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Table of Contents

The High Cost of an Old Wineskin- A parable about change ...... 2

Introduction - Fasting for First Timers ...... 8

Part 1) The Biblical Basis for Fasting ...... 13 • Old Testament Fasting Scriptures ...... 14 • New Testament Fasting Scriptures ...... 19 • Isaiah 58 ...... 22 • Fasting for Renewal ...... 25 • Fasting in Secret ...... 29 • Fasting and Faith ...... 33 • Fasting as Spiritual Warfare ...... 38

Part 2) Practical Tips on Fasting ...... 44 • Health Benefits of Juice Fasting ...... 45 • Health Benefits of the Daniel Fast ...... 47 • The Effect of Fasting on Nutritional Discipline ...... 48 • FAQ’s ...... 50

Part 3) Inspiration and Motivation for Your Fast ...... 52 • Testimony from JK ...... 53 • Testimony from MJM ...... 54 • Various Testimonies ...... 55

Part 4) Appendices ...... 59 • Fasting Food Guide ...... 60 • Fast Option #1: Liquid/Modified Liquid Fast ...... 64 • Fast Option #2: Diabetic Friendly Modified Liquid Fast ...... 68 • Fast Option #3: The Daniel Fast ...... 70

The High Cost of an Old Wineskin

Anticipation for the grape harvest in the village was at an all-time high. The vineyard keeper, Carlos, was well into his fifties and had been working the vine since he was a young boy. He could take what the environment gave him: sun, rain, and soil, mix it with just the right amount of sweat, labor, and time, then toss in some generational know-how and yield the most wonderfully sweet wine. He liked being thought of as something of a magician. No one else held the knowledge, the secrets of the family stock and trade. He made sure none of the workers saw every element of the wine making business, as this was a guarded family secret. Carlos felt both fortunate and proud to have been handed the family winemaking secrets one by one and year by year. Every aspect of wine making from the precision pruning to the careful monitoring of moisture was passed down to Carlos. His father had taught him the trade and was meticulous about the craft. Each year new wineskins were hand selected for the harvest and his father would spend significant money on the tanned goatskin hides. They were soft and supple and stretched to contain the freshly fermented wine. Carlos’ father warned him to always use fresh wineskins for each new harvest. Last year’s wineskins were never good enough for this year’s harvest. By the time his father was an old man, Carlos had been making wine for about ten years and had perfected his recipe. The vineyards were about 150 years old and the wine was second to none. Carlos was considered a master winemaker and his fame and popularity had grown.

Unfortunately, not everyone appreciated his notoriety. Simeon, the owner of the largest herd of livestock, was a constant thorn in Carlos’ side. Growing up as the neighboring heirs to family fortunes, their businesses were dependent on each other, so they were not direct competitors. Carlos resented Simeon fiercely. Simeon’s land spread out all across the horizon and he held a monopoly on the one thing Carlos had to have for his winemaking: wineskins. Without Simeon’s goats, there were no wineskins to be had for miles and miles around. Simeon’s workers had perfected the development of wineskins which were necessary for Carlos’ wine. They were soft and supple and never added to the flavor of the wine itself. In fact, wine kept for just one week in Simeon’s wineskins actually mellowed and bloomed to a unique and attractive flavor. Each year, when Simeon saw Carlos’ curator coming to barter, he would send him back to his owner and require Carlos himself to come transact the

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deal. It was this arrangement which caused Carlos to despise Simeon. Each harvest was dependent on Simeon’s wineskins to complete the process of Carlos’ winemaking, as the wineskins were only good for one year. Sure, he could use other containers for the shopkeepers and villagers, but most of his sales were to travelers and nomadic traders. It was the portability of the wine in the wineskins which had earned Carlos the title of most successful winemaker in the region. As Carlos made his way to the farm where Simeon would be sitting on the porch, he could hardly lift his eyes to see the smirk on Simeon’s weathered face. “Good day,” said Carlos. Simeon was gloating now, “Yes, it is a very good day, Mr. Winemaker!” Carlos, in an effort to cut short the pain of the process, moved quickly to business. “I will need 100 of your best skins. It has been a good year in the vineyard,” his chest beginning to swell with pride at the thought of harvest. When he saw Simeon’s smile, he realized he said too much. Simeon replied, “Well, 100 skins, it has been a good year for you.” Simeon began to adjust himself in his chair. He stroked his scraggly beard for a long minute. His eyes twinkled, “How about 40 shekels a piece.” Carlos lost his breath. This was more than a third higher in price than he was prepared to pay and almost twice as expensive as last year. Carlos was asking for 25 skins more than previously so the price was significantly more than he could pay. Carlos knew there was no bargaining to be done. Simeon’s monopoly was the nail in the coffin. It was too late in the season to travel to the next farm and the cost of the journey in man power and cash would make it a moot point, not to mention there was no guarantee the wineskins would be of the same quality. Carlos had no moves left. There would be a singular but significant payday at the end of the entire season, but Carlos had to deliver in order to receive it. “Well, Carlos, it seems my goats have eaten your tongue for breakfast.” He snickered. Carlos stumbled for words, “I ...I was not prepared for the increase in price you are placing on those skins, it is outrageous.” Simeon smiled, “The cost of feed and workers has gone up this year. Everyone else knows this. Only you, the vineyard owner, are shielded from this because your grapes only eat what is in the soil and drink the rain. Everyone else has to deal with feed costs and worker’s wages.” Carlos knew Simeon was right, but he couldn’t pay the price, nor would he admit his shortfall. This year, the grapevines were in their prime. The soil, conditions, and weather were choice and there was great anticipation for the upcoming season. Nothing could get in the way of a great harvest. The only dilemma now was the storage and transport of the wine. Carlos would have to strike a deal with this goat herder or lose everything. It seemed his family fortune and history was hanging in the balance of this one conversation with Simeon.

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Carlos let out a heavy sigh. His pride would not let him ask for assistance from anyone and Simeon would not budge on the prices. Carlos stood abruptly, so lost in his own thoughts he almost forgot where he was. He looked at Simeon as he attempted to conceal his discomfort, “Well, Simeon, I will need to return to my vineyard and get my funds together.” Avoiding a handshake as he walked away, Carlos stepped off the porch into the yard. Simeon said, “Now Carlos, you can’t leave here without telling me some terms. Do we have a deal? You are not the only buyer of skins in the valley. I have other customers to think about.” Carlos turned, still in his own thoughts. He felt a panic beginning to boil in his belly and rise up toward his throat. “How many days do I have in order to get the skins on time?” Simeon was prepared with his answer. “I will give you 24 hours. I am working some deals on the other side of the mountain where conditions have been favorable as well. You may be the largest vineyard owner in the region, but you are not the only one.” Carlos was not aware Simeon’s business was branching out. This was a double threat. Other vineyard owners were competing for the same customers, but now they were competing for the very skins he was hoping to obtain for himself. Carlos stepped forward in a brash show of pride and stuck out his hand, “Twenty four hours and you will have a deal…” Simeon smiled and took the hand in his own. They shook hands alright, but immediately Simeon sensed Carlos’ hand withdraw without warning. Carlos wheeled on his feet and headed away without further interaction. He had to go home and think his way out of the mess and potential devastation.

Carlos’ bay horse had barely crested the hill overlooking the vineyard as he surveyed the property from the best vantage point in the valley. He paused to look at everything he had. In the past, it had caused him to swell with a sense of satisfaction, but now Carlos felt pressure mounting in his own soul. If he couldn’t find a way to get this harvest to market, the property would be sold to cover the workers’ wages. They had labored all year and they knew the work would yield a healthy profit, but the high cost of skins would cut Carlos’ profit to a minimum. Not to mention, he had little money saved to purchase skins. Maybe he could pay for half, but there was no way he could afford all of the skins necessary to take care of the entire harvest.

Carlos’ mind was a whirling mixture of panic, frustration, and angst. Just as he was about to work himself into a frenzy, his eyes fell to the storage room outside the winepress. He saw one of the workers making himself busy by dusting off last year’s wineskins. Carlos’ heart jumped. For the first time today

4 he had hope. Maybe there was a solution around this whole thing. Carlos spurred his horse from a walk to a trot, to a gallop.

He had to find out how many of last year’s skins were set aside in the storage room. Carlos’ father had taught him to discard the wineskins from the previous year, saying they weren’t fit for new harvest wine. Carlos, the ever vigilant penny pincher, thought it was such a waste. He had always obeyed his father’s instructions, but retained the used wineskins for water and other liquids around the plantation. Today’s business was causing him to rethink his father’s words of wisdom. He began to examine the stacks of old skins, counting the containers of the previous years’ wine. Surely since they were kept out of the sun in this old shed, they would be fine for re-use. By the time he reached the last pallet, he had counted more than enough for the coming harvest! His profit numbers surged! He could not believe he never thought of this before. “Well,” he thought to himself, “the day hasn’t been so bad after all.” Carlos would send a worker to Simeon to tell him the news; he would not be purchasing skins for the harvest after all. Simeon would be curious, if not angry, but for Carlos this was simply shrewd management. Soon the grapes were being picked at the peak of ripeness. Carlos did the customary sampling of each trellis and then commissioned his workers to pick. This harvest was the greatest in his family’s history. The maturity of the vine coupled with the exact number of days of sun and rain created perfect conditions for these grapes. Every day, Carlos would wake with the anticipation of going down to watch and test the wine. Every harvest brought joy, but this was like a new born baby in a cradle. He marveled at every aspect of its birth and maturity. This was a season beyond anything he had ever seen. No family stories ever came close to what he was seeing now. He felt so fortunate, so favored, to be living the family legacy with a harvest such as this. God was smiling on him! The days passed and the time for bottling had arrived. Carlos instructed the workers to bring all of last year’s skins to the floor of the wine room. The foreman, a longtime employee and family friend looked quizzically at him, but did as he was instructed. He knew better than to question, but this was a first in his decades of service. To all of their astonishment, the skins had a higher capacity than new skins! It seemed the previous year’s wine had stretched them. What began as a standard size skin was now almost one third larger! This was another bonus to Carlos. The wine would be sold by weight and he could charge at least one third more for each one. Everything about this harvest was nothing short of miraculous. Carlos slipped inside to pat himself on the back and do some final calculations. Not only would he pay off the debt

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he had incurred on the property, but he would have money left over! Preparations were all made and Carlos headed for his bed and pillow. Tomorrow would be an amazing day. His ancestors would be proud. He had stewarded the family’s land and investment well through the lean times, and now was the time for prosperity! When Carlos awoke in the morning, the sun had barely climbed over the mountain, waking the valley with its pale glimmer. Today was the day! He would lead his twenty five wagons in a long processional to the market. People would be gathered around, patting him on the back for his bumper harvest. He could hardly wait to see the look on Simeon’s face when he pulled up with all of the wineskins, none of which came from Simeon’s farm. Carlos had beat all the odds and his profit would be through the roof! The thirty minute ride into town seemed like seconds. The wagon train came into town and the buzz of the whispers grew. “Is that Carlos’ harvest?” “I’ve never seen so much wine in one place in my life!” The town was palpable with excitement. Soon, Carlos sat down with traders, store owners, and merchants from across the region. His confidence surged as he boasted about the age of the vineyard, the skill of the workers, and his winemaking prowess. He was commanding the highest amount per skin anyone had ever seen, and people were happy to pay it. Carlos was taking money and handing out skins at a feverish pace. His assistants were putting the money into a bag to be counted later, but the money bag was stretched nearly to capacity. By noon, the sun had reached its high point, and with it the temperature. Carlos was down to only one wagon left, which had been spoken for by a merchant from a large town two states away. He was traveling by horse to claim it by the evening. As Carlos looked at the bursting money bag, his excitement and pride grew to epic proportions. This was the most money he had ever seen! As he puzzled about what would be the first way he would spend his money, he noticed something strange near the last wagon. It seemed there was liquid running down through the cracks in the wagon slats. He thought to himself, “One of the workers must not have tied off the wineskin securely.” As he moved closer to investigate, he noticed the wineskins seemed to be overfilled. He couldn’t imagine why this would be. He had carefully instructed each of the workers to leave a little bit of room in the skins. The truth was, he would intentionally under fill the skins to make the product go further. Every little bit helped. Just then, there was a tear, then a gurgle, then an entire wineskin burst, releasing the contents onto the wagon and down to the dusty street below. Carlos’ stomach lurched. This could not be! Wineskins should not burst in this fashion. The longer he stood there, the more skins split and poured, until the

6 entire wagon and the ground beneath were soaked with the work of his hands. Carlos felt the blood drain from his face. He realized the merchant would be arriving soon, and now he was empty handed. He would have to pay back the advance on the sale, but worse yet, his family name would be tarnished because he failed to make good on his word. His internal panic was interrupted by an angry mob gathering at the far end of the market. Their numbers grew as they marched quickly toward him where he stood. One shouted, “What is the meaning of this?” as he held up a split wineskin which looked very much like the fifty or so in the wagon. “Is this some kind of sick joke? You get us to pay a premium price for your wine only to have it explode before we can get it home?” Another shouted, “We want our money back.” The crowd surged and grabbed for the money bag in his hands. They tore it from him and the paper money flew high into the afternoon sky until every dollar had disappeared. The merchant from afar arrived and was livid about the entire journey and demanded he be paid for his trouble. Carlos tried to reason with him. “I’m totally broke. You understand don’t you? These things happen. The skins were faulty and I didn’t know it. It’s not my fault. None of this is my fault!”

