The Daniel Fast Song

The Hill kids having fun after their Daniel Fast! We truly have some great children. As we did our church wide 21 day fast and prayer they would walk around talking about all of their favorite foods. We also fasted from TV, limited our internet browsing, and cut out video games. This spawned creativity in our children in a fresh way. The kids decided instead of being bored let's sing about the food we miss. I know I'm biased but I can't help but laugh each time I watch it. Whenever you finish a Daniel Fast in the future pull up this video and laugh!!
Click here for video: http://youtu.be/0DGNTu513X8


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Ending a Fast-6 Things to Remember

The fast is over, now what? Earlier I passed on 27 Biblical Reasons to Fast and also 8 Biblical Reasons to Stop Fasting. Let's look at six things to remember when ending a fast.

1) The fast may be over but the purpose of the fast is continual.
2) Don't gorge yourself, ease back into your regular eating.
3) Any new habits that you developed keep them throughout the year.
4) Continue to pray without ceasing
5) Stay attune for other times God may inspire you to fast
6) Take time to evaluate your fasting period by asking your self these questions:

-What have I learned about myself?
-What have I learned about God?
-What were some breakthroughs in my life or in the life of others?
-What contrary attitudes or behaviors came to the surface while fasting?
-What did I discover about my pace of life?
-What did I discover about my ability to focus on God?
-What were some obstacles that I had to overcome?

Biblical fasting is a means not an end. There is really nothing that you were doing while fasting that you should stop doing, short of abstaining from food or drink. The expereince of fasting may not be as good of a teacher as an EVALUATED fasting experience. Use the questions above to evaluate your fast. May your season of fasting be a platform for a fruitful year.

Read here for instructions on completing a 21 day prayer and fast: 21 Day Prayer and Fast

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Stop Fasting-8 Biblical Reasons

People fast for many different reasons. Some fast before a medical appointment, some fast because it is part of their diet plan, and others fast to refocus their body, mind and spirit on God. I am not addressing dietary or medical fast at all, they are effective and I have done them before. People need to stop fasting if you are doing it for the wrong motive. I wrote earlier about 27 Biblical Reasons to Fast, but now I also want to address what a Biblical fast is not.

8 things a Biblical fast is NOT:

1) A time to look sad, mean, and destitute. Matt. 6:16
2) A time to look for attention and rewards from people. Matt. 6:16
3) A time for you to showcase & boast in your deep spirituality. Luke 18:12
4) A time to seek your own pleasure. Isaiah 58:3
5) A time to argue, quarrel, and fight. Isaiah 58:3
6) A time to hide your self from the poor and needy. Isaiah 58:7
7) A time to twist God's arm to do what you want outside of his will. Acts 23:12,14
8) A time to manipulate God to overlook sin. Jeremiah 14:10,12

Fasting is an external act that is driven by the motives in your heart. Those motives must be laced with spirtual ends in mind. With fasting you may lose a few pounds and lose the taste for twinkies; however, if those are the initial motives you will miss out on the heart transformation that can come from fasting. To make a further disctinction, a biblical fast is often accompanied with prayer, confession, & Bible meditation (Neh 9:1-3; Acts 13:2-3). Fasting along with these things creates a recipe for spiritual transformation.

I met a person that got so busy at work that he missed lunch. Feeling the hunger pains, he then decided to take his act of missing lunch, wrap it up in spiritual fasting clothes, and offer it to God as a sacrifice. Wow! God can not be played for a fool? Keep in mind that the act of fasting and the physical byproducts it may produce are only means; the end should be to have your eyes fixed on God and to glorify your father which is in heaven. Most people fast because they want to move God but he is not the one that is stuck. Fasting is not to move God closer to you, but rather to move your heart closer to God. Happy fasting!

Read: 21 Day Prayer and Fast for basic instructions for a fast.

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21 Day Prayer and Fast

Blow the trumpet! For the month of January (Jan 7th- Jan 27th) we are consecrating a church wide prayer and fast. 21 Days! The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". It means to set apart for a special purpose. We are taking ourselves, our time, our appetites and dedicating them for HIS special purpose. Read below:
Joel 2-15,16 "Blow the trumpet in Zion; consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the people. Consecrate the congregation; assemble the elders; gather the children, even nursing infants. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her chamber."
Notice in Joel that everyone participated young and old. So to some varied degree please have everyone in your family participate. This is a great tool to emphasize a Christ centered home.

Instructions:

1) Determine why you are fasting
-Read: 27 Biblical Reasons to Fast.
-Let your "Why" determine your "What".

2) Choose how you will fast.
-The Daniel Fast is a great way to start fasting. It is based out of Daniel 10, basically a vegetarian diet (no fried foods, just grilled and steamed) + brown rice + water. Click here for more details: Daniel fast. If you choose to skip a meal or some other fast, just be sure it is depriving your body of your normal eating and be consistent during the 21 days. If you have a medical condition please consult your doctor first.
-Along with food are there any other things you need to abstain from during this fast? It is a good time to do an inventory of your life and let go of any habits that have a tendency to distract you from focusing on God.


3) Choose your time for personal prayer, solitude (alone time), and journaling.
-More information on spending time with God through Bible Reading can be found here: Spending Time with God-Bible Experience. We will be reading a chapter a day in the Psalms and Matthew during the Bible Experience.
-More information on journaling can be found here: Journaling-Five Things.
-More informaion on the importance of solitude and secrecy can be found here: The Secret Place

4) Choose to get on a women's and men's prayer call in the mornings.
-Gather together with people you know and get a conference number from Freeconferencecall.com
For Church Ablaze:
-Women-Monday and Friday morning at 6am-7am..Led by Lisa Hill and others
-Men-Tuesday and Thursday morning at 6am-7am..Led by Jonathan Hill and others.
NUMBER: 218-339-4600 CODE: 881607#

Let's start our year off together. Pounding heaven with our prayers. Remember we are not trying to get God's attention we are molding our hearts closer to His.

