Why No Herbal Tea or 100% Juice!

One of the most frequently asked questions I receive about the Daniel Fast concerns herbal tea. People have a hard time understanding why they can’t have it on the fast, especially if it’s caffeine-free and organic. The same question is asked about fruit and vegetable juice.

The answer is really quite simple and it’s found in Daniel 1:12 where the Prophet’s words are recorded:

“Please test your servants for ten days, and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink.”

This is the anchor text that says we drink only water on the Daniel Fast. Tea and juice aren’t off the list because they are bad for you. They are off the list because there is no room for juice or tea in “drink only water.”

I hope this helps solve some of the confusion as to why  no other beverages are allowed on the Daniel Fast. When you think “beverage” during the Daniel Fast, you think “water.”

Now, let’s move to a little bit of a complicated matter, and that has to do with “juiced fruit and vegetables” that are allowed on the Daniel Fast. The reason they are listed is because many people have meals of juiced produce. It’s not a beverage . . . it’s a meal. One woman wrote to me today and told me she uses juiced meals when she’s traveling and at work.  But she also accompanies the juiced meal with a beverage . . . which is filtered water. So if you are making meal replacements by juicing fruits and vegetables, then they would be acceptable. It’s a fine line. Juice as a beverage is not allowed . . . liquid meals like smoothies and other plant-based protein drinks are okay.

Water has many benefits . . . including thwarting hunger, helping with detox headaches and cleansing the body. The average adult should drink at least 1/2 gallon of filtered water every day. If this is a new practice for you, you will be very surprised by the benefits you experience.

Daniel Fast – it’s so much more than the food!

I am concerned about a trend that seems to be happening in the Daniel Fast genre. And it has to do with so much attention being put on recipes and cookbooks and what we can eat and what we can’t! The Daniel Fast is so much more than food! And when we keep our focus on the food, it seems it’s just another way to feed the flesh rather than denying it!

Don’t get me wrong, I know we need to have good recipes for the Daniel Fast. After all, this is a partial fast where some foods are restricted and other foods are allowed. But the Daniel Fast is not a plan to merely replace all the foods we enjoy eating all the time with a vegan variety!

With that said, I do believe God is using the Daniel Fast to bring more of His people into a healthy way of feeding the Temple of the Holy Spirit – a temple He has entrusted to our care. And with the health crisis in the United States and other countries in the world, it’s critical that we start eating good foods designed by the Creator for the bodies He created!

But I encourage all those who use the Daniel Fast as their method of fasting to examine your heart as you try to figure out ways to satisfy the flesh by going to great lengths to serve up some alternative.

Again, please don’t misunderstand me. I know we need good recipes. I know it’s okay for us to enjoy the food the Lord created for us. But I also know that we need to keep things in balance and not get our eyes so much on the food that we miss the purpose of fasting. It’s a spiritual experience where we put our whole beings under the submission of the Lord. And I do believe there is a danger in going too far in satisfying the flesh by focusing too much on food and missing out on the vital element of submission that a period of prayer and fasting employs.

Homemade Dijon Mustard for the Daniel Fast

As you probably have discovered, most prepared Dijon mustard includes sugar or another sweetener in its ingredients, deeming it unusable on the Daniel Fast. However, since most of us eat a lot more salads than usual, we want good flavors . . . and adding Dijon mustard to our salad dressing recipes provides a wonderful, full flavor. So here is a recipe for Homemade Dijon Mustard! You can make a batch of it and store it for use during the Daniel Fast. If you want, you can add a little honey to the recipe AFTER the fast, but meanwhile, be blessed with this modified recipe.

Ingredients:
2 cups dry white wine vinegar
1 cup finely chopped onions
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
4 ounces dry mustard
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 teaspoons salt
Few drops Tabasco

Directions: Combine vinegar, onion and garlic. Heat to boiling and simmer for five minutes. Pour into medium bowl to cool cool. Add dry mustard to a small sauce pan. Now pour the vinegar mixture through a strainer into the saucepan, whisking until very smooth. Sir in the salt and Tabasco. Heat slowly, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens. Allow to cool and then pour into non-metallic covered container. For best results, chill at last two days before using. This mixture will stay fresh in the refrigerator for several weeks.