Mark 2:22 (NLT) Jesus said, “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the wine would burst the wineskins, and the wine and the skins would both be lost. New wine calls for new wineskins.”

Believers in Jesus Christ are the primary change agents in the world due to the influence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We must learn to recognize the new seasons of the Spirit in the world and stay “in season.” This occurs when we are open to fresh insights, methods, and attitudes and allow ourselves to stay open to change. When we insist on approaching life solely on the basis of “the way we have always done it” we miss the fresh harvest of what God wants to do. Fasting allows us to put down our flesh and to be renewed for the season the Spirit of the Lord is bringing to pass. Let us keep in step with the Spirit of God through fasting and prayer!

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INTRODUCTION - FIRST TIMERS READ THIS Fasting for First Timers

Fasting has been a part of the continuing life of LightHouse since 1998. Ken Cramer and Mark Smith, both sons of the House had taken a retreat to the revival at Brownsville Assembly of God in Florida and received a powerful visitation of the Holy Spirit. They didn’t want the move of the Spirit to stop with them so they made a decision to enter in to a forty day fast. At the conclusion of the fast, another 20-30 people at LightHouse entered into a longer fast. Some did 7, some did 21 days, and a few did 40 days! Within 30 days of their completion a member came forward with a valid accusation of immorality against the Senior Pastor of LightHouse. After administrative leave, and a proper investigation, the Senior Pastor of LightHouse was removed and the member restored to fellowship. The immoral relationship had been going on for 2 years but it was the season of fasting which brought it to the surface. Fasting with prayer breaks the power of sin over a person, and if enough people fast and pray, over a congregation.

We feel the Lord taught us something collectively, as well as individually. Since he showed us the benefit of fasting with prayer, we have continued this season of fasting from that year to this. We all need seasons of fasting. Through the years, we have matured in both our attitudes and methods regarding longer fasts. In the early years, we were more legalistic. We worried about strict guidelines and “rules of the game.” Later, we began to understand the objective of the disciplines was to bring us into freedom. Imagine a piano player practicing scales religiously for 2 hours every day and then working on a song for another hour. The dedicated discipline of scales wasn’t what the practice was all about. The discipline created greater dexterity of movement and flow to occur, so when the song was practiced, the pianist was free to focus on presentation of the piece rather than on the individual actions of the keys. Fasting brings this type of freedom.

At first, a fast seems rough and painful. Our stomachs are not used to this and they growl their loud compliant. It is possible to get light headed and to experience erratic blood sugar levels. But after about 72 hours of fasting employing either juices or broths with plenty of water, you will experience a physical and mental relief. Your stomach will subside and your digestive system essentially goes to sleep. You really can begin to enjoy fasting after

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We suggest first timers follow a schedule like this:

Step One: Three days prior to the fast, eat nothing but fresh fruits, vegetables and drink water only. For heavy coffee drinkers, drop to one cup in the morning. This suggestion is to begin to clear out the toxins of sugar and the influence of excessive caffeine on your body. If you don’t take this time, your fast will be much more debilitating and less enjoyable. You will spend the whole time detoxing which will include headaches, dizziness, loss of energy, etc.

Step Two: The day you begin your fast, sit down to think about how long you want to go, and what you want to see accomplished by your fast. Read some of the recommended books on fasting. Find out what others do or have done. Investigate some fasting testimonies and build your expectation and your faith. This is where you dream with the Word of God and ask Him what kind of fast He desires for you. Meditating on the scriptures will give you an idea of what things are supposed to happen during a fast. Don’t skip this meditation and dream phase. You are going to experience extreme temptation to halt the fast. Your flesh will give you every reason in the world why it isn’t important, can’t be done, shouldn’t be done, etc. This doesn’t even take into consideration the misunderstandings and questions of well-meaning friends who don’t support, or are convicted by your commitment to fast. You need to align your spirit, soul, and body for a successful fast. Often we don’t prepare all three for the journey and abort the journey before we see the real benefits.

Step Three: Once you have these things in place, make a declaration. “I’m fasting for “x” days and I’m believing God for “x”. Try to be as specific as you possibly can. This is a faith building exercise. When you fast, you also want to “watch and pray.” Watching and praying means you are believing God for specific answers to prayer and if you haven’t made specific allocations for what you want to see happen, how will you know if they have?

Your faith declaration should include some of the biblical prayer requests for all believers. Some of them from the New Testament could be condensed to these four to advance the Kingdom:

1. Workers 2. Doors 9

3. Fruit 4. Finances

Fasting will heighten your spiritual senses and your spiritual awareness. Some people experience immediate clarity and regular answers to prayer. Others have found they have vision and understanding regarding what God is doing or wants to do in their lives. This is a common occurrence based on the scriptures. Jesus expects his followers to fast. It was he who said, “When you fast, do not appear as the Pharisees or the teachers of the law.” The word when implies the action will take place.

We should be people of both fasting and prayer for several reasons:

1. Jesus expects it. So, it is simple obedience. 2. It unlocks the realm of the Spirit like nothing else. 3. Fasting releases healing in our bodies. When we fast, the oldest, fatigued, or diseased cells get cleansed from our systems. 4. It gives our digestive system a chance to rest and repair. 5. Fasting prepares our “wineskin” for “new wine.” Read the section on Fasting for a new season in this book. 6. Fasting positions our spirit man for maximum impact by reducing the impact of our flesh. The section in the book on Why did Jesus fast gives more insight in this regard. 7. You will feel better! Many Christians have a weak impact, because they have a weak disposition. Christians who are low on joy and energy for life are not convincing in their witness of the resurrected Christ! Jesus is alive and He is Lord! Our very countenance and stride on the earth should shout it out!

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Why should I Fast?

I am addressing this question from the standpoint of all parts of the human being. We will consider the spirit of man, the soul of man, and the physical body of man. I 1 Thessalonians 5:23, scripture talks about your whole “spirit, soul, and body be sanctified for the coming of Jesus Christ.” A number of reasons exist for why the scriptures encourage fasting. Here are a few:

Spirit- (our eternal being) 1. Obeying scripture. 2. Renewing passion for Christ and the Kingdom of God. 3. Receiving guidance from within, rather than from without. 4. Sharpening of our spiritual ears: fasting assists with this. 5. Entering into a new season of the Lord: fasting facilitates the shift from the past to the future. 6. Following Christ’s example. 7. Increasing the anointing of the Holy Spirit in our lives. 8. Increasing faith in God’s promises. 9. Intensifying operation of Kingdom authority. 10. Sharpening the other spiritual disciplines. We can begin with fasting as the first domino, which knocks all the others into motion.

Soul- (our mind, will, and emotions) 1. Tearing down of strongholds or limiting beliefs. 2. Reducing anxiety and runaway thinking. 3. Eliminating worry. 4. Elevating the peace of God in our lives 5. Focusing on what is important and letting go of what is not important. 6. Developing strong convictions regarding righteousness. 7. Establishing proper thinking regarding the renewal of our minds. 8. Establishing proper habits regarding what we will and will not do. 9. Preparing our thinking for the promise of the future. 10. Developing proper attitudes regarding the Kingdom of God. 11. Making room for a character shift. Body- (the temple where the Spirit dwells) 1. Ridding ourselves of fatigued, dead, or diseased cells. 2. Reclaiming proper eating habits. 3. Detoxifying the entire body. 4. Restoring proper body weight. 5. Renewing energy and vitality for the overall body. 6. Healing of physical ailments. 7. Preparing the “wineskin” for the “new wine” of God’s Spirit to be outpoured. 8. Reordering control between the parts. Our spirit man should be in control over our soul and body. Often, our flesh (body/soul) takes over making our spirit incapable of asserting itself. Fasting restores righteous order.

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9. Establishing good goal setting habits. When we can order our body, getting it to do what we want, not what it wants, this paves the way for future breakthroughs. 10. The balancing of enzymes, hormones, and blood sugar.

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Part 1 THE BIBLICAL BASIS FOR FASTING

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Old Testament Fasting Scriptures

1. Exodus 34:28 New International Version (NIV) 28 Moses was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant—the Ten Commandments.

2. Deuteronomy 9:9 New International Version (NIV) 9 When I went up on the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant that the Lord had made with you, I stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights; I ate no bread and drank no water.

3. Deuteronomy 9:18 New International Version (NIV) 18 Then once again I fell prostrate before the Lord for forty days and forty nights; I ate no bread and drank no water, because of all the sin you had committed, doing what was evil in the Lord’s sight and so arousing his anger.

4. Judges 20:26 New International Version (NIV) 26 Then all the Israelites, the whole army, went up to Bethel, and there they sat weeping before the Lord. They fasted that day until evening and presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to the Lord.

5. 1 Samuel 7:6 New International Version (NIV) 6 When they had assembled at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out before the Lord. On that day they fasted and there they confessed, “We have sinned against the Lord.” Now Samuel was serving as leader[a] of Israel at Mizpah.

6. 1 Samuel 31:13 New International Version (NIV) 13 Then they took their bones and buried them under a tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.

7. 2 Samuel 1:12 New International Version (NIV) 12 They mourned and wept and fasted till evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the army of the Lord and for the nation of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.

8. 2 Samuel 3:35 New International Version (NIV) 35 Then they all came and urged David to eat something while it was still

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day; but David took an oath, saying, “May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun sets!”

9. 2 Samuel 12:15-17 New International Version (NIV) 15 After Nathan had gone home, the Lord struck the child that Uriah’s wife had borne to David, and he became ill. 16 David pleaded with God for the child. He fasted and spent the nights lying in sackcloth[a] on the ground. 17 The elders of his household stood beside him to get him up from the ground, but he refused, and he would not eat any food with them.

10. 2 Samuel 12:21 New International Version (NIV) 21 His attendants asked him, “Why are you acting this way? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept, but now that the child is dead, you get up and eat!”

11. 1 Kings 21:25-27 New International Version (NIV) 25 (There was never anyone like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, urged on by Jezebel his wife. 26 He behaved in the vilest manner by going after idols, like the Amorites the Lord drove out before Israel.) 27 When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and fasted. He lay in sackcloth and went around meekly.

