The Daniel Fast
Heather and I are in a season of life where we desperately need to be focused on God and His voice.
We are preparing to fast together and I’ve been researching tons.
How many of you have done this particular fast and how was your experience?
Los
RAIN IT DOWN
Yes, several times. The discipline to walk it out was more than I anticipated the first time, but it is always worth it. If you are fasting because you are committed to hearing God during that time and are of the mind that nothing will stop you, you’ve already won. There is no down side.
A few times… one time for 40 days… It was totally worth it and the 2nd week was the transition week… your body has some changes to make too, so don’t be surprised by that. most of all… drink alot of water… ALOT.
Do it. Totally worth it. TOTALLY.
You are so right about the warning to drink lots of water.
I’ve done it. It’s good. As Runni says, drink lots of water. It’s good for your body, too. It helps get rid of toxins. Be sure to take vitamins during it so you don’t get too weak. Hope it goes well!
A few times! And actually, after the Lord leading us and a lot of research, we just eat like that most of the time now as a normal thing. It’s AMAZING how much more energy you’ll have (after the first few weeks…your body will go through a detox). It is WELL worth it both for your physical body and for your spiritual life. It’s a good fast! Just make sure if you cook your veggies at all, you only cook em til they’re still really crunchy, otherwise the nutrients are cooked right out of them and the fast will be a LOT harder for you.
I agree Kelly. Doing the Daniel fast the first time leading up to the ‘The Call’ on 7/7/07 enlightened me on God’s reasoning for us eating the wholesome food he created. I did have to proactively focus my attention on God though because I would get too excited about how I was going to cook my veges for the next meal and what creative concoction I could come up with.
Just did one earlier this year, and loved it. It was harder than I thought though. Definitely requires some discipline. I reccomend putting some restrictions on tv/media as well. We found that doing that gave us more time to talk, get in the Word, and pray together during that time. It was good….
Yes! I so agree with the media thing! It makes a big difference!
What’s the Daniel fast?
I haven’t done the Daniel Fast but I have cut sweets and processed foods out of my diet for the past 18 months. I would say it’s great, you will feel so much better, but if you’re going to do it longer than a month or so, start taking vitamins. You will lose omega 3s and calcium by cutting out fish and cheese, which isn’t great. The hardest part will be refusing food that people offer to you, more because it can come across as being rude when people have been hospitable and prepared something for you. I always say that I’m doing a personal challenge, that seems to be received better.
I have fasted from meat since May of 2008 (I do however eat fish). It hasn’t always been easy (who doesn’t like crispy chewy bacon?) but the blessings have out weighed the inconvenience.
Why? After praying for direction for dealing with bipolar disorder this is what I feel the LORD has called me to do. Not everyone will understand. I try to be quiet about it but when asked outright sometimes you get odd looks. The funniest is when you tell someone you don’t eat meat so they offer you chicken or turkey. LOL.
My husband if very supportive and I feel blessed and thankful as he supports me in this.
A couple years ago our church challenged the congregation to do the Daniel Fast. I’m 17 now, so at the time I was probably 14 or 15. For the first 24 hours we could only liquids. For the other 39 days, we could only have all natural stuff… and no dairy. I ate a lot of fruits and vegetables and stuff. It was a challenge, but overall a good experience. Afterwards junk food will make you sick. Haha. I would go for it.
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My church did it. I couldn’t participate, but the pastor’s wife had the book The Daniel Fast. Maybe you should get that, she found really great recipes and the church enjoyed them!
I did it a while back (around 3 years ago) when Ed Young talked about it. You asked how it went for me, so I’m gonna tell you. It’s not a beautiful “God thing” story.
I was addicted to caffeine, and I was called to go without caffeine during the fast, so I drank herbal tea instead. I ate nuts and fruits, and drank decaf herbal tea and lots of water. By the end of the day, I was in fetal position on my bed after work due to caffeine withdrawals.
I caved. I had my wife order pizza and I went around the corner to Starbucks and chugged a venti bold coffee.
So, here’s my answer. It didn’t go well the first time, because I was so distracted by a massive headache that I caved, but I’ve dealt with my caffeine issue (story at http://thinknextnow.com/?p=176) and have decided to jump back into it. Since then, the only word I can use to describe the outcome of my Daniel fasts are “clarity.”
ps. On a related note, I hate herbal tea because of my first experience
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i’ve done it a few times, and honestly there is nothing more amazing than God and the clarity of HIS voice. the hard part of it is to discipline the mind constantly while doing it..”i can eat those other things, i just choose not to…God, your voice is most important to me…” and you need to make sure you allow yourself some time each day just to worship, and be still before HiM….I do not understand how or why it works, except for the fact that God honors when we sacrifice our loves for a closer relationship with HIM, and HE desires that.. Peace bro, will pray for you and Heather more, and pray for your fasting time. thinking i will do it too..
