cauliflower and toss with tongs to coat Roast the cauliflower until the sauce is bubbling and browned around the edges for an additional 5 to 7 minutes.

Sautéed Green beans - In a skillet or saucepan add 3 tbsp. of olive oil and saute ¼ cup chopped onion and 1 tbsp. freshly chopped garlic until tender. Add 2-3 cups fresh whole green beans to the skillet and toss until green beans are a bright green and tender, but still crisp.

Roasted asparagus - Break off the woody stems of the asparagus spears, Drizzle with olive oil and season with lemon pepper seasoning. Broil for approximately 5-minutes.

Superfood salad - Use 2 cups baby spinach, ¼ cup mushrooms, ¼ cup cherry tomatoes, ¼ cup sliced red onions, 2 tbsp walnuts, 2 tsp. cranberries to build the salad. Toss with balsamic dressing.

Veggie pinwheels - Slice all of the following vegetables in very similar sized pieces: cucumber, carrots, red or yellow pepper, and red onion, and sliced tomato. Spread 2 tbsp. of your favorite flavor of hummus (mine is Sabra roasted red pepper) and mashed avocado with garlic ( optional). Place a good amount of the veggie combo inside the tortilla and roll tightly. You can secure each roll inside of saran wrap and store in the refrigerator.slice them into 1-1 ½ inch pieces once they're firm. you will use one 8-10-inch tortilla.

Crazy good carrots - In a saucepan combine ¼ cup vegan butter, ¼ cup honey, 4 cloves chopped garlic, 2 tbsp. lemon juice, sprinkle of salt, and 1 tsp of parsley ( optional). Heat through and toss 1 small bag of baby carrots into a little under half the mixture. Roast in the oven at 400 degrees until carrots are tender and slightly browned approximately 25 minutes.

Fruit Salad - Roughly chop strawberries, blueberries, apples, melon, bananas, and any other fruit you may enjoy. Add chopped almonds or pecans, and raisins. Mix together and refrigerate.

Apple Cider Vinegar Cucumbers - Slice one or two whole cucumbers and soak in 1-cup apple cider vinegar, 1/3-cup balsamic vinegar, oregano or Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. It may require more depending on how many cucumbers you use. Soak for at least 2 hours before eating.

Veggie wrap - Using hummus as your spread, add sliced bell peppers, onion, mushroom, spinach or greens of choice, sliced tomato, sliced cucumber, and avocado. Feel free to switch out any veggie you don't like or add as many veggies and/ or herbs.

Roasted zucchini & yellow squash - Cut both the zucchini and yellow squash in half the long way and remove the seeds. Slice into one-inch pieces. Drizzle with 2 tsp. olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Roast veggies at 450 for approximately 10 minutes or broil for 7 minutes.

Got Questions? Email us by clicking the button below.