Hey Everyone! It’s been over a month since I did a blog post. I wanted to be able to give my undivided attention to the fast that my husband I just came off of. But I am glad to be back and have so much in store the next few months to share. So on to the post!
Every year my husband and I go through the Daniel Fast. This year we started on January 5th and decided to do 25 days instead of 21. Many people fast different things (soda, sweets, TV, etc). We have done each of those fasts separately, but this year I wanted to fast more at one time. We went for no meats, sweets, alcohol, or soda. Also, this year I decided to post a specific prayer and scripture on Facebook and Instagram to share with my followers.
What is a Daniel Fast?
A Daniel Fast is a biblical based diet for 10-21 days where you avoid foods deemed unclean by the Laws of Moses. In Daniel 10:2-3 you read that Daniel wanted to prove during military and educational training that there were harmful effects of certain foods. He did prove to his trainers to be mentally superior and ten times better than others in his realm when he chose not to partake in these foods.
The first week is always the hardest, especially the no soda part. By the second week I was doing ok without soda. It wasn’t until week 3 were I wanted Starbucks, soda, ice cream, and cheese cake. Oh the list could go on. For us, always on the go and never knowing if we will be home, trying to figure things to eat can get difficult. We ate a lot of peanut butter crackers, fruit, salads, and veggies. We did not abstain from any bread, so we had pizza at times.
What I hoped to gain from the fast…
Number one reason was to get closer to God. I lost no weight during this fast. Honestly, it wasn’t at all for weight loss anyways but it would have been nice! I did end up feeling better than I had in a long time. See, I am use to drinking Diet Soda. I have been fighting cloudiness and forgetfulness lately. And no it’s not because I am about to turn ## years old next week! Insert sad face. I have no doubt it was the soda I was drinking. Last year I switched from regular soda to diet and lost 10 pounds. I thought the soda was helping me have energy.
I did not want to give into the soda because I was determined to have God walk me through my exhaustion and give me the strength I needed, not some can of soda. I also did not want to give into a Starbucks or a dessert to cheer me up. I needed my posts to cheer someone else up, which in turn would do the same for me. By the way do you know how hard it is to go to a bridal show and they want you to taste test cakes for my sister’s wedding and we all could not. VERY HARD!
What we learned from the fast…
During the middle of week 3 I started to not feel right. I couldn’t keep warm, I was constantly cold. I had to turn the heat up in the house to 74-75 degrees. I was talking to some one about this and they immediately thought it was because I wasn’t getting enough protein. I am not 100% sure how true this is. I did eat meat (chicken) earlier than anticipated and by the end of the day I was already feeling warmer. So I did continue to eat meat. I felt terrible for not completing the no meat protion but my body couldn’t keep up. It also doesn’t help that the heat in my office doesn’t get warner than 67 degrees. So I definitely learned that I need protein and will not be a vegan any time soon.
The biggest thing I learned was to pray for other people and their needs. I needed to pray prayers that did not always necessarily have anything to do with my needs or wants. I learned to rely more on God for what he wanted for me and not what I wanted for myself.
***Note*** when you return to eating take it slow, your belly will thank you for it. Also, before you do any kind of fasting always check with your Doctor first.
So a recap on what we prayed about and the scriptures. If you click on them it will take you the link that it was originally posted in on Instagram with the pictures(thanks to the Word Swag app)
Day 1– God’s will in our lives, families, and church- 1Thessalonians 5:18
Day 2-God’s purpose to be accomplished-Jeremiah 29:11
Day 3-Salvation of family, friends, and colleagues-Acts 5:12
Day 4-God’s renewal of our minds-Romans 12:1-2
Day 5-God’s forgiveness and purity-2 Corinthians 7:1
Day 7-Jobs or financial difficulties-Philippians 4:19
Day 9-Wisdom for the Government leaders-Proverbs 21:1
Day 10-Healing of our land, cities, and economy- 2 Chronicles 7:14
Day 11-Prayers for our Church Leadership and Ministry Leaders-Ephesians 4:11-13
Day 12-Marriages-Ephesians 5:33
Day 13-God’s peace and love over our children–1 John 4:4
Day 15-Be a Dream Maker-Matthew 6:33
Day 16-Barren Women-Psalms 27:14
Day 18-Anxiety-Phlilppians 4:6-7
Day 20-Teachers, schools, and students-1 Timothy 4:11
Day 21-Military Service Men and Women-Joshua 1:9
Day 22-Our children’s friendships-Proverbs 27:6
Day 23-Expect More-Matthew 19:26
