A New Daniel Fast for the Daniel Fast Blogger

July 25, 2009 at 7:18 am (* Thoughts from Susan, 2009 Daniel Fast, 21-day fast, Daniel Fast)
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“Sometimes you are so hungry that the only way to get fed is to fast.”

That was the thought going through my head yesterday when I sensed the Lord calling me to start a new Daniel Fast for a period of study, prayer and intense focusing on Him. I am so hungry for more of my Father and less of me! I asked the Lord to help me, and those are the word I heard in my spirit, “Sometimes you are so hungry, the only way you can get fed is to fast.”

So I finished the cup of coffee I had already started, took a deep breath and declared that I was entering into a new Daniel Fast. I will fast for at least 21 days, but then see how things are going and I may extend one week at a time until I sense that it’s time to end.

I also wrote in my journal about what I was seeking for this Daniel Fast with spurts of conversations with the Lord. That’s how He and I communicate in our morning time together. I talk, He talks. I write and well, He’s already written His Word, so I read what He’s written. It’s a great time of fellowship that I cherish.

At the end of this time, I realized that this is to be a consecrated time of centering myself on Him and His ways. A time to shed and forego a few activities so that I can focus on some projects He’s call me to complete. This is also a time when I will form some new habits so I can grow spiritually, so I can renew my mind to the Truth of God’s Word, and so I can move toward better health and vitality.

Finally, this is a time when I am to step up to what God has for me. Even at my “seasoned age,” I still wrestle with self-esteem issues and the shadows of hurtful events in my past. However, I hear the Lord calling me to follow Him to the truth of who I am in Him and to put away how the enemy tried to shape me to be.

I am moving forward with the Lord and to the Lord and His amazing way of living. It’s a kingdom of God living, not that I have to wait for when I depart this world. But rather, the kingdom of God living that He spoke of in His Word.

I’ll keep you posted about my journey on this fast, hopefully to encourage you on your walk of faith. You can find those updates on www.Daniel-Fast.com.

I can say, even as I write this post just 24 hours into my Summer ‘09 Daniel Fast, I am charged with a new energy and hope. Our God is so good and He wants us to rely on Him in every way. The more we turn to Him the more He can minister to us. What a great blessing!

Be blessed!

Susan Gregory
The Daniel Fast Blogger
www.Daniel-Fast.com

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Off to Africa

April 3, 2009 at 4:42 pm (* Thoughts from Susan)

In less than 24 hours I will be taking off for Zimbabwe on a nine-member mission trip. You can learn more about it at www.Daniel-Fast.com/africa.html

While I am gone, please be patient as I am not sure how often I will be able to get online.

Thanks to everyone for thier great support!

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Daniel Fast Blogger Cries, “Uncle!”

January 8, 2009 at 5:08 pm (* Thoughts from Susan)

Well, friends . . . I tried. But I just couldn’t keep up with the flood of questions that people left on this site during the first week of January. I would answer 50 . . . and 75 more would be posted. Today I answered another 50 or 60 just to bring the total down to 275 awaiting my reply.

You see, I usually answer every question, both on the blog. Plus I send an email response to the individual asking the question.

So early this afternoon I cried, “Uncle!” And so now I have to just start over. All the comments are on the blog — but not all of them are answered.

My compromise is that I am now working on a FAQ that will continue to grow. It will be on http://Daniel-Fast.com/faq.html and I hope you check it out. I will try to make it as complete as is reasonable.

I am sorry, but at the same time this is a sign that more people than ever are entering into the powerful discipline of prayer and fasting.

So, I have a fresh slate and I will try to keep up with the questions as they arrive into my inbox. But please make sure to look for the answer on the blog before you post a question. Also, I am sending those who signed up for the mailing list all kinds of information several times each week. To sign up, please complete the “opt-in” form at www.Daniel-Fast.com

Thanks for our understanding!

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The Daniel Fast Blogger is catching up!

January 3, 2009 at 8:17 am (* Thoughts from Susan, 2009 Daniel Fast, Daniel Fast)
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Good morning!

I want to thank everyone for their patience as I continue to catch up on all the comments left on the Daniel Fast blog in the last few days. I think there are now only 32 that still need a response. My little fingers are typing as fast as they can go . . . and I have to admit that by late into the evening (after writing from dawn) my brain just gets mushy and you wouldn’t want my response!

