September 30, 2009 at 5:07 pm (Daniel Fast, Spiritual Fasting, Uncategorized)
Tags: biblical fasting, Christian, Christian Fasting, Daniel Fast, Daniels Fast, fasting, Spiritual Fasting
More and more followers of Christ are discovering the power and benefits of Christian fasting. In fact, Christian fasting is growing at such a fast rate that this site alone has had more 1.5 millioin hits since I started it in December 2007. I hope you take some time to look around this blog and the www.Daniel-Fast.com site. It’s packed with lots of information about Christian Fasting and also about The Daniel Fast.
There are several types of Christian fasting. Many people think of totally abstaining from food, which is indeed a type of fast. However, the type of fast that is growing in popularity is a partial fast based on the fasting experiences of the Prophet Daniel. It’s called the Daniel Fast and serves as a type of fast that one can employ during any time of the year and for whatever length of time one feels led.
With that in mind, the benefits of the Daniel Fast are best gained over at least 10 days. Most often the fast is practiced for 21 days, yet this is not a requirement.
The Daniel Fast is a partial fast in that some foods are restricted, but not all. I often explain it to people as a vegan diet with more restrictions. All foods are plant-based and the only beverage is water (see Daniel 1). Additionally, there are no sweeteners, deep fried foods, stimulants (including caffeine), processed foods or man-made chemical on the fast.
When you begin Christian fasting, think of it similar to going on a vacation. You plan your vacation and it has a purpose, you prepare for your vacation before you start it, when you are on your vacation, you behave differently, and when you return from your vacation you reflect on the experience.
Christian fasting is similar in that you will plan, prepare, act differently , and then reflect on your fast when it is complete. The purpose of fasting is to bring you into a closer relationship with God. You are setting into motion a heightened focus on prayer, meditation, study and devotion for a specific purpose.
Please take your time to investigate this blog as you consider your fast. And may you continue to grow in the love and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ as you experience this special discipline of prayer and fasting!
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July 30, 2009 at 12:54 pm (2009 Daniel Fast, 21-day fast, Daniel Fast, Daniel Fast Guidelines, Foods and Menus, Health & Healing)
Tags: 21-Day Daniel Fast, 21-day fast, amazon, Daniel diet, Daniel Fast, Daniel Fast Cookbook, daniel fast recipes, Daniels Fast, Daniels Fast Cookbook, fasting, Spiritual Fasting, the daniel fast
I just read an article from Johns Hopkins University that cited a new study about MSG. You can find it at MSG STUDY. It’s worth reading, especially when you wonder why you feel so good while on the Daniel Fast.
The article is also very convincing as to why most men and women lose weight while on the Daniel Fast. Here’s an overview:
The study finds that MSG causes the human body to gain weight three times more than those who don’t use the chemical! Here’s an excerpt:
“The study focused on 750 Chinese men and women, ages 40-59, living in 3 rural villages in north and south China. Most of the study subjects prepared their meals at home without commercially processed foods and roughly 82 percent used MSG. Those participants who used the highest amounts of MSG had nearly 3 times the incidence of overweight as those who did not use MSG, even when physical activity, total caloric intake, and other possible explanations for body mass differences were accounted for. The positive correlation between MSG and higher weight confirmed what animal studies have been suggesting for years.”
Most people think MSG (monsodium glutamate) is found only in prepared Chinese food or the food you get in Chinese restaurants. But the truth is that more and more food manufactures are adding MSG to their products because the chemical is a flavor enhancer.
Here is what is really amazing: in 1950 Americans consumed about 1 million pounds of MSG a year. Now that consumption has increased by 300 percent! That’s right, American consume more than 3 million pounds of MSG each year! And we wonder why we have a weight problem!
The best way to avoid MSG is to make you own meals from scratch. When that it’s possible, then - here we go again - READ THE LABEL on the foods you purchase to see what the ingredients include. One problem is that the law only requires ingredients to be listed if they represent a certain percent of all the ingredients. So if what seems like only a small amount of MSG is added, then it will not appear on the list.
