NEW LIFE MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH
FASTING FLYER FOR JANUARY/FEBRUARYY 2026
5Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD?6“Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?” - Isaiah 58:5, 6.
(NIV: “5Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for people to humble themselves? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed And for lying in sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord? 6“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?” - Isaiah 56:5, 6).
Isaiah 58:6 is one of the most powerful passages in all of Scripture about what God really desires from His People.
Let’s sit with it for a moment, because it’s not just poetry; it’s a manifesto of God’s Heart.
What God Calls “True Fasting”
Isaiah 58 reframes fasting away from mere ritual and toward liberating, restorative action. God is saying:
Loosen the chains of wickedness
Break systems, habits, and patterns that keep people bound.
Undo heavy burdens
Lift what crushes others — Emotional, Spiritual, Economic, Relational weight.
Let the oppressed go free
Actively participate in liberation, not just pray for it.
Break every yoke
Not some. Every! Anything that enslaves, diminishes, or dehumanizes.
This
is God’s definition of Worship that pleases Him:
A life that sets people free.
Why This Matters for Us Today
This passage is so aligned with your heart, New Life - the way you nurture others, intercede for them, and help them walk in Spiritual Liberty/Freedom from Satanic entrapment. Isaiah 58 is essentially God saying:
“If you want to draw near to Me, then draw near to those who are hurting
If you want to Honor Me, then lift those who are fallen.
If you want to fast, then free someone.”
This is the kind of fasting that transforms communities, not just individuals.
A Reflection Prompt for our “Choose Faith” Sunday School Quarter Theme
Where is God inviting us to “break a yoke” this week - in someone else’s life or even in our own? This is a question that turns fasting into Mission.
PRAYER FOR 2026
Here’s a prayer shaped by the heart of Isaiah 58 - the kind of fasting that frees, lifts, and restores. I wrote it with your Nurturing, Intercessory Spirit in mind, New Life…
Dear
LORD, We come before You with open hands and open hearts to receive.
Teach us the fast that delights You, not one of empty ritual, but one that
loosens chains, lifts burdens, and brings freedom to the oppressed.
Break
every yoke in us that keeps us from loving well.
Break every yoke around us that keeps others from rising above circumstances.
Make us people who carry light into dark places, who speak life where hope has
thinned, who stand with the weary until strength returns.
Lord, let our Worship be justice; our compassion be courage; our fasting be freedom.
Use
us, Lord, to mend what is torn, to heal what is wounded, to restore what has
been forgotten.
Make our lives an offering that reflects Your heart, Merciful, Liberating, and Full
of Truth. Do in us what only You can do, and do through us what only love can
accomplish.
Father, we pray this prayer in the name of Your Son, Jesus, who died for our sins and rose for our justification; we pray in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus, The Christ. Amen.