The Advantages of a Daniel Fast

Here I am on day thirteen on the Daniel Fast. In the book of Daniel, chapters 2 and 10, Daniel describes two examples of his personal fasting and the dramatic results.





Daniel 1:12-13 “Please test your servants for ten days, and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then let our appearance be examined before you, and the appearance of the young men who eat the portion of the king’s delicacies; and as you see fit, so deal with your servants.”




Daniel 10:3 "I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled."





What is the Daniel Fast?



1. The Daniel Fast is a partial fast. They ate, but only vegetables and water. The Daniel Fast requires abstinence from party or junk foods. If you want to see what The food guidelines are for the Daniel fast click here. The Daniel fast drastically restricts normal food intake by cutting away many of the foods you commonly eat to satisfy your appetite.




2. The Daniel Fast is an extended fast. It is longer than one day. These young men fasted for ten days. Daniel fasted for twenty-one days in chapter ten. It is a good fast to do if you have to work and need the energy. If you determine to fast for a certain time, keep it. For example, if you determine to fast 10 days, don't stop on Day 9.

What are the results of a Daniel Fast?

In the book of Daniel, there are four results of the Daniel fast.

1. Healthier and Better Nourished (Daniel 1:12-20) Learn the Effects of the Food You Eat. Why are some foods good for you, and other foods not? What does certain food do to your body? If we really knew, there would likely be some things we would never eat again.


2. Spiritual Insight, Knowledge and Wisdom (Daniel 1:17; 5:12) Daniel had the God given ability to understand and interpret dreams. He was able to have a spiritual insight and understanding that the other people were not able to have. Having this gift caused him to be respected, admired and promoted in the Kingdom.


3. Integrity and Character (Daniel 6:4) Daniel had the discipline to resist certain foods and this caused him to have the discipline in his personal life. He was a man that exhibited integrity. God is more concerned about who you are than what you do.


4. Answered Prayer (Daniel 10:2-12) God answered Daniel's prayer when he fasted for twenty-one days. Daniel didn't receive his answer to prayer immediately. It came after his twenty-one day fast. This should remind us to be committed to our prayer and fasting time. If we say we are going to fast 10 days, don't stop on day 9.

Daniel experienced some incredible results because of his desire to fast and pray. Remember that God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Have you ever done a Daniel Fast?

What results have you experienced when you have fasted?

God's Payment Plan

I wanted to share a personal testimony with you about one of the miracles of God that has happened to us during this sabbatical and Daniel fast.

As many of you know we have had a couple of physical ailments this year with Heidi's back and Taylor's eye. Thank God they are doing well! With these injuries we have acquired some medical expenses. We do have insurance and thank God for that, but we have to pay twenty percent of the bill. All the many doctor, x-ray and hospital bills have been piling up. We just tell them to put us on a payment plan and we will eventually pay you back.

This morning I was reading day seven in Jentezen Franklin's devotional book "Fasting Journal." The prayer focus was on prosperity and finances. He had me list out some specific financial needs to hold up in prayer throughout the day. I wrote one thing down...."hospital and doctor bills for Heidi and Taylor." Ten minutes later, Heidi called me crying on the phone saying "You are not going to believe this!" She had called Clarion North to set up a payment plan for the Hospital bill of $1,200.00. As it turned out, the gentleman signed us up for financial assistance and said that we qualified to have our whole hospital bill paid for. He said that our account balance was zero and that a procedure that Taylor has to have next month will be paid for as well! Praise the Lord! God has an incredible payment plan!

How has this happened? I attribute it to prayer and fasting. Jesus just didn't pray when He came to this world, He fasted. One of the things that fasting does is unlock God's miracles. Jesus fasted because He knew there were supernatural things that could be released only that way. The disciples couldn't cast out the demon from the boy because they didn't fast and pray. We could be missing our greatest breakthroughs because we fail to fast.

• What do you need a breakthrough in?

• Have you ever prayed and fasted?

• Tell me about your miracles you have experienced that has been directly related to fasting.

