Category Archives: Will of God

The Daniel Fast: What if my prayer isn’t answered?

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The Daniel Fast: What if my prayer isn’t answered? How are you doing on your fast? If you have already started your fasting, whether it is a complete fast, a partial fast, juice fast, Daniel Fast, no matter what you have chosen, you have probably already encountered a bump or two in the road. Do not despair! Just keep going, start over, whatever you have to do. God isn’t sitting in Heaven with a ruler in His hand ready to smack you every time you make a mistake. Just determine to stick with it and remember to pray; that is where your strength comes from.

Today, we are talking about what to do when you fast, you pray, you petition God but He doesn’t answer your prayer the way you had envisioned. (Catch up on missed posts here!)

In the 11th and 12th chapters of 2 Samuel, we read the shocking and heartbreaking story of David and Bathsheba. If you aren’t familiar with the story, you can read about it here. The shortened, condensed version is that David had an affair with another man’s wife, Bathsheba, and had her husband killed. He then took Bathsheba as his own wife and that is where we enter the story with Nathan, the prophet, confronting David about his sin:

“Nathan said to David, ‘You are the man! Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul. And I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your arms and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more. Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’’” 2 Samuel 12:7-10 ESV.

King David acknowledged his guilt and Nathan goes on to tell him his sin has been “put away” but the child born out of the sin will die.

What does David do next?

“And the Lord afflicted the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David, and he became sick.  David therefore sought God on behalf of the child. And David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground. And the elders of his house stood beside him, to raise him from the ground, but he would not, nor did he eat food with them.” 2 Samuel 12:16-17 ESV.

David was a man of war, a mighty man of valor but he was also repentant and always readily admitted his sin. He was humble and petitioned for the life of his son even though this child would be a continual reminder of his sin! He knew HE was the reason for the Lord’s displeasure and so he humbled himself with prayer and fasting in the hope that the Lord might change His mind. And, surely, he even felt it was his DUTY to petition on behalf of his son.

David fasted until the seventh day but the baby died.

“Then David arose from the earth and washed and anointed himself and changed his clothes. And he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. He then went to his own house. And when he asked, they set food before him, and he ate. Then his servants said to him, “What is this thing that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive; but when the child died, you arose and ate food.” He said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, ‘Who knows whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’ But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.”

The members of David’s household were confused and told him so. David replied that he was hoping the Lord would be gracious, that He would spare the child’s life, yet it was not to be. There was no need to fast once he was gone. Matthew Henry’s commentary says it so well here:

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“Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel, and came into the house of the Lord, and worshipped…” David worshiped the Lord because He knew that God had spoken, He had answered and He was sovereign. If God does not answer your prayer the way you think it should be answered, and you even accompany that prayer with fasting, it doesn’t mean your fasting was in vain! Remember, we talked about the fact that fasting changes that inner man, it changes YOU (and me!). David knew life was to go on; he had repented, he had prayed, he had fasted and God had answered. Yes, he had sinned but he had found forgiveness and restoration through his repentance and humility.

He fasted and prayed because there was still life and when that life was gone he knew to worship God.

“The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.” Job 1:21 NIV.

Obviously, in this post, we are looking at David’s mistake, his sin that cost him, big time. But your prayer may not have anything to do with your actions. But yet, God’s answer is not what you wanted to hear.

Fasting prepares your heart for God’s answer, no matter what it might be. We may not get the answer we want but we can rest assured God is working all things for our good. If He says, “No”, we can trust Him that He knows what is best, He can see down the road! Remember, we don’t fast to change God, we fast to change US; to make us more like Jesus and cleanse us from things that would hold us back or cause us to stumble.

Fasting brings hidden things to light! And while fasting and praying, God can reveal things to us that may be a hindrance in our walk. Because we are fasting, our mind becomes more clear and nothing is in the way of our hearing His voice.

So be encouraged today, if your prayer isn’t answered the way you preferred, it doesn’t mean God doesn’t love you, in fact it means HE DOES LOVE YOU, He is protecting you, covering you, leading you and He knows that His answer is the best answer. And you will too, one day soon.

Be blessed as you continue to make fasting a regular part of your spiritual walk.

Don’t forget to grab your copy of The Daniel Fast Devotional! Good for any fast, it is a great, easy read with devotions for every day of a three week fast. Get yours on Amazon here!

Fasting Together: Anoint your head, wash your face!

