Fasting Together: So you think you can fast?

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Fasting surely ranks right up there as one of the most difficult spiritual disciplines. We know we need to, we truly want to, but our flesh rebels every single time we even think about it. “I’ll do it tomorrow” is our go-to.

The best way to convince ourselves to fast, aside from just plain, old, doing it, is to ask God to help us.

“You mean ask Him to make it easy, to sort of even do it for us?”

No. But I have found when I am struggling to fast, when the flesh is fighting and winning on every turn, I begin to pray about fasting! Yes, sometimes you just have to pull yourself up by your bootstraps and DO IT. But other times you begin to pray, “Lord, I know I need to fast, I have so many things that need your attention or need my attitude changed. But I cannot do it without you, please put a fast on my heart, draw me into that mindset, impress upon me the need and necessity and help me to humble myself before You.”

I have had things pressing upon me so heavily that I carried around day after day and the nudging of the Holy Ghost would occasionally get my attention saying, “You know if you would fast a day or two you might understand all of this or you might see an answer.” But, on I would go, trying to do things on my own.

Praying, asking God for strength and desire to fast for a situation, will definitely get His attention. You aren’t asking for things, you are asking for wisdom and He is specific about those who seek wisdom. “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.” Proverbs 4:7.

When you begin to pray in this fashion, God hears and He answers. Suddenly, you will find yourself WANTING to fast, planning out your fast and yes, even looking forward to your fast. It doesn’t mean you won’t be hungry; if God did everything for you what would be the purpose of the fast? There must be sacrifice; there must be the motions of going without and then spending that time with God for direction and a heart change.

But when you DO fast, when you DO humble yourself and seek His face, the Bible says He does hear you and He will answer!

And even if it is not the answer you wanted? He prepares your heart to receive HIS will and with that wisdom you prayed for? You get understanding. Understanding that He is in charge and that He knows what is best and is looking out for your good.

Always.

Yes! You can! With God’s help and not neglecting prayer, you can and will hear from our Lord and whether your situation is changed or not, YOU will be changed and prepared for what lies ahead.

Be blessed as you fast unto the Lord and join us again tomorrow.

Daniel Fast Corn Chowder!

½ Tablespoon olive oil
½ cup diced onion
4 cups water
1 pound potatoes, peeled and diced (about 3 cups)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
½ teaspoon salt
Pepper
3½ cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
½ cups unsweetened almond milk

Heat olive oil in a large pan; add onions. Cook until translucent. Add water, potatoes, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Add corn and almond milk. Cook uncovered, over low heat for another 10 minutes. Place 3 cups of soup in a food processor or blender, and process about 15 seconds. Return to saucepan. Stir well, and serve.

The Daniel Fast, A Devotional, is a great tool for ANY fast that you choose as a sacrifice to the Lord. 21 days of devotions and recipes too. Available in eBook or paperback!

Fasting together: Just keep doing good

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Fasting together: Just keep doing good. I know my title is not grammatically correct, so please don’t send me emails about that (smile). But it works for this post. Have you just finished your first week of fasting? Are you yet to get started? Fasting the 21 day Daniel Fast or just a meal or two here or there? However you decide to input a fast into your spiritual walk, do it unto the Lord. You can read our previous post here: Fasting in Preparation for a New Year, Rebuild and Restore, Daniel Fast Basics, Anoint your head, wash your face,  When Fasting Turns Ugly,   Is there POWER in fasting?   Just keep doing good Daniel Fast Snacks 

Evil is joining in agreement with someone else to slander another or cause harm to another. This breaks the heart of God. Evil is always sin but maybe sin is not necessarily always what we call evil. Evil is preconceived sin; planned sin, even conniving sin.

The Bible says we were “born into sin”, it is inherently in our nature. But through the cross we now have forgiveness of sins, an advocate in Jesus Christ the Righteous! We can go before Him when we sin (and we will) and receive His mercy.

Why didn’t God do away with our sinful nature when Jesus was nailed to the tree? Why, when we are buried with Him in baptism and our sins are washed away, do we continue to sin, even unwillingly or unknowingly? Jesus could have taken that sinful nature from us and made us perfect, obedient creatures, couldn’t He?

“God created things which had free will. If a thing is free to be good it’s also free to be bad. And free will is what has made evil possible. Why, then, did God give them free will? Because free will, though it makes evil possible, is also the only thing that makes possible any love or goodness or joy worth having.” C.S. Lewis, The Case for Christianity

We must serve Him and love Him with our FREE WILL. We love Him for what He has done for us and out of hearts of gratitude and thankfulness; not because we are forced to do so. That wouldn’t be love!

So we are in the world. An evil world. We cannot change it, for the most part, and must walk in it each and every day. So, what to do about it?

Prayer, coupled with fasting, strengthens us and gives us boldness and power in the Holy Ghost to withstand the evil that is in the world.

The prophet Nehemiah fasted when he heard that his beloved city of Jerusalem had been reduced to ruins by evil.

Nehemiah was heartbroken at the news he had received of his homeland.

He sat down.

He cried.

He mourned.

For days.

He fasted.

