Today is day 6 of our corporate Awakening fast and I woke up, read my reading plans and then made a smoothie. With the suggested meal calendar that my Church provides, Friday's are a liquid diet only. Although I'm not really following the calendar they gave and have customized my fast, I have decided to stick to the liquid Friday's. So far I've only had "one meal," but I've loved it!
So this recipe is SUPER EASY (which I love):
1. Blend 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk w/ 2 cup spinach
2. Add 1 banana & 1/2 cup frozen raspberries (or berry of choice)
3. Opt. I added 2 Tbsp. milled flax seed
4. Blend until smooth
5. ENJOY!! I got 11 grams of PROTEIN and 23 grams of FIBER in one meal!!!
I love it!
Tonight we have our first night of the RED INK REVIVAL services at LifePointe and I'm excited! The weekend's events will highlight the words of Jesus (words in red) in the Bible! It'll be exciting to be surrounded by people who have entered this fast together and are believing God for incredible things in 2013. People who are humbled and anticipating what God will do next!
I'm going to meet a friend over lunch to walk and talk, which will be a great way to get my 3rd workout of the week in with the 4th being on Sunday (volleyball).
I've been trying to not think of this fast as a "diet" per se, because I don't want to get distracted in doing it for the wrong reasoning, but it's been pretty hard for me to separate the excitement of losing weight during this fast. Today I started to think about the concept of the "Daniel Fast." There are two portions of scripture I think one can glean from for the dietary "guidelines" if you will for the Daniel fast: Daniel 1 and Daniel 10. In Daniel 10 is where where we get the 3 week or "21 day fast" from. This is where he is mourning for 3 weeks in result of some news/a word he heard and he ate no delicacies. But we also see Daniel maintaining a very similar diet from the text in Daniel 1. Here we see Daniel refusing the delicacies of the King and for 10 days the King's chief Eunuch agrees to bring them vegetables and water (Dan. 1:12). After these 10 days, Daniel and the other youths from the tribe of Judah who ate this particular diet appeared FAR fatter (healthier) than the others who ate of the kings delicacies and so the Eunuch allowed for Daniel and the others to continue eating this way for the full duration of their training which was three years. At the end of the 3 years, King Nebuchadnezzar found none better than these 4 and they were brought before the King.
Reflecting on this today somewhat took away my internal struggle with excitement when I see pounds lost on the scale and know that this is a means of jump starting a healthy regime for the new year. We learn about the physical benefits of this particular diet before we read about it being his "fast." It'd be impossible to deny how eating only fresh, whole, natural foods and partaking of water will inevitably benefit us physically. I think this also contributed to Daniel and the 3 others learning advantages as well (wisdom & understanding from vs. 20). The vitamins and nutrients our bodies take in from fruits and vegetables help our brains, our cells, our muscles...every part of our body for it to function well. We can think clearly, perform better, we become leaner and because of this, it is no surprise to me that these 4 boys stood out from the other who drank the wine and ate the kinds 'delicacies.'
Anyhow, all this to say - I'm done trying to suppress ENJOYING the weight loss benefits of this Daniel Fast. The reason this IS a fast and not just a diet is because I'm enjoying the dietary benefits we see in Daniel 1 while also seeking God as Daniel did in chapter 10. I'm purposing to seek His face and bring specific things to Him and I believe that He has heard me and is answering. It is easy to find our dependence and sustenance from food, but in fasting we find that God truly does sustain us and He strengthens us in weakness.
The concept of fasting can be challenging, but here are some things I've learned about fasting:
God doesn't love me any more or any less because I'm fasting
God doesn't listen any more or any less because I'm fasting
God doesn't change because I'm fasting
If anything, I love Him more, I listen to Him more and I change more because I'm fasting.
Why? Because I choose to be un-distracted by a lot of the things that typically jock for my attention in the hustle and bustle of life and I can be still. I can listen. I can take my hunger pains to Him in prayer and watch my cravings turn from Oklahoma Joes BBQ, potato chips and cheeseburgers to spending intimate time with Him throughout my day.
"Father, help me get to the place where instead of waiting for my next meal, I can't wait until my next 'feast' in your presence."
...OH, and I figured the "liquid fast" days would leave me feeling MORE hungry, but it's actually done the opposite. I'm on my second smoothie, it's 3:37p and I'm so full I don't know if I can finish it. :/
Daniel 1
3 Then the king commanded Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to bring some of the people of Israel, both of the royal family and of the nobility, 4 youths without blemish, of good appearance andskillful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding learning, and competent to stand in the king's palace, and to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans.5 The king assigned them a daily portion of the food that the king ate, and of the wine that he drank. They were to be educated for three years, and at the end of that time they were to stand before the king. 6 Among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the tribe of Judah. 7 And the chief of the eunuchs gave them names: Daniel he called Belteshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego.
8 But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself. 9 And God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs, 10 and the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, “I fear my lord the king, who assigned your food and your drink; for why should he see that you were in worse condition than the youths who are of your own age? So you would endanger my head with the king.”11 Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had assigned over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 12 “Test your servants for ten days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then let our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat the king's food be observed by you, and deal with your servants according to what you see.” 14 So he listened to them in this matter, and tested them for ten days. 15 At the end of ten days it was seen that they were better in appearance and fatter in flesh than all the youths who ate the king's food. 16 So the steward took away their food and the wine they were to drink, and gave them vegetables.
17 As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. 18 At the end of the time, when the king had commanded that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. 19 And the king spoke with them, and among all of them none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore they stood before the king. 20 And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom. 21 And Daniel was there until the first year of King Cyrus.
I've been watching food documentaries lately and the people on there who eat lots of fruits and veggies look so much healthier. Their skin is "glowing". I noticed a change in JB's skin right when i first saw her. At that point she had been on the Daniel fast for 9 days.
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