Author Archives: Nannette

About Nannette

Wife to The Sweetheart, Mom to the Fantastic Six, Nana to six of the cutest littles on the planet, Author, The Daniel Fast, A Devotional. UPCI ministers.

The Daniel Fast: God is fighting for you!

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Fasting Together in JanuaryGod is fighting for you!  If you have missed any posts, or just need some extra encouragement, go here to catch up! Blessings to you as you fast unto the Lord.

Jehoshaphat didn’t waste any time when he found out that Judah was about to be attacked. He did what any smart man of God would have done. Any king that knew of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob would call a fast. Not just any fast, but all of Judah came together to pray and seek their God for His help.

The end of their prayer for help went like this: “O our God, wilt thou not judge them? For we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.” 2 Chronicles 20:12 KJV.

They came together in unity, with their wives, their children, the Bible even says “…with their little ones.”

Then something powerful happened. Jahaziel was standing there with the rest of them when suddenly the Spirit of the Lord came upon him and he said, “…Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s…Tomorrow go ye down against them…and ye shall find them at the end of the brook…Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you.” 2 Chronicles 20:15-17 KJV.

What an answer to prayer!

What power!

What authority!

The next morning they got up early and headed into the wilderness and King Jehoshaphat said, “Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.” 2 Chronicles 20:20 KJV.

I love what he does next. He appointed singers, “…unto the LORD, just to praise the beauty of holiness, and as they went out before the army, just to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever.” Wow!

They took time to praise the LORD in the MIDDLE of the battle!

So what did they do since they didn’t have to fight? They worshipped and gave Him the praise that He deserved.

They had fasted; they had prayed.

He had heard; He had answered.

Now they were giving Him back the praise because He was worthy. When they began to sing and praise, then the LORD began to act. The Bible says He set an ambush against the Ammonites, Moabites and Mount Seir and they were all smitten!

Why did the children of Judah not have to fight? The children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, trying to destroy them. So when they had accomplished that then they destroyed one another!

When Judah showed up at the watch tower in the wilderness they looked out at the multitude and all they could see were the dead, “none escaped.”

“And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries, when they had heard that the LORD fought against the enemies of Israel.”

Good news travels fast. Bad news travels fast. God had delivered His people once again because they trusted in Him.

 

 

What can you believe God for today? What are you needing an answer for in your life? What battles are you trying to fight on your own?

Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord!

He is your VICTORIOUS WARRIOR and this is HIS BATTLE, not yours! Let Him take care of it for you. Trust Him, put your confidence in Him and then do what King Jehoshaphat and his people did…

Worship and give Him praise for the victory that is coming. Whether you see it today or tomorrow doesn’t matter. He is in control and His timing is perfect. Trust Him for the victory and then rest in His promises.

The Daniel Fast DevotionalThis was a complete chapter from 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.

 

 

Fasting unto the Lord, Nannette

The Daniel Fast: Looking for the Redemption

The Daniel Fast: Looking for the Redemption!

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 So glad you are joining us for 31 Days of Fasting in January! You can catch up on posts you have missed here. Be blessed and feel free to message me with any questions.

“And there was one Anna, a prophetess…she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.” Luke 2:36-37.

The story of Anna, the prophetess, as found in the Gospel of Luke, is fascinating on so many levels. Let me introduce this amazing lady to you.

Anna was old. The Bible tells us she had been married for seven years and then widowed. Then, it is a little difficult to decipher whether she has been a widow for 84 years or she is 84 years old when we encounter her in Luke 2.

If it is the former, then she is around 105, which would not be out of the question, and many scholars agree this could be the case. She could have married at age 14, a very common age back then, become a widow at 21, and then we come upon her at the temple 84 years later, at the ripe old age of 105.

This lovely lady serves in the temple, night and day. The Word even tells us she doesn’t leave! She is the only woman mentioned in the New Testament as being a prophetess. (Phillip’s daughters are said to have prophesied as well but not actually taking on the title. Acts 21:9.) She is highly honored in this regard as someone who can touch the throne of heaven with her prayers.