Daniel Fast Breakfast Ideas

Daniel Fast Breakfast Ideas

I receive a lot of questions about the Daniel Fast and breakfast ideas! When we’re not fasting we’re so used to having dairy products (not allowed on the Daniel Fast), eggs and other animal proteins. So this is a good time to be creative!

Here are some of my favorites . . . you can find many recipes in the Daniel Fast books and cookbooks available at http://daniel-fast.com/store.html

Also, if you have Daniel Fast breakfast ideas . . . please post them here!

1. Muesli with unsweetened soy milk
2. Rice cakes (made with brown rice) with peanut butter and raisins
3. Fruit smoothies with unsweetened soy milk
4. Sautéed apples in coconut oil with brown rice
5. Oatmeal with dried fruit and unsweetened soy milk
6. Homemade tortillas with stir-fried veggies

These are just a few of my Daniel Fast Breakfast Ideas! Please add your favorites and be blessed on your fast!

The Daniel Fast – is it Really Hard on the Budget?

I am eager to hear from men and women about the cost of the Daniel Fast eating plan. I read posts from men and women saying they can’t afford to go on the Daniel Fast because it’s too expensive.

Please leave your thoughts about this so I can address if from a place of more specific information. What is too expensive? And what are the comparisons?

My food bill goes down during the Daniel Fast. So that’s why I am curious about this claim that, “the Daniel Fast is too expensive and so I can’t fast.”

Thanks for your help! I am eager to hear from people who will give specific information and not just generalities, which have already been supplied.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Daniel Fast on Paula Today

God is so good to have opened another door so others can learn about the Daniel Fast! I appear on Paula White’s television ministry program on January 6th and 7th where we talk about the Daniel Fast and its many benefits.

Susan Gregory and Paula White - The Daniel Fast

 You can check your Christian television schedule to learn of when the show will broadcast in your area . . .

Daniel Fast – does it change God or change you?

I am now entering into my fourth year of teaching people about the Daniel Fast, a method of spiritual fasting practiced by millions of people throughout the world. Over the years, I’ve answered literally thousands of questions about the Daniel Fast and God has blessed me to make friends with men and women from more countries than I can count.

One thing I’ve noticed is that many people have a serious misunderstanding as to why they fast. And the greatest misunderstanding is that God will think of them as “better Christians” or accept them more readily if they complete a successful Daniel Fast.

But here’s the truth . . . you will not change God’s mind about you through prayer and fasting. The only thing that changes God’s mind about you – or I should say the only thing that will change your position with God – is Jesus Christ.  Because you believe in Christ and abide in Him and His word . . . that’s what makes you acceptable to God. Jesus makes you righteous and able to enter into the presence of the Holiest of Holy. The sacrificial blood of the Jesus did all the work that you will ever need to be acceptable to God.

Another misunderstanding about fasting is that we can change God’s mind by praying harder or more diligently when we fast – as if we need to counsel God so He can make the right decision about a matter.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, God greatly desires His will be to “on earth as it is in heaven.” He wants the very best for you and everyone in your family. He wants you healed. He wants you free of worry and stress over money matters. He wants you to have loving and healthy relationships. His Word is full of what He wants – His will for you and for me and for all of humankind.

We don’t need to convince God or inform Him or guide Him. Instead, it’s the other way around. God is eager to shower you with love, healing, peace and goodness. He is good! He is love.

So what are the spiritual laws that God designed so that His will can be done on earth as it is in heaven?

It’s prayer. Prayers from God’s people serve as a conduit to release His will from the spiritual realm into the earth realm. Prayer is the essential element.

One of my favorite Bible teachers likens this spiritual law to a power plant. The power plant is there and eager to release its power to whatever needs it. So let’s say you have a light bulb that you want to use to manifest light. The power plant is where it is ready to release electrical power. The light bulb is with you ready to receive the electricity. But there is a missing part . . . the conduit – the wires. Once the right wires are in place the power plant can release the power – and the light bulb can receive it.

The same is with our amazing Father. He is in heaven full of power, love, mercy and grace. His will is to have His power released in the earth to relieve burdens, bring order to chaos, heal the brokenhearted, remove disease and so much more. But before His power can be released there needs to be the conduit – men and women declaring His will through their prayers. Intercessors are required to stand in the gap for those who can’t pray for themselves. Prayer warriors must voice the will of God for the needs in our world.