Our church participated in a Daniel Fast last fall. Here’s the link on our website for some free info – http://www.stonecreekchurch.org/danielfastfoods/
I highly recommend it. It’s not easy but that’s not really the point, is it? It does help you feel better and more alert (able to hear God’s voice clearly) and it is a healthy way of eating. It’s not cheap but when you factor in how much you’ll save by not driving through fast food lanes, you’re still better off.
One thing to remember is that a fast is not about focusing on what you are giving UP but what you are trying to focus ON. You refrain from [whatever] to replace it with [more time with God]. I struggled with sliding into legalism which is not the point. Now I’m thinking it may be time for another one. My focus needs some fine-tuning.
I didn’t realize how much I thought about food until I did the Daniel fast. And I only did it for a week! God taught me so much about things/people/situations that I was making ultimate during that time, that I’ve been thinking about doing it again. I took communion at midnight on the last day of my fast, and let me tell you that I tasted every little ingredient in that roll and grape juice, which in turn caused me to remember more deeply the sacrifice made for us. It made communion a whole new, rich experience for me.
I, also, second the water thing – and be prepared to use the restroom a LO! By the end of it you won’t even have to take a book or magazine in there. Those veggies will clean you out.
This January, I participated in Awake21 along with many at our church (Seacoast). This is the third 21 day fast I’ve been on, but the first time I’ve done the Daniel Fast, and it was one of the best (read fruitful) fasts I’ve ever been on. It’s not about going hungry. It’s about learning that you can say “No” to your flesh to put your focus on seeking God.
http://www.awake21.org/ has some great resources for fasting in general as well as for the Daniel fast.
Let us know when you start. I’ll be praying with you!
I’ve done this fast before. It is much more difficult than it sounds.
If you stick to the standard interpretation (no meat, sweets, only water and juice) you may find it difficult to find things to eat unless you are already have a lot of vegan stuff in your diet.
Heather will probably want to look into vegan cooking, because if you don’t get creative with your meals, it will make it that much more difficult. If you have more variety in what you are eating, it takes away much of the distraction of what you are not eating.
Eating out is probably even more difficult. Pretty much any fast food place is out of the question. May want to research and see if there are any vegan restaurants nearby, or restaurants with vegan menus.
I did it the first of the year and plan another fast next month. It really helped me draw close to God in a whole new way.
My wife had a copy of Deborah Madison’s “Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone,” which really helped. It had a number of vegan dishes and provided some great options.
I went through the caffeine withdrawals like others who have posted. I learned that you should taper your intake a week before the fast instead of cold turkey.
If you’re worried about protein, you can cook with tofu. It’s a great alternative.
With Whole Foods, Rainbow Grocery, Dekalb Farmer’s Market and even Publix/Kroger, you would have no trouble getting some variety.
I was surprised how much energy I had. Waking up wasn’t difficult. I run/bike often and didn’t have any trouble bonking.
Good luck!
I decided to try it this past February for many reasons, one to draw closer to the Lord. IT has been amazing how the Lord has answered prayer and how much I have had to purge my soul.He has broken me and pruned me. I not only feel healthy but I feel closer to the Lord. I am not on the Daniel fast any more but I do consider myself a vegetarian now. It is the best thing you can do. I will keep you in prayer and pray that the Lord show you great and Mighty things.
Oh and by the way I love your blog and your wife’s blog!!
We did it in conjunction with my MIL’s church. We also gave up internet and TV for those four weeks. I made it for 3 weeks, and then I got very,very sick. You don’t want the details, but I have stomach problems anyway. The next time we do a fast, I think we’ll chose to fast differently. Eating so much ruffage and such was really hard on me. However, aside from the fact that we defected a week early, the spiritual aspects were amazing. I did, however, feel incredibly guilty. If you’re healthy, I think it’s great.
Doing the Daniel Fast was the most difficult thing Ive ever done. It was also the most refreshing. Definitely worth it. I came out of it a better person
Just got done with it! Amazing and hard and one of the best things I have done for my body and relationship with God.
Ironic, my husband and I are doing it right now. We are at the end of our first of three weeks. We do it once year, mainly to detox and “reset” our digestive systems. Its great for your body and great for your discipline. I often forget I CAN say no to “just one more bite”.
