1. Doing the Impossible Daniel Fast

2. 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,

3. ‘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. Daniel Fast

4. Dwniel Fast 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.’

5. Daniel Fast 2 Kings 24:13-142 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.’

6. Daniel Fast 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’.

7. Daniel Fast 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.’

8. Daniel Fast 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.’

9. Daniel Fast 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.’

10. Daniel Fast 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.

11. Daniel Fast 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.

12. Daniel Fast 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.

13. 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