12. 1 Chronicles 10:12 New International Version (NIV) 12 all their valiant men went and took the bodies of Saul and his sons and brought them to Jabesh. Then they buried their bones under the great tree in Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.

13. 2 Chronicles 20:3 New International Version (NIV) 3 Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah.

14. Ezra 8:21-23 New International Version (NIV) 21 There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions. 22 I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, “The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him.” 23 So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer.

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15. Ezra 10:6 New International Version (NIV) 6 Then Ezra withdrew from before the house of God and went to the room of Jehohanan son of Eliashib. While he was there, he ate no food and drank no water, because he continued to mourn over the unfaithfulness of the exiles.

16. Nehemiah 1:4 New International Version (NIV) 4 When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.

17. Nehemiah 9:1 New International Version (NIV) 1 On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and putting dust on their heads.

18. Esther 4:3 New International Version (NIV) 3 In every province to which the edict and order of the king came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping and wailing. Many lay in sackcloth and ashes.

19. Esther 4:16 New International Version (NIV) 16 “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”

20. Psalm 35:13-14 New International Version (NIV) 13 Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth and humbled myself with fasting. When my prayers returned to me unanswered, 14 I went about mourning as though for my friend or brother. I bowed my head in grief as though weeping for my mother.

21. Psalm 69:10 New International Version (NIV) 10 When I weep and fast, I must endure scorn;

22. Psalm 109:24 New International Version (NIV) 24 My knees give way from fasting; my body is thin and gaunt.

23. Isaiah 58:3-7 New International Version (NIV)

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3 ‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?’ “Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers. 4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high. 5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for people to humble themselves? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying in sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord? 6 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? 7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

24, Jeremiah 14:12 New International Version (NIV) 12 Although they fast, I will not listen to their cry; though they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Instead, I will destroy them with the sword, famine and plague.”

25. Jeremiah 36:9 New International Version (NIV) 9 In the ninth month of the fifth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, a time of fasting before the Lord was proclaimed for all the people in Jerusalem and those who had come from the towns of Judah.

26. Daniel 6:18 New International Version (NIV) 18 Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being brought to him. And he could not sleep.

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27. Daniel 9:3 New International Version (NIV) 3 So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.

28. Daniel 10:3 New International Version (NIV) 3 I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over.

29. Joel 1:14 New International Version (NIV) 14 Declare a holy fast; call a sacred assembly. Summon the elders and all who live in the land to the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord.

30. Joel 2:12 New International Version (NIV) 12 “Even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.”

31. Joel 2:15 New International Version (NIV) 15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly.

32. Jonah 3:5 New International Version (NIV) 5 The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.

33. Zechariah 7:5 New International Version (NIV) 5 “Ask all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, was it really for me that you fasted?

34. Zechariah 8:19 New International Version (NIV) 19 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “The fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth months will become joyful and glad occasions and happy festivals for Judah. Therefore love truth and peace.”

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New Testament Fasting Scriptures

1. Matthew 4:1-4 New International Version (NIV) 1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted[a] by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” 4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’[b]”

2. Matthew 5:6 (doesn’t specifically use the word “fasting” but says “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.”

3. Matthew 6:16-18 New International Version (NIV) 16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

4. Matthew 9:14-15 New International Version (NIV) 14 Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?” 15 Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.

5. Mark 1:12-13 New International Version (NIV) (doesn’t specifically use the word “fasting” but says “the angels attended him.” 12 At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, 13 and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted[a] by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.

6. Mark 2:18-20 New International Version (NIV) 18 Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came and asked Jesus, “How is it that John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?” 19 Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them. 20 But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast.

7. Luke 2:37 New International Version (NIV) 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four.[a] She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.

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8. Luke 4:2-4 New International Version (NIV) 2 where for forty days he was tempted[a] by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” 4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’[b]”

9. Luke 5:33-35 33 They said to him, “John’s disciples often fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating and drinking.”34 Jesus answered, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? 35 But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; in those days they will fast.”

10. Luke 18:9-12 9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

11. Acts 9:9 New International Version (NIV) 9 For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.

12. Acts 13:2-3 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.

13. Acts 14:23 23 Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.

14. Acts 27:33 33 Just before dawn Paul urged them all to eat. “For the last fourteen days,” he said, “you have been in constant suspense and have gone without food—you haven’t eaten anything.

15. 1 Corinthians 8:8 8 But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.

16. 1 Corinthians 10:31 8 But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.

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17. 2 Corinthians 11:27 8 But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.

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Isaiah 58 (NIV84) 1 “Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. Declare to my people their rebellion and to the house of Jacob their sins. 2 For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God. They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them. 3 ‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?’ “Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers. 4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high. 5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying on sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord? 6 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? 7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? 8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. 9 Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. “If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, 10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. 11 The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. 12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings. 13 “If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord’s holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, 14 then you will find your joy in the Lord, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.” The mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Fasting clarifies God’s design for our lives. We begin to seek God, but our ways get in the way. We say we want to hear from God, but our lives prove otherwise. 22

Israel saw fasting as a religious discipline, while God sees it as a way of peeling the callouses from our hearts.

He gives us a heart of compassion. He gives us a desire to unseat injustice and to untie the cords of the yoke and break every yoke of bondage we encounter. He wants to use us to do away with oppression in every form. What is it in my flesh which allows me to be “ok” with seeing someone oppressed? What is it in me which is comfortable when someone else is bound in sin or an addiction? Why would I think I could fast and seek God and not become a more compassionate vessel?

Fasting is about getting the real you to breakthrough. What if the real you is hidden in the muddy exterior of your physical body? The Apostle Paul says, “We have this treasure in jars of clay ...” (2 Corinthians 4:7). You are a mud- man/mud-woman and God has placed his most amazing treasure inside you. There is not, nor will there ever be, another you!

Clarity about who you are, and who God has made you to be, is vital.

Clarity about who God is in your life is critical to your growth in Christ. Who does God say He is and what does He want to do in your life?

Clarity about where you are going and what this year holds for you. Have you set goals yet? Have you set out dreams and desires before you?

Discover what you can do when you set your mind and heart moving in the right direction. Goals will keep you focused. Goals will set your pace and keep you breaking down obstacles. Goals will keep you praying and pressing in to contend for what God has in store. It is your goals which will help you discover what God has for you. Without them, you will wander aimlessly into the future. You will no doubt be hiding your light under a bushel. You will be burying your talent in the backyard. Every spiritual gift is a subpoena from the Lord to get involved in His Body, in His World, and watch His Kingdom grow through your influence on it.

It is through the use of the gifts He has given you that He will be glorified through you. It is amazing when you consider how God has chosen to use us to accomplish His will! God is at work in you to will and to do His good pleasure. He has created us in Christ Jesus to do good works which God

23 prepared in advance for us to do. We need clarity about the calling of our lives. Once we discover those, our eyes will be open for who and what can happen in the future.

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Fasting for Renewal When you are united with Him in your death you will also be united with Him in life. The crucified life is a necessity of the flesh. You can’t have what He has until you give up what you have and are. The exchange has taken place in the spirit realm, but we have to make it a reality in the natural realm. Fasting is involved in the process of mortification of the flesh. It is the thinning of the veil of the flesh. Just like Moses put a veil over his face so people would not see the fading of the glory, so we must thin out the veil of our own flesh so the glory can be seen. We need to reverse the activities of Moses. We must with unveiled faces gaze upon the glory of the Lord. Gazing is prayer. Fasting and prayer: two wings of the same bird. Fasting strikes against the tap root of the flesh and allows us to come forth. No longer hindered by our flesh, our spiritman can assert himself. We pray scary big prayers when we fast. Be prepared for your inner lion to roar. The you which is really you will come out of the cave. Your life will be changed by one prayer. Your passion will be kindled by the process of fasting. What if the energy you need is not to come from food, but from the Spirit of God within? Jesus said, “I have food to eat, you know not of.” He said this while ministering to the woman at the well. My food is to do the will of God and to finish his work. Fasting brings focus. Fasting strengthens resolve. In order to fast, we must break free from familiar habits. Your stomach has you trained. It growls, you move. It desires, and you spend money. You won’t be still until King Belly is satisfied. It’s not called comfort food for nothing. King Belly wants what it wants. The amazing thing about what can happen when we change up the routine is we suddenly grow a spine. We turn down the plate and the urges scream. We double down on the next meal and the next and about 72 hours into the process, we realize someone on the inside of us is waking up. It’s the lion of our real identity. We suddenly discover King Belly was just a front, a poser, a stand in on the throne of our being. When we cut off his supply we drag him off the throne and he goes to stand in the corner until you welcome him to the table again. Now the real you…chiseled features, sinewy arms, and clear vision steps up and sits down in the Captain’s seat. It’s time to drive the future of your being into the destiny hidden for all eternity. You have a channel connected to the Throne of Grace and communication is static free. Answered prayer becomes as simple as a drink of water and the presence of Jesus like walking across the room to greet a dear friend. Fasting has thinned the veil of your flesh out and the transparency between Heaven and Earth comes into focus. The promises of God are liberating and real. The voice of the Holy Spirit booms with deep authority inside you. You know who you are, more importantly whose you are. Your understanding of the world around you is beginning to shift more rapidly. 25

That which confused and confounded you one day clears away like fog to a gentle breeze. Motives and attitudes holding you back dissipate with the seconds and become distant memories in the minutes. Simply shifting your focus from food to life itself made the subtle and not so subtle deliverance take place.

It’s a transition from “build myself up” to “die to myself” from hands on control, to relinquishing control to another (and to the process). Living becomes more real in the face of death (mortification of the flesh).

Fasting brings decrease to the body, but increase to the spirit man. Our inner man is really alive. We see Zoe more clearly in the absence of the assertion of bio. The truest you is about to make an appearance. The you beyond your fat cells. The you unhindered. You unhindered. That’s a good name for a fasting book. How to unlock the real you. How to release the real you. How to realize the real you. What it takes to be you. Clearing the hard drive of your life. Deliverance from your past to create freedom for your future. You unhindered are ready to come forth and create the world you were meant for.

In the scriptures Jesus taught his disciples to fast for a few reasons. When the bridegroom was with them, they would not fast, but in his absence they would. It was to recognize a season as well as His absence. They were to celebrate in his presence (opposite of fasting) but were to fast in his absence (mourning was appropriate)

No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, it will make the tear worse, ruining the entire garment.

No one puts new wine into old wineskins, if he does, the wine will burst the skins and both will be lost. Not only will the wine and the skins be lost, but also the time, energy and expense which went into the process is wasted, never to be recovered. The wineskin was compliments of the shepherd. Goatskin was the most utilized material for wineskins. The goat would be slaughtered for food, then the skin would be tanned and prepared during a 40 day process to prepare it for the reception of wine. Once tanned and fashioned accordingly, it would be ready for the expansion it would receive when the wine was introduced to it. The skin, once tanned would be supple and stretchable. The wine when added would fill the skin to capacity. Over time, the wine would expand slightly causing the skin to stretch and be tested. After the wine was

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drunk completely, the skin would be empty and then washed or set aside until another season. Quite possibly, it was just left aside with the debris of past wine already remaining. When the new wine (from a new harvest) is introduced to it, the fermentation process kicks in all over again. The dregs of the old wine react to the sugars in the new wine causing immediate expansion. The old skin, having been stretched to capacity in the previous season has developed stretch marks and hairline fissures within itself. To the naked eye, things seem fine on the surface. The wineskin was usable for oil, for water, or for any number of other liquids. However, wine, the fruit of the season, when placed in last season’s container would become volatile. Seasonal shortcuts are doubly destructive. One lost harvest can cause bankruptcy in an agrarian society. One season without income can create a lifetime of servitude for the farmer and his family. They would have to sell themselves into slavery to alleviate the debt created from one lost harvest.