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Spending Time with God-Bible Experience (BibleX)

Spending time with God is so important. Some people just say God understands I just don't have time to spend with him exclusively. I would argue that you don't have time not to. Spending time with God is the source of life as a Christian. John 15 is clear that unless we abide in the vine we will not live fruitful lives.

The Bible Experience is a tool to facilitate prayer, Bible reading, and journaling as you fellowship with God. The Bible Experience is a unique opportunity for you to draw close to the author of the Bible. The Bible is a collection of books that have been inspired by God and left for us as a tool to get to know Him and be transformed in the process. On this journey we will read through select books of the Old and New Testaments two chapters a day, five days week, taking Saturday and Sunday off as days to rest and worship with the church.

This experience is a steady pace of reading that will allow you to soak in the Word of God and apply what you have read to your life. We are not trying to read through the entire Bible in a certain amount of time, rather we are developing a repeatable and reproducible pattern that will help you read the Bible for life. As in any relationships knowing God takes time together. If you are just beginning, 20 minutes a day is a good way to start. Find a quiet place and a workable time when you can regularly be alone. Then…

Pray (5 minutes) Talk from the heart about the things that matter most to you. You might follow the well-known pattern of
“ACTS”
-Adoration: “Lord, I’m amazed by Your
-Confession: “Lord, I was wrong when I…”
-Thanksgiving:”Lord, I’m grateful for…”
-Supplication: “Lord, I need…”

Read (10 minutes) Follow the Bible Experience reading Guide, read one or two chapters a day.(5 days a week)

Journal (5 minutes) After you’ve read your chapter go back and ask, “what is God saying to me?” In just two or three sentences write what you are hearing.

Join in and experience a more intimate fellowship with God. If you would like a bookmark mailed to you every two months please email: info@churchablaze.tv Leave us your name and mailing address.

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Ending a Fast-Six Things to Remember

The fast is over, now what? Earlier I passed on 27 Biblical Reasons to Fast and also 8 Biblical Reasons to Stop Fasting. Let's look at six things to remember when ending a fast.

1) The fast may be over but the purpose of the fast is continual.
2) Don't gorge yourself, ease back into your regular eating.
3) Any new habits that you developed keep them throughout the year.
4) Continue to pray without ceasing
5) Stay attune for other times God may inspire you to fast
6) Take time to evaluate your fasting period by asking your self these questions:

-What have I learned about myself?
-What have I learned about God?
-What were some breakthroughs in my life or in the life of others?
-What contrary attitudes or behaviors came to the surface while fasting?
-What did I discover about my pace of life?
-What did I discover about my ability to focus on God?
-What were some obstacles that I had to overcome?

Biblical fasting is a means not an end. There is really nothing that you were doing while fasting that you should stop doing, short of abstaining from food or drink. The expereince of fasting may not be as good of a teacher as an EVALUATED fasting experience. Use the questions above to evaluate your fast. May your season of fasting be a platform for a fruitful year.

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Fasting-27 Reasons

January is often a month of prayer, fasting, and consecration. At Church Ablaze and many other churches often a Church wide fast is called by the leadership. When taking on a fast the big question that comes up is, "Why am I doing this?" My family did a little Bible study together and came up with 27 biblical reasons to fast.








1) Intensify the effectiveness of prayer Isaiah 58:9, Ezra 8:23
2) A means to seek the Lord Dan 9:3
3) A means to accompany confession Dan 9:3; I Samuel 7:6; Neh. 9:1-3
4) A means to accompany returning to the Lord Joel 2:12-16
5) A means to serve or worship God Luke 2:37, Acts 13;2-3
6) A means to accompany prayer Neh. 9:1-3; Luke 2:37; Acts 13:2-3
7) A means to accompany bible reading Neh. 9:1-3
8) A means to train our bodies 1 Cor. 9:27
9) A means to invoke humility Ezra 8:21
10) A means of mourning I Sam 31:13; II Sam. 1:12; 12:16
11) To accelerate physical healing Isaiah 58:8
12) So righteousness will go before you and glory behind you. Isaiah 58:8
13) To overcome strong temptations Luke 4:1-2
14) To strengthen obedience to God Luke 4:1-2
15) A response to being led by the Spirit Luke 4:1-2
16) To enhance personal devotions Matthew 6:16-18
17) To loosen heavy burdens and wickedness Isaiah 58:6
18) To free the oppressed Isaiah 58:6
19) To respond in times of crisis and seek deliverance 2 Chron. 20:3-4
20) To develop a hunger for God’s word over food. Matt. 4:4
21) To focus your hearing in making decisions Acts 13:2-3;
22) To find and set forth leaders Acts 14:23
23) To hear directions from God clearer Acts 10:30-32
24) To increase faith to overcome evil spirits Matt. 17:19-21; Mark 9:28-29
25) To seek God's protection Ezra 8:21-23
26) A reminder to share with the poor Isaiah 58:7
27) A reminder to help your family with needs Isaiah 58:7
Incorporating fasting as a spiritual discipline is like injecting an accelerator into all of the other means you pursue God. It totally is an example of offering your body as a living sacrifice to God (Rom. 12:1). A great ebook on the subject of prayer and fasting is available for free from John Piper called "Hunger for God". Take these 27 reasons to heart and make fasting apart of your spiritual growth. Also you can read a blog I did on Journaling that is a very effective spiritual discipline too. What has been your experience with fasting?

Listen to a message here: Spirtiual Disciplines II-Fasting

Read: 8 Biblical Reasons to Stop Fasting
Read: Ending a Fast-Six Things to Remember

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