The Daniel Fast keeps growing in attractiveness all over the world. I very often receive email messages from Christian brethren in different parts of the world telling me how they felt moved by The Spirit to adopt a clean, fasting lifestyle as the one depicted in the book of Daniel. I sense that getting our physical house in order is among the top item in God’s agenda. A Christian brother or sister can have amazing anointing to preach, heal, encourage or countless others.

But if he or she is overweight and eats poorly, then that person’s Gospel message can very well be extinguished before its time. I see a LOT of wonderful pastors and ministers that are terribly overweight and seem oblivious to its dangers. This makes me angry. I can just see the enemy looking on and laughing as we literally eat ourselves to death. Sooooo, the Daniel Fast, in my opinion is a very powerful antidote. It is a call to simplicity, self-mastery and optimum health. Christ did not die on the cross so that we live our lives obese and eating badly.

That does NOT honor Christ, in my opinion. I have gotten quite a bit of scorn for saying these things, but I honestly feel in my heart that the time has arrived to put away the fork and start fasting with greater regularity. If we are fat, bloated and lethargic, what kind of vessel can we be for The Holy Spirit? How will we be able to endure the increasing pressures of life filled with blubber and toxins?

The Daniel Fast is a completely plant-based method of eating. As you may know, it is based on the fasting experiences of the Prophet Daniel as recorded in Daniel 1:10. At this time (approximately 600 B.C ), the people of Israel, God’s chosen, had succumbed to terrible sins and idolatry, for which reason God disciplined them by allowing the Babylonians to destroy Israel and take large numbers of men and woman captive.

Daniel was among the captives and, in the course of time, he went on to become a top adviser for Nebuchadnezzar – the King of Babylon at the time. A great deal of this favor he received from the pagan king was surely due to the frequent periods of fasting that Daniel observed. This is just my opinion. Regular times of fasting can turn even the coldest, most-carnal Christian into a Gospel powerhouse.

With Daniel, the whole thing started with what sounds a lot like a bet. Daniel saw all the greasy and heavy foods that all of the king’s servants were eating and basically told the King: “Let your servants continue like whay are eating, and I will eat only vegetables and water for some days. Then we can compare and see who looks healthier and better.” Needless to say, Daniel won the bet and the King then proceeded to change everyone’s menu to the one Daniel was following.

Forced fasting! lol I can just imagine how furious many of those servants were! lol At any rate, The Daniel Fast, in essence, is based on whole grains, fruits, vegetables, seeds and good quality oils (i.e. olive and canola). It also allows a variety of herbs and seasonings. Other than the above mentioned foods, one cannot eat any artificial or processed foods, foods with chemicals, yeast and baking powder.

The sole drink allowed while on The Daniel Fast is water. You can, however, use fruit and/or veggie juice as well as non-sweetened soy milk on cereal or in recipes. The majority of people carry out the Daniel Fast for 21 days, although there really isn’t a particular length required.

Twenty-one days references the 21 days that Daniel spent water fasting asking God to help captive Israel. The tale of Daniel regards a man that discovers God’s blessing while a slave to the Babylonians. Indeed, it was not a fun time at all for Israel, and Daniel confronted a lot of perils while there.

He went through more than most of us would be able to bear and still stood tall and did not lose his faith. In spite of all of the adversities, Daniel had many dreams and visions. He had the gift of prophecy and was able to interpret some troubling dreams that the King of Babylon was having.

How was it that he was able to thrive under such immense hardship? I believe the answer lies in the HUGE connection between fasting and the spiritual world. When we fast, we set the flesh aside and are able to connect with God much more directly.

In short, the Daniel Fast is a partial or intermittent fast during which certain foods are not allowed for the purpose of achieving a spiritual objective. There are no restrictions as to the amount of food that you can eat on the Daniel Fast. Nevertheless, bear in mind that this is a time of fasting.