Jesus’ remarks hit the ears of the listeners sharply. What would it mean to them to lose a harvest? How did fasting in any given season preserve the harvest and the wineskin? How could Jesus take two dissimilar thoughts and bring about meaning from them?

Application: Fasting creates the same conditions in your physical man as the preparation of a new wineskin for new harvest season. The wineskin would be smoked for many days…the tanning process. All of the hair would be removed (the old remnants of the past life) and coated with a fluid which softened the skin, making it pliable for repurposing. The skin could be used for anything. The best ones were used to preserve the harvest of the grape. Wine was a symbol of abundance in the days of Jesus. Wines were graded and the best vine dressers/wine makers were held in esteem. They understood how to work with all God had created and harness it for the benefit of their friends, neighbors and customers. Preparation of the wineskin was a vital part of the process.

Word of the Lord, prepare the next generation of wineskins for the harvest I will bring to pass. Show the pathway of preparation. Minister, mortification, and meditation. They must understand the way to the secret things. Once they discover the secret things, they will make them known in fresh ways. It takes the ancient paths to create freshness in a world bent on remaking itself from recycled air and repurposed metals. The ancient paths are where we find God. It’s where he calls to us to leave our desolation and find consolation for our souls. The ancient paths are what we must train into the lives of young people

27 everywhere. It is the Sensei or the Guru or the Pathfinder who has found a way into the secret place because he/she followed the voice of the Master teacher.

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Fasting in Secret Matthew 5:16-18 “When you fast, do not be somber like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they already have their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that your fasting will not be obvious to men, but only to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

Jesus’ instruction during the Sermon on the Mount declared to all humanity the proper way to approach God. From the Beatitudes, to prayer and the disciplines/lifestyles of the right house, our behavior should be one of integrity. We should not be attempting a front or mask before people around us. God is not interested in skin deep adherence to laws. The day for law has passed. Now we are under grace. We have access to Life which is really life and there is no place left to live religiously. Jesus’ teaching on fasting fits the season in which we live today. He had taught earlier there would be no fasting during the time when the bridegroom was at hand, but when he would leave, there would be fasting. That day is today and this text applies to us, even in some strange way we have to interpret the idea of washing the face and anointing with oil. What is Jesus’ point in this text?

His first instruction is “do not be somber.” Fasting in its initial stages is physically debilitating. I remember in the first few fasts I attempted this caught me off guard. I didn’t plan for any down time in my day. Consequently, when my blood sugar began to get a little low, my energy dropped with it. I had a headache from a lack of caffeine. I experienced dizziness when I stood up too quickly. Then there was the whitish color of my tongue and the atrocious breath! Somber didn’t cover what I was feeling. It was several levels below somber. What I realized was this was part of the detoxing of my physical body and all of these symptoms were normal.

Jesus was giving instruction regarding our physical man because fasting is intensely physical. Fasting targets the flesh at the cellular level and your body reacts by going on strike! It doesn’t want to work for you and then it tells your face… “We feel ugly, so make a note of it.” Jesus’ words were for us to be mindful of the motivation for our fast and inform our face: “We are doing the will of God, so be joyful and not a downer.” The truly religious crowd of Jesus’ day would make sure everyone was aware when they fasted. From the face, to the clothing, to the open declarations, to the listening ear. We are fasting, and we want you to know just how spiritual and superior we are to you! 29

Jesus is saying, your pride and arrogance smell as bad as your breath when you make a show of your fasting. His words were to a correction to fasting for purely religious purposes. His words, ‘this is what the hypocrites do,’ are a reminder that He coined the term. A hypocrite in Jesus’ day was actually a stage actor. Prior to Christ, hypocrite was not used in religious terms but only in the entertainment world. A hypocrite was a person who played the part of another on stage. They would use a mask, props, and lines of a script to step up to the platform and be someone they weren’t in real life. Just think, Hollywood has awards for who has been the best hypocrite in every category! I digress. Back to fasting. Jesus is implying we not use something which is intended to bring intimacy and spiritual life to the center of our souls for something it was not meant to do…make others think differently about us. If this is what you use fasting for, enjoy it, because you have received all of the accolades you could ever receive from it. You are done. If a show of carnality is all you want to have, then you can have it, but you won’t receive anything from your Father.

He starts with a negative example to teach us the positive one. He instructs, “When you fast, anoint your head with oil and wash your face.” Notice the when you fast. For much of the church, fasting went out with the monk robe. They never think of it, never learn about it, and certainly never enter in to it. Fasting is the discipline everyone loves to hate. I get it. It’s much easier to talk about food, hang out with people who are eating food, prepare food, and eat food, than it is to appreciate the benefits of fasting. After all, you might say, “Pastor Ken, I have given up beer and smoking, drugs and carousing, cussing and pornography. The only thing left to do is EAT. Why would you deprive me of this one simple enjoyment? Is God really that mean?”

Jesus is speaking of “anoint your head with oil and wash your face,” because he is telling you, there is a new season you are about to enter into. When you fast, you are preparing your temple for the new thing the Father is about to bring your way. To anoint was to set apart and choose one for a specific purpose. To wash your face meant you were preparing for a new day. Taken together, these thoughts might communicate this: “You have been in a holding pattern until the day you chose to fast. The moment you said “yes” to fasting was the very moment you chose to walk out of the old and into the new. Therefore, I am setting your life apart for the purpose I have called you to. Since you chose to fast, I have chosen to bring a new anointing on your life and you might as well get some oil right now, because it is here. Wash your

30 face to greet the new day before you and get ready to enter in because your new season has come!”

Jesus says, the Father who sees what is done in secret and not by others, He is the one who has His reward ready. It is already prepared and headed your way.

Why set aside perfectly good healthy food? Why neglect the joyful fellowship of other believers around the table of plenty? Why not go from one course to the next, one meal to the next, one season to the next with never ending delicacies to eat? Because there is something greater, more powerful, and more beautiful and if we don’t take time to seek it, we will miss it. Food strengthens the body and while doing so strengthens the “flesh” which is the part of us which desires control over our lives. Do you see the hindrance? The flesh wants control, but so does the Father. If you really think you can do, be, and have everything you need, all because you have made it happen with your own two hands, then fasting is unnecessary for you. Go for it…”eat and drink for tomorrow we die.” After all, it was the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil which brought sin and death into the world. Do you see it? Adam reached for the fruit from Eve. The birds stopped their singing, the brooks their bubbling, and the animals spooked for the very first time. As Adam lifted the fruit to his lips in total rebellion, while the juice dripped from his chin, the glory of God departed from creation. That which covered and immersed Adam’s physical body was no longer. He noticed a strange stirring in his soul for the first time. Fear gripped him like a vice. He had done it. He had violated the very word of his Father, his creator/friend. Eve looked different to him now. She had a familiar look, but now the two saw shame and guilt on each other’s face. Horrified, they ran for cover when they heard the voice of their Creator/Father/Friend. Before the fruit fell from Adam’s hand, disease and death had already begun to take hold on their world. Heaven became the unseen realm and earth was left to the prince of the power of the air, the god of this age. Adam would no longer have access to his Father/Friend.

Our Father is unseen because of one act of disobedience. Jesus came to restore relationship and by restoring relationship, he made obedience possible again. Fasting strikes at the flesh and brings it into submission. Adam’s self- promotion in the garden has been passed on to us and needs to be dealt with. Fasting is the way the Father has set in motion to deal with the part of us which chooses to deny Him and His ways.

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Fasting is not a hunger strike. It is not our way to press our point to God in order for us to manipulate him into doing our will. Fasting is not a diet. It is not the way pudgy pastors get control of their waistline or practice a spiritual form of anorexia/bulimia. Fasting is not for the benefit of others. Jesus describes how it is more than earthly in its accomplishments.

Fasting done properly is done, “before the Father in secret.” So, what is the purpose if no one is going to see or notice? Why go without food if I can’t make some chatter and share with others what I am doing?

Fasting is mortification of the flesh. It is death dealing to the part of us which rejects God. Fasting is submission to the words of Jesus who said, “When you fast.” Fasting is submission to the Father who longs to pour out his life, love and Kingdom on us, but we are too busy enjoying all this world has to offer to take the time to listen and prepare the way. The Father (our Source) is in secret, but chooses to manifest himself openly when we seek Him through Fasting and Prayer. We are seeking Him in secret, so He might display His greatness in these temples. Fasting is submission to the Holy Spirit who resides in our bodies. It is not an accident that after Jesus fasted, the Holy Spirit came on him in power. He was led by the Spirit into the fast, but came out in the power. Fasting shows us the door to the power of God. It comes from denying the flesh one morsel at a time. It comes when we choose Him over self, and fasting over feasting. It happens when we choose to serve Him rather than serve ourselves.

What’s in a bite? What is really so significant about fasting? Well, when God brings us instruction, it is always for our benefit. So, what are the benefits of fasting?

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Fasting and Faith

Jesus said of the demon-possessed boy, this kind doesn’t come out except through fasting and prayer. Earlier He had rebuked the disciples for their lack of faith. Literally for their unbelief. Was it unbelief in themselves? Was it unbelief in the power of God? Was it unbelief in the authority of the gospel? We have a clue: Jesus said, “How long must I be with this adulterous generation.”

How does fasting deal with unbelief? Fasting strikes at the part of us which is self-sufficient. It lowers the pride quotient of our lives. Wrong motives are dealt with severely. We find ourselves unable to promote ourselves for the first time. Survival instinct is strong, but when the flesh is disciplined/chastened by the will, the suffering brings forth the authority of the Kingdom. A stubborn demon, an obstinate person, a depleted bank account, all must bow the knee to one who has found access to the secret place through fasting.

Fasting positions us to receive everything we lock out by our own self- sufficiency. Fasting releases kingdom life by removing the obstacles of our limited thinking. Faith rises naturally when fasting is foremost in our tool box. We don’t want to add to the world, we want to decrease it. We turn down the noise by shutting out the unwanted signals. We focus on the frequencies God wants us to turn up.

The power to cast out the demon was already present. The disciples couldn’t access it. Was it lack of compassion? Was it lack of understanding? Jesus labels it unbelief: you did not believe, therefore you did not have power to cast it out. How many opportunities do we walk past because of unbelief? How many people remain bound because we were unaware of our authority in Christ? How many times have doors that were meant for us to open remained shut because we had no mind to knock on them?

Your best ‘you’ is present within the underperforming you. Your assertive ‘you’ is right behind one or two “No’s.” You might be one decision away from releasing the lion in you. That decision is to fast. That decision is choosing your best self and stepping onto the path the Lord has trod before you. Many people get a thrill of a lifetime by visiting the streets Jesus walked in Jerusalem. It is possible to see the sights and breathe the air and stand on the very latitude and longitude of Jesus, but not walk in His power. His power and authority is reserved for people who live the lifestyle he lived. Not in the Middle 33

East as a carpenter, but as a seeker in secret. As a “laid down lover”, as Heidi Baker so aptly describes. The lifestyle of prayer and fasting is the pathway Jesus chose for himself and for us to attain a kingdom lifestyle, kingdom productivity, and kingdom signs and wonders. Why don’t we enter in? Why, indeed?

