OK, so this is a little hard to start off with, but I wanted to lay it out there, because I will definitely need help keeping accountable over these 21 days (3/22 to 4/11). I figured the best way to do so was to clearly lay out what I will be doing. So, as I sit here about a little more than a week before we begin this Fast, it doesn’t seem like an awfully spiritual thing to do, but I do see it as a necessary first step for me.
I do have some more reading to do on the subject of the Daniel Fast, but from what I have already read and been able to gather, there are strick guidelines as to what we can & cannot eat, and I’m not going to go into all those details at this point, but here is a link to another blog providing more info if you are interested: http://danielfast.wordpress.com/daniel-fast-food-list/. On top of this, I am personally commiting to the following during these 21 days as well:
- No Salt (it is a spice & acceptable under the Daniel Fast, but I do use this more than I should and will be avoiding this during the Fast as well).
- No Sugar/Sweeteners (certain ones are acceptable, but again, I am chosing to give this up as well).
- No TV
- No Movies
- No Facebook
- No Twitter
- Limited Blogging (since this is still new to me, to give it up doesn’t really make a whole lot of sense at this point, but I am going to focus what I write to be only about what God is dealing with me during this Fast and not other “non-essential items”).
- Listening only to Christian music when choosing to listen to music.
- Wednesdays – Will be set aside for a standard Fast day, where I will forego food from midnight to midnight and will strictly rely on water & prayer during the day, and my mealtimes will be additional times of prayer those days.
- On top of my normal devotions, I will commit to increase my time of prayer and Bible reading, and will also be doing a small group study entitled “Growth: Training vs. Trying” from the “Pursuing Spiritual Transformation” series of study guides available at the church’s resource center.
- Since this is being done leading up to Easter, I also plan to read the 4 Gospels during this time.
- I will put additional effort into learning Romanian through the resources I already have.
- I will also commit to exercising 5 days a week as I also consider my body God’s Temple and it should not be neglected.
Well, as I said – not too spiritual – just a bunch of guidelines I am setting for myself during this time. As far as I know, this will not change between now and when we start the Fast, but I may actually think of something else that I may choose to do without, and if so, I will update with any changes.
I know this Fast is probably going to be quite difficult already, and adding things to avoid only makes it more so, but I truly feel that it’s not meant to be “easy”, but to help us rely more on God and put Him first instead of all the other things that we have allowed to come into our lives these days, and I believe that God will provide for us during this time.
DJ