I hope that most of those on the Daniel Fast are making most of your meals from fresh products and using packaged products that you can be sure don’t include chemicals. One thing I know is that many men and women continue to eat a more healthy diet with pure foods after they complete the fast because they realize good food is so good for them.
Please take a few minutes and read the article about THE MSG STUDY. You owe it to yourself and to your body!
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July 25, 2009 at 7:18 am (* Thoughts from Susan, 2009 Daniel Fast, 21-day fast, Daniel Fast)
Tags: amazon, Daniel diet, Daniel Fast, Daniels Fast, fasting, Spiritual Fasting, the daniel fast
“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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June 17, 2009 at 8:00 pm (21-day fast, Daniel Fast, Health & Healing)
Tags: 21-Day Daniel Fast, cholesterol, Daniel diet, Daniel Fast, daniel fast foods, Daniels Fast, fasting, foods, health, lower cholesterol, Spiritual Fasting
First, I want to make it clear that the purpose of fasting and of the Daniel Fast is not all about health. Remember, the definition of fasting is “to restrict food for a spiritual purpose.” So seeking a deeper relationship with God is the primary purpose of fasting.
With that said, there are some powerful benefits to Daniel Fast. One of those is that many people find their cholesterol lowers after they have been on the Daniel Fast for 21 or more consecutive days.
So why is the Daniel Fast so good at lowering cholesterol? The main reason is that the eating plan includes so much fiber (a.k.a. roughage). Fiber is a powerful part of food and sadly, most western diets contain very little of it these days. Fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and beans are all packed with fiber. And the great benefit of it is that it helps in the digestive process!
Now here is the little known fact of why that it so important to hour health and why eating adequate fiber lowers cholesterol. During digestion, our body created bile to help digest the food. However, undigested bile is what increases cholesterol. When we eat enough fiber, it kind of scrubs our intestines, absorbs the left-over bile, and then eliminates it from our body!
That’s a good thing! If the bile builds up it goes into the blood stream, turns into cholesterol and then the build-up starts.
The Daniel Fast is totally plant based with lost of whole grains, fruits, vegetables and beans. So when you eat these fiber rich foods for an extended period of time, your body starts the cleaning process with the help of the fiber scrub brushes and your cholesterol count goes down.
Very cool in my opinion! To make things even better, fiber also contributes to preventing cancer and also aids in slower sugar absorption which is good for those with diabetes. Plus, fiber makes us feel fuller and thus reduces the appetite.
So, if you have high cholesterol, then the Daniel Fast is a sure prescription for helping you toward better health!
You can learn more about fiber at this site: Benefits of Fiber
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April 28, 2009 at 9:00 am (Uncategorized)
Hi friends,
Well, I am back from a fabulous time in Zimbabwe and South Africa. Our nine-member team had a very successful mission trip and God’s presence and blessings went before us the whole time.
I will write more about this experience in the next couple days (if you want to be on the Daniel Fast mailing list go to www.Daniel-Fast.com and sign up). But I just wanted to write a quick note and say thank you for your prayers and support! I can honestly say that God revealed to me in a powerful way that I was in the center of His will while I was there. He also showed me that He has more for me to do in Zimbabwe by partnering with the body of Christ that is so deeply rooted there.
Over the next few days I will catch up with the comments left on the blog. I have another 35 comment replies!
God is so good and I am thankful to know Him and serve Him!
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April 16, 2009 at 4:45 am (Uncategorized)
This will be We a quick post as I am in an Internet cafe in Middleburg, South Africa. I am here with a nine-member mission team sharing God’s love and encouragement with our Christian brothers and sisters in Christ in Zimbabwe and now South Africa.
The ministry time has been powerful and God’s grace has been so evident! I am eager to share more with you when I return in less than a week. Thank you for your continued prayers. We all sense the covering and I praise God for you!
I am sorry this is so short, but “we’re not in Kansas anymore!” I will write more when I am back home.
