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PREPARING TO BE DANGEROUS.
THE MENU.
WHY SHOULD WE FAST?
DID JESUS FAST?
WHAT IS FASTING?
WHAT ABOUT CHILDREN?
SUGGESTED READING AND RESOURCES.
PREPARING TO BE DANGEROUS
WHAT TO EXPECT
When you fast, your body detoxifies, eliminating toxins from your system. This can cause mild discomfort such as headaches and irritability during withdrawal from caffeine and sugars. And naturally, you will have hunger pangs. Limit your activity as much as possible, and exercise moderately. Take time to rest. Fasting brings about miraculous results.
PREPARING SPIRITUALLY
Confess your sins to God. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal areas of weakness. Forgive all who have offended you and ask forgiveness from those you may have offended ( Mark 11:25; Luke 11:4; 17:3-4). Surrender your life fully to Jesus Christ and reject the worldly desires that try to hinder you (Romans 12:1-2). You are following Jesus’ example when you fast. Spend time listening to praise and worship music. Pray as often as you can throughout the day. Get away from the normal distractions as much as possible and keep your heart and mind set on seeking God’s face.
PREPARING PHYSICALLY
If you have health concerns, consult your doctor prior to beginning a fast and explain what you plan to do. This is especially important if you take prescription medications or have a chronic ailment. Some people should never fast without professional supervision. If you have any condition which would prohibit you from being a part of the Fast, there are other options. Choose something from your daily routine (i.e. specific foods or beverages, television, other technology, etc.) and fast in that manner for the next 21 days.
Remember, the details are not as important as the spirit in which you participate.
If you have any known medical conditions or suspect such conditions, consult your doctor before beginning the fast.
THE MENU
The Daniel plan is a partial fast, which means that we will eliminate some common things from our daily diet, but will have generous options available. We will focus on eating fruits and vegetables that are pure and simple. We have included a list of foods to eat and foods to avoid.
FOODS TO EAT
WHOLE GRAINS
Brown Rice, Oats, Barley
LEGUMES
Dried Beans, Pinto Beans, Split Peas, Lentils,
Black Eyed Peas
FRUITS
Apples, Apricots, Bananas, Blackberries,
Blueberries, Boysenberries, Cantaloupe, Cherries,
Cranberries, Figs, Grapefruit, Grapes,
Guava, Honeydew Melon, Kiwi, Lemons,
Limes, Mangoes, Nectarines, Papayas,
Peaches, Pears, Pineapples, Plums, Prunes,
Raisins, Raspberries, Strawberries, Tangelos,
Tangerines, Watermelon
VEGETABLES
Artichokes, Asparagus, Beets, Broccoli, Brussels
Sprouts, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower,
Celery, Chili Peppers, Corn, Cucumbers, Eggplant,
Garlic, Ginger Root, Kale, Leeks, Lettuce,
Mushrooms, Mustard Greens, Okra, Onions,
Parsley, Potatoes, Radishes, Rutabagas,
Scallions, Spinach, Sprouts, Squashes,
Sweet Potatoes, Tomatoes, Turnips,
Watercress, Yams, Zucchini, Seeds, Nuts,
LIQUIDS
Water, unsweetened Soy Milk, Herbal
(caffeine free) Tea, Natural Fruit Juice (no
added sugar), Honey
FOODS TO AVOID
Meat, Poultry, Fish
White Rice
Fried Foods
Caffeine, Coffee, Tea (including decaf)
Carbonated Beverages
Foods Containing Preservatives or Additives
Refined Sugar or Sugar Substitutes
White Flour
Margarine, Shortening, High Fat Products
All Breads
Dairy (milk, butter, cheese, yogurt, etc.)
Important reminder: Be sure to drink as much water as possible throughout the fast. In fact, our goal is to drink a gallon of water a day!
WHY SHOULD WE FAST?
Those are great questions. A mentor of mine and author, Dr. Elmer Towns, recently completed a 40 day fast and a book describing this journey, Knowing God Through Fasting. His publisher asked him, “What’s the biggest answer to prayer you got
from fasting?” He didn’t know how to answer because there was no spectacular answer to prayer. When he finally admitted that, he was then asked, “Well, why did you put yourself through this agony?” Dr. Town’s response, “It wasn’t agony, but a wonderful experience. Fasting helped me KNOW GOD, day by day; I encountered Him like never before.”
Church, that’s why were fasting. To prepare ourselves and church body to experience God like never before. That’s my prayer. We’ve provided this 21 Day Journal for you to capture these “God Moments,” your “God Experiences.” Dr. Towns described his experience in the introduction of his book. I’m praying for me personally and all of you to have many of these same experiences with God:
I talked to God. Sometimes I talked out loud, sometimes it was internal – subvocal talking – more active than thinking. I talked to God in my
mind. In addition, I touched God. No, not with a hand or finger. But it was still like touching someone physically; I knew inwardly what I experienced.
That’s the sensation I felt. I touched God. Also, I heard God talking to me. No, not with an audible voice. When someone talks to me, I inwardly know what he or she says because I hear him or her with my ears. Instead, I inwardly knew what God was saying to me because I experienced spirit-hearing. God was talking to me.But more importantly than my touching God, He touched me. The God of the universe came into my room. I could feel His presence, but not see Him with my eyes. I knew He was there, just as surely as I know my wife sits across from me
when we eat a meal. God touched me.