Prayer taps into the power plant – the almighty God in heaven – and allows Him to release His power and His ways into the earth realm – His will on earth as it is in heaven.

So prayer and fasting is a period of time where God’s children can separate themselves from their typical activities and focus on God and pray that His will be released in the earth. Jesus says in Mark 11:24, “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” Notice all the elements? Prayers to heaven – the need on earth – the release of God’s power.

Enter a time of prayer and fasting using the Daniel Fast as your method of fasting . . . study God’s Word to learn His will for a situation . . . and then use your consecrated period of time to pray His will into the circumstances! He already knows everything you need. He’s the almighty God. He doesn’t need us to inform Him or convince Him or move Him.

Instead, God needs you! He needs you to pray . . . and sometimes prayer needs to be intense and focused . . . and that’s when it’s time for a fast! Fasting was designed by God to help us change what we’re doing in our typical days so we can pray that His will be done – on earth as it is in heaven.

Be blessed on your fast.

Daniel Fast Guidelines

If you want a copy of the Daniel Fast Guidelines, just to go http://Daniel-Fast.com and you will receive a convenient brochure that you can use for meal planning, shopping and dining. The complimentary Daniel Fast Guidelines are in a PDF file that will be emailed directly to you.

The New Daniel Fast Book

Click on the book! Available at your online or local bookstore.

I am so pleased to announce the release of my brand new paperback book titled The Daniel Fast: Feed Your Soul, Strengthen Your Spirit, and Renew Your Body and published by Tyndale Publishing House. It’s available at all local and online bookstores throughout North America.

I have been able to go into great depths about the powerful discipline of prayer and fasting and really give you everything you need for a successful Daniel Fast in the 288 pages of this book.

As you can see from this blog and my Daniel Fast site, there is a lot to learn about the Daniel Fast. Thankfully, over the years as I’ve researched the hundreds of questions being asked, I’ve been able to gain a level of expertise about the Daniel Fast and it’s biblical truths and foundations.

I do hope you will support this lay ministry by purchasing this new paperback book from your favorite bookseller. I also want you to get it so that you can become an ambassador for the Daniel Fast and help get the truth out about the guidelines and what it really is all about. I have been shocked by what some are teaching about this fast . . . and that’s why you and others are needed to inform those who may be misled.

The book includes everything someone needs for a successful fast including what fasting is, the biblical background of prayer and fasting, how to prepare for a Daniel Fast, the Daniel Fast Guidelines, plenty of nutritious and tasty recipes for your Daniel Fast (it’s almost like a cookbook within a book), a 21-day Daniel Fast Daily Devotional, and a FAQ section!

So, please join me to get the word out about The Daniel Fast as more and more Christians enter into this discipline. The fasting movement is spreading throughout the world! And I praise God for all He is doing to motivate His children to draw closer to Him through prayer and fasting.

Be blessed and thanks in advance for your support!

The 2010 New Year Fast – The Daniel Fast

Praise God! The time is fast approaching for the New Year Fast. So many of us have experienced amazing breakthroughs and a deeper relationship with God during this 21-day period of focused prayer and fasting.

First, let me say that there is no right or wrong time to start the New Year Fast. However, most people will start it at sundown on Sunday, January 3rd. Pastor Jentezen Franklin from of Free Chapel Church (GA and CA) has called the corporate fast he leads to begin on January 10th and conclude on the 31st.

Now if you or your church starts at another time, then all is well. So don’t worry about a specific date or time.

If you want a copy of the Daniel Fast Guidelines emailed to you, please visit http://www.Daniel-Fast.com and enter your first name and email list in the little form. This will subscribe you to the Daniel Fast Community where you will receive occasional emails with fasting tips, recipes, devotions and lots of information about spiritual fasting and the Daniel Fast.

Also, be sure to begin preparing for the fast about 10-7 days before your start date. Drink plenty of filtered water (home filtering is fine) and taper off caffeine, sugar and processed foods.

Lastly, decide your focus for the fast. Most important is to draw closer to God. But this is also an excellent opportunity to seek God for the challenges you may be facing right now.

Be blessed, dear one, as you read these words. I hope you stay in touch as you continue to grow in the love and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ through prayer and fasting.