We don’t follow the way He followed. The servant is not above his master. The student is not above his teacher. If Jesus fasted and prayed for the Kingdom, so shall we. There is no other way than the only way. “I am the way, the truth, and the life…no one comes to the Father but by me.” When we choose Jesus, we choose His way. To choose Him and not choose His way is to dis-count the cost of discipleship. Cue the theme of going to battle or building a tower. Counting the cost means not simply naming his name but also going his way. “Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not do the things I say?” (Luke 6:46)

Fasting and Prayer are His Way. The Kingdom only comes through prayer. If the Kingdom would come by preaching, we would be in the millennial reign right now. If the Kingdom would come by giving, the new heavens and the new earth would be our abode. If the Kingdom would come by our strategies, schemes and simple ideas, the New Jerusalem would have already come down from heaven. No, instead the Kingdom comes by prayer. His will comes by conquering your own will, one thought, one motivation, one attitude at a time. When we walk the way of fasting and prayer, we discover our minds beginning to synchronize more quickly with His own. Our way becomes less important than following His way. Our desires give way to His. Pleasing Him becomes foremost in our minds. Following closely to the way of the master through fasting and prayer becomes desirable to us. We are strangely drawn to the secret place of prayer. Our fascination with our glittery masks fades and is replaced by the desire for depth, insight and wisdom. We desire His presence more than life and breath. Our sensibilities to the spirit realm become heightened and our purposeful plans become subservient to His own whims were He to express any to us.

The Way of the master is fasting and prayer. If you want to find Him, you will have to take His way. There is no other. He will not trot back down the path to find us and bid us happily to catch up. He waits patiently with a fierce urgency burning in his own soul. “I have come to earth to build a fire and how I wish it were already kindled.” (Luke 12:49) Let him kindle a fire in our souls. The closer we come in fasting and prayer, the more our own hearts will be

34 strangely warmed by the furnace of his gaze.

Fasting in this life gives us access to the life beyond. We can peer over the precipice of the flesh to glimpse the glory beyond. If we are fortunate, we will drag some glory back to the present before it fades until we return to the precipice again. “In quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it”, said the prophet of old. The secret place will not cry out. The Holy of Holies doesn’t have LED flashing lights advertising its existence. It existed long before Disney and Vegas and will pulse with life long after they are ash heaps. The Holy of Holies is where we are taken apart and put back together. It is the furnace of his presence which changes us into the sons of God which change the world. Don’t let the world change you, let it feel the strength and wonder of your existence. Dominion comes with your footfalls. Authority walks in when you do. Paul says, “Death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.” We must be bearers of death, if we are to be purveyors of Life. There is no resurrection without death. We must perfect dying that we might know life.

I want to know Christ. I want to know the fellowship of his sufferings, become like him in his death and somehow to attain to the resurrection of the dead. Fasting and prayer provide the access to the fellowship of His sufferings. This is suffering which the scriptures say belongs to us. Not the suffering of a sick or diseased body. Not the suffering caused by this world. The suffering we willingly endure for the sake of the Gospel. We must endure until the end. We must hold fast to the calling we have received in Him. We must fast and pray for the strength of the spirit we need. Not worldly strength. We must go beyond merely existing and enter into the life He has freely given to us. Fast, Fast, Fast. Hold Fast.

To thin the veil means we get more acquainted with the spiritual man we are. We are spiritual beings having a human experience. We need to be like Moses who experienced the presence of God when he approached the Lord in the tent of meeting. He would glow with the Glory. Paul says, “We all, who with unveiled faces reflect the Lord’s glory” as we look on his face. (2 Corinthians 3:18) Our purpose in gazing at the Lord is to be changed. His purpose in us is to change our identity to more clearly resemble His. As we do, we are changed from glory to glory. This transformation comes by the thinning of the veil of the flesh. Anything which strikes at the root of keeping the flesh empowered assists this pursuit.

Fasting is the preparation of the wineskin for the introduction of the new

35 wine. We are not prepared in an adequate fashion for what Jesus wants to pour out. What He is bringing to the earth is too precious, too valuable, and too timely to have leftover containers. He wants the container to match the outpouring. So, the thinning of the veil of the flesh is not unlike the thinning of the cervix as the head of the baby is lodged in position. The cervix opens and the membrane thins or effaced. This is the veil of the flesh separating two worlds. The inner world of the mother’s womb and the earth’s atmosphere. Jesus spoke of this when he related how we are born of water and the spirit.

There are two interpretations of “born of water.” 1) The earth realm of which we are a part is made of water. Jesus was talking about the creation to which we belong. Angels can’t be born again because they miss the requirement of “born of water.” They are part of the heavenly creation and not the earthly one. 2) Born of water also means “born of a mother’s womb.” When a woman’s “water breaks”, it is a sign and symptom the child is about to arrive. The atmosphere where the baby existed has been emptied and birth is about to take place. The thinning of the membrane happens immediately before the breaking of the water. It’s a change of atmosphere which is needed. It’s a bringing forth from one realm into the next realm. This is the power and mystery of fasting. How can we enter into the next realm, while still remaining in this one? How can we have the many benefits of the Kingdom of God to which we have access? How can we walk in everything available to us without any fleshly limitation? Prayer points the way and fasting opens the door. Prayer provides the new dimensions and fasting thins out the flesh to receive the new environment/atmosphere/worldview. We can’t embrace what we cannot see. We cannot enter in fully if we don’t leave behind the limitations of our past existence. How can we be free this side of Heaven? We must fast. Entering into a new season requires fasting. Entering into a new anointing requires fasting.

Why did Jesus fast? What was different about Jesus before the fast versus after the fast? What did he enter into? How did he defeat the devil? When he defeated the devil, what did that do for us? What did he make available on our behalf? Was his identification/substitution available for us in fasting in the same manner that his death, burial, and resurrection was made available to us? What should we understand from Jesus’ fast which has been hidden to us because we have not entered into the experience?

Praxis is an interesting word, which applies to the process of Fasting and Prayer. Praxis is the uncovering of truth by means of walking something out.

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Truth remains locked up and unavailable until we choose to obey. Once we obey, we discover/enter into/receive the revelation of the truth which was unavailable to us before. This is what Jesus spoke about when He said, “For as much as you have done to the least of these, you have done it unto me.” (Matthew 25:40) We won’t meet Jesus fully until we serve the broken and the poor. When we do, we will find Jesus in those moments. He will be there for us to experience. We need what He has made available to us, but until we walk in obedience to that word, we will not see Him in our world. He chooses to walk fully with those who are obedient. We must enter a new world of obedience before we find him there. We must fly away on the wings of fasting and prayer. Fasting and prayer allows us to experience Jesus and his life in fresh ways.

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Fasting as Spiritual Warfare

Strongholds are systems of thought which reject the knowledge of God. They are ways of living and thinking which do not include Him. Fasting exposes strongholds to the knowledge of God. (2 Corinthians 10:4-5)

When Jesus fasted, the temptations of the devil exposed these systems of thought. These systems of thought were brought to light to indicate the theater of battle in the mind. Jesus was tempted spirit, soul, and body. Each temptation denied God and God’s desire for each level of the life of Jesus. His fasting prepared the citadel of his will for the onslaught of the enemy.

Jesus’ pathway of fasting demonstrated for us the challenges we will face at every level to do the will of the Father. However, he also demonstrated that a pathway to victory exists. Jesus -- the God-man -- showed us even though Adam succumbed to the “lust of the flesh, lust of the eye, and pride of life” (I John 2:16), we in fact, do not have to give in. His chosen path, which paved the way to victory, freedom, and the will of the Father, was a pathway of fasting and prayer.

When we fast and pray, we become unmanageable to the devil. He cannot overcome a child of God who deals with strongholds at this level. We have the capacity through fasting and prayer to dismantle the subtle lies of darkness which would otherwise ensnare us. Give the devil a foothold and he will soon have a stronghold. Jesus’ way is the only way into the fullness of the Father’s plan.

Notice when Jesus goes into the wilderness in Luke 4, he goes led by the Spirit. He intentionally confronts the devil. He goes hunting. His hunt for the serpent’s stronghold was predicated by fasting. He intentionally weakened the “man flesh” so his spirit-man would be poised for the battle. Jesus would not have a human experience, so much as he would have a spiritual one. He allowed his spiritual being to have a human experience of overcoming the devil’s temptations: not a human being having a spiritual experience, but a spiritual being having a human experience. Thus, his victory was brought about by the source of his power being on display.

Jesus lived from the will of the Father, not from his own human will. His human will would have surrendered to the temptation, “command this stone to become bread”. Instead of yeast rolls appearing from granite, Jesus spoke of 38 the source of all life: “man does not live by bread alone, but by every word which proceeds from the mouth of God”. Since the Spirit led him to fast, only the Spirit would release him, not his own human hunger. He awaited a life- giving word to finish the fast.

Moreover, when Jesus was taken to the pinnacle of the temple and the enemy badgered him emotionally, “throw yourself down, and the angels will bear you up, Jesus”, Jesus countered with “don’t put the Lord your God to the test.” Jesus’ emotions were held in check because his mind was stayed on the Lord. He had perfect peace in the midst of the attack of the devil. The badgering and buffeting of the enemy would hit on the emotions, but not move the will. Jesus had positioned himself to overcome all the power of the enemy. His mind and emotions were established in God and were separated from the attack. Jesus’ mastery of the word of God, coupled with the discipline of keeping himself poised, prevented him from going over to the devil’s side and ending everything the Father had in store. It was the fasting which preserved him.

In the last temptation, the enemy told Jesus he could have it all, he simply needed to take a shortcut. He offered Jesus all of the kingdoms of the world if Jesus would just take a path of least resistance. How many of our opportunities have that same second path? How many times could we easily misrepresent the truth just slightly, knowing no one would be the wise? The enemy tips his hand when he says, “just bow down and worship me”, tempting Jesus with everything He stood to gain through the cross: I am the god of this age and I can give you all the nations…simply take a knee. No need to endure the cross. No reason to lay your life down. No purpose in taking the difficult journey before you. I own it all, and I can give it all. Yet, Jesus has fasted. He sees clearly the lie of the enemy is a thinly veiled attempt to bring Jesus under his power. If Jesus worships the enemy then all is lost. If he surrenders for a moment, the prophetic plan of redemption is subverted forever. True, there would be no cross, no pain, no shame, and no death, but the purpose of his life would be lost for all eternity and all of creation with him.

Notice the need for fasting. If Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, needed to fast to maintain his poise when faced with temptation, how much more do we? If Jesus, who had perfect communion with the Father through prayer, needed to bolster that communion with fasting, how much more do we need the benefit of the fasted life to maintain constant communion with God?

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Jesus fasted to show us the substitutionary/identification truth. He is our substitute and he defeated the devil on our behalf. If we identify with him by fasting, the same power is made available to us. He is the “firstborn among many brothers”. We are joint heirs with Jesus of the Father’s inheritance. He has given to us his victory, but we can only enter it through the pathway of fasting and prayer. The Word will work for us, as it did for Him, when we fast and pray. The Spirit will come upon us in power, as He did with Him, when we fast and pray.

Notice with me in Luke 4, after the enemy finishes his tempting, he leaves Jesus behind until a more opportune time. The Spirit comes on Jesus in power and from that moment on news travels of his power. I believe the authority of Christ echoed first in the spirit realm and then into the natural realm. Jesus at this time was born of water and the Spirit. He had been born of woman, and now had been Spirit baptized in the Jordan. Following his defeat of the devil, the strongman was now bound before him. He could plunder the strongman's house. Everything once held in bondage by the enemy was now under the control of the King of Kings. Redemption was spreading one person at a time.

Jesus then calls his disciples to himself and gives the command, “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out the demons, and say, ‘the kingdom of heaven is at hand’.” This declaration to the disciples was a demonstration of the reality of the authority of Jesus now to be made known in the earth. The disciples could go forth in His name and do the mighty works of God, unhindered by anything the enemy could bring. Jesus had all authority, even though he had not in the natural gone to the cross, the 40-day fast and the defeat of the enemy in the wilderness had already demonstrated his divine nature working in tandem with human nature. Something which the world had not witnessed since Eden. The serpent understood what was at stake and realized Jesus had the capacity to reverse what he had stolen from Adam.