All is well and I hope to be caught up by the end of today. I am away from my keyboard for a few hours while I do some volunteer work at my church. But for most of the day I will be tapping away on my computer in my little cottage in frozen Central Washington State (it’s currently -2 degrees – say, “Burrrrr.”).

Be blessed as you enter into the New Year fast. And please feel free to contact me with any questions you might have. I love offering you any assistance I can.

Oh, one more thing. I am in the process of building another website that I hope will be useful to members of our friendly Daniel Fast Community. You can check it out at www.Daniel-Fast.com but please keep in mind that it’s a lot like me . . . still under construction!

Have a great day!

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Happy New Year . . . almost

December 31, 2008 at 11:37 am (* Thoughts from Susan, 2009 Daniel Fast)
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Hi my dear friends,

I am writing this post from snowy Washington State! Thankfully, I am near a roaring fire and have a lovely cup of hot Starbuck’s by my side! Oh, life is good.

This is one of my favorite times of year. Advent, Christmas, the New Year and the Daniel Fast are all squeezed into these months and they are full of life, creativity and anticipation!

I have been very busy completing a new Daniel Fast Cookbook and getting a new site built to help support you, me and others as we engage in this powerful New Year Fast. You can visit the site at www.Daniel-Fast.com but please keep in mind that it is not complete! I am much more of a writer than I am an Internet techie, so a lot of the details take me a lot of time. But God is good and He has put some wonderful and helpful people in my path to help me along the way.

Tonight will be one of my favorite nights of the year. For the fourth year in a row I will write my list entitled, “Wow! Look what I did in 2008!” Then I start looking back at all the many blessings and good memories of the year. I keep making the statement, “Wow! Look what I did in 2008,” until I have a list of 100 memories. Not all are mountaintop experiences. Some are sweet conversations with a friend or one of my children. Or sights I’ve enjoyed like seeing a doe and her fawn in my front yard. But other are big deals!

They all are listed. And the good thing about not quitting until I have 100 on my list is that I have to dig deep into the memory bank to list them. I get to relive these positive experiences, in a way. And this is a lovely way to capture special moments blessings.

This will be my fourth year and I now can look back and use lists from previous years to spark the memories that could so easily be lost in the shuffle of a busy life.

I can promise that high on my “Wow! Look what I did last year!” will be the great pleasure I have had in communicating with you and others through this simple little blog. Words cannot express how much you mean to me and the precious gift you are from the hand of my wonderful Abba Father.

I hope you end this year surrounded by good things and blessed memories. And that you look forward to the New Year with great joy and anticipation.

Happy New Year!

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He will never leave you or forsake you!

November 20, 2008 at 2:46 pm (* Thoughts from Susan, Uncategorized)
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At a time when many are feeling vulnerable and as risk, we can put our faith in Christ who is faithful all the time and offers the security we need. Take a few minutes and feed your spirit with this powerful message.

Mercy Said No by CeCe Winans

This is from CeCe Winans’ Throne Room CD, which is an awesom collection of music that will touch your heart.

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The Daniel Fast and Financial Breakthrough

November 20, 2008 at 9:24 am (* Thoughts from Susan, Faith, Spiritual Fasting)
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Okay friends, the world is experiencing tough times with the financial markets in a free-fall with no sure end in sight. Perhaps you’ve experienced losses at this time, along with many in the United States and throughout the world. But one thing we know from the Scriptures is that, “We are IN this world, but not OF this world.” And now, perhaps more than ever before in our lifetimes, is when we need to press into God and focus on Him rather than the fear and dread that wants to overtake us.

Fasting to “tune up” your spiritual life is a really smart thing to do! Why? Because fasting is setting ourselves apart . . . and centering our lives on God. It’s not just eating differently and expecting some supernatural results. But rather, fasting helps us focus more on God and His Word and as His truth takes root in our heart, we experience the supernatural power of the Most High God.

If you are feeling nervous or anxious right not, take this opportunity to pray and fast. You might just start with a three-day Daniel Fast . . . and see how things go. You might want to extend if you sense the Lord calling you to a deeper place of understanding with Him. But as you fast, be sure to focus on the Lord. Get your eyes off the circumstances of this world and on to the promises of God in His Word.

