Daniel Fast – Week 1

We made it through the first week! And it wasn’t as bad as I thought. On January 3/4 Erin and I started a 21 day Daniel Fast. It’s a corporate fast that our church is taking part in along with 3 other churches in Peoria. What a way to kick of the year! It was a dramatic departure from our usual diet but we were both excited to see how it would go.

I’ve done fasts in many different forms and lengths before, partial fasts for an extended period of time(from soda or sweets), and full fasts for a few days at a time(nothing to eat), and the Daniel fast seemed like it could be a fun challenge! The Daniel Fast is a partial fast based on the book of Daniel. In Daniel 10:2 Daniel fasts for 3 weeks and only eats only fruits and vegetables and drank only water. Its from this that we draw our restrictions.

Its has been a great week. Erin has been cooking up some fantastic new recipes to keep us on track, and while we still wish some of the dishes had meat or cheese in them overall its been very satisfying. So far the paella and the taco soup have been my favorites.

The best part by far is the real reason for the fasting. To draw closer to God. I have been on a new bible reading plan and as we started this fast I have read along as the Israelites were wandering through the wilderness. God was providing them with mana, yet they still complained. I couldn’t help but feel a connection on my first morning eating muesli for breakfast and thinking “This just doesn’t taste good, I’m only eating to get food into my system.” I’m not doing this because it will taste good, it’s so I can focus on God. I was not aware of how much enjoyment I got from food or how big a part of our life it was. Eating was at times even just a form of entertainment.

This first week has seemed very powerful. And I look forward to the weeks ahead. I think God has great things planned for this fast as well as the rest of the year.

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