Doing the Impossible
Daniel Fast
Where did it start?
Daniel 1:8-16
‘But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the
royal food and wine, and he asked the chief
official for permission not to defile himself in this
way. Now God had caused the official to show
favour and compassion to Daniel, but the official
told Daniel,
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‘I am afraid of my lord the king, who has
assigned your food and drink. Why should he
see you looking worse than the other young men
of your age? The king would then have my head
because of you.’
Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief
official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah,
Mishael and Azariah,
‘Please test your servants for ten days: give us
nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink.
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Then compare our appearance with that of the
young men who eat the royal food, and treat
your servants in accordance with what you
see.’ So he agreed to this and tested them for
ten days. At the end of the ten days they
looked healthier and better nourished than any
of the young men who ate the royal food. So
the guard took away their choice food and the
wine they were to drink and gave them
vegetables instead.’
Dwniel Fast
2 Kings 24:13-14.
‘As the Lord had declared, Nebuchadnezzar
removed the treasures from the temple of the Lord
and from the royal palace, and cut up the gold
articles that Solomon king of Israel had made for
the temple of the Lord. He carried all Jerusalem
into exile: all the officers and fighting men, and all
the skilled workers and artisans – a total of ten
thousand. Only the poorest people of the land were
left.’
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Fasting and Praying the Biblical link
Old Testament Examples: Mourning & Repentance
Daniel 9:3-5
So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in
prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and
ashes. prayed to the Lord my God and confessed:
‘Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his
covenant of love with those who love him and keep his
commandments, we have been wicked and have
rebelled; we have turned away from your commands
and laws’.
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Daniel 10:2-3
‘At that time I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks. I
ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my
lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three
weeks were over.’
Nehemiah 1:4
‘When I heard these things, I sat down and wept.
For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed
before the God of heaven.’
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Intercessory Prayer
2 Samuel 12:16 David pleaded with God for the
child. He fasted and spent the nights lying in
sackcloth on the ground
Esther 4:16 Go, gather together all the Jews
who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or
drink for three days, night or day. I and my
attendants will fast as you do. When this is
done, I will go to the king, even though it is
against the law. And if I perish, I perish.’
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New Testament
Worshipping the Lord and seeking His favour
Luke 2:36-37 ‘There was also a prophet, Anna,
the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher.
She was very old; she had lived with her
husband seven years after her marriage, and
then was a widow until she was eighty-four.
She never left the temple but worshipped night
and day, fasting and praying.’
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Acts 14:23
‘Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in
each church and, with prayer & fasting,
committed them to the Lord, in whom they had
put their trust.’
Please Note: Nowhere is there any indication
that the Lord is more likely to answer prayers if
they are accompanied by fasting.
Fasting along with prayer seems to indicate the
sincerity of the people praying and the critical
nature of the situations in which they
find themselves.
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Critical Situations
Mark 9:29 He replied,
‘This kind can come out only by prayer
(and fasting see Matthew 17:21)
Prayer is a ready weapon in the spiritual battle
and fasting helps to focus prayer and give it
resolve.
Prayer and fasting should not be a burden or a
duty, but rather a celebration of God's goodness
and mercy to His children.
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Reasons to get involved: PDF
Perspective: Fasting helps us gain a new
perspective and a renewed reliance upon God.
Demonstrate: Prayer and fasting is a way to
demonstrate to God, and to ourselves, that we
are serious about our relationship with Him.
Focus: The purpose of prayer and fasting should
be to take our eyes off the things of this world to
focus completely on God.
Daniel Fast
How is this going to work?
March 8th - March 28th
Start planning now
Drink more water and eat lighter meals as the 8th
gets closer
Daily Devotional and Facebook
Daniel Fast