Daniel Fast - Day 2

The other night, Matt and I went to the grocery store to prepare our cupboards and fridge for the certain foods we will be eating throughout the fast. We started this just at the right time because we finished up all the meats and dairy products that were left in the fridge on Sunday. Which means!! I had plenty of room to go grocery shopping again and nothing that I already had was going to go bad. It was a blessing to me honestly because I hate to throw out perfectly good food. :)

I am not much of a breakfast person. I know it's the most important meal of the day and should take more consideration of actually eating breakfast. Well, Matt loves smoothies. They are quick and easy to make. In preparing for this fast, Matt found some protein powder that was gluten free and dairy free. He was so excited about it and now for the past two days he has made us smoothies for breakfast!!

So yummy!!!!

I'm sure as long as there are frozen fruits, peanut butter, flax, almond milk, and protein powder then I will have great smoothies all month long!! I saw a recipe in our Ultimate Guide book that added tofu to smoothies. I'm not sure how that would taste but seeing as tofu doesn't exactly have a flavor itself, it might be a good substitute for yogurt.

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Book of Daniel

I truly love the old testament. I know there are some books that can get boring but I think there are such great Bible stories that we don't always get to learn when we are younger. I will definitely be the first to say that although I have grown up in a church and Christian home, I struggle a lot with knowing many of the books and what the stories and testimonies are behind them. 

Because this fast is called the Daniel Fast, I wanted to read the book of Daniel. Now, we all know the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and the fiery furnace they were thrown into. What is not normally put together when telling their story is that Daniel was a part of them. It tells us in chapter 1 that King Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, was overthrown by King Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar ordered men from the royal family and the nobility be brought into his palace. For three years they were to learn the Babylonian language and literature. These men were given the choicest food from the king's table. Rach, Shach, Benny, and Daniel did not want to defile themselves with food given to idols and therefore asked to be given fruits and veggies instead. Of course the officials knew the king would not be happy to hear this and therefore Daniel asked to give them 10 days on this diet and then to test their appearance with that of the other men. These men were not perfect by any means. They knew, however, that taking part in food that was not kosher was against their laws. I have to think that they smelled this food and probably wanted to take part in it because of how delicious it looked!! Like I said, not perfect men so let's be honest. After the 10 days, the four men looked healthier and better nourished than any of the other young men who ate the royal food (Daniel 1:15). Because of their obedience to the Lord, God GAVE knowledge and understanding of ALL kinds of literature and learning. And to Daniel, he GAVE the understanding of visions and dreams.

After their three years in this program, the king found favor on these four men and placed them higher than his magicians and enchanters. 

 What sticks out the most to me is Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, and Daniel's heart to serve the Lord no matter what worldly king is over them. They are not rude to the king but simply say that they cannot consume certain kinds of foods. That to me is a huge step of faith!! The king could have easily had them wiped out!! They knew they were in a new place but also knew that God was still with them and they had to honor God in all things. I underlined the word "gave" above because it stuck out to me in all this. Daniel was obedient to the Lord and although the officials didn't see it as the men were fasting, they were doing just that in order to press into the presence of God. Therefore, because of their obedience to him, the Lord favored these men and gave them "knowledge, understanding, visions, and dreams (verse 17)." 

During this time of fasting, I am looking for that knowledge and understanding. I have talked about where Matt and I are in decision making for our future in a previous post. I have been anxiously awaiting this time in order to press into God's presence. I want more in my relationship with him and I want to see where God is calling us. Furthermore, I want to see healing in my family. This is not something I want to play around with. Yeah, the recipes are going to fun to work with when making meals but where I want my biggest meal to come from is from feasting on the word of God.

God is good. If God gives me his best, why should I not strive to give him my best in return?? We are all created to worship him in EVERY aspect of our lives. No matter how small or large, what are areas that you can worship God in today?? 

A hui kaua...