He prayed.

He asked for mercy when he went before the king. He also humbly asked for permission, for caution and wisdom. Then, with the kings permission,  he headed to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls!

While rebuilding the walls of his beloved Jerusalem, he wouldn’t stop for anything, even when they were being attacked by evil!  In Nehemiah 4:17, we see how Nehemiah continued doing good in the midst of a battle,  “…The laborers carried on their work with one hand supporting their load and one hand holding a weapon.” 

He just kept on doing good.

  • Have the walls of your life been broken down?
  • Does the enemy of your soul lie to you and torment you on every turn?
  • Are you filled with anxiety, fear and dread every day?

Weep, mourn, fast, pray, ask for caution and wisdom. Then what?

Start rebuilding the walls!

Put your faith and confidence in the One who delivers, heals, restores and brings peace to a troubled mind. Let Him give you the strength to put one stone upon another and rebuild the walls in your life.

“Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:21.

Evil will remain in the world until Satan is bound. But we do not have to let evil overcome us or become a part of us.

Jesus prayed for God to keep you from the Evil One. Today, through prayer and study of His Word, through relationship, Christ IN you, He has left you with the power to live an overcoming life!

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 NIV

God answers prayers of sacrifice, desperation and commitment. What are you praying for today? Fast and pray and let God speak to you through His Word!

Daniel Fast Recipe for today!

Veggies in a Flat Wrap

2 WHOLE GRAIN flatbread wraps

1 cup shredded carrot

1 cup shredded zucchini

¼ cup red onion, diced fine (optional)

1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Sea salt and pepper to taste

4 Tablespoons hummus

Combine carrot, zucchini, onion, apple cider vinegar, salt, and pepper in a bowl and toss well to make a slaw. Spread your hummus over the tortilla wraps. Place a handful of slaw on top of the hummus. Grind some fresh pepper over top and add a few pumpkin seeds or other favorite seeds. Roll up the wraps and serve!

The Daniel Fast, A Devotional, is a great tool for ANY fast that you choose as a sacrifice to the Lord. 21 days of devotions and recipes too. Available in eBook or paperback!

 

Fasting Together: Snacks and a Guest Writer!

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Fasting Together: Snacks and a Guest Writer! Welcome to our series of Fasting Together, where we are sharing devotions and encouragement for every day in January! So, no matter WHEN you are fasting or WHAT type of fast you have chosen, you can jump in any time and feel welcome and blessed. You can also catch up on past posts, Preparation for a New Year,  Rebuild and Restore, ,Daniel Fsat Basics, Anoint your head, wash your face, When Fasting Turns Ugly and Is there POWER in Fasting? !

Sometimes the food on the Daniel Fast is so good we can forget we are fasting, and that can pose a problem. We are to eat a simple meal until we are partially satisfied or at the most, comfortably full, and get up and walk away.

But what about snacking? Is it allowed?

Today, my friend, Jaime Gibbs, is sharing an article from her blog, Like A Bubbling Brook. Jaime is very familiar with The Daniel Fast and has written many posts and articles about it. Please visit her site for encouragement and information about meal plans, recipes and even some great Daniel Fast Scripture cards you can print out! These are an awesome tool as is her Facebook page, be sure and browse around!

In this post, Jaime will share snacking ideas. Enjoy:

“Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink.” Daniel 1:12

One of the many questions we receive about The Daniel Fast is, “Are snacks allowed?” And then, of course, “What can I have and how much?!”

Thankfully, they are. Enjoy our helpful list of ideas for Daniel Fast snacks! 

We realize that fasting is to be a sacrifice. When we embark on a fast where we abstain from food completely, naturally, we are not snacking then. With the Daniel Fast, it is a bit different. We are to be denying ourselves things that we love and are used to partaking of on a regular basis; such as, meats and dairy. But, we are not going completely without food. On the Daniel Fast, we can stay on it for a longer period of time, which is spiritually and physically beneficial.

Three small meals a day and two light snacks would be sufficient for most. If we eat all day long, even Daniel Fast approved foods; we would miss the point of the fast. We must remember that the purpose is to draw closer to God, to go without things that we treasure and then spend more time with our Lord.

Many times we do need something easy and light; for work, traveling, school or just too busy at home and you do not want to fix a full meal. For those times that you need a light snack or even a lighter meal, we have gathered some suggestions for you; and all are allowed on the Daniel Fast!  You can access the full list of snacks by continuing on to my blog, Like a Bubbling Brook by clicking here. Be sure and check out my Daniel Fast Scripture Cards available for printing!

I’m Jaime, the creator of Like a Bubbling Brook. I believe you can cultivate a beautiful life filled with contentment and peace instead of anxiety and stress. That’s why my site exists.

I’m also a pastor’s wife with a MA in ministry, and mom to two incredible boys.

Want to know more about my site and my grace story? It’s over here. Let’s connect!

 

 

Be sure and join us here at Hope in the Healing again tomorrow, and every day this month for scripture, encouragement, devotions and recipes. And if you haven’t purchased my book, The Daniel Fast Devotional, there is still plenty of time, go here! 

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