What is her significance here today?

Joseph and Mary have brought Jesus to Jerusalem to “…present him to the Lord…” Luke 2:22.  As was the custom in those days, every Jewish male baby had to be brought and a sacrifice made to the Lord; a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.

The parents of Jesus first encounter Simeon when they arrive at the temple. “And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.”

“Waiting for the consolation of Israel”…what does that mean? The same word used here for consolation is the same word Jesus used later when He describes the Holy Spirit as the Comforter. The word is paraklesis and it means “one who comes alongside to help, one who pleads a cause…”

So, Simeon was waiting for the Comforter; he was waiting for the Messiah! And when Mary and Joseph handed the child, Jesus, to him the Bible says, “Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.”

The Comforter, the Consolation, the Messiah, had come; as far as Simeon was concerned, he could die in peace.What he had been working for, waiting for and living his entire life telling others about, had finally arrived.

Then, they encounter Anna who had spent her time much like Simeon, fasting, praying and telling everyone she could about the One who was to come. She sees Joseph, Mary and Jesus with Simeon and this is what the Bible has to say about their meeting:

“And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.” Luke 2:38.

Look closely, or you will miss it. She comes up…she is not introduced. But immediately, in that instant, she gives thanks, she begins to give God praise! She doesn’t hesitate for one moment to tell everyone there that this is the REDEMPTION of Jerusalem!

The Daniel Fast: Looking for the Redemption

How did Anna know?  Because she fasted, she prayed, daily. She spent time with God, she knew Him and she was waiting for the promise.

She recognized Him when He came.

Will you know Him?

Will you recognize Him in an instant?

We must KNOW Him! And like Anna, we must spend our days in relationship with Jesus Christ. We cannot afford any less than to love Him, to delve deep into the Word and into prayer and fasting. To deny our flesh the pleasures of this world and realize that these things WILL PASS AWAY! We will not be taking them with us!

Only what is done for Christ will last. Only reaching for the lost will be what really matters in the end. We will be so glad we spent our time on things eternal.

Reach out to Him today…He is waiting for you!

fasting unto the lord

 

 

The Daniel Fast DevotionalIt’s never too late to purchase The Daniel Fast Devotional! It is such a help to you during ANY FAST. Twenty one devotions and three days of preparation devotions, you will be encouraged and learn about nearly every fast that took place in the Bible.  You can click on any of these links and order from Amazon on the Kindle or paperback.

 

 

Stay in the ship!

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Now, more than ever, we need to pay attention to the scripture. Today’s encouragement in your fast (or even if you have completed your fast or haven’t started yet) is a good message for EVERY DAY. We can clearly see we are living in what is called The Last Days. We are the Church, called to be His witnesses to those around us. Jesus has entrusted us to “Go and Tell” and time is quickly fading away. We must Stay in the Ship ourselves in order to hear His voice and do His will by sharing the Gospel with everyone who will listen. Catch up on our 31 Days of Fasting in January posts here!

The Book of Acts only has 28 chapters and we are looking at number 27 today. Paul was running out of time. He was being taken to Rome to stand trial, (along with some other political prisoners), and ultimately, eventually, he would become a martyr for the cause of Christ.

But the issue at hand was the ship.

He was in the hands of a capable man. Julius was a centurion who was the commander of a cohort. A cohort was a band of soldiers between 400-600 men. This was a large ship and quite full! The end of the chapter tells us that 276 people were on board.

They had already changed boats and changed routes, because of the weather. Choosing the longer course meant they could use the island of Cypress to shield them from the rough seas, or so they hoped.

The inhabitants of the ship had stopped in the city of Fair Havens for a time. It doesn’t say how long, but Paul and others aboard had been fasting, since it was the time of The Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur. They realized they were facing rough weather ahead and Paul tried to convince them to stay in Fair Havens and wait it out.