Fasting restores to us the dominion we must have over our own flesh before we can fully appreciate what God has given us by the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. God wants us to have a whole new mind. He wants to give us divine understanding and wisdom to function under a strong anointing which will push back the noise and barriers the enemy attempts to front before us. God desires to unmask the enemy before us at every hand in order to make clear to us what the Kingdom of God should look like in our day. Fasting unlocks the spiritual realities kept hidden from us by our own five

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senses. We are limited, but Jesus provided a way to navigate not based on our human faculties. No eye has seen, no ear has heard, neither has it entered into the mind of man what God has prepared for them who love Him, but God has revealed it to us by His Spirit.

This revelation is already ours. It was purchased and Paul says it has already been delivered to us. We have no limits except what we allow. Paul says, “All things are yours…and you are of Christ and Christ is of God.” There are no limits. There are no hindrances before us, except our own selves. God is not the one stuck in unbelief and bound by time. Romans 8:32 says, ‘he who spared not his own son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not with him freely give us all things?’ Fasting takes down the barriers we live according to in the natural and shows us the proper dimensions of our lives. We are not bound, except by the Lord himself, and yet, the Lord himself has “unleashed” us.

The enemy limits us by the use of strongholds, which we fail to identify and we fail to dismantle. He does this by systematic deception. The word says, “No weapon forged against you shall prosper, all those who rise up against you shall fall.” The weapons formed against us are both common to man and specific to each of us. They are common to man, in that no new angles exist which the enemy uses…lust of the flesh, lust of the eye, pride of life. Those are the limits to his angles. However, he will in fact use a specific fashion of those temptations.

It won’t be just a female, but a particular body type and hairstyle. It won’t be just a promotion, but one which would require you to lay aside some of your integrity, if only slightly, to be considered. While the enemy is not omniscient, he is a good study of weakness. He understands your style, your likes, and dislikes. I suspect he is as good as Google at understanding your search history. What things are you seeking? Then, armed with that knowledge, he fashions something which runs on a parallel track to the will of God. He makes it resemble the real, but it is in fact counterfeit. The enemy is happy for you to do good things, especially when they are substitutes for God things.

Only through fasting and prayer and the renewal of our minds (Romans 12:1-2) will we learn to discern the will of God for our lives. What is the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God? We live between two worlds: the world of the flesh or the natural world and the world of the spirit. When we fast, we

41 loosen the holds of the natural world on our flesh. We begin to rise up and loosen the bands of injustice under which we have been formed. It is very difficult to move against the culture/strongholds which have formed and shaped your very thinking. We must choose to be influenced more by the kingdom of light than by the kingdom of darkness. Prayer causes us to ask for things we see in the word which are available. But what happens when we are unable to see because we are blind or because we are weak? Hello Fasting! Fasting loosens the bands of wickedness and injustice and allows us to be unfettered from our present reality to such a degree we can take ahold of what God says is available to us in the kingdom of God.

We live far beneath the benefits of the Kingdom. We live in spiritual poverty with the keys of God’s treasure house in our hands or rather on our forks. It is simple and yet sublime. He increases in us, when we choose to live in a practical means separated from this world. We allow the change to happen in us when we set ourselves up to win by following the path of the Master.

Fasting will do for us what formulas cannot do. Many people default to some sort of spiritual formula; if they confess the word more, if they shout louder, if they leave the praise music on at night, or cast out a demon from its perch. They fail to understand the enemy is far closer to them than the territorial spirits. The enemy is the part of their being which wants to agree with the accuser of the brethren, the facet of their own soul, called the flesh, which chooses comfort over conviction. They are unable to stand in the will of God, because the flesh will crumble as soon as spiritual pressure begins to mount.

Jesus left us the clues in his own fast. He lived a fasted life, so we might understand the way to power and victory. Praise God, we don’t have to live in coldness anymore. We don’t have to live in blindness anymore. We can be strengthened in our inner man, moment by moment. The prayers which have gone unanswered do so because we ask amiss, James says. When we get ourselves out of the way, the way is made clear for answered prayer. We can watch God move on our behalf, simply by setting ourselves apart in prayer and fasting.

What is more important to you than food? What matters so much you would go without eating to see it accomplished? Start there. What has been the longest standing prayer request you have had in your life? Start there.

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What is the one thing which, if God answered it, would provide the most amazing breakthrough you have ever seen? That’s a good one. Start fasting. Simply go without food for the purpose of positioning yourself for God’s best. He is not deaf, so you don’t have to shout. He is not stubborn, so you don’t have to beg. He is not stingy, so you don’t have to manipulate or make promises. He is your Father and He has already promised to give you more than you could ever ask for or even imagine. He is your Creator, your Redeemer, your Deliverer, and your Sustainer. He wants to answer your prayers and he is looking for you to want what He wants for you. Get ready to watch God transform your world from the inside out. He will not leave you hanging and wondering. He will come to you…He says, “Your healing will quickly appear…You will ask for me, and I will say, ‘here I am.” (See Isa. 58)

God is ready to pour out His spirit on your life and your family. He wants to see you blessed, but you have to set your heart apart for Him. You cannot fast as a mere ritual and expect the transformation to take place. It’s the hour to repent and get on board with what He is saying to you. Stop fighting in the flesh and move into the realm of the Spirit. He is waiting to bring you to the next level and show you amazing things. Don’t waste time, don’t waste energy, don’t wait any longer for what God has already promised you. Nothing is impossible to the believing ones. Fasting deals with the particular kind of unbelief which keeps us in a sort of suspended animation. We are alive but not living in the abundant life Jesus promises. Fasting breaks through into the spirit realm on our behalf. The keys are in your hands. Your finger is on the trigger of the power tool. You simply need to start.

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Part 2 PRACTICAL TIPS ON FASTING

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Health Benefits of Juice Fasting

There are many health benefits to juice fasting.

Give the digestive system a well-deserved rest. Juicing removes insoluble fiber from vegetables and fruits. This allows for increased absorption of health-promoting phytonutrients, because less energy has to go into digestion. Medications (proton pump inhibitors, antibiotics) and toxic foods (i.e. food additives, chemicals, pesticides) can cause imbalances in the gut microbiome (the type of bacteria in the gut) as well as disruptions in the lining of the intestinal barrier (“leaky gut syndrome”), which can result in autoimmune diseases such as Crohn’s. Resting the digestive tract from these harmful substances allows time for the digestive tract to heal and repair. During a juice fast, we also rest the liver which is the main detoxifying organ in our body. Reverse chronic disease. 70% of our health is related to lifestyle choices, 30% to genetics. Research for decades has shown that many severe chronic disease (i.e. diabetes, hypertension, autoimmune diseases) can be reversed by a plant-based diet (1). Break your addictions. Many Americans struggle with an addiction to sugar and processed foods. Doing a juice fast gives your body a chance to break those cravings and “reset” your nutritional preferences. Increase your intake of “powerhouse” fruit and vegetables. Vegetables are alkalizing and packed with antioxidants. These antioxidants bolster your immunity, improve your mood, protect your heart and cardiovascular function, and even prevent cancer. Instead of aiming for 5 servings of fruits and vegetables, we should be aiming for 10 servings per day for optimal health (2). By juicing, we can dramatically increase our intake of fruits and vegetables to achieve this 10 per day goal. Be more in tune with your nutrition. After you complete your juice fast, you can begin to reintroduce foods into your diet slowly. Many people have food sensitivities, particularly to dairy, wheat, caffeine, or fermented foods that cause symptoms such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome or migraines. As you reintroduce these foods, you will be able to distinguish which foods are best for your overall health. Improve mental clarity and energy levels. After the first few days, your mental and spiritual clarity will be acutely sharpened. Reduce water retention and lose weight safely. Juices typically contain higher potassium content to help excrete excess sodium that contributes to edema. Weight loss will happen at a safe level as your body adjusts to your new nutrition regimen. 45

(1): Ornish D, Brown SE, et al; “Can lifestyle changes reverse coronary heart disease? The Lifestyle Heart Trial.” Lancet. 1990 Jul 21;336(8708):129-33. (2): Kahn, Joel; “Whole Heart Solution.” 2014.

Contributor: Dr. Elizabeth Lunsford

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Health Benefits of the Daniel Fast

A very popular fast for Christians is the Daniel Fast. This is based on what we learn in the book of Daniel when Daniel refused to avoid “defiling himself” by eating the royal foods and wine. He instead ate vegetables and drank water only for 10 days (Daniel 1:8-14 NIV). Later, he followed the fast again for a 21- day period (Daniel 10:2-3 NIV).

The Daniel Fast has very positive health effects. There is evidence of these effects since Daniel first went on the fast, as “At the end of the ten days they (Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah) looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. So the guard took away their choice food and wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead.” (Daniel 1:15 NIV)

Science has worked to provide proof of the health benefits of the Daniel fast. A study found that “A 21 day Daniel Fast 1) significantly reduces systolic and diastolic blood pressure, 2) significantly reduces total, LDL, and HDL cholesterol, 3) reduces insulin, HOMA-IR (insulin resistance), and C-reactive protein (indication of inflammation) in a clinically meaningful, although statistically insignificant manner, 4) does not cause any negative effects on blood count or metabolic panel values, 5) is well-tolerated, and 6) may be useful as a nutrition education tool for men and women. (1)” Another study of a 21 day Daniel Fast found that participants had increased nitrate/nitrite and antioxidants, which collectively can indicate a likelihood of improved cardiovascular and metabolic health. Also, the participants showed decreased oxidative stress, a process which can lead to human disease (2). While they are definitely helpful physically, the Daniel Fast and juice fasting also positively affect our relationship with food and our spirit.

Bloomer RJ, Kabir MM, Canale RE, Trepanowski JF, Marshall KE, Farney TM, Hammond KG: Effect of a 21 day Daniel Fast on metabolic and Trepanowski and Bloomer Nutrition Journal 2010, 9:57 http://www.nutritionj.com/content/9/1/57 Bloomer et al.: A 21 day Daniel Fast improves selected biomarkers of antioxidant status and oxidative stress in men and women. Nutrition & Metabolism 2011 8:17.

Contributor: Leah Beiermann, RD

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The Effect of Fasting on Nutritional Discipline

Food was given to us as a wonderful gift from God. Imagine if all our food tasted like a multivitamin (not the gummy kind of course). It could have, but God chose to give us taste and other pleasures associated with food as a gift! However, just like everything else in our fallen world, food and eating have the potential to become an idol. Our sinful nature craves instant gratification; this instant gratification continues with our desire to constantly make food a source of pleasure, regardless of its consequences to our health.

Many people bow at the altar of food. According to the CDC, 70.7% of all Americans over the age of 20 are overweight or obese (https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/obesity-overweight.htm). Although there are many physical problems associated with poor nutrition, the consequences of our food choices go beyond physical. In Philippians 3:17-21, Paul mentions the spiritual impact of food:

17 Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do. 18 For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body (NIV).

Do not let your stomach be your god! Gluttony is one of the most acceptable sins in our culture. But it is still a sin! When we fast, we have an opportunity to make sure to put our relationship with food in its rightful place: under the lordship of God. Not only is it a time to grow spiritually, but also a time to reevaluate and adjust our relationship with food in general.

Do you need to kick food off the altar? Fasting is a wonderful way to put food in its place. Are you sure you have not put food on an altar? Fasting is a wonderful way to make sure food stays in its rightful place.

After you fast is a perfect opportunity to reevaluate what dietary changes you need to continue for health and what things you stopped that you should

48 not resume. Keeping your nutritional discipline on track is a process that lasts a lifetime. Nutritional discipline is made stronger through fasting.