Read Deuteronomy 28, do a study on the word “faith,” or read about the many times the Lord helped His people in times of great economic stress. Feed your spirit by meditating on God’s truth! We are His people. He is our God. And He will see us through.

Take minute right now and read Psalm 91 and claim the hope and security the Lord has for you as you dwell in the secret place of the Most High. Remember, we are in the world but not of this world. We have another place where we can call home . . . the kingdom of God. So seek Him, His truth and His ways. Then you will find the joy, peace and security only He can provide.

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Daniel Fast for the Jewish New Year

September 29, 2008 at 8:46 am (* Thoughts from Susan)
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For the first time in my Christian life, I am being called to observe the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah) which begins tonight at sundown. This is a two-day celebration and while I won’t follow the traditions exactly, I do plan to take part of some of the powerful symbolic elements.

I then will partake in another Daniel Fast and will continue until nightfall on October 9th. This is my first fast during this period, but I felt a strong call from the Lord to use this powerful time in the Jewish calendar to press into some financial goals.

While I am not Jewish, I serve a Jewish Jesus . . . and after learning more about this time of year from the Jewish standpoint, it seems a perfect time to fast. September 29th is the beginning of the Jewish New Year or Rosh Hashanah. And while it’s very different from the Time Square dropping ball, champagne and confetti celebrations of American tradition — one thing is common. That is reflecting on the past year and setting plan and making goals for the New Year.

Considering the economic challenges in the world today, some personal financial goals I have for myself (to become debt free) and for my business (to solidify sustainable income), and the opportunity to draw even closer to God, I have decided to fast.

I will continue my fast through Yom Kippur, or The Day of Atonement. Oh, what a powerful day. Take time to study this most holy day in the Jewish year. You will be inspired, touched and full of praise for the Lamb slain on our behalf! But even though Jesus is my eternal atonement for my sins, the Lord is still very clear that this holy day is to be recognized FOREVER! So I am choosing to recognize this holy day in my life. A time for deep introspection, worship, praise and thanksgiving.

We serve and worship a loving and forgiving Father who so wants a deep and intimate relationship with us. Pray and fasting can draw us closer to the Lord . . . and His word says that He draws closer to us as we draw closer to Him. I love being close to the Most Holy God. I am thankful every day that I can come boldly to His throne because of what His Son did on the cross. I am forever grateful for the love, care and grace He gives me!

With all that in mind, I will enter this time with praise and expectation! Glory to the Most High God.

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A Call to Faith, Trust and Ministry

September 27, 2008 at 5:48 pm (* Thoughts from Susan, Daniel Fast, Spiritual Fasting)

I’m writing today to share some thoughts with you as we experience these unprecedented times in this old world. I am not writing a message of gloom or despair. But instead just some thoughts from one friend to another . . .

The reality is that a major shaking is taking place! I listened to the news broadcast on CNN (Christian News Network) on Friday and the headlines seemed more fantasy than real. It reminded me of an episode of Mission Impossible. Here were the announcements: 

  • The FBI is investigating Lehman Brothers and three other contributors to America’s financial crisis to determine possible wrong-doing along with concerns that Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, AIG or Lehman may have sought to encourage agencies to inflate their ratings.
  • WAMU (Washington Mutual Bank) lost more than 50 percent of their loan portfolio overnight and finally was seized by the government and eventually taken over by Chase.
  • World credit markets are frozen.
  • The risk of a worldwide financial meltdown is in sight.
  • Congress goes to work to consider $700 billion economic bailout, the biggest in human history.
  • Housing market experiences greatest downturn since the Great Depression.
  • 54,000 children in China are sick from contaminated milk and baby foods. Four infants have died.
  • Police are called to patrol lines of drivers waiting to fill their cars’ gas tanks after Hurricane Ike. Some arrests took place. Some drivers were stranded and unable to get to work.
  • Some colleges had to close because students were not showing up for classes due to the gas shortage.
  • There was a prayer rally in India to show support for thousands of local Christians who have been displaced due to deadly attacks from Hindu radicals. The threat is, “Go back to Hinduism or die.”

No, this isn’t from some Sci-Fi script. All these things are taking place right now as you read these words.