Be blessed!
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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!
2 Comments
February 25, 2009 at 11:32 am (2009 Daniel Fast, Lent, Prayer, Spiritual Fasting)
Tags: 40-day fast, Daniel Fast, Daniel Fast Food List, daniel fast recipes, Daniels Fast, fasting, Lent, Spiritual Fasting
I am writing this post on Ash Wednesday, 2009. Today marks the first day of Lent for millions of Christians throughout the world. Lent is a period of fasting for 40 days prior to Easter, with most fasting six days and week and then eating moderately on Sunday. The big feast is on Easter as we celebrate the most important day of the entire year – Resurrection Sunday!
Many will “give up” a type of food during Lent, such as chocolate or coffee. However, a growing number of followers of Jesus Christ are using the Daniel Fast for their Lenten discipline of prayer and fasting.
If you are using the Daniel Fast as your method of fasting during this time of consecration, I do encourage you to sign up for the Daniel Fast Mailing List by going to www.Daniel-Fast.com so you can receive periodic free information that will help you be successful in your fast. Also, when you do sign up you will receive an invitation for the free Daniel Fast Notes, which are daily email devotions that receive very positive reviews from readers.
Also, since so many people do the Daniel Fast for 21 days (see Daniel 10) you will find the 21-day reference throughout this site. However, the Daniel Fast is not restricted to only 21 days. So a 40-day Daniel Fast is totally appropriate.
God bless you on your Lenten Fast. My prayer is that you will draw closer to the Lord and receive even more of the love, grace and direction He has for you.
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January 27, 2009 at 12:38 pm (Daniel Fast)
Tags: Daniel diet, Daniel Fast, Daniel Fast Cookbook, Daniel Fast Food List, Daniel Fast Guidelines, daniel fast recipes, fasting movement, jentzen fast, Spiritual Fasting
Hi friends,
I wanted all readers to know that you can find answers to many of your questions at www.Daniel-Fast.com/faq.html, which is a page on the new website I built to help support you toward a successful fasting experience.
You will find many answers there. Also, if you don’t find an answer to your question, please submit it by sending an email to me (you will find the address at the site). I will answer and then also add the response to the site to help others in the future!
Thanks for your help.
78 Comments
January 23, 2009 at 12:15 pm (2009 Daniel Fast, 21-day fast, Daniel Fast, Health & Healing, Spiritual Fasting)
Tags: Daniel diet, Daniel Fast, daniel fast recipes, Daniel movement, Daniels Fast, fasting, Spiritual Fasting
Many men and women will complete their 21-day Daniel Fast over the weekend. And so I wanted to post some advice about ending your fast. Even if you are not concluding your fast, please keep this information in mind. It is important.
- Ease back into your “typical diet.” This is especially true with caffeine, sugar, fatty foods, meat and dairy products. Small portions are wise and go slow, perhaps just one or two foods per day.
- For caffeine beverages, drink one small cup or glass and then see how your body reacts. Don’t be surprised if you get the “jitters.” Consider starting with de-caf (I realize that’s almost criminal for those of us who love the java).
- Don’t be surprised if you feel tired after you start eating the “typical foods.” Your body has been detoxed over the 21-day Daniel Fast and it might scoff at what it has to digest!
- Continue to drink lots of filtered water, at least 1/2 gallon a day.
Also, consider the lessons you’ve learned and the good habits you’ve adopted on the Daniel Fast. Don’t leave them behind, but let them become a regular part of your life. This includes your prayer and study time with the Lord as well as improved eating habits.
Finally, while you may always fast at the New Year, consider fasting at other times of the year. Many parents pray and then fast from dawn to dusk on their children’s birthdays. If you have pressing issues or circumstances facing you, consider a time of consecrated prayer and fasting. Last year I fasted during Pentecost seeking the Lord’s direction for some personal business matters.
The Daniel Fast is an excellent method for a partial fast. It beats John the Baptist’s fast — honey and locust!
Be blessed!
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