Week Five – Day 1
TODAY’S FAST – Daniel Fast (Fruits, vegetables, nuts and water only)
Devotional:
Read Daniel 1
A pastor taught me that “fasting does not earn us favors with God or forgive us of sin. It simply makes us more aware of God’s voice”. Really this is the heart of fasting. It is setting aside the things that distract us and take up our time so that we can more aptly focus on spending time with Jesus and contemplating His mission. A typical fast involves food and one of the most popular fasts is known as the “Daniel Fast”.
In Daniel 1, we find Daniel and some friends exiled in Babylon under the rule of the pagan king Nebuchadnezzar. They were instructed to eat the food that came from the king’s table. This food was “defiled” under Jewish law and resolving not to defile themselves, Daniel and company made a deal with the king that for ten days they would eat only vegetables and water.
At the end of the ten days they would be compared to the others who had eaten the king’s food. The final result was that Daniel and his friends “looked healthier and better nourished” than the others along with God blessing them with great understanding and knowledge.
Prayer focus:
Pray that God will use this week and the Daniel Fast as an opportunity to make you more aware of His voice.
Key Scripture:
“Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink.” Daniel 1:12 NIV
