I’ve been reading several books on fasting during the past month. “The Daniel Fast” written by Kristen Feola was of particular interest to me. She outlines who, what and why we fast along with a step by step preparation of how to approach a fast, both spiritually and physically. I like this as I am a planner and could use some divine intervention to get this ball rolling.

So what is my primary motivation for fasting? For me, I always desire to grow more intimate with the Lord. In my life right now, I need to depend and rely on Him more than ever. Just taking care of myself is a full time job but add to that, my 88 year old father Jerry. This has brought a new element to my caregiver status. I truly believe that God has gifted me with this ability. I have cared for my Mother throughout retirement, along with my dear friend Pam, who passed two years ago, from Muscular Dystrophy. So needless to say, this is not my first rodeo. But it is a full time dance, one that has many moving parts including my husband, who does not know that he too, is gifted in this department.

Secondly, my heart health is not cooperating. My Doc is ready to put me on Statins! I’m just not ready for that and feel the Lord has a better plan for my future. The Daniel Fast is a heart-healthy way of eating, including vegetables and fruit, grains, nuts and seeds as the mainstay. Fasting is definitely His idea, and I’m ready to jump in!

Thirdly, my daughter Cherisa has been extremely stressed out with an ongoing court battle regarding her son, who is my youngest grandson, Quintin. When the Lord first put this fast on my heart, He kept emphasizing 40 days. Wow God, that’s a lot of fasting. I’ve never even committed to one full day of fasting, let alone forty! But when I did the math and counted the days, the 40th day landed on my daughter’s Court Date, February 14th. I believe this was a heavenly sign and I need to be obedient to what God is saying. Wonderful blessings are surely to overflow with my faithfulness, and the Lord’s promises. Knowing He has the wheel, I have nothing to lose, but maybe a few pounds, lower cholesterol levels and a healthier heart.

Just to be clear, one of the most significant aspects of fasting is to be in the Word of God daily. When you begin this process, it is best to carve out time and have a specific goal in mind for reading. Whether you pick a Book in the Bible to read and meditate on, or follow a devotional and dive into the corresponding scriptures, this is truly the essence of fasting. A great starting place is the Book of Daniel as the Daniel Fast is what most Christians follow. Whatever you choose, know that each day you are in the word, is food for your heart and soul. Wholeheartedly, the Lord will fill you tenfold with His nourishment, as you walk through this holy communion, and dedicate your time to Jesus.

So that’s my starting point. If you desire to join me in this Spiritual Fast, the start date is January 5th, 2025. Yes, I know that is my husband George’s birthday. Many churches, along with hundreds of thousands of believers start each New Year with Fasting. The traditional kickstart is the first Sunday of the New Year, and that-so happens to fall on my loving husband’s birthday. No, he has no intentions of fasting, as He is already a Saint and has a major addiction to caffeine. But this girl has much room for improvement, many sins to repent, and desires the Lord so desperately, that I couldn’t imagine not fasting.

Below you will find the words that God spoke over His chosen people while they fasted, but with all the wrong intentions. The desire to fast must be inline with God’s ways and glorifying His character. Fasting has been recorded in the Bible from the beginning of time. Moses fasted for 40 days before he received the Ten Commandments. Jehoshaphat declared a fasting period for all of Judah when he heard word that their enemies were planning an attack. Ezra fasted and prayed for a safe journey when the Israelites made their nine-hundred mile trek to Jerusalem. Queen Esther, Nehemiah and Anna all fasted and prayed in scripture. And most of us are well aware that Jesus fasted for 40 days and nights before He embarked in his ministry. Fasting is not commanded in the Bible, however it is an opportunity to receive all of God’s best in our lives!

True Biblical Fasting: “Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. Declare to my people their rebellion and to the descendants of Jacob their sins. For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God. They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them. ‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?’ “Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers. Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high. Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for people to humble themselves? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying in sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord? “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. “If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings. “If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord’s holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in the Lord, and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.” The mouth of the Lord has spoken.” Isaiah‬ ‭58‬:‭1‬-‭14‬ ‭