Daniel Fast: Day Four

Day Four:

“What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because anyone who has died has been freed from sin” (Romans 6:1-7).


"Lord. I pray to discover depths that will help me on this journey to greater understand the power of your grace, and to grasp the miracle of your sacrifice."


To spiritually know grace is be one with its power. Christ has taken the sin that plagues to the grave, and buried its power to control! Just as Jesus was raised from the dead, now I am raised from spiritual death, and able to live my life (Romans 6:4). Sin’s ability to control my life has been brought under the power of Christ’s grace.


I have to face an area this morning. The Daniel Fast, which promotes a simple diet, hits right in my area of struggle. The Holy Spirit wants me to be honest with you in this struggle. No one wants to lay out their battles for others to see, but I know where His spirit is, there is freedom to be honest. I struggle with eating healthy. Overeating has been a battle far too long. But I remember this morning where sin increases, His grace increases all the more.


Now I have to face the reason. The Holy Spirit has shown me that a person who struggles with any addiction (for that is what sin is) hasn’t experienced the depths and the complete power of the grace of Jesus. I may understand in my mind that Jesus can set me free, but I must face the fact that I don’t understand in my heart that all things are possible with God.


I want to discover greater power of His resurrection… that power that raised Him from death into new life. I want to grow in His grace until I truly understand that this battle has been crucified with Him….until I know that I am no longer a slave to this struggle. I want to die to myself because I know that if I do, I shall be freed from this battle.


This will be my journey that I will share through the coming days of this fast, and I believe with every fiber of my being that, as I study His Word, I will learn the power of His grace to “choose life”. Do you have a battle? He gives you the ability to “choose life”. Just like it is for me, it is a choice, and the power of His grace can set us free.

Daniel Fast: Day Three

Day Three:

Is it really possible for me to have a heart of spiritual flesh which God can mold? It is His promise to me (Ezekiel 36:26). I am a new creature in Christ, and the old is buried (Romans 6:3-4). But sometimes there are areas that I battle, and must give to the Lord on a daily basis. Perhaps you also have an area where you need to be renewed in your heart and mind. “You were taught,” Paul writes, “with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4;22-24).

Each time we lose a battle, the victory of the enemy becomes greater, and our ability to break free becomes less. How you we break out of this cycle that seems to have no end? How do we not only win the battle, but win the war? The answer is found in His Word, “It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11). The Word is our weapon against the enemy! “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds” II Corinthians 10:4). That area that I battle is sin and sin is a stronghold. The power to annihilate it is found in the Word of God.

There is a powerful promise in Romans 5:20b! “Where sin increased, grace increased all the more.” To be released from the bondage of my past, I have to know grace. Not just to have a mental conception of it. But KNOW it in my heart! What an incredible promise. No matter what I fight, He has overcome it by His grace. No matter what that area of my stony heart, His power breaks the hardness. In that moment His redemptive grace brings the power to heal, renew, and set me free.

Lord Jesus, in the next few days as I explore your amazing promise found in the power of grace, I ask for a heart that will not just know it in my mind, but have a heart completely renewed by it. I long to be renewed in the spirit of my mind, and transformed by the power in your Word. Your Word is life, and all I need so that your promise of a new heart will be real every day of my life. Lord Jesus, I pray for all others that seek your promises in your Word. Holy Spirit reveal the depths of your grace until we are forever changed. I give you myself.... again... today, Lord, trusting and believing that where sin increases, grace increases even more. In Jesus' name.

Daniel Fast: Day Two

Day Two:

“For here’s what I’m going to do: I’m going to take you out of these countries, gather you from all over, and bring you back to your own land. I’ll pour pure water over you and scrub you clean. I’ll give you a new heart, put a new spirit in you. I’ll remove the stone heart from your body and replace it with a heart that’s God-willed, not self-willed. I’ll put my Spirit in you and make it possible for you to do what I tell you and live by my commands. You’ll once again live in the land I gave your ancestors. You’ll be my people! I’ll be your God” (Ezekiel 36:24-28, The Message)!

This morning I consider my stony heart. Oh, I hadn't thought it was stony and hard, but as I pray and seek the Lord, I discover there are areas that are hard and need to be broken. He strips away the layers to reveal what I need to face and allow the Holy Spirit to renew.

What is found in a stony heart? Have you ever had sudden emotions like anger or jealousy or bitterness rise up that darken you walk with the Lord? If we are honest, we all have. Feelings that I thought were buried with His sacrifice suddenly spring up. He wants me to have a new heart that is His and not mine. He wants to put His Spirit in me 100% of the time so that my self-willed heart is broken. He wants to give me a heart of spiritual flesh that He can mold.

