At Family Worship Center, we are going into year 5 of the Daniel Fast.
In my own personal life, I think a lot of what I experienced last year has prepared me spiritually for this fast.
Considering my relatively mild/imaginary nutritional issues only a couple of weeks after finishing the Daniel Fast back in 2014, I'd consider myself at least being relatively restrictive with my diet for over a year now(i.e. I just eat a lot healthier).
That being said, I've gained a new fascination for nutrition. I don't look at food as something that simply tastes good, I look at in terms of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamin content, physiological effects on the body...you get the picture.
And in truth, it is not a fear of food that brings this curiosity about, but a love of food, and a fascination as to how food truly changes, both physically and spiritually.
I wouldn't be studying to eventually become a Registered Dietitian(Nutritionist) if I didn't love food.
Knowing this, I feel that so far this fast has been and will be especially easy for me.
The physical aspect of the fast—the part in which I don't eat processed foods—won't be a challenge. Ultimately I know the value of Paleo-type(i.e.from the ground) foods. I do not necessarily see Daniel Fasting as a denial of my carnal side, but a taking care of my body for the sake of worshiping Christ.
And in piggybacking on a post I saw about a week ago, I think the Daniel Fast has been hijacked to the point no one true reason can ever be discerned. I have my reasons to fast; it may not be someone else's. That doesn't mean I'm any more right or wrong than that person. It just means we're approaching it differently.
What concerns me, is that I think several people are treating the fast in a way that is not beneficial to them spiritually, if simply because they are not treating themselves properly physically.
Firstly: the point of the fast is not to be hungry. If it was, we shouldn't be consuming any food at all. The reason so many people are hungry is because they are consuming far less calories than they would on a normal diet. Because vegetable-type foods are so low calorie, naturally more must be consumed to maintain caloric-intake(i.e. not die). And if anything, there should be a willingness to eat the second and third servings available to them.
We must eat, and we must eat more than usual. By feeding our body we can feed our spirit. Though I don't necessarily mean feeding in terms of pleasure.
I mean feeding in terms of providing our body with not only enough calories to sustain life(at least 1000 minimum—though I would suggest more), but providing it with essential vitamins and minerals it might not have received on a regular basis prior to the fast.
If we are to understand food in terms of taking care of our body, and the Lord sees our bodies as temples, are we not to treat our temples with respect, adorning them with the finest offerings? While fast food and processed food may be outwardly pleasurable, in terms of quality, they are little more than a middle finger to Christ shouting, "You gave me this temple, and not only am I going to destroy it, I am going to shorten it's reign." Food is good. Calories are good. Fats are good. Consuming fats and carbohydrates in high amounts together is bad, but these foods alone are not intuitively bad. And when we can consume enough healthy proteins, fats, carbohydrates, and calories, we find more easily we do not crave processed foods. When we fulfill our bodily needs(but not it's desires), we can focus more easily on our spiritual needs.
Like in ministry, how can we expect to spiritually feed the masses if we are not spiritually fed ourselves? We should not look at food as the enemy, we should look at it as the vessel in which we seek God. In that way eating good food is a way of worshiping God with our body and our actions.
Secondly: While complaints among peers who are enduring the fast are often cathartic, they can be extremely harmful to one's spiritual journey. We must not see the fast as something we have to do. We must see it as something we want to do. If our intention in fasting is to deny a "carnal" part of ourselves, we should therefore not act so surprised when that carnal part fights to get it's way. Part of the Christian walk in general is self-denial. While the occasional hunger groan is fine within context, it is highly inappropriate in terms of sacrifice because it indicates an inner unwillingness to deny even a relatively simple part of our life. If we cannot fast with joy, perhaps we are not as spiritually sound as we attempt to portray ourselves.
And in looking to Matthew 6:16-18, when Jesus commands us not to be like the Pharisees in making a public spectacle, he instead suggests, "put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret." It not only suggests that fasting is an extremely personal thing, the very idea of putting oil on our heads and washing our faces suggests preparation for a joyous event. Complaint is okay every so often, but it should not consume us or it will become us.
Thirdly: I've been doing a lot of biblical research over the fast and I have come to the conclusion that Daniel did not do the Daniel Fast. I realize the statement is not only redundant, it's relatively naive in nature. But to fully understand the concept of a fast, especially a fast inspired by a biblical event, I think a proper reading of the first chapter of Daniel is necessary.
On that note. Daniel did not fast in order to gain a higher sense of spirituality. He fasted simply because he did not wish to defile himself out of a duty to his faith. While spirituality could certain be a part of his reasoning, it was not the main one. One of the commentaries I read(The IVP Bible Background Commentary) went so far to suggest that Daniel may not even have been abstaining from Babylonian food because it was sacrificed to idols; he could have been fasting simply because it was his only way of maintaining a sense of Israelite identity. Many other commentaries simply suggest that Daniel's fasting was his way of only eating ritually clean foods.
Outside of Daniel, fasting is seen as something that is done before a major decision(the book of Acts for example). In all cases except for Daniel's, the fast is done in order to deny oneself for the sake of God. We eat "non-pleasurable" foods as a way of denying our body's instincts and focusing on God. While I disagree with that sentiment in the sense that I believe that once our bodies are filled with good things it is much easier to lend our spiritual sides to good things, the point is still very much that we are denying ourselves of things(thus practicing self-discipline) in order to uplift our spiritual lives.
We should not fast to lose weight. While that might be the blessing that accompanies the sacrifice, it should not be the goal. We should not fast to get healthy, as a fast by it's very nature is temporary. We should not fast because we feel pressured by those around us, a fast is a very personal decision that is truly only effective when one approaches it with a genuine spirit. We should not fast because we believe God will bless us by the end of it, God does not do things simply because we wish them to be so, and if he does, it is for a reason.
We should fast because we feel that God is leading us to fast. We should fast in order to gain focus on our spiritual life. We should learn healthy eating habits from the fast. We should fast to practice self-discipline. We should fast expecting our inner-selves to change, even if out outer-situations might not.
I say all of this to make a single point: be careful.
I think a lot of well-meaning individuals do not understand the fast. 90% of people that fast are uneducated about nutritional basics, and just as many do not understand fully what it means to fast in the first place. I say this not to shame anyone, but simply to acknowledge that humanity has adopted a tradition in which the biblical and cultural context people originally fasted, has widely been ignored. And as Daniel J. Boorstin says, "“The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.”
With that in mind, if one truly intends a sacrifice for the sake of Christ, they should be aware of the consequences that wait for them as well. Don't stop fasting, just do some research. You'll find the fast benefits you a lot more. It is Jesus himself that encourages us to test every spirit, and I implore those reading this to do the same, not just with the fast, but with any spiritual journey they attempt to embark on. The journey will probably be rough, but spiritual benefit has and always will be worth it.
