Daniel Fast Day 8 Devotion - March 20th

2 Chronicles 16:9  NIV

"For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him..."

We talk about seeking the face of God.  Did you know that God seeks us, too?  No matter what we are doing, He is looking on.  He is looking for people who say, "This is my life.  I'm going to dedicate to Him."  Our lives may be very ordinary and unglamorous. They may be far from ideal in our eyes, but God is not inviting us to dedicate to Him and ideal. He is asking us to dedicate our actual ordinary lives to Him because He is able to accomplish astonishing things through Him.

He doesn't ask for perfection.  He asks for commitment.  He's looking for loyalty and dedication to doing His will in the world, loving our neighbors as ourselves.  He's seeking servants and friends who will partner with Him over the long haul, even when it's difficult. He doesn't ask us to be strong―he'll provide the strength if we provide the commitment.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:  God is searching us out, looking for hearts that are fully committed to Him.

Daniel Fast Day 7 Devotion - March 19th

Psalm 17:5  The Message Bible

"I'm staying on your trail; I'm putting one foot in front of the other. I'm not giving up.".

Dr. Mark Hyman says that what you put on your fork dictates whether you are sick or well, slim or fat, depleted or energized.  With all that riding on what you eat, it would be easy to feel overwhelmed.  But there no pressure to change instantly, gradual change over time is sustainable.  Just put one foot in front of the other.  There's plenty of grace while you are in the process.  When you have a bad day, what matters is that you decide to get back on track and that you don't give up.

What do you tend to do when you have a bad day, when you feel lousy or you eat the wrong foods because you're busy or stressed?  Be gracious with yourself, because God is gracious with you.  Over time you will have more good days than bad ones, and the changes will be long-lasting for your health.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:  God is gentle with you while you are in the change process.  The goal is progress, not perfection.

Daniel Fast Day 6 Devotion - March 18th

Colossians 3:23  NIV

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters..."

What motivates you to get healthy?  It's completely legitimate to do so out of love for someone else, such as your spouse or your grand kids?  It's also legitimate to do it for yourself, so that you feel better or are able to participate in activities that requires energy and focus.  Many other motivations are equally valid and lead to numerous rewards for pursuing health.

God gives you all these incentives to get healthy, but he also has one more he would like you to consider.  Do it for Him.  It's a great energizer if you decide that all the work of getting healthy is ultimately not for anyone but the Lord.  That's a motivation that can help you  through whatever setbacks come your way.  As the apostle Paul said, "SO whatever you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." (1 Corinthians 10:31)

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:  Pursue your goals with all your heart, and whatever your other motivations, do it ultimately for Jesus Christ our Lord.

Daniel Fast Day 5 Devotion - March 17th

Philippians 4:13  NIV

"I can do all this through him who gives me strength."

What positive changes in your life could happen if you relied on God's unlimited  power instead of your limited willpower?  That's what faith is:  doing God's will by God's power instead of on your own.  God will help you as you rely on Him to give you the ability to change what He wants you to change.

God understands you better than you understand yourself.  God knows what makes you tick―He knows what energizes you, what fatigues you, what makes you sick, what makes you operate at your best.  Doesn't is make sense to trust him to help you?

Without God's power in your life, you are like a laptop that is unplugged; the battery will eventually drain and shut down the computer.  So why live like that?  God created you for so much more.  When you think about change, don't limit yourself to only the changes you know you can make on your own.  Dream of what you can become when God empowers you.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:  God wants to bring about amazes changes in your life.

Daniel Fast Day 4 Devotion - March 16th

Psalm 31:9, 12  NIV

"Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress...I am forgotten as though I were dead; I have become like broken pottery."

Ever feel like everything is against you?  Or like you are stuck in negative thought patterns?  One pattern to watch out for is over-generalization.  This usually involves words like always, never, every, time or everyone.  These thoughts make a situation out to be worse than it really is.

For instance, "I have always struggled with health issues, it will never change" or "Every time I get stressed, I fall into bad patterns."  Are these thoughts accurate? Do you know it will never change?  Do you have to fall into bad patterns every time, without exception?  Of course not.  Over-generalizations make you believe you have no control over your actions and that you are incapable of changing them.

If you tend to think in over generalizations, write them down and challenge them.  Then turn your heart to what you know is true:  the power of the Holy Spirit is within you.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:  God is merciful, he will free you from those old thought patterns.

Daniel Fast Day 3 Devotion - March 15th

Psalm 1:2 NIV

"Blessed is the one...whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night."

The psalmist speaks of the person who is blessed, fortunate, and happy.  He meditates on God's Word day and night.  To meditate is to think deeply about something, to go over and over it so that it sinks into the heart and influences the way we think, feel, and act.

Repetition helps us create habits and can transform us.  Just as repeatedly eating the right foods or consistently exercising changes our bodies over time, so repeating a passage of Scripture and consistently thinking about it will gradually change the way we think.  And changing the way we think will change the way we live.

Choose a verse that ministers to your soul, perhaps a promise you want to trust in.  Turn it over and over in your mind.  What are the implications of it?  Let it sink into your heart.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:  If you can make space to meditate daily on a short portion of God's Word, you will change your mind-set and your heart over time.

Daniel Fast Day 2 Devotion - March 14th

Philippians 4:8  NIV

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable―if anything is excellent or praiseworthy―think about such things."

Pastor Rick Warren says, "The way you think determines the way you feel, and the way you feel determines the way you act."  If we want to change any behavior, we must start by challenging our healthy perspectives.  The Daniel Fast requires a new attitude.  Being made new like this begins when we challenge our distorted ways of thinking.  We ask, "Is this right?  Does that fit with God's Word and God's will?  Or did somebody, somewhere, tell me that, but it simply isn't true?

Pastor Warren also says, "We must make healthy choices to use the resources God has given us, and the first healthy choice is to be careful about what we think."  So as you begin this fast, what are you thinking about today?

May we suggest that you think about what is true―what is true about God and what He desires for your life.  Amelita and I are praying for you.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:  How powerful it can be when we challenge our unhealthy perspectives and replace them with God's truth.