A few weeks ago the Lord asked me partake in the Daniel Fast for eleven days.
What in the world is the Daniel Fast?
The Daniel Fast is based off of Daniel in the bible. In Daniel 1:8-12 we are introduced to how the Daniel fast came to fruition and some of the benefits Daniel received from his 10 day fast. “8 But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile (taint, dishonor) himself with the king’s finest food or with the wine which the king drank; so he asked the commander of the officials that he might [be excused so that he would] not defile himself. 9 Now God granted Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the commander of the officials, 10 and the commander of the officials said to Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has prearranged your food and your drink; for why should he see your faces looking more haggard than the young men who are your own age? Then you would make me forfeit my head to the king.” 11 But Daniel said to the overseer whom the commander of the officials had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 12 “Please, test your servants for ten days, and let us be given some vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then let our appearance and the appearance of the young men who eat the king’s finest food be observed and compared by you, and deal with your servants in accordance with what you see.” “
The Daniel Fast is a vegan diet, where you can eat all whole grains, all legumes, all nuts, seeds, tofu, quality oils, and seasoning. There is so much that you can eat on the Daniel fast. The only things that you can’t eat is any animal product, nothing that has been refined, processed or artificially preserved, and a few other little things.
Just as Abba has the finest details planned out, when He asks us to do something we must follow it. I looked up the meaning of the number eleven. For the eleven days of the fast. The number eleven represents vision, refinement, fulfillment, to realign, reaffirm, or re-establish oneself.
I love food, so when the Lord asked me to do the Daniel fast I began looking at the things I would have to get rid of. I quickly decided that if I wanted to have success this time, I would have to have a few rules.
1) I would not be strict. I would allow myself to still drink coffee in the morning.
2) I would give myself grace, if I would not follow the fast down to a T
3) I would meal plan. I would be proactive with recipes and I would look up what restaurants I could eat. I knew that this fast would take intentionality.
I have learned so much through the Daniel Fast; here are just a few of the things that I have learned.
1) I learned how important it is to give yourself grace. “Not to stress the small details.” That it is so important to give myself grace. That when I stopped at Wendy’s and got a milkshake. Instead of distancing myself from my “mess up”, I pressed into it, and looked to identify the root.
2) Life is about intentionality, in every aspect. I especially need to set time to be intentional with the Lord. It is still super important to invite the Lord into every aspect of your day/partner with the Lord during each day. I also realized how much better I feel when I am more intentional not only with the Lord but with what food I am eating, physical activity, and time with my friends and roommates.
3) I learned that I run to sweets to make myself feel better, to avoid the pain or uncomfortable feelings. That I need to press in the pain that the Lord is wanting to walk me through, instead of stuffing it down and running away through food.
4) I spent some great time in meditation with the Lord. During my time of solitude with the Lord, He began walking me into freedom, giving me confidence, and just showering me with His love. I have never been able to sit in solitude with Abba for more than 5 minutes without getting distracted, falling asleep, or I would just begin to start praying.
Being faithful to what the Lord asks is can sometimes be a big jump, or a step. Either way, when the Lord asks us to trust Him and say yes, it is for us to bring Him glory. We are then aligned to receive His many blessings, all we have to do is say yes.