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Fasting Together: Anoint your head, wash your face!  I had planned on continuing with the Armor of God series and Fasting but have had a family emergency and could not finish my post. I am sharing  an actual excerpt from my book, The Daniel Fast Devotional which you can get here. (The title of the chapter is different in the book.) It will take you on a daily journey and is great to have with you for ANY FAST. Thank you for grace and I will be back tomorrow!

Let’s go!

The Daniel Fast is a Bible-based, partial fast taken from Daniel 1 and Daniel 10 when Daniel the Prophet refrained from eating anything but vegetables (this would have included fruits, although most participants do eat them) and drank only water. It is comparable to a vegan diet with a few more restrictions. We will talk about them further at the end of the post.

Daniel was born in the kingdom of Judah in a noble household. King Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem, taking 650,000 of Daniel’s countrymen into bondage, back to his Babylonian kingdom. The king decreed that all of the young and handsome princes from Judah must go into a training program to work in the king’s court. Daniel was among the chosen.
They were to be fed very well, with rich meats, sweets and plenty of wine. The only problem was that the men from Judah followed the Law of Moses and did not consume many of the foods on the list! Additionally, the Babylonians’ food was usually part of a sacrifice to their idols. Daniel would most definitely not have consumed food used as a sacrifice to an idol made of stone, wood or any other material; He served the One, True God, Jehovah!

Daniel asked if he and his men could abstain from the rich and pleasant food for only ten days to prove that their way of eating, only vegetables and water was much healthier for their bodies. They agreed and… “At the end of ten days it was seen that they were better in appearance and fatter in flesh than all the youths who ate the king’s food. So the steward took away their food and the wine they were to drink, and gave them vegetables.” Daniel 1:15, 16 ESV.

Right away we see how beneficial a fast of this nature is to the body. In only ten days it was noticeable that these men were not eating rich foods! They looked better and they felt better.
For Daniel, it wasn’t just about the right way to eat. He was connected to the Source as well. He served the Most High and wasn’t intimidated by those around him. He fasted for the right reasons and God honored him.

You will be wasting your time if you are just cutting out meats, sweets, breads and your favorite fancy coffee but never take time to pray!

“When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.” Daniel 6:10 ESV.

Daniel is recorded to have prayed at least three times every day, usually at the same time. It is so helpful if you can start your day with the Lord, spend some time in His Word and get strengthened for the day ahead; you are going to need it.

If you have specific things you are fasting about, whether it is your job, finances, your marriage, children, extended family, direction, healing, restoration, whatever the need, ask the Holy Spirit for guidance.

If you have offended someone, or if there is sin that needs forgiveness, repent. Take care of that at the beginning of the fast. “If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.” Luke 17:3-4 KJV.

You will also receive strength to resist and to be able to turn from sinful habits. “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” 2 Corinthians 7:1 KJV.

Hopefully, it goes without mentioning, (and in this case we aren’t going totally without food), but let’s go over it just for the record. We do not want to “appear to men to fast.” Let us see what Jesus said about it: “Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.” Matthew 6:16-18 KJV.

We can understand clearly here Jesus was saying to not walk around with your head down, pouting that you have to fast. The Word says, “they have their reward”, meaning that is all they have, recognition. They gloried in the appearance of fasting!

This should be something between you and God, unless of course your entire church congregation is doing it, then of course, that is a corporate fast and it is not a secret. It is also good to have a close friend praying for you during an extended fast. The purpose is to focus on Him and not bring attention to yourself.

The Lord will bless the sincere heart that seeks Him! So do it with all that is within you, every day, as a sacrifice unto your God, denying yourself pleasures that you would normally enjoy.

Do not try to make your new foods taste like your normal diet; otherwise it is not a sacrifice.
Remember, we are denying ourselves things that we enjoy, so we only eat until we are satisfied. We are not stuffing ourselves until we are sick.

You will still enjoy your meals and you will delight in this clean, healthy way of eating.

Remember, the Daniel Fast, or any other, is to be a sacrifice. It is a time of commitment to the Lord, a time of drawing near to Him and denying the flesh of some of its pleasures. You do not want to gorge yourself on this fast. Just enjoy a regular meal with normal-sized portions. You will likely lose weight on the fast if you eat three simple meals a day and maybe two small snacks.

Make time at the beginning of your day to spend with God; you can do it! Set that alarm a few minutes early and you will not be sorry. Meditate on the Word. Feed on the manna that comes from above and just see how rich your mind and soul will become during this time of devotion to God. Our desire should be to know HIM.