First Week of Sabbatical

I wanted to give you an update on my first week of my Sabbatical.

I spent seventy-two hours (Thursday night to Sunday night) at Zionsville Presbyterian Church at the Great Banquet. There I shut myself from the outside world, ate some good food, and refocused on Christ and His love for me. If you haven't ever experienced a retreat like The Great Banquet, Emmaus Walk, or Discipleship Walks, let me encourage you to. They are great retreats to remind you how much God and other people love you.

Next, I went to our sacred campgrounds in Hartford City to a Prayer Summit. The Prayer Summit is a prayer retreat for pastors to get away and spend time with The Father. There were about thirty pastors that gathered to pray, praise and eat. What a marvelous time we had in the presence of God as He spoke to us and refreshed us in the Lord. Many pastors including myself laid burdens at the lap of the Father as he loved us and blessed us with his presence. What a refreshing time! This is going to be on my calender for next year.

Part of the Sabbatical is taking care of the body God has given me by eating healthy foods and resisting the bad ones. We are made up of body, soul and spirit. Today I am starting a twenty-one day Daniel Fast. I said goodbye to the fudge rounds I love so much! Daniel gave up the king's delicacies so that he would be healthier, stronger, and empowered by God. If you are interested in knowing about a Daniel fast click here for more details.

I look forward to coming back from this short sabbatical refreshed and rejuvenated. Blessings to Kirklin Assembly of God. Thanks to everyone who sent kind letters to me this past week. They touched me so much! Blessings!

God Spoke to Me

Yesterday I read Psalm 19:1-4. It says, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world."

I was doing my morning ritual of letting the dogs out. I was enjoying the bright stars and thinking about Psalms 19 about how the heavens declare God's glory and how they speak to us. While looking into the heavens, a bright star shot across the morning night sky. I sat there wondering if that just happen. As I continued to watch there were several other stars that ran across the sky. It was like watching a fourth of July fireworks.

Psalm 19 says that God speaks to us through the skies. I believe that God was speaking to me. What was he saying? First of all, He was letting me know that He was smiling on me as I start my first day of my sabbatical. Secondly, He was letting me know that He loves me and knows me. Thirdly, He was letting me know that He is still active in our world. I woke the kids up so they could see this phenomena and share with them about how the heavens declare God's glory.

God speaks to us through the heavens. The next time you look up into the sky open up your ears God maybe speaking to you.

The Great Banquet

I am starting my Sabbatical by attending "The Great Banquet" retreat at Zionsville Presbyterian Church from Thursday, October 1st to the 4th. For those that don't know, The Great Banquet is a weekend retreat for woman and men (at separate times) and is comprised of discussion, prayer, fellowship, music, worship and fun. The leaders cover the clocks so you don't know what time it is, and give you your absolute fill of home-cooked meals and little "God loves you!" gifts. You can read the website for more detail, but simply put, The Great Banquet is a 72-hour, locked-in, spiritual retreat where the guests are loved by The Great Banquet community the way God loves us.

From what I hear it will be like when you attended church camp during the summer, except that it's designed for an adults schedule and it takes place, in different communities and denominations, all over the world.

I am going because several people have encouraged me to be a part and I think it will be a great way to start the Sabbatical. I really don't know what is going to happen while I am there, but I am looking forward to experiencing Christ's presence in a fresh way and establishing some new relationships with people from different walks of life.

Click here if you want more information about The Great Banquet I am attending.

Sabbatical

Why I need a sabbatical and what to do on sabbatical?

This past Sunday I talked to our congregation about taking a sabbatical during the month of October. The deacons of our church have agreed to let me take this time off. So, for four Sundays during October, Heidi and I will be taking a break.

Mark 2:27-28

27 And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. 28 Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.”

I'm sure you are wondering why? And that's part of my purpose for writing this in my blog. I wanted to journal my thoughts to inform you of my intent and to help process why and what we are doing. I hope this answers some questions you may have concerning this sabbatical. There are three reasons as to why I am taking a month sabbatical.