It hurts to be molded, prodded, and changed. But I want to be what He desires. I want my heart to be tender for Him. I want the areas that are hard to be soft and yielding to His Spirit. I want to discover the freedom in Him that comes with the presence of His Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:17). I am willing to face the pain so that I might be healed.

Today I make myself vulnerable to Him. He promises to bring me back from the exile of a hardened heart, and restore me completely in Him! My heart is renewed, and I rejoice in His victory over what would destroy my walk with Him. It is not the outward that destroys, but that of a hardened heart that has not allowed His Spirit to renew.

As always He gives me a great promise. It is the best He can give me. I will be His. And He will be mine. Completely.

Daniel Fast: Day One

Day One:

"So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you" (Romans 12:1-2).

I place my life before God today as an offering, and I fix all my attention on Him. As this days unfolds, I embrace all He has for me. I face this day with the anticipation of His guidance, and also with the promise of His strength for what lies ahead. All I want is Him to mold me and change me from the inside out. I want to be renewed in my heart and mind, and open to all He wishes to pour into my life. Like a sponge I want to absorb all of Him so that I might grow in His mercy and grace, and for Him to complete the work He wishes to finish in me.

Forget the Old to Find the New

Have you ever longed to forget what has happened, and dwell on the promise of something greater? Have you ever wished your mind would think only of good things, and believe in what God promises? Have you ever yearned for a greater faith to trust in God’s purpose? Have you ever longed for a peace that is lasting?



“Yes!” our hearts hope, and “impossible” our minds declare. And here lies the battle. We want to believe. We yearn to believe. We hope to believe. We cry out to believe. Even though we are meant to be new in Christ, even though we know that all things in our lives are meant to be new, and even though we believe the old should be over, we struggle to move forward in faith. We cannot perceive what this new life, free from the bondage of old chains, really means.



“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past” (Isaiah 43:18). This Scripture tells us not to wrap our minds around what has happened, and not to continually think about the past that has defined us. It instructs us to make a decision to forget the past. Forget is a strong word, and it means “being unable to call to mind, unable to summon up, or unable to picture.” Now that sounds incredible! Not to remember or even have a picture in my mind of past fears or failures. Forget means that the past is gone. So we shouldn’t continually think about it or dwell on it. He will keep me, and He will keep you in perfect peace when our minds dwell on Him (Isaiah 26:3).



“See,” the Lord states, “I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it” (Isaiah 43:19)? When my mind does not dwell on what has been, hope is much easier. See is another strong word, and it means “to understand, realize, or perceive.” It doesn’t mean to just look. Look has no depth, and is concerned with appearance only. See takes look somewhere it has never gone before. See expectantly believes that God is doing a new thing. Faith is the “new” thing. Faith is not dormant. It is alive. It springs up. Can I not perceive it? Can you not perceive it?



We must forget the former things, bar them from our minds, and be renewed in the spirit of our minds (Ephesians 4:23). We choose to remain confident because we know God does a new thing. “Do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised” (Hebrews 10:35-36). We shall rest assured, because we know He is faithful. We will persevere until the new is perceived. In all things we will seek His will, and He will reward our diligence. We will give Him the past, the fear, the failures, all that has gone wrong, and His peace that passes human understanding, will guard our thoughts (Philippians 4:6-7). His promise of peace is real. His promise of faith is real. We choose to forget the former things, and believe in the promise He has for us (Isaiah 43:18-19). We choose to let go of the former things which have defined us, and believe that His promises of faith, of peace, of victory, of joy, of healing, of hope, of purpose, of freedom, of every good and perfect gift, are real.


“I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland,” He promises. “The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen, the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise” (Isaiah 43:20-21). Even though I may walk through the wasteland, it will not destroy me. It will not define me, BECAUSE He gives me everything I need to survive and flourish. I forget the old to find the new

No Matter What I Have Him

No matter what I face, I am never alone.
No matter what my weakness, I have strength.
No matter what I feel, I have a spirit that rests.
No matter what my struggle, I have peace.
No matter what my defeat, I have victory.
No matter what my sadness, I have joy.
No matter what my lot, I have faith.
No matter what, it doesn't matter.
I have Him.

His Word My Strength

"As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it" (Isaiah 55:10-11).


I remember the moment I found these verses in Isaiah, and realized that the Bible was directly from the heart of God. The words on the pages suddenly became full of promise for me. They were like a hidden treasure for me to discover, and I was hungry for the adventure. I wanted them to accomplish His best in my life. As the pain, loss, and troubles of life hit me fully in the face, God reassured me with the promises I had discovered in His Word. Through many years He has continually given me peace through His Word.


