Daniel's fast

How do you fast for 21 days? You give up the things you like to eat:

"In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three weeks. I ate no delicacies [NKJV: "pleasant food"], no meat or wine entered my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, for the full three weeks" (Daniel 10:2-3).

Why do you fast for 21 days? Because your soul is troubled and you are desperate for God.

What do you get when you seek the Lord like that? Daniel got visions of the end times (10:4ff), and an angel at his service (10:10-12; Hebrews 1:14). I don't know what you will get, but you will get something. It's a promise:

"You will seek me and find me. When you seek me with all your heart, I will be found by you, declares the Lord . . ." (Jeremiah 29:13-14).

Fasting is only one of the ways we seek the Lord with all our heart. But it is one of the ways, so let me tout the way that has gone by the wayside. Fasting shows him our earnestness, our I-won't-let-you-go-unless-you-bless-me desire for him. God already knows all that about you before you forgo the first bite of tiramisu. But the thing about God is that he never rewards a hypothetical seeking, just an actual one.

Someday in heaven we may find out all the pins on the control tower map of heavenly countries that were moved on account of self-deprivation of Godiva to devote ourselves more fully to prayer. And we will be relieved that we believed enough to fast without knowing all the whys and wherefores.

Jesus gave his disciples authority to cast out demons but, embarrassingly, one demon dug in his heels. Jesus completed the job, and when His men got Him alone later to ask why they had been unable, He said: "This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting" (Mark 9:29, NKJV).

The ESV omits "fasting," and you may get yourself a Ph.D. looking into the discrepancy. But whether the words "and fasting" are in the original manuscript or not, it is still astounding to learn that there are spiritual battles in the heavenlies with degrees of difficulty ranging from level 1 ripples on the water to white rapids. "This kind" of demon, Jesus instructs his men, is harder than other kinds to evict; "this kind" needs everything you've got.

Maybe there is something in your life that needs everything you've got. Maybe a quickie prayer before bedtime is good enough for most household demons, but for the demonic attack that assailed you this week you need to do what Daniel resorted to: spiritual warfare.

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