As you fast, you will talk to God. You will touch God. You will hear God talking to you. But most importantly, you will sense God touching you. As you begin this fast, will you pray, “Touch me and speak to me, O God, as I fast”? We could be missing some of the greatest breakthroughs in our lives because we haven’t fasted? As we begin a new year together, I believe that God is calling us to a bolder and more risk taking ministry than ever before. And, as we come together to discover the lost spiritual discipline of fasting, many for the first time, we will prepare our hearts for God to make His boldest and riskiest moves in our lives and the life of this church. Once you make the decision to fast, even if it’s just for a day, God sees the desire of your heart. He will provide you with the grace to endure and experience Him in a deeper and more intimate way than ever before. We only have one life to give to God. Let’s be Dangerous, take a risk, discipline our bodies, and go after God with the best we have!
DID JESUS FAST?
Jesus didn’t expect His followers to do something He hadn’t done. Matthew 4 speaks of Jesus fasting, the temptation by the great tempter himself, and the most life challenging and life changing teaching to ever follow - the Beatitudes and Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). Jesus fasted, and according to Peter, Jesus is our ultimate example in all things. “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps” (1 Peter 2:21).
During the years Jesus walked this earth, he spent his time teaching His disciples the principles of what it meant to be a Christ Follower, principles that sometimes sounded crazy and counter cultural. In the Beatitudes, specifically in Matthew 6, Jesus taught His disciples what it meant to live the “trifecta Christian life.” He addressed three spiritual disciplines that every Christ Follower should pursue - Giving, Praying, and Fasting. Jesus said, “When you give”... “And when you Pray”... “And when you fast.” He made it clear that fasting, just like giving and praying, was a normal part of being a Christ Follower.
WHAT IS FASTING?
We will be doing a 21 day fast and redirecting our food source through the Daniel Plan as described in the book of Daniel (there are other options as well - see “Preparing to be Dangerous”-pg.4). Our fast is designed to better connect us to God, to prepare our hearts, minds, and bodies for God to speak, to experience a genuine hunger for spending time with God, and to experience God intimately. This will involve many elements such as prayer, worship, Bible reading, journaling. Fasting involves:
EMPTYING
Fasting is emptying your body of food. But in spiritual comparison, you must also empty yourself of every barrier to God, so you can be filled with His presence.
“Pour out your heart before Him: God is a refuge for us” (Psalm 62:8b).
“…I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh” (Joel 2:28a).
“Be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18b).
“…they were all filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts. 4:31a NIV).
TASTING
Fasting is tasting – creating an appetite for the good things to follow.
“O taste and see that the Lord is good, blessed is everyone that enjoys intimacy with Him” (Psalm 34:8, author’s translation).
WAITING
Fasting is waiting in God’s presence to become like Him and to do His purpose.
“Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for Him” (Psalm 37:7).
“My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him.” (Psalm 62:1).
“Therefore will the Lord wait, that He may be gracious unto you…blessed are all they that wait for Him” (Isaiah 30:18).
COMING
Fasting is coming to the Lord to enjoy His presence and find spiritual rest.
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matt. 11:28-29).
DRINKING
Fasting is drinking from God’s presence to get spiritual satisfaction.
“But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." (John 4:14).
“…he who believes in me will never be thirsty” (John 6:35b).
DISCIPLINING
Fasting is disciplining yourself even as Jesus did.
“Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others; I myself will not be disqualified for the prize” (I Corinthians 9:26-27).
GROWING
Fasting is growing spiritually into the image of Jesus.
"Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times." (Mark 4:3-8).
LOOKING
Fasting is gaining spiritual perception of God’s world.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1-2).
RESTING
Fasting is more than cessation of our activity; it is entering God’s rest.
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matt. 11:28-29).
KNOWING
Fasting is knowing God and becoming more like Him.
“But the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits” (Daniel 11:32b).
“This is what the Lord says: Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows Me” (Jeremiah 9:23-24a)
REWARDING
Fasting is positioning and preparing ourselves to experience God's Rewards for His children.
Matthew 6:33 (NCV) Seek first God's kingdom and what God wants. Then all your other needs will be met as well.
WHAT ABOUT CHILDREN?
Your children can experience this incredible journey with you as well if you choose. For example, you can eliminate sugar, bread and most dairy from your children's diet. They can eat foods such as whole-wheat pasta, fruits, vegetables and soymilk. Mostly, they can eat what you eat, but you may want to choose to include chicken for them in some meals. You may find that they will be more open to new foods than you think. Remember, all of us can change our palates in 10 days!
SUGGESTED READING AND RESOURCES:
BIBLE READING
If you are asking for Wisdom...PROVERBS
If you are wanting to worship God more...PSALMS
If you want to study the Life of Jesus...LUKE or JOHN
If you want to study early church history...ACTS
If you are searching for Joy...PHILIPPIANS
If you are seeking Vision/Direction for life...NEHEMIAH
If you are pursuing Discipline...JAMES
If you are pursuing Freedom in Christ...GALATIANS
If you are pursuing Faith...HEBREWS
BOOKS
Knowing God Through Fasting by Dr. Elmer Towns
Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster (Chapters 3 & 4 -
The Inward Disciplines of Prayer and Fasting)
Dangerous Surrender by Kay Warren (Rick Warren’s wife)
WORSHIP MUSIC
Moving Forward by Ricardo Sanchez & Israel Houghton
Look to You by Hillsong United
United We Stand by Hillsong United
Passion Worship
Chris Tomlin
David Crowder
