Image by andreas N from Pixabay
I need breakthroughs in my life. I want to overcome the effects of childhood trauma, which for me include depression, fear, and anxiety. I long for more intimacy with God, to be able to just sit in God’s presence. This is the first month of the year. A time when people set New Year’s resolutions. My only resolution is to do whatever it takes to overcome and be closer to God.
Doing a Daniel fast
Two years ago, I did what is known as a Daniel fast. It takes its name from Daniel 1:12 in the Bible, who, along with his three friends, refused to eat meat dedicated to idols. Instead, they ate vegetables. Borrowing loosely from the story in the Bible, the Daniel fast consists of eating only plant-based foods.
The website, A Couple Cooks defines the Daniel fast as “a short-term partial fast with the goal of improving spiritual health.” Daniel fast recipes are plant-based and whole-food, according to the site. The length of a Daniel fast is usually 21 days which references a passage in Daniel 10:12-13.
This year, I will start a Daniel fast on January 10, which is a week away as I write this article, through January 31. On a Daniel fast you eat fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts, and seeds while avoiding meat, dairy, and sugars. For my Daniel fast, I will add not eating bread because bread is something I love and yeast is something I should avoid.
Preparation for the fast
For the past few weeks, I have sensed a preparation in my spirit for doing a Daniel fast. I started praying contemplatively through the Lord’s Prayer in order to ready myself to delve deeper into contemplative prayer. What I have sensed is a fear of intimacy with God. The root of that fear is a sense of feeling not enough. If I become closer to God then God will ask things of me that I am inadequate to do.
Overcoming that fear has taken much tapping. (If you don’t know what tapping is, please, check out my previous articles for this newsletter). I tapped through the list of who I am in Christ and the attributes of God. I began reading A.W. Tozer’s book, The Knowledge of the Holy. What all of that did was remind me of who God is and who I am in Him. It made my desire for more of God bigger than my fear of intimacy.
What I aim to do during the Daniel fast is delve deeper into contemplative prayer. Each of the 21 days I will practice centering prayer which is described as a “method of silent prayer that prepares us to receive the gift of contemplative prayer, prayer in which we experience God's presence within us, closer than breathing, closer than thinking, closer than consciousness itself.”
Journaling like a mad woman
During the past three weeks, my journaling habit increased. I started writing down all of the insights I gain about myself from tapping, meditating, and prayer. Months ago, I started writing down how much anxiety I feel and any negative thoughts about myself as soon as I wake up. Lately, I have also included encouragement for myself because discouragement has been an issue.
You could call my first journal entries in the morning pep talks. I remind myself that fast food healing is not possible, that it takes time to recover from childhood trauma. I tell myself that I am healing and recovering and I will be delivered of depression and anxiety.
Image by free stock photos from www.picjumbo.com from Pixabay
Join me in a Daniel fast
Are you looking for breakthroughs? Do you want more intimacy with God? Join me in doing a Daniel fast from January 10-31. I will write about my experiences with the fast through this month. If you would like your experiences included in one of my articles, let me know.