The Daniel Fast: Fasting for all the wrong reasons

The Daniel Fast: Fasting for all the wrong reasons. How are you doing on your fast? Need help? Be sure and drop me a comment here or email me at ynannette@gmail.com. I would be happy to assist! You can catch up on our 31 Days of Fasting in January here. Be blessed and encouraged in this difficult day. God sees, He hears and He is speaking to His people. Fasting will help us to hear that voice and block out the things of the world that would distract us.

Fasts are not to be used against others. Sounds ridiculous to even say it, but Jezebel tried it!

Ahab, King of Samaria, was not one of the nicest people in the world, back in the day.

As a matter of fact, only one person was known to be WORSE than ‘ole King Ahab and that was his wife, whose name has since become synonymous with a manipulative, controlling, and even wicked individual. Maybe you have heard it said that one has a Jezebel spirit. It is not a compliment!

King Ahab married Jezebel out of the will of God and relinquished his power as king to her. 1 Kings 1

Their roles were reversed from the get-go and it spelled disaster.

Ahab came home one day upset because there was a beautiful vineyard that he wanted to have next to the palace but it was owned by a man named Naboth. He wanted to keep it in his family and did not wish to sell. Ahab offered him a very fair price but still Naboth declined. Ahab became so upset that he would not eat.

Jezebel was furious with Ahab for his weak ways and declared that the vineyard would be his (or better yet, hers). She began to plot her plan.

She wrote letters to the elders and the nobles saying, “Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people: And set two men, sons of Belial, before him, to bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst blaspheme God and the king. And then carry him out, and stone him, that he may die.” 1 Kings 21:9-10.

Naturally her minions followed her instructions and Naboth was killed. But did you catch what has happened here?

Jezebel has proclaimed a fast!

Obviously religion was the furthest thing from her mind, or Ahab’s either. But in order to make it all look good, she must order the fast, as if to appear that either a threat had been made on Ahab’s life or a calamity was coming upon the kingdom.

She sat Naboth on high among the people, not necessarily as the guilty one, but because of his high honor in the community. Then, when the two men that had been planted to tell lies against him started their stories, Naboth was seated up where the guilty usually sat, where everyone could see him.

It worked; just as she had planned. He was convicted, and stoned to death.

When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he hurried down to take possession of the vineyard. News traveled fast because the Lord also told Elijah…

“Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who is in Samaria; behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone to take possession. ¹⁹And you shall say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Have you killed and also taken possession?”’ And you shall say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: “In the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick your own blood.’” 1 Kings 21:18-19 ESV.

But that wasn’t all. Elijah had much to say to Ahab that day and began to tell him of all his wicked ways and how he was about to come face to face with judgment for the evil life that he had lived. His time was up!

You just don’t play around with the things of God and get by with it forever; there are consequences for sin.

Sometimes it is in this life, sometimes it is not until Judgment, but there are consequences.

Fasting and prayer are effective, life-changing, powerful ways to see things happen in the spirit world.

But…

God does not honor efforts that are used against others for harm & evil influence.

God was letting Ahab know there were to be consequences for the actions of his wife and that Ahab was just as guilty of murder as if he had pulled the trigger.“But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.” 1 Kings 21:25 KJV .

The New Living Translation says, “No one else so completely sold himself to what was evil in the LORD’s sight as Ahab did under the influence of his wife Jezebel.”

But something must have struck a chord in Ahab for the Bible tells us that he was listening to the prophet Elijah.

“And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.” 1 Kings 21:27 KJV.

He was fasting again. Not because Jezebel had told him to. Not because he was trying to deceive anyone and not because he was trying to murder anyone.

“And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? Because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son’s days will I bring the evil upon his house.” 1 Kings 21:28-29 KJV.

He was fasting because he was broken, scared and humbled.

And the Lord said because he HUMBLED himself, he spared Ahab the judgment in HIS days. Jezebel still came to an untimely end as promised. She didn’t humble herself one bit as far as the scriptures tell us. But Ahab had learned his lesson for now.

There are fasts that are NOT pleasing to God.

Fasts that are only to be seen of men.
Fasts that make US look good or holy.
Fasts that are just to make us lose weight; we call those diets! (Of course we know if you lose weight from fasting, that is another matter entirely. We have had testimonies of lives changed permanently through fasting for their health. Our lives SHOULD be changed from fasting!)

Fasts are also not to be used against others. Sounds ridiculous to even say it, but Jezebel tried it.

The fast that works is the kind that is coupled with prayer, humility and brokenness. A fast should keep you on your knees and searching for more time with the Savior. Clean out the old and allow God to fill you up with more and more of His spirit.

Nothing is too hard for God. If he can humble a man like Ahab, there is hope for all of us!

Let our fasting be done with humility of heart and for the right purpose: to draw closer to Him, to reach for others and to seek the perfect will of God for our lives.

In The Daniel Fast Devotional, we talk about a different person in the Bible who sought God by fasting every day of the 21 day fast. Some of them were desperate like Hannah, she just HAD to fast too! Others did it out of selfishness as with Ahab and Jezebel. Each story is true, intriguing, and will teach us the good and the bad motives behind fasting. Also, at the end of each chapter, there are wonderful recipes that are Daniel Fast approved. Get your copy today!

What are we doing about Thursday?

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What are we doing about Thursday? This post isn’t necessarily about fasting but I thought it would be appropriate today. If you are following us in the 31 Days of Fasting in January, you can catch up on missed posts here! Please read this true story and let God speak to your heart.