"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7).


Whatever happens I can trust God to handle my pain. I can trust Him to carry all the worries and problems. But I must release all of it to Him, and allow His peace to work in my heart and mind. I have to learn to surrender everything to Him, and that process means letting go and allowing His strength to become mine. I must face my fears and problems head-on with His strength and believe He will carry me through each ordeal. I must exercise faith trusting that no matter what the outcome, He will provide for my every need.


"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful (Hebrews 10:23). Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame" (Isaiah 50:7).


Unswervingly! With my face set like a flint! This is way I will believe. He will provide the strength to overcome my fears, and face my problems head-on. I decide to believe this, and allow Him to be my strength. It sounds good to read these Scriptures over and over, but I MUST internalize them until they become real in me.... until my every thought is taken captive by them. And only then I will realize His greatest healing peace.


"So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised" (Hebrews 10:35-36). "The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it" (I Thessalonians 5:24).


I must never give up! I must believe that He is faithful to take care of whatever I have released to Him. I must believe that when I surrender by body, soul, spirit, mind, and heart to Him, I will receive what He has promised me. He will give me victory over fear, problems, struggles, and I will know peace that the world will never give. It will be His peace that passes all my human understanding. And I will know Him through His Word alive in my spirit, and His Spirit alive in me. He will truly be my strength, my victory, my Savior, my peace, my joy, and my love. He will be my All-in-All.

Let's Be Real

What is your life saying? What is my life saying? Is it about me or about others? I don't want to be a part of the ME generation. I want my heart to be broken for others. I want my life to make a difference. 

Years ago I saw a bumper sticker that read, "Is your life a message or a mess?" It asked me if I had an anchored purpose or if I was like flotsam- floating around with no anchor. I would like to challenge each one of us to examine our lives. To examine our moments. Our thoughts. Our actions. To really see if Jesus is our reason for existence. If He is our first love, we need to live it. James was explicit when he penned that "faith without works in dead". Likewise, he let us know that works without faith has little meaning. If we love Jesus, we should not be a ME generation. We should be living faith in action for others. We should be on the front lines for Jesus.

So where are you now? Where am I? Jesus knows where we are. Are we ready to be truthful with Him? Are we really ready to examine our hearts? Are we ready to be a message for Him instead of a mess with no purpose? Let's be real with Him so we can be real with others.

Reasonable Expectations

Many times we start a new year with a list of goals we want to achieve without considering that growth just doesn't happen. We need to consider the value of having reasonable expectations.

Are your expectations attainable? Or are they so high you get easily discouraged? Sometimes a goal is so high you need to take the steps to get there one by one. Just thinking of a high goal can be terribly discouraging, and makes it seem impossible. You might give up. But if you take a little step at a time, and just concentrate on that step, the next step becomes easier. Then the next, and the next. Suddenly you may discover you have met your high goal, and you can look back and see how God has strengthened you the whole way. Always consider that a high goal may only be found through the accomplishment of smaller reasonable goals.

Others are watching you. On the way to your goal you might slide back a step or two. “Now the Lord is the Spirit,” Paul writes, “and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (II Corinthians 3:17). Be humble enough to admit when you’re wrong or fail or don’t have an answer. Trying to be “perfect” only creates disappointment when you make mistakes...not only for you, but maybe for those who are learning from your journey. Let your mask down. A willingness to be vulnerable invites vulnerability in others. It inspires honesty, but, greater still, opens each person’s heart to the healing presence of the Holy Spirit. Be honest when you make a mistake. Ask for forgiveness and forgive yourself. Then try again.

Never hold on to your failure. Examine it. Realize the lesson; apply the lesson and then give it to God. Don’t dig it back up. It’s gone. Forgiveness for your own mistakes and for those of others is consciously rendered. We decide to move on, and trust the Lord for the strength with which to accomplish it.

All things are possible with God!

I Will Conquer

I will not fail if I trust in Him. I will not fail if I have His conquering heart and steadfast mind. My attitude must be that of a conqueror. I will stand, and having done everything, I will stand. I will conquer my foes, my fears, and my obstacles, because He is not just with me. He is in me, and He gives me the strength to rise to greater victories. I become more than a conqueror. I walk in newness of life and freedom from the past, from fears and circumstance. I walk above that which would destroy me. And in Him there is no failure. There is only victory.

Joshua 1:7
Romans 8:37-39