Run out of Gas

Have you ever ran out of gas while driving? Back in our college years, Heidi and I had visited her mother in Oklahoma and was traveling along Turner Turnpike back to Springfield, Missouri when we ran out of gas. We sat there stranded not knowing what to do. I walked along the turnpike until a bus stopped and picked me up and took me to the nearest gas station. Sometimes in life you just run out of gas and you need a refilling. The purpose of this sabbatical is to get refilled. God designed us to stop once a week from our "driving around" and go to a local gas station to get refilled. If you don't get filled you can't go on and you have nothing to give. I am going to get filled with God, so I can have something to give. Elijah ran out of gas (1 Kings 18-19). God told him to go Mt. Horeb and God would refill him. This passage has always been my mantra for discouragement. I simply don't want to run out of gas. When you run out of gas you exhaust more energy than what you have to give out. I am going to stop the car and refill the tank.

Reshaped, Refocused, Re visioned

A few Sundays ago I preached about being on the Potter's Wheel. In this message God takes the clay and reshapes it into the pot He sees best. I am taking this next month to be reshaped so I can be a vessel that is useful to God.

I am also taking this next month to refocus myself. One of the hardest things for me to do was to turn down the coaching job for 6th grade basketball this year. You know my love for sports and coaching. In my heart I felt like I needed to focus on God, family and church. I didn't want to expand my energy, which is low right now, on other things. So I had to eliminate some non essentials. This is were "priorities" come into play. What is more important? Jesus said that we are to "Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you." I had to eliminate some things to get refocused.

The Bible says, "Without a vision the people perish." Without a vision people die, a church dies, a family dies. Vision is the key. I need to see where God wants this church to go. I need to get re visioned.

Revelation and Direction from God

This sabbatical is not a vacation, even though there will be some resting going on, it's for revelation and direction. We need direction for two things. One, I need direction for our lives and ministry. Some of you may worry that we are leaving. Let me reassure you that that is not our intent. Although we are open to follow God's will. We are not preaching at other churches to pursue a different position. We are seeking direction for our life and ministry here at Kirklin Assembly of God. We love you and this place.

Two, I need direction for the church. The Biblical illustration that comes to mind is Moses going up to the mountain to get revelation and direction from God. Moses spent forty days on Mount Sinai with God receiving and chiseling out instructions, direction and revelation for the nation of Israel. While he was there, God inspired him to write the ten commandments. I plan on taking a pen and paper and writing whatever it is God inspires me to write. Habakkuk 2:2 "Then the LORD replied: "Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it."

What are you going to do during this time? Here is a list of things I am going to do while on this sabbatical.

• I am not going to Preach. The first one is what I'm not going to do. I am not preaching at other churches. You can't listen to God if you are speaking. I am going to keep my mouth closed and ears open this month. In essence I am fasting from preaching.


• I am meeting with a coach and some mentors. I need someone who has walked where I have already walked and can speak into my life. I need a "Jethro;" a coach that can tell me what I need to do. I need a "Paul;" a mentor who can impart what he has done. I need a "Barnabas;" a co-laborer who encourages. I need a "Timothy;" a person I can download into.


• We are going to visit other churches. Two reasons. One is to be ministered too. The other is learn how others are "doing church" We get stuck in our own box and need to learn different ways of doing things.


• I am going to maintain the spiritual disciplines. This is a spiritual retreat. I will be doing the spiritual disciplines of praying, fasting, reading the Bible and good books. I plan on doing a Daniel Fast for twenty-one days. That is eliminating all bad foods and eating only fruits and vegetables.


• I am going on a prayer retreat. The first week in October I am going on a prayer summit at the campgrounds. On this retreat there are no musical instruments, no preaching and no plans. Just praying, communion and following the Holy Spirit.


• I will be attending a Minister's Conference. The Indiana District minister's conference is on the 19th and 20th. John Bevere and Doug Oss will be speaking at this conference.