The credit crisis is the biggest news, and it isn’t something that will go away soon. Worldwide political issues are stirring. And we’re about to elect a new president and experience a significant change in our government.

This is all a recipe for fear, worry and panic. But that’s only if we trust in the world’s systems rather than God’s If there was ever an important time to focus on prayer, strengthen our faith, and depend on God, it is now. 

I also find it very interesting that we are about to enter one of the most significant times in the Jewish calendar. September 29th marks the New Year on the Jewish calendar. It’s called Rosh Hashanah, also known as a Day of Judgment, and is the first of a 10 day period of repentance. These days are for reflection, self-examination, consideration of ones ethical and moral responsibilities, and it provides each person an opportunity to restore relationships with other human beings and with God. 

This time or repentance (change) leads to the holiest day in the Jewish year, Yom Kippur, known as the Day of Atonement. Yom Kippur is a 25-hour period of fasting, worship, and thoughtful reflection on the past year. It is intended to encourage an inner change, a “return” to living life as God and an appropriate lifestyle for His holy people. This year Yom Kippur starts at nightfall on October 8th and is completed at nightfall on October 9th. 

As Christians, Christ is our eternal atonement. We are assured of forgiveness because of His blood. But are we living according to Kingdom of God principles. As the world money systems shake around us . . . are we worried about our future because we have placed our faith in mammon and not in God? 

Is our loving Father giving us a wake-up call? A call to arms? A call to faith? 

I have exchanged emails with many other members of our growing Daniel Fast Community over the last many months. Many faithful men and women have expressed their “sensing” of preparation of something to come. Are we getting ready for what could be the greatest hour for the Body of Christ to minister to those who don’t yet know their Savior? 

I am not making any predictions, because I really don’t know. However, I do know that when I look at the circumstances, the world is a very unstable place. And I see many similarities between today’s events and what I read in Joel, Daniel, Matthew and Revelation (just to name a few). 

Isaiah 50:7 reads, “For the Lord GOD will help Me; therefore I will not be disgraced; therefore I have set My face like a flint, and I know that I will not be ashamed.” 

Are we, children of the Most High God, being called to “set our faces like flint?” In other words, are we being called to take are faith more seriously than at any other time in our lives? Is this a time to press into the things of God as never before? Are we to be so focused on God that we look neither to the left or to the right? Is this one of those times when after we have done all we know to stand we are to stand? 

Those who depend on the world could be in store for a very hard time . . . but not us. You and I are children of Jehovah Jireh and El Shaddai. We are in this world but not of this world . . . and we each have an opportunity right now to search our hearts . . . to make sure there is good ground in which the Word of God can grow and flourish. The Kingdom of God is our home, our trust and our security. God is faithful and longs to have us depend only on Him. 

God bless you and thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts with me and others!

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Daniel Fast Blogger Update

June 6, 2008 at 9:54 am (* Thoughts from Susan)
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For those of you on my email list, I am sorry for my recent absence! I’ve been pouring my time into some new efforts, including writing a Study Guide to one of the most powerful books I’ve ever read! I will be in touch with you about that in the next few days. I truly am amazed by what I have learned and the HUGE difference this understanding has made in my relationship with Christ. It is awesome!

I also want to tell you about a fasting book I read by a wonderful woman of God. Her name is Bishop CD Miller. Her book is called The Lord’s Fast and offers valuable lessons in going deep with the Lord when you fast. I encourage you to check it out.

God is so good! He is faithful! And the more we learn about living according to Kingdom principles, the more victory we will experience in our lives. From my own experience, the Daniel Fast has served as a significant spiritual discipline in my life to support me in my relationship with the Lord. I know many of you have had the same experience . . . it’s like having a blanket of security wrapped around me as I sanctify my body, soul and spirit unto the Lord.

Please drop me a line and let me know how you are doing! Also, let your friends know about this blog. Let’s get the word out about growing in the spirit. More and more people are turning to fasting as they seek a more intimate relationship with God. I can’t even number the many men and women who have stumbled upon this site and believe it to be a blessing from the Lord.

That is my hope and my call – to bless God by blessing His people.

Peace to you . . . be blessed as you continue to grow in the love and knowledge of Christ.

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