Praising God for the testimonies and reports coming in from the Surrender 2014 Daniel Fast! Marriages have been restored, healing has been received, and lives have been changed during these 21 days of purposefully coming before God! It has been a joy taking this journey with you.
Now that the fast is over, how do we maintain this spiritual momentum? How can we take what we have gained deeper into our 2014? Let’s not stop the practice which has opened up the door to God’s best! Below are some recommendation to help make times of fasting and prayer a regular part of your year.
1. Set aside one day a week to rest in His presence. Exodus 20:8 encourages us to “Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.” The Sabbath is a set apart day of rest, rejuvenation, and renewal in the presence of God. It is God’s gift to those of use who find it hard to be still and do nothing. Consider it a holy command to lean on the Savior and simply exhale. It’s not doing nothing but doing something: REST. You will find that honoring this Biblical priniciple will help guard against burnout and performance stress.
2. Fast lunch one meal a week. Choose one lunch break to fast a meal and pray for those things which try to consume your thoughts. Use this time of fasting to pray for those in government, your unsaved loved ones, your family, your career, and anything else which threatens you peace and joy. Make this time of fasting and prayer a weekly lunch date between you and God. Honor it and make it just as important as any other lunch appointment you schedule for this year. Give the money you would usually spend for lunch to charity. Some I suggest include Project 58 and The Water Project, both help get clean water and food into needed areas.
3. Spend one hour a week in worship. Praise is the celebration of all God has done in our lives and all we anticipate him doing. Worship however comes from a different perspective. Worship is not dependent on what God does or does not do, it is offered from a place of adoration for who God is. Praise cries “Thank you God for your blessings!” Worship cries “Thank you God for being!” Worship take us back to that place of surrender we have been visiting over these 21 days. It places us at the feet of the Almighty and recognizing I AM is our all in all. It forces us to dethrone all false idols as we position ourselves to honor the only one worthy of all glory. Spend one hour a week casting down everything that tries to overshadow The One. Gather a collection of songs which speak to your heart and leads you into a place of worship. Some of my favorites are: Alabaster Box, You’ll Come, and Revelation Song.
And for those who did not see any signs of change during the Daniel fast, let me take a moment to encourage you as well. Daniel had a similar experience. He prayed and humbled himself but on the outside it looked like little had changed, yet much was occurring spiritually.
In Daniel 10:11-13 an angel appeared and said “Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer.” He goes on to say that for 21 days he had been held up and delayed in his coming.
Just because you don’t see anything changing does not mean that God is not working. You do your part (pray and humble yourself through fasting/worship) and trust God to do his part in his timing.
The soul that waits upon the Lord is the soul that is entirely surrendered to Him, and that trusts Him perfectly. Therefore we might name our wings the wings of Surrender and of Trust. If we will only surrender ourselves utterly to the Lord, and will trust Him perfectly, we shall find our souls “mounting up with wings as eagles” to the “heavenly places” in Christ Jesus, where earthly annoyances or sorrows have no power to disturb us. ~Hannah Whitall Smith
SHARE your fasting TESTIMONIES and PRAISE REPORTS in the comments below.
Saundra Dalton-Smith is an internal medicine physician, author, speaker, and hope activist. She shares with audiences nationwide on the topics of eliminating limiting emotions and helps them see their options in life. She is the founder of I Choose My Best Life, a movement to renew hope in a generation where depression, stress, and fear is peaking. Her books include Set Free to Live Free: Breaking Through the 7 Lies Women Tell Themselves (2011) and Come Empty: Healing For Every Place Life’s Hurt You (2014).