We are not on a diet; we are striving to be more like Jesus. Paul said, “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death…” Philippians 3:10 KJV. God is well pleased as you sacrifice what is pleasurable to you on a daily basis.

Join me again tomorrow as we continue on and be sure and share this post and share YOUR thoughts, questions or insights!

Need your own copy of The Daniel Fast, A Devotional? Get it on Amazon by clicking here!

The struggle is real

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The caterpillar does all the work but the butterfly receives all the publicity. ~ Unknown

I’ve been fascinated by the butterfly lately (or the flutter-by as I used to refer to it when My Three Sons were little).

Maybe you have heard the story of the young man who found a cocoon and sat down to watch the butterfly emerge. He could see the creature through the thin, silk-like material of the shell trying to break free, but to the young man it seemed as if it was taking too long. The butterfly had worked and worked and didn’t seem to be making much progress, even after a couple of hours. He decided to help it along and took out his Eagle Scout pocket knife with scissors (talk about being prepared) and cut an opening for the struggling insect. Immediately the butterfly hobbles out but his wings were wet and his body was swollen. The young man thought that with a little time the swelling would go down, the wings would dry and he would fly off like any other butterfly.

But he never did.

He spent the rest of his pitiful life in that shape for one reason: He needed to go through the struggle! Even though it seemed as if the butterfly was not making any progress he was slowly getting rid of the liquid in his body. A caterpillar turns to all liquid before it morphs into a butterfly! During the struggle to exit the cocoon it gets rid of that fluid, and while fighting to get freem it becomes strong and ready to fly.

Look at the changes and the complexity of the life of a butterfly BEFORE it is even born:

  • The eggs are laid on plants that the caterpillars will actually eat later. The size of a pinhead, each egg contains one caterpillar.
  • Next, the larva or caterpillar emerges and begins to eat immediately. That is all this interesting creature does: eat! But while it is eating its skin gets tighter and then it will shed that skin and emerge with new skin. They change skin four times! When this hairy guy is finished growing it is about two inches long.
  • Then it begins the Chrysalis or Metamorphosis which takes 7-10 days. It will find a safe place to rest and a silk thread will come out of a hole below its mouth from where it will spin a silk pad to attach to. She will hang from this pad and its skin will eventually split open revealing the chrysalis or pupa.
  • The coolest things are going on inside the chrysalis: it is becoming completely liquid to transform into a butterfly. The struggle begins as it pushes against that case opening and begins to fight its way out.
  • Did you know that the life span of a Painted Lady Butterfly is only two weeks? Some can live up to a month and a few species survive up to a year. But most have a short life span. In that time period it is busy. It has one goal and that is to lay its eggs so that the cycle can be repeated all over again.

A butterfly coming out of its cocoon gains its strength, determination and fortitude all in the struggle! The butterfly pushes all the fluid out of its body and into its wings enabling it to fly. Without the struggle, he would never get off the ground and would come out with a swollen body and wet wings. He would hobble around like that for the rest of his short life. And the beauty of this insect? Unsurpassed and marveled by all!

And there we are.
The struggle is real butterfly

The struggle is real. Struggling through our days, weeks and years thinking we are making no progress, everything is just HARD!  But we don’t realize that the struggles purify us, make us strong and give us wisdom and sensitivity to others around us. Tried in the fire, we burst forth as the beautiful creature God intends and touch others around us who are watching us through our struggle.

A friend said that God calls us to do hard things sometimes but always has prepared the way before us.

Sometimes we are like the butterfly inside the cocoon but WE have the scissors and want to hurry the struggle along ourselves. We think we don’t need to go through a difficulty or what we would call a trial because we have done this before, been through this situation and we know how to handle it.

Sometimes we think we know what is best for us even better than the God who created us.

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How can that be? Look at a few of these words from the Word of God:

Romans 5:3-5. “Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering  produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love  has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

Rejoice in our sufferings, our struggles. Why? Because that struggle is producing something inside of us that is beautiful, defines our character and gives us hope. They make us strong and full of wisdom, knowing that whatever we face, God is with us, and in the process, He is molding us and making us into vessels fit for the Kingdom.

There is purpose and strength in the struggle!

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Is there more?

Yes! Romans 8:18. “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

 And in James 1:12:  “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”

We may struggle here, we might even feel like we are trapped in our cocoons forever and that God doesn’t hear us or doesn’t care. But we must be patient and determine to see what He wants us to learn in the struggle, in the difficulty, in the PUSH.

Friends, we trust Him even in the struggle. He will fulfill all of His promises if we work through the difficulties, trusting in His Word.

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