The Daniel's Fast

As I write, hundreds of newhopers are embarking upon a 21 day journey called, "The Daniel's Fast." I am not quite sure how many people are taking this spiritual journey but it is a lot! If you are one of those, way to go!

I spent the first 18 years of my Christian life very rarely, if ever, fasting. However, in the last four years I have become a big fan of this ancient spiritual tradition. Over the course of the next three weeks, I will regularly post devotional comments, fasting passages of Scripture, and occasional recipes to encourage you along the way. It is most important that you keep a spiritual focus to this journey. Fasting is not a form of dieting. Fasting is about humbly seeking God with all your heart. mind, soul, and strength. (Mark 12:30) For today, let's start with the basics...

The Daniel’s Fast Overview:
The Daniel's fast is a spiritual discipline designed to better connect us with God. Traditionally, the fasts can last 10 or 21 days. The purpose, as with all biblical fasting, is to connect with God in more profound ways. It was Jesus who fasted forty days and forty nights. (Matthew 4:2) So, when we fast, we follow the example of our Lord and many other heroes in the faith! The Daniel's Fast is primarily about eating fruit and vegetables and drinking water. I do eat some fruit and yes, I still enjoy a cup of coffee or two each day. :-)

Why:
The primary purpose of fasting is to know God better. Fasting is not about food or dieting – it’s about meditation and reflection upon the Scriptures and communion with
God. If you are hungry for more of God, I invite you to join me in this spiritual journey of fasting and prayer.

Scripture:
During the fast, I invite everyone to study the Life Journals. You can pick up your copy at the Resource Center on Sunday. In the Life Journals, we will all study the same passages and use the acrostic SOAP to help us dive deeply into God's Word!

Scripture
Observation
Application
Prayer

How:
There are multiple online resources available for the Daniel’s Fast. A simple Google search will land you more resources than you can handle.

One thing you’ll notice is that there are many ways to do the fast. This is, in part, due to the lack of clarity in the Bible as to exactly what Daniel did during his fast. See Daniel 1. I find that to be perfect, BTW. Don't go getting legalistic about any of this. Decide what works for you and then stick to it to the glory and honor of Jesus! To assist, I will post helpful tips and suggestions on this site. Because some meals will be made from scratch, I will also included some recipes to assist you. For now, here is a food list from which I basically eat:


Foods to Enjoy
* Whole Grains: brown rice, oats, rolled oats, oatmeal, barley, corn, popcorn, wheat
* Legumes: dried beans, pinto beans, split peas, lentils, black eyed peas, green beans, green peas, peanuts, etc. Grain legumes include beans, lentils, lupins, peas and peanuts.
* Fruits: apples, apricots, avocados, bananas, berries, blackberries, blueberries, boysenberries, breadfruit, cantaloupe, cherries, coconuts, cranberries, dates, figs, grapefruit, grapes, grenadine, guava, honeydew melons, kiwi, lemons, limes, mangoes, melons, mulberry, nectarines, oats, olives, oranges, papayas, peaches, pears, pineapples, plums, prunes, raisins, raspberries, strawberries, tangelos, tangerines, watermelon, etc.,
* Vegetables: artichokes, asparagus, beets, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chili peppers, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, garlic, gingerroot, kale, leeks, lettuce, mushrooms, mustard greens, okra, onions, parsley, any peppers, any potatoes, radishes, rutabagas, scallions, spinach, sprouts, squashes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, turnips, watercress, yams, zucchini, etc.
* Seeds: all nuts, natural peanut butter, natural almond butter, sprouts, ground flax, etc.
* Liquids: spring water, distilled water, filtered water, 100% all natural fruit or vegetable juices, and like I said above, I do still drink around 2 cups of coffee a day.


During the fast, I am inviting you to draw near to God. These are historic and sacred times in the life of our church. The Bible says, “Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and full assurance of faith.” (Hebrews 10:22)

I truly believe God is calling us to draw near like never before, newhope. I invite you to deepen your relationship with God through Christ and fully discern and participate in what God wants to do in and through us as a church as we Unleash the Dream.

Personally, I am praying that God will open wide the floodgates of heaven and bless us in ways that we cannot even imagine. (Ephesians 2) I’m asking God to take us places we have never been before, while also using us to REACH thousands of people who are far from God, TEACH the Word of the Lord, and RELEASE fully devoted followers of Jesus!

newhope, we have experienced eight amazing years. I am certain, though, that God has so much more in store for us. Jesus says, “He will do even greater things than these...” (John 14:12)

Buckle your seat belts - it's going to be a wild ride!