As a vegan, I can say that if you guys don’t have time to cook from scratch, it’ll be a really hard transition. The key is planning and preparation =]
I’ve done the Daniel Fast. Here’s the funny thing. You can start googling it and find allllllllllllll kinds of recipes that “qualify” for the Daniel Fast. The strange thing is they take more effort, more energy, more time than you cooking your regular meals. To me it defeated the purpose of the fast. I say if you’re going to fast, set your parameters and stick to them. Don’t let a book or website do it. Because you will find a website that will allow “anything.” I think a lot people do the Daniel Fast because we as people live for loopholes and it has a lot of them.
Los, a man named Peter Haas taught me a phrase that has helped an EXTREME amount during my fasts…Daniel or not:
“Lord, I’m hungrier for you.”
When you feel a pang–which is often–the reminder helps to maintain an attitude and mindset of prayer throughout the day.
This is the best comment yet.
Yeah man… I just came off doing the Daniel fast for the 3 weeks leading up to Easter. I love food like you. Here’s what happened to me:
-I felt like garbage for the first week.
-My grocery bill went up. A lot.
-The Mongolian Grill becomes your best friend.
-I became much more attentive to God’s voice.
-My prayers had power and authority. Like… they changed the dynamic of the room. Set people free. Called people up and out.
-We had record numbers of people get baptized, attend Good Friday and Easter, and come to Christ.
-My appetites and desires no longer drove me. God drove them.
-Clarity. A lot of clarity. And focus.
-I became more interested in being obedient than anything else.
Oh… and I lost 10 lbs.
I would HIGHLY recommend you do it.
Hi, I have not done the Daniel fast, but I and my church have done fasts in the past, and from that I would say ‘BE CAREFUL’. If anyone has a history of an Eating Disorder (like me), or has any forseeable problems with cutting out food (i.e. Diabetics, Pregnant or Breastfeeding women, those on certain medications, people with highly physically active jobs/lifestyles, etc), I would recommend fasting from something that is non-food (i.e. Television, Facebook, etc).
Secondly, what I have tried to do, is to seek God all the time, by continually fasting from that which distracts me from him – TV, Addictions, etc.. because if I’m really serious about hearing from God, why would I not want to do it all the time?
My thoughts anyway. Hope it helps – and I hope God gives you what you need in this time and in the future.
Bless ya heaps.
It’s a great fast and there are variances to the fast. You can do a complete fast for the first 3 days and then go into the daniel fast…or just a straight daniel fast.
Expect the 2nd week to be the most difficult (if you are doing a 21 day fast)…and yes, expect body function changes and drink plenty of water or juice.
Any fast if it is coming from the heart and desire of drawing nearer to God will be blessed.
Susie A.
I’ve done several different kinds of fasts thruout the last several years… one was close to a Daniel Fast but not exactly… definitely something God-sustained (meaning, I was taken into this ‘fast time’ and it wasn’t until years later that I even understood what God had done – BUT that period of time literally helped me survive a really tough situation.)
the other fasts have been because God has taken me into a season of fasting. Typically those seasons are “friday fasts” – where for months or weeks I’ll fast on a friday and really focus prayer on the area I am praying about to God (so a day a week of concentrated prayer)
Two years ago, God led me into a 3 day fast, then a 7 day fast – both Juice fasts but it was pretty amazing. For stuff like this – always have people covering you in prayer for those days…
I think if you and Heather do this together… that is SO special and it will be a really blessed time for you both.
If y’all fast… post it on your site – I’d love to pray for you guys.
A lot of people from LC.TV staff did the Daniel Fast to start out this year. We did it for 21 days. Some people did it for 40. It was a great experience on many levels. We grew closer to the Lord and became truly thankful for each thing we put in our body. Personally, I realized that when I am stressed I look to sweets or caffeine to get me through instead of the Lord. With Brandon and I doing the fast together,it was great to be able to talk about it and how we were feeling and what we were learning. We felt great physically and spiritually. The first week was the hardest but it seemed to get easier. I believe fasting is a great way to grow closer to God and to seek out His direction. You guys will do great!
Done the Daniel Fast a couple times, and it’s a good thing. Caffeine withdrawals hurt for the first two days, but this last time i weaned myself off caffeine the week before and it wasn’t so bad.
you get sick of salads for sure, but there’s a lot of great recipes out there to get you through it. You can do potatoes, eat veggie burgers, and there’s some good soups too.
it’s a challenge and takes discipline, but still lets you eat a variety of foods so it’s not complete torture. hope it goes well for you guys if you do it.
It’s tough. I did it to detox and lose weight. It’s actually called the “Hallelujah Diet” or something, too. This was what my meals consisted of:
Brekkie: fruit smoothie (orange juice, berries, banana, hemp protein powder – it’s a plant, so I figure, why not? Plus, how else will you get your protein???)
