Is the “Daniel Fast” a restricted diet or a real fast?
THE SPIRITUAL APPROACH
In recent years, many churches have become actively involved in health matters. We know our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit, and we honor God when we take care of our complete selves-spirit, mind and body. At my own church, we normally end the year with the “50-Day Renewal” taken from my book, Spiritual Secrets to Weight Loss (Siloam Press, 2008). We collectively signed a covenant which included improving our diets, increasing our exercise, and recognizing that the Christian lifestyle should manifest discipline, moderation and self-control. Other congregations engage in what is known as a “Daniel Fast” where the members are encouraged to commit to a vegetarian diet for a specified period of time. This approach uses the events in Daniel chapter one as a guide, with a goal to transition from a menu dominated by meat to a healthier plant-based diet.
MISSING THE POINT
But whether it’s a “50-Day Renewal” or a “Daniel Fast,” I often find that many participants miss the point. As a result, they fall right back into the same habits once their church campaign is over. The problem rests in their attitude: the campaign is viewed as a temporary “activity,” and not a permanent change. Let’s use the “Daniel Fast” to shed light on this trend.
A SPIRITUAL FAST
In truth, Daniel was not fasting in chapter one. An overview of fasting is beyond the scope of this article, but simply put, a fast is a time when we turn down our plate to draw closer to God. A spiritual fast is never a method for weight loss. To the contrary, when we tally up calories during a fast, we take our attention off God, and place it onto ourselves. According to Jesus, our reward will then reflect our selfish motive (Matthew 6:16-18).
DANIEL’S DECISION
What Daniel did do was to restrict his diet in accordance to God’s law. The law set the Israelites apart from other nations in every respect, including what they ate. The righteous Daniel was determined to follow God’s law, even if doing so put his life in danger. His actions demonstrate obedience, not fasting. Be clear on the difference: fasting is temporary; dietary restrictions are permanent. Through fasting we gain spiritual rewards; through restricting our diets we gain the rewards of better health and a lower risk for disease.
THE “TEST”
All too often, I find those engaged in a “Daniel Fast” misconstrue what Daniel said in 1:12: “Please test your servants for ten days, and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink“. We must understand the “test” was not for Daniel’s sake, but for the sake of the fearful steward. Daniel knew already that God’s diet plan was best. Likewise, he was not anxiously awaiting the end of that week and a half so that he could indulge himself with the King’s food. In fact, there’s no biblical record that he ever ate the King’s food. But what often happens during a “Daniel Fast” is that we end up testing ourselves. From the start, we look forward to when the “fast” will finally be over so that we can remove any restrictions and once again indulge ourselves in the very foods we need to limit (or eliminate) from our diets.
RESTRICTION BRINGS BLESSING
Please don’t miss the point: the events in Daniel chapter one should prove to us that when we make a lifelong commitment to restrict our diets, then blessings are in store for us. If we, like Daniel, choose a diet comprised primarily of plant-based foods, and even choose water as our beverage of choice, our health stands to benefit. This year, let’s resolve to be more like Daniel and lead a healthier lifestyle, permanently!