Contributor: Leah Beiermann, RD

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FAQs Are there any medical conditions that exclude me from fasting? Pregnant women should never fast. Lactating women who are exclusively breastfeeding also should not fast. People with liver disease, renal insufficiency, or Type 1 diabetes should check with their healthcare providers prior to fasting.

Should I exercise during my fast? Gentle physical activity such as walking, yoga, stretching, and swimming is fine. These activities may help support your immune system, preserve muscle mass, and boost your mood. If you exercise regularly, you should decrease the intensity and durations of your workouts. Strenuous activities should be avoided.

Can I use a blender and still get the same results as juicing? No. Juicing removes the fiber, making nutrients easier to absorb. There are significant differences between blending and juicing.

What should I do for headaches? Headaches are common especially the first three days. Try to taper off your caffeine the week prior to your fast, because sudden caffeine withdrawal will cause headaches. Be sure to hydrate properly with at least 2 liters of water, herbal non-caffeinated teas, or coconut water in addition to your juices and broths. Coconut water contains electrolytes that may help decrease headaches.

Why do I feel cold? It is common to feel cold during a juice fast, as your body temperature can decrease when you are in caloric restriction. Just bundle up with warmer clothes or make some hot tea.

Should I continue my prescription medications? Please consult with your physician. Be sure to check if any medications must be taken with solid food.

What are the best types of juices or broth? Fresh juice or homemade broth from organic ingredients is the best, because it will contain the most nutrients to optimize your health. It’s best to aim for 80% vegetables and 20% fruit ratio in your juices. Fresh juice will last up to 72 hours in the refrigerator. Juice It to Lose It has great juicing recipes 50 and tips. There is also a documentary on Netflix called Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead that provides great health motivation for juicing. If you do not have time to prepare fresh juices or homemade broth, you can purchase these items at the store.

Contributor: Dr. Elizabeth Lunsford

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Part 3 INSPIRATION AND MOTIVATION FOR YOUR FAST

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Testimony from JK

This was my first time doing a 21-day fast. I had no idea what to expect physically or spiritually, except maybe some serious hunger. After the first couple days, I noticed that I, surprisingly, felt better. I am less lethargic. My mood has improved. My attitude has changed. I feel calmer, happier, and more positive.

Most importantly, I have found myself feeling closer to God. My prayers are more than mere words; they are a conversation with my heavenly Father. I know he hears me.

Also, I have always tended to be a control freak. I am finding myself letting go of that bad trait. This one thing is improving my relationship with my wife; I am more connected to her and see her as a partner instead of someone over whom I can assert my authority. We are a team now, making our lives together more enjoyable.

As for physical changes, in addition to having more energy, I have lost weight, which I intend to keep off, because, among other reasons, my wife likes the leaner me. I also no longer need to sleep using a c-pap machine. My wife and I hated that thing. I no longer need it, no longer snore, and sleep better.

God is good!

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Testimony from MJM

This was my first “serious” attempt at a fast even though I was raised Catholic, so fasting wasn’t a foreign concept to me. My relationship with food needed to be put in its proper place. Food had become my comfort and go-to therapy when I was down. I knew that the Lord needed to be my go-to therapy rather than food.

What to fast? How to fast? What to do during the fast? Those were the questions I had and was unsure of the answers. So, the week prior to the fast, I prayed asking God how He wanted me to do this. I followed what He led me to do!

During the fast, if I became hungry, I fed myself with His Word. I read a lot! As it turns out, that was what I was missing in my upbringing; the prayer and focus on God, not what I was fasting from. I learned it doesn’t matter what you fast from, it matters who you are fasting for and why!

I have gained a sense of peace like nothing I have ever experienced! I have found an energy I thought was impossible without food! I struggle with health issues yet none of them plagued me during my fast! I cannot stress enough that I was in constant communication with God before, during, and after the fast.

Along with the physical stuff going on, before fasting I carried an inner turmoil with me everywhere I went. Well …God removed all the “junk” I had accumulated from the world over the years! Letting go of that baggage alleviated a heavy burden my marriage had been struggling to hold up! By removing all that junk my marriage has a chance to grow!

Generational curses have been BROKEN!! My son, during the fast, read more of His word as well! My husband and family are shocked that I did it! My response? I just love Jesus more! You just gotta try it!

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Various Testimonies

Satan has always attacked me with feelings of fear and inadequacy with regards to my calling to practice medicine. When I finished OB/GYN residency three years ago and moved to Gloucester, I was a brand new physician on my own for the first time. These thoughts would be overwhelming at times, knowing I was responsible for such precious lives every day and even one mistake could be devastating. When I started attending Lighthouse, I began truly fasting and praying to be free from these recurrent fears of inadequacy. As I kept praying, fasting, meditating on the truth of God's word, and growing closer to the Lord, these fears have been silenced. Instead of fear, I choose faith, that God will be working through me in EVERY situation that I encounter to provide the wisdom and skill that patients need in that moment. I have seen God answer prayers countless times, and my trust keeps growing in what HE can do. Even in storms, I can walk in perfect peace, because my mind is stayed on God (Isaiah 26:3). ~EL

Two years ago, I was praying and fasting at the start of the year, and I felt God calling me to bring my 92 year old grandfather to live with us. My grandfather, Charles, was very lonely in a nursing home at the time, requiring full-time assistance with all of his activities of daily living, and confined to a wheelchair. My husband was in agreement that we should bring him to our home, however many other family members were very negative about how this decision might be too much of a burden on us or might negatively impact our marriage. However, I knew clearly that God had called us to this ministry to care for him, so we went forward in faith without listening to any voices other than God's. My grandfather lived with us for 3 months before he passed away. God provided for our family every step of the way, gave us great memories with Grandpa Charles, and even bringing my husband and I closer together as we shared a common goal. This all came from the Lord out of a time of fasting and asking HIS direction, then watching HIM provide all we needed and more. ~EL

I am so thankful and so humbled at what God has done and continues to do in my life. My mother passed away last year. Our family had been torn from the top down. My heart cried out daily for deliverance from the torment of guilt and feelings of just walking away. God is so good. During the fast, as I let go and reached for Him. I felt His glory, His magnificent awesomeness, His healing. 55

The next morning I got a text from one of my brothers that I had not seen since the day she died. He wanted all of us to get together. We all met and as we hugged and smiled and talked, my Father’s reassurance was heard, It’s going to be alright. Isaiah 40:31

~ CK

I finally got a job. Granted it's not my dream job, and it's only 3 days a week. But I'm not going to complain!!! It’s better than nothing. I'm praying for a much better season in mine and my daughter’s life for sure. There is always a silver lining somewhere!

~AL

My Fast by BR

This was my longest and most disciplined fast. The first two days were my most difficult, but pales in comparison to the sweet fruit it yielded. These words are part testimony, part plan and part devotional. Use whatever is beneficial.

I wanted to think about What I got out of this What I put it What I changed What changes I want to keep

Twenty year prayers were answered, I experienced major personal breakthrough in the ability to get over myself and, really, get over fear. I planned so I could determine what to say NO to. What I put it, I get out I stopped watching TV alone, except for one snow day- (plan for what throws you), and read instead. Sherlock Holmes was my favorite. It wasn’t very spiritual but satisfied a distraction and did promote creativity in my writing. I knew my trip to my niece’s bridal shower and our family dinner would occur in the time of fasting and so I planned to celebrate with them, eat dinner with them and just skip a cupcake. When I returned home, I also returned to my fasting plan. I read the Word, I listened to the Word, I thought about the Word, I wrote 56 about the Word, I got a Word (notice a pattern here?) My words are MOVER, STIR, and more recently PIONEER and GROW. I thought maybe at first it was my obsession with Pioneer Woman dishes. I’m a nut for pretty kitchen things in aqua! Then God started to speak through a sweet friend about developing ministry for those married women praying for their husband. I know a little something about this and would love to be used as an encouragement to other wives. I’ve prayed for twenty years for my husband. During this fast I’ve seen remarkable growth in him and myself. Sarah, Abraham’s wife, had a 20 year promise and then gave birth to Isaac. Gen 21 For twenty years, I’ve had a promise and now it has borne fruit! Glory to God. God had told me about three years ago “I will make you a mother of many”. This was a scary and confusing statement to me. I was praying for a friend to conceive a child and looked at her and said “God, you mean her, I’m done having babies.” (As if I had to tell God which of His kids he was talking to). Not one year later, she was pregnant and I was teaching in the Youth Church with a student who told me she thinks of me as a spiritual mother. My Scripture Isaiah 54:2 “Make your tent bigger. Open your doors wide. Don’t think small! Make your tent large and strong, 3 because you will grow in all directions.”

I also prayed. Fasting without prayer is just dieting. I heard this phrase and it stuck with me.

I wasn’t legalistic. I was disciplined. The fast is designed not to move God, but to move me closer to God. I don’t often drink coffee at home, I drink it at the office. Mostly on Wednesdays and Sundays while fellowshipping and because those are longer days for me. So I gave up coffee on Suns and Weds during the fast. Towards the end of my fast, I went to a breakfast social and had a cup of coffee. It was Tuesday. I didn’t feel bad or need to rationalize, I’d stuck to the plan.

What about when you blow it? We’ve all been there. Remember, a fast is designed not to move God, but to move me closer to God. He’s not mad, so just move back. Try again. There’s only failure in giving up, so make a new plan and work it. Pray for supernatural grace to begin and sustain you.

I’d written earlier one of the results of my fast was the ability to get over myself. I cared way to much what others think of me. I didn’t realize I was bound by fear. The word says perfect love casts out all fear. I had let fear keep

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me from writing. One act of obedience (submitting my first devotional) opened an opportunity for me to share the gospel with others. Now I see why the enemy wanted to keep me quiet. Fear is a tactic of the darkness, not the Kingdom. Last year I has decided not to go to the missions trip to Mexico. I wasn’t worried about raising funds, I trust God for those, but I used “not wanting to leave my family” (it was a difficult time, after all) or my husband not wanting me to go (he’d have been very supportive) as my excuse. It was really fear of disappointing my leadership. I have never been on missions out of the state, I don’t know the language, people, culture and I don’t know what to DO there. As a leader, I’m ashamed to admit this but I’d be more ashamed to repeat this. So, this year I’m getting my passport, writing my support letters, and going to Mexico. I realize, it’s a good thing I don’t have all the answers because then I wouldn’t be bringing these people Jesus, just myself. And I can’t change their lives or their eternal destiny. Only Jesus can.

Real change- So what changes to keep? I’ll go back to having coffee but I’ll keep eating clean. (I just realized the money I must’ve saved in fast food these three weeks). I’ll continue to write about the Word after reading and meditating on it. I’ll keep reading instead of watching TV when I’m home or up alone. I’ll continue to build in time for rest and some boundaries of when I’m available to others, over my family. I’ll use my time to set my house in order. I’ll continue to think what it means to grow Isaiah 54 and continually seek God instead of self- satisfaction.

My Takeaway Tips What’s your plan for your fast including obstacles and special occasions? What will you change, give up (food, social media)? What did you experience during your fast? Write it down. What changes will you keep after?

~BR

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Part 4 APPENDICES

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Fasting Food Guide

By Leah E. Beiermann, RD

Health Statement Fasting is a wonderful spiritual discipline and we are so excited you are joining with your Lighthouse family on this journey. The nature of fasting is to go without some type of food or drink. Because fasting affects our bodies greatly, it is important to note that it can affect our health. Persons with certain medical conditions, such as diabetes, must be very careful about how they fast. The information in this packet does not replace the guidance of a physician. If you have any medical conditions affected by diet you need to obtain your physician’s approval before following these or any type of dietary fast.