Lunch: salad with lemon juice & salt, pepper – SOMETIMES an avocado
Dinner: same, or fruit, depending on my mood.
I’d also drink this Herbal Fiber Blend to help me detox. If I were you, i’d just buy psyllium husks and water to help you.
we did a church-wide DF last aug/sept. highly recommend it. personally, it allowed my wife and I do have some focused time to hear from God in a few areas.
May God speak as you fast. And may you be willing to hear and then to listen as He speaks.
My church just got finished doing this for Lent. I felt called to do it the entire time, meaning no Sundays off and I think that made for a deeper experience. I combined the fast with lots of prayer and extra devotionals in the morning and evening. The best part was that I felt closer to God than I have in a long time.
Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s helps a lot since most of their stuff is without artificial flavors (which is another thing you have to give up on the fast). And I think someone mentioned it above, but you do spend a lot more money than you normally would because of the fruits and veggies.
I would do it again in a heartbeat!
My wife and I typically do a 21 day fast (Daniel Fast) every January, my Dad did 21-40 day fasts (liquid only) every January growing up. Awesome times of focus and being reminded of purpose!
Do yourself a favor and write down what your guidelines are for the fast ahead of time. Dairy? Seeds? Oils? Whole grains or no breads at all? We do it differently each time, but we set our standards and roll with it.
Stick it out on the tough days and it’ll be worth it. There’s not always amazing “revelation,” but regardless if you get a download from the Lord or you just know that you’ve walked in obedience in a scriptural discipline – it’s worth it. There’s great practical direction all of the internet. One less practical discussion and more theological discussion is in Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline. It’s one of my least and most fav books at the same time.
Carlos — I just did it for the first time this year and I lasted five days. Yes, it’s worth it, I would also suggest buying a corresponding cook book. I didn’t have that at first and there are a lot of things in there I wish I could have better prepared. My DH hates all things soy and beans, so getting protein was next to impossible for us. Lots of great stuff in it though and I want to do it again. I plan on doing it again this summer, and I’ll be better prepared. I say go for it!
My pastor said something about fasting once that, though a little cheesy, was really profound:
“Turn every hunger pang into a ‘hallelujah.’”
Obviously, you will be hungry. So each time you feel a pang in your body, don’t neglect the spiritual truth inside of that.
I did this with my whole church staff and it was awesome! God really spoke to me during that time
It was tough physically sometimes (discipline wise) but other than that it was a great experience.
Here is my blog link http://fastforgod.wordpress.com/
thanks
I HIGHLY suggest the 30 hour famine. Our church Calvary Chapel in Buffalo, MO is participating in this and every time I do it it is life changing.
YEAH! Drink lots of water and perhaps some orange juice or any kind of juice!
Good luck! <3
I have not tried the Daniel Fast. However, several times a month I do aim to do a 1 day fast – and I find that God always comes through with what I am searching for.
My wife and I did a daniel fast earlier this year and it was amazing. The thing that I didn’t expect out of it was the immense joy that entered into our daily routine. We received clarity over some big things too but you can’t replace the joy we felt in hearts.
We’ll pray for you during it.
How is the fast going?
Isn’t a key part of fasting not letting people know you are fasting – Matthew 6:17.
One time I fasted, and was so impressed with myself, I subtly let everyone know of my “sacrifice.” It made me feel important and spiritual. Later, I realized even in my religious strivings I have screwed up motives. Self-improvement principles will do little help here.
Oh, I think I will fast next week. Please don’t tell anyone.
I did the Daniel fast in 2008 for 40 days leading up to December 31, (the variation where you eliminate meats and sweets) and again at the beginning of this school year for 21 days. About a week into it my days started looking something like:
Breakfast: Cereal
Lunch: Waffles w/ butter
Dinner: Eggs
Rinse and repeat.
In all seriousness, though, I would say go for it. During those times of fasting, I didn’t necessarily see any immediate change, but it sure has helped in the long run. Fasting, at least for me, is often something that I see the fruit of later.
I’ve done it. Ended up being a vegetarian for a year. I can say it was awesome. It helped me focus on God and the health benefits were unbelievable. I can now look back on that and see that God was preparing me for my time here in the DR where we may eat meat once a week, due to cost and I make everything from scratch. I see no drawbacks to the Daniel Fast.
My husband and I did it last year. We had been in a place where we really needed to hear clearly from God what our next steps needed to be. The Daniel fast period was a HUGE breakthrough time for us both, but particularly my husband. He came out of it feeling stronger in his leadership role in the family, and some real chains that had been binding him were broken.
I encourage you and Heather during this time, and pray for an experience that draws you closer to His face and voice.