• Getting rest and eating right....maybe some exercise! I need to take care of the body that that God has given me.


• On this Sabbatical my family is going with me. My family is a part of my ministry. We do life together. My wife and kid's life will be pretty much normal. They will go to work and school and attend church on Wednesday nights, but will go with me to other churches on Sunday.

You may have some concerns about the church during this time and about what are you going to do.

1. We have deacons in the church that are here to serve and help take care of needs. They will be taking care of the congregation. When Moses went up to the mountain of God for forty days, He left Aaron in charge. So the deacons will be in charge. If you have any concerns go to them.


2. You can still have access to me if any "major" concerns happen. Remember I am taking a sabbatical so that I can be ministered to and not to do ministry. It's not that I don't want to, but there are others that can effectively minister your needs. I will have my cell phone, email and texting. If you have any concerns as to whether or not to contact me, call one of the deacons so they can get a hold of me. Here are some major concerns you can contact me during this time....1. Death 2. Hospitalization


3. Who's going to minister on Sunday if you and Heidi are gone? Mark and Des will be sharing the pulpit. As for the worship, we are going to bring in some musicians to help lead worship.


4. Pray for your pastor. During this sabbatical please pray for me. Be an Aaron and Hur to hold up my arms.


5. Continue to support this church by your faithful attendance and tithing. Just because Pastor is gone doesn't mean you can be gone. Jesus taught that when the shepherd is gone the sheep scatter. Please be supportive of Kirklin Assembly of God during this time.

I believe if you allow me to take this time off from the church it will help me to be reshaped, refocused and re visioned. In essence it will benefit you and the church. We want to see God do some great things in your life and in the church.

The Potter's Wheel

Life sometimes spins out of control.

Jeremiah 18:1-6 says, "1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD : 2 "Go down to the potter's house, and there I will give you my message." 3 So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel. 4 But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.
5 Then the word of the LORD came to me: 6 "O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?" declares the LORD. "Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel."


God is the potter. We are the clay. We are on the potter's wheel. There are several lessons we learn about God and His attitude toward us in this illustration of the potter and clay.

Throw it Away



Have you ever thrown away something because it didn't seem to work or you didn't like it? In this passage The Potter made a pot that was blemished and marred. He could have discarded it, but He didn't. Whenever the pot the potter was working on turned out badly, as sometimes happens when potters are working with clay, the potter would simply start over and use the same clay to make another pot. The Potter still saw potential in the clay. It's still good. God doesn't discard you when you make mistakes, but reuses you shaping and forming you into what He wants you to become. Peter is a great example. He messed up. God didn't throw him away and say your no good to me. In fact, Jesus went back to Peter, reshaped him and reused him. God will still use you even when you have made mistakes.

Fresh Start


There was a flaw in the pot. It was marred. It was imperfect and blemished. When the potter didn't like what he made the first time, he started all over again. Do you need to start over? Do you need a fresh start? A do-over? God is in the business of giving you a fresh start. 2 Cor 5:17 says, "....if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" Have you made mistakes in your past? Have you committed adultery, had an abortion or premarital relations, addicted to pornography, stolen, lied or cheated? If you come to The Potter and repent, He will give you a fresh start! It's called being born again. It's a new life.

Reshaping

The Potter didn't like the first pot, so He reshaped it to what He thought was best. Do you not like who you are or what you have become? God is in the reshaping business. If you don't like what you've become God will reshape you into what He thinks is best for you.

Spinning Out of Control

Have you ever road the tilt-a-whirl at the carnival? It spins uncontrollably making you sick. The potter's wheel is similar to the tilt-a-whirl. Everything is spinning. You feel pressure. You are bending and moving in places you never felt before. When everything seems to be spinning out of control and you feel pressure, know that God is working on you making you into a beautiful, valuable and useful pot.

2 Timothy 2:20-21 "20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. 21 Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work."

When everything seems to be spinning out of control stay on the wheel. God is reshaping you into a beautiful vessel for Him.