Contraindications to Fasting There are certain conditions where fasting food is not a good idea for health, also known as a contraindication. These are as follows: Underweight/trying to gain weight for health Active eating disorder such as anorexia or bulimia nervosa Pregnancy or planning to become pregnant in the next few months (if you’re not sure, take a pregnancy test before fasting) Breastfeeding, especially for an infant under age 1 Active cancer, metastasis Bone fractures* Heart attack within last 3 months* Surgery or trauma requiring a length of time for healing* Diabetes mellitus type 1 (Juvenile)* Diabetes mellitus type 2* Renal (kidney) insufficiency* Liver disease* Other health condition affected by diet* On medication affected by diet* *If you have one of these conditions you may be able to fast, but only after receiving physician approval.

And you can still fast something… If fasting food is not a good idea for you at this time, please consider fasting something else, such as abstaining from television, social media, or 60 maybe a particular food you love such as desserts. Make sure whatever you choose to abstain from is a sacrifice and challenge for you.

Preparing for Your Fast There are a few things you can do the week before your fast to set yourself up for fasting success: Clean out your cabinets of what will not be allowed on your fast. If removing tempting foods from the home is not a possibility, come up with a plan to keep them out of sight for you. Recruit help and/or make a plan for feeding other members of your family not fasting. Plan out your fast- foods/liquids you will need, options if you have events or travel planned during your fast. Purchase the food/liquids and supplies you will need for your fast. Gradually decrease caffeine if caffeine is not going to be a part of your fast. Drink 64 ounces of fluid daily. Focus on decreasing portions of the foods you already eat for at least 3 days prior to starting your fast. Begin to choose lower calorie, healthier foods if you do not already. You could follow the example menu on the next page.

Fasting Preparation Example Menu Beverages: Choose 64 oz+ of low calorie beverages daily, with an emphasis on water.

Breakfast: Choose up to 3 items 2 eggs or equivalent egg substitute 2 pieces bacon or sausage, preferably turkey or chicken ½ cup yogurt ½ cup fruit or a small piece of whole fruit ½ cup low sugar cereal or low sugar hot cereal 1 piece of whole grain toast

Morning Snack: Choose 1 item 1 oz cheese ½ cup low fat cottage cheese 12 almonds or other large nut 1 cup raw vegetables ½ cup fruit or a small piece of whole fruit

Lunch: Choose protein, vegetables, & 1 optional item

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3 oz of meat or equivalent egg substitute 1 cup cooked or 2 cups raw vegetables Optional: ½ cup fruit or a small piece of whole fruit, ½ cup corn or peas, ½ cup potato or sweet potato, 1 whole grain wrap, or 1 piece of whole grain bread

Afternoon Snack- choose one item 1 oz cheese ½ cup low fat cottage cheese 12 almonds or other large nut 1 cup raw vegetables ½ cup fruit or a small piece of whole fruit

Dinner-Choose protein, vegetables, & 1 optional item 3 oz of meat or equivalent egg substitute 1 cup cooked or 2 cups raw vegetables Optional: ½ cup fruit or a small piece of whole fruit, ½ cup corn or peas, ½ cup potato or sweet potato, 1 whole grain wrap, or 1 piece of whole grain bread

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Select Your Fast

Liquid/Modified Liquid Fast: Limit your diet to all liquids or all liquids and one balanced meal daily.

Diabetic Friendly Fast: Variation of the Modified Liquid Fast accounting for the carbohydrate balance needed by diabetics.

Daniel Fast: Solid food but restrictive in types of food allowed.

Note: A complete multivitamin daily is recommended with all fasts such as 1 a Day products, Flintstones complete classic chewable, or prenatal for women of childbearing age. Do not recommend gummy multivitamins as even those labeled “complete” lack many essential vitamins and minerals.

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Fast Option #1: Liquid/Modified Liquid Fast

When doing a full liquid fast, you will limit yourself to liquids only the duration of your fast. There are many options for liquids (see shopping list). You will have to decide what liquids are best for you and your fast. It is recommended that within your liquids, you have at least 60 grams of protein per day (do not exceed 200 grams per day for safety). You can achieve this by using high protein liquid shakes or using protein powder (see shopping list for suggestions). The reason behind maintaining protein in your diet is to help promote satiety (fullness) and good blood glucose control.

If you chose to do the Modified Liquid Fast this would consist of all liquids and one balanced meal per day. This may be helpful for some, especially those who need to share an evening meal with children or other family members who are not fasting.

Liquid Fast Shopping List

Recommended Protein Shakes Tips: Always mix protein with a blender or shaker bottle. Shake premixed shakes before drinking. Serve cold or over ice to improve flavor. Do not get protein shakes warmer than 140 degrees F or they will change texture unfavorably.

Available at Walmart ___ Premier Protein (premixed) ___ EAS (premixed or powder) ___ Pure Protein (premixed or powder) ___ Body Fortress (powder) ___ Boost High Protein (premixed or powder) ___ Slimfast High Protein (premixed or powder)

Available at GNC ___ GNC Lean Shake (premixed or powdered- also available at Rite Aide) ___ Gene Pro (unflavored powder) ___ Isopure (premixed or powdered. Includes fruit flavors.)

Available Online:

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___ Champion Pure Whey (powder) ___ Unjury (powder or premixed; flavors include unique chicken soup and unflavored) ___ Nectar (powder, tastes fruity like a juice)

Dairy and Dairy Alternatives: ___ Reduced Fat or Nonfat Milk ___ Reduced Fat or Nonfat Lactaid Milk ___ Reduced Fat or Nonfat Fairlife Milk- regular or chocolate ___ Soy Milk ___ Almond or other nut milk ___ Coconut milk ___ Rice milk

Vegetables ___ V8- Any Flavor ___ Tomato Juice ___ Smoothie- homemade or from smoothie store (recommend add protein powder)

Soups ___ Any broth ___ Strained or pureed clear soups ___ Strained or pureed cream soups

Fruit ___ 100% fruit juice- any kind ___ Naked fruit juice (in produce section of store) ___ Smoothie- homemade or from smoothie store (recommend add protein powder) ___ Other specialty juices (usually in produce section of store)

Other Liquids (As appropriate for your personal fast) ___ Water ___ Ice chips ___ Sparkling water ___ Sugar free flavored water such as Crystal Light or Ice ___ Soda and Diet Soda ___ Coffee and Tea ___ Herbal Tea

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___ Jell-O ___ Popsicles

Liquid Fast Example Day

Note: For any meal during the day, you may choose to abstain from all calories.

Water: Drink at least 64 oz of water throughout the day.

Breakfast: Protein shake with 30 grams of protein

Snack: Apple Juice

Lunch: Tomato Soup

Snack: Protein shake with 20 grams of protein

Dinner: Tropical Smoothie fruit smoothie with added whey protein powder (22 grams of protein)

Snack: Fairlife Chocolate milk

Modified Liquid Fast Example Day

Note: For any meal during the day, you may choose to abstain from all calories. Also, the solid food meal could be any meal during the day.

Water: Drink at least 64 oz of water throughout the day.

Breakfast: Protein shake with 30 grams of protein

Snack: Apple Juice

Lunch: Tomato Soup

Snack: Protein shake with 20 grams of protein

Dinner: Choose protein, vegetables, & 1 optional item

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3 oz of meat or 2 eggs 1 cup cooked or 2 cups raw vegetables Optional: ½ cup fruit or a small piece of whole fruit, ½ cup corn or peas, ½ cup potato or sweet potato, 1 whole grain wrap, or 1 piece of whole grain bread

Snack- Fairlife Chocolate milk

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Fast Option #2: Diabetic Friendly Modified Liquid Fast

If you have diabetes, you have a unique need to balance carbohydrates throughout the day in order to keep your blood sugar level in a healthy range. Your blood sugar level is also affected by medication prescribed for diabetes. As mentioned earlier, you must get physician approval before fasting. Bring this diet guide to your physician visit for approval before beginning this fast.

The example below includes: about 1200 calories (about 150 grams of carbohydrate, 35 grams of fat, and 70 grams of protein). Each meal includes about 30 grams of carbohydrate and each snack includes about 15 grams of carbohydrate, paired with protein. Meals and snacks should be spaced out by about 2-3 hours. Eat breakfast within 2 hours of waking.

Diabetic Friendly Modified Liquid Fast Example Day

Beverages: Choose 64 oz+ of sugar free beverages daily, with an emphasis on water.

Breakfast: Boost High Protein Shake (240 calories, 33 g carb, 15 g protein)

Morning Snack: Dannon Light N’ Fit Yogurt (80 calories, 8 carbs, 12 g protein)

Lunch: Boost High Protein Shake (240 calories, 33 g carb, 15 g protein)

Afternoon Snack: 8 oz of low fat milk or reduced fat Lactaid milk (100 calories, 12 g carb, 8 g protein)

Dinner: Choose protein, vegetables, and 2 carbohydrate servings 3 oz of meat or 2 eggs (160 calories, 20 grams protein) 1 cup cooked or 2 cups raw, non-starchy vegetables (50 calories)

Choose 2: (Total of no more than 160 calories and 30 grams of carbohydrate)

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½ cup fruit, ½ banana, or a small piece of whole fruit ½ cup corn or peas ½ cup potato or sweet potato 1 whole grain wrap or 1 piece of whole grain bread

Evening Snack: Boost Glucose Control snack shake (190 calories, 16 g carb, 16 g protein)

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Fast Option #3: Daniel Fast

The Daniel Fast uses solid food but with restrictions on the types of food you can eat. There are a lot of resources for this fast on the internet and in paper book form. The information below is taken from the website https://ultimatedanielfast.com. This website is very user friendly and includes recipes.

The Daniel Fast is based upon the prophet Daniel’s experiences as recorded in the Bible. Scripture gives us some insight (such as in Dan. 10:3) into what he ate and didn’t eat; however, we don’t know his complete menu. What we do know is this: In Daniel 1, Daniel chose not to eat the royal food that he was being served and ate only vegetables and drank water. Another time (in Daniel 10:2-3) he deprived himself of choice food, meat, and wine as he sought the Lord in prayer. Most commentaries believe “choice food” would have been bread and sweets.

The Daniel Fast Food List (Foods Allowed on this Fast) All fruit – fresh, frozen, dried, juiced, or canned. All vegetables – fresh, frozen, dried, juiced, or canned. All whole grains – amaranth, barley, brown rice, oats, quinoa, millet, and whole wheat. All nuts & seeds – almonds, cashews, macadamia nuts, peanuts, pecans, pine nuts, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, and sunflower seeds; unsweetened almond milk. Nut butters are also included. All legumes – canned or dried; black beans, black eyed peas, cannellini beans, garbanzo beans (chickpeas), great northern beans, kidney beans, lentils, pinto beans, and split peas. All quality oils – avocado, coconut, grapeseed, olive, peanut, sesame, and walnut. Beverages– distilled water, filtered water, and spring water. Other – unsweetened almond milk, coconut milk, rice milk, or soy milk; herbs, spices, salt, pepper, unsweetened coconut flakes, seasonings, Bragg’s Liquid Aminos, soy products, and tofu.

Foods to Avoid on the Daniel Fast All meat & animal products – bacon, beef, buffalo, eggs, fish, lamb, poultry, and pork. All dairy products – butter, cheese, cream, milk, and yogurt.

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All sweeteners – agave nectar, artificial sweeteners, brown rice syrup, cane juice, honey, molasses, raw sugar, syrups, stevia, and sugar. All leavened bread & yeast – baked goods and Ezekiel bread (if it contains yeast and honey). All refined & processed food products – artificial flavorings, chemicals, food additives, preservatives, white flour, and white rice. All deep-fried foods – corn chips, French fries, and potato chips. All solid fats – lard, margarine, and shortening. Beverages – alcohol, carbonated drinks, coffee, energy drinks, herbal tea, and tea.

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4299 George Washington Mem Hwy, Hayes VA 23072 www.LightHouseVA.Life 804.642.2752

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