“Now when much time was spent, and when sailing was now dangerous, because the fast was now already past, Paul admonished them, And said unto them, Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives. Nevertheless the centurion believed the master and the owner of the ship, more than those things which were spoken by Paul.” Acts 27:9-11 KJV.

Here is the dilemma: God had revealed to Paul that the weather was to become perilous and for them to stay where they were. Paul warned Julius, but do not forget that Paul is also a PRISONER. Julius was in quite a predicament. He had the experience of the pilot and captain in one ear, and this man of God in the other.

What they wanted to do doesn’t sound so bad. It would have only taken them a day to get to Phoenix and that didn’t seem like such a risk. It was a bigger town and was close to Fair Havens which was better protected from the weather. The sailors would be thrilled because there was more to do there.

But God said, “Stay. Abide.”

“But Lord, I see a storm coming!”

Does this sound like anyone else you know? Or does it sound like ME or YOU?

How often do we go ahead and do what we want to do even though God says, “STAY.”?

He wants us to wait, listen, and trust Him. But we insist on doing our own thing anyway.

So the ship sets sail.

“But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon.” Acts 27:14 KJV.

This wind was so strong that it had a name! Things started happening quickly. The second day they began to lighten the ship, throwing things overboard.

“On the third day, they threw the ships tackle overboard with their own hands.” Acts 27:19 NIV.

Now, they were getting rid of some of the ship’s gear. Desperation had set in. If only they had listened to Paul!

“When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.” Acts 10:20 NIV.

They were in trouble; big trouble. They should have listened; they should have stayed in Fair Havens to begin with but they didn’t. All hope was gone as far as they were concerned.

How many of us, just like Julius, have rejected the voice of God, had our own way, only to fail miserably?

Did God make us come crawling on our hands and knees begging Him to take us back? Never, and He doesn’t require it of these men either.

He shows mercy.

Paul stands before them and brings them good news. “And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship. For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee…for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.” Acts 10:22-25 KJV.

Even after he gave them this great news, the storm grew worse and some of the men tried to abandon the ship. We may have done the same in a state of panic!

But Paul tells Julius and the soldiers, “Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved.”

The next morning, Paul urged them to eat because it had been 14 days since they had started fasting. They needed their strength.

He reminds them that God had promised that not a hair on their head would be harmed as long as they stayed in the ship!

After they had eaten, those 276 souls lightened the ship even more by throwing over the wheat. Do you see a pattern here?

Stay in the ship!

Abide with Him!

Get rid of those things that would keep you from walking with God, that would pull you down or drag you under. A little hindrance, a stumbling block…nothing is worth losing your soul.

The ship began to break apart in the back and the prisoners and crew grabbed hold of pieces of debris and broken planks to swim to shore. But not one of them perished!

“And so it came to pass, that they escaped all safe to land.” Acts 27:44 KJV.

Paul had been fasting, he was a man of prayer, and he had been shipwrecked two times previously. He trusted God when he heard His voice. He was strengthened by his time of prayer and fasting. God gave him wisdom to handle this situation and hold everything together.

Why else would a commander of an army trust a prisoner to give direction?

Only God would allow that to take place.

When we allow Him to have the authority in our lives, to rule, to give the direction and wisdom for every aspect and every detail, knowing He sees down the road…we don’t have to worry about the end result. He has it all in control!

Did you know He also cares? He wants what is best for us. The ultimate goal is our salvation and eternity in heaven with Him.

Believe that today. There is safety in the ship. Trust Him in the storms.

Stay in the ship!

I have a simple Daniel Fast recipe for you today but it is oh, so good! Enjoy!

Cashew Salad
1 cup salted cashews
¾ c slivered almonds
½ cup sunflower kernels
6 green onions, chopped
1 head Nappa cabbage, chopped fine

Sauté the nuts and sunflower kernels in a tiny amount of olive oil just until barely browned.  Add to the cabbage and onions and top with Oil & Vinegar dressing.

fasting unto the lord

The Daniel Fast Devotional

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?