Fast and Pray

The Daniel Fast. Wow. Honestly believe that this is 1 of the hardest fast I have ever done. I've never done this fast before, but for some reason, this fast in general has really complicated my life.

The temptations are ridiculous! I have been tempted to eat food that I should not eat and I  have been tempted to sin in many ways. The flesh is truly dying here with all of the self discipline that is being imposed upon me at this time. I am truly relating to Jesus in the wilderness being tempted by the devil more now than ever.

However, at the very same time God has poured out some crazy, and I mean crazy, blessings on my life during this time. It begin on day 1. I decided to get rid of some things to crucify the flesh and to clean out myself spiritually physically mentally emotionally and in every way so the Lord could fill my life completely and mutiple  blessings were poured down that SAME DAY!!



After the 10th day my fast had to change because I caught a virus. Great!! Well, I modified my fast and kept praying. The verse that came to my mind was "obedience is better than sacrifice". I felt the Lord telling me to focus on my praying than my meals. Amen. He was preparing to pour out blessings that I was not prepared to receive!

By day fourteen, I was getting the hang of the Daniel fast. I had broken a few of the "rules" but did not really realize it. I was on to the home stretch. The Lord was stretching me physically and spiritually.


Fast-forward to day 21.....I'm finished. So, I have several observations. The first is that this fast requires some major preparation prior to beginning. There are so many rules that it is hard to concentrate on fasting itself. Honestly, I would rather go with a bread and water fast or juice and water than the Daniel Fast. Secondly, it was very expensive for me. Shopping in the vegetarian section is no joke $$$. Lastly, I found myslef more concerned about what I would eat next than what I was supposed to be praying about. I literally got frustrated. I would eat something and find out that it was not on the list (fail), then I would fix somethingto eat and I disliked it (fail), or I would eat nothing at all and my heart was not right because I was upset (fail). So I simplified the fast by limiting myself to less food. Sounds crazy right? I know, but I actually felt as though I was giving up something and making a true sacrifice to God. Sometimes less is more in my spiritual life. God does not always require of us as much as we require of ourselves.

Now I have to say that the Daniel Fast is good for many reasons. It's healthy. It's a good fast for first-timers, just a lot of prep is needed and money. I'm glad that I had the experience, but I probably will not do it again. I have done water only fasts, juice and water and bread and water. When I fast like that, my flesh suffers and my spirit grows. It does not matter so much HOW one fasts but what the intention and earnest plea of your heart is. May my fast be acceptable to God alone, not to me.  ~ Isaiah 58:5, 6


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