Tag Archives: The Daniel Fast Devotional

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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Fasting Together: When fasting turns ugly

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Fasting Together: When fasting turns ugly. Wow. What a title, and what in the world is ugly about fasting unless it is the hunger? Join me and we will see!  We are blogging every day this month to assist anyone participating in ANY FAST. We focus on the Daniel Fast with recipes but our devotions and encouragement are a benefit to anyone on any fast. I hope they are a blessing to you. You can catch up on any you have missed here!

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, and husband, to her. (1 Kings 1).

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

Ahab comes home one day upset because there is a beautiful vineyard that he wants to have next to the palace but he cannot because it is owned by one named Naboth and Naboth wants to keep it in his family and does not wish to sell. Ahab offers him a very fair price but still Naboth declines. Ahab is so upset that he comes home and will not eat.

Jezebel is furious with Ahab for his weak ways and declares that the vineyard will be his, or theirs, or if we are being plain, HERS! She begins to plot her plan. She writes letters to the elders and the nobles and says, “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.

So, naturally, her minions follow her instructions and Naboth is 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 has been made on Ahab’s life or a calamity is coming upon the kingdom.

She sits Naboth “on high among the people”, not necessarily as the guilty one, according to commentaries, but because of his high honor in the community. Then, when the two men that have been planted to tell lies against him begin their stories, Naboth will be seated up where the guilty usually sit, where everyone can see him.

It worked. Just like she planned it; he was convicted, and stoned to death.

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

“Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, which is in Samaria: behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to possess it. And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? …In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine.” 1 Kings 21:18-19.

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 to judgment for the evil life that he had lived. In other words, 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 and evil influence like we have seen here with Jezebel.

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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.

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.”

Here he is fasting again…but not because Jezebel has told him to, not because he is trying to deceive anyone and not because he is trying to murder anyone to take something from them that isn’t his!

“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.

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

And the Lord said because he HUMBLED himself he spared Ahab the judgment in HIS days. Jezebel still comes to an untimely end as promised before, she doesn’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, ahem, we call those diets! Of course we have covered in previous posts if you lose weight from fasting that is another matter entirely, and 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 that keeps you on your knees and searching for more time with the Savior. Cleaning out the old and letting God fill you up with more and more of His spirit. Changing the inside!!

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, for the right purpose, to draw closer to Him, to reach for others and to seek the perfect will of God for our lives.

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