Several weeks ago, my sister-in-law, Dixie, told a true story about a young man in her church and it truly touched many hearts. I hope it blesses you today and causes us all to pause and consider the coming of the Lord and our purpose until He comes. And could you do me a favor? Dixie has been in the hospital since the week before Christmas in serious condition. She is facing a very long recovery and needs the Lord to intervene. He has already done a marvelous work! Would you join us in prayer that He will help speed her healing time? Thank you, we know God is more than able and that He can use this for His glory.

This is Dixie’s explanation of the story with the young man:

A young mother in our church shared with us that when she went in on Monday morning to awaken her son for school that he sat up and asked, “What are we doing about Thursday?” She was puzzled, but asked what he meant.

He told her that the Lord was coming back on Thursday.

He could not say if he’d had a dream or if he had just been impressed by the Lord, but he was quite stirred by this.

He asked his mom, “Are we all ready? Have I told my friends how to be saved?”

This so stirred up our congregation last night; we had one young man receive the Holy Ghost and we had a teenage girl visiting who hadn’t been there for a few years; she prayed and made a new commitment to the Lord!

This was all because of a simple question,

Live every day like it is Thursday!

Of course we do not know that the Lord is coming back for His Church on a Thursday, the Bible is clear that no man knows the day or the hour that the Lord will return. Then, the question remains, why did this young boy, if I remember he was about 10 or 11 years old, why would he have such a dream?

There could be several reasons and there might not be a reason at all. Since he had been to church on Sunday, and it was now Monday morning that Mom was telling him to get up for school, it is likely that either his Sunday School teacher or Pastor had talked about the coming of the Lord. His tender heart immediately went to his friends, neighbors and even family members who were not ready to meet God and possibly he fell asleep praying for them and where they would spend eternity.

This was a child. So, I ask myself, am I as concerned as this young man was about the people I come in contact with on a daily basis? Do I care whether or not they are ready to meet God? Does it matter?

Yes.

It matters whether my heart is stirred for the lost. This is our purpose in being on this earth! Jesus came, He gave, He died, He rose again and then He sent The Comforter, the Holy Spirit, to abide IN us. We became His ambassadors when we took on His name and we are to reflect His glory in all we do and say. I’m sure you have heard the phrase,

You may be the only Jesus some people will ever meet.

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The goal is for you to introduce them to Jesus so that they can come to know Him and ultimately be ready for that Thursday, whenever it might be.

If the Lord can stir the heart of a pre-teen about His coming, shouldn’t we also be as sensitive to the voice of the Lord? Let us pray, and fast, that we are not so busy that we cannot hear what He is saying or what He is calling us to do in these Last Days. Fasting and prayer will draw us closer to Him, set our sights on eternal treasures and cause the things of this world to become much less important.

And one day soon, it will be Thursday and the Lord will come back for The Church!

Soon.

Don’t forget to get your copy of The Daniel Fast Devotional! Great for ANY FAST, it will be your go-to tool for years to come. Already have one in Kindle or paperback? Would you take a couple of minutes to leave a review for me on Amazon? It would be so appreciated! Blessings to you as you fast unto the Lord.

Sharing with Word of God Speak, Weekend Whispers, Good morning Mondays, Modest Monday, Social Butterfly Sunday, RaRalinkup, Tell His Story, Wedded Wednesday, A Little R & R

Fasting & Prayer: Whose time is it anyway?

Fasting:Whose time is it anyway?

Fasting and prayer are often linked together in the Bible. It seems to go without saying that if you are fasting but not praying, you are just on a glorified diet (Daniel Fast) or just simply going without food. A total waste of your time! (And God’s!)

Fasting isn’t all about the food, or the lack of it. It is about pulling yourself away from the things of the world and focusing on Almighty God. When you deny yourself certain things that you love then you have time to spend with the Creator, time to listen for His voice, His bidding, His calling.

When you are on a complete fast, it seems to be a no-brainer that at mealtime, instead of eating, you spend that time in prayer and the Word. But if you are on a limited fast, a juice fast, The Daniel Fast, etc., you are still consuming calories and possibly preparing a meal and that time with the Lord seems to take a back seat.

If you have chosen a different type of fast, not from food, maybe from social media or other things that you enjoy or spend too much time on, again, when do you carve out that time with the Lord to make your fast beneficial?

This is where we could miss out on so much! There is fellowship with Him just for the taking, there is communion with the Savior if we will just take the time.

Mark 1:35-36 And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. And Simon and those who were with him searched for him.

Not everyone is an early riser, although I have found that to be MY best time to spend with the Lord. When He is first, when my focus for the day is on Jesus, everything seems to go so much smoother the rest of the day!

Prayer cleanses your heart and mind and prepares you for the rest of the day.

Romans 12:1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

But if you are not a morning person, if all you can do is get that coffee down at 5 a.m., then pick the time that is best for you. What time of the day is more beneficial, when you are uninterrupted and can focus on the Word and listen for His voice? That’s YOUR time with God!

Hebrews 13:15-16 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

Most importantly, we pray continually throughout our day. Yes, I know this is the most difficult thing to do! We are busy, we are laden down with burdens of the day, so much to do, so little time to do it. But if we let our minds think of the things of God all throughout our day, let the fruit of our lips acknowledge His name, if we think on these things, our time is well spent. Our focus is in the right place, our hearts are open before Him and we can hear His voice!

It’s His time anyway, friends, it all belongs to Him. Everything is about Him, it’s not about us! We were put here to glorify God and when we point to Him, when we reflect His glory, others will see it and be drawn to the Savior. That is our entire purpose, seeing others come to know Him.

Be blessed as you fast and pray that you will know the mind of God, cleanse your heart and mind from things that weigh you down and focus on His perfect will for your life!

Do you have your copy of The Daniel Fast Devotional? There are 21 days of devotions, three days of preparation and plenty of Daniel Fast recipes in this go-to book. Check it out on Kindle or paperback here on Amazon.