The New Year Fast
Beginning at Sundown on Sunday, January 5th*
Create Time & Space
Be still, and know that I am God.
Psalm 46:10
We live in a busy time. So often, we can feel overwhelmed with all that’s going on. Peace and quiet seem to be unattainable. And finding time to spend with God and His Word can be challenging.
The challenge isn’t just about time allocation. It’s also quieting ourselves amid the noisy and busy environment of today’s culture.
Here’s the truth: your Lord has much He wants to share with you. Take in that truth. The Lord wants to minister to you. He wants to shower you with His blessings. His wisdom. His insights.
But He doesn’t crash through our noisy and busy lives to He can be heard. And so our part is to take the time and space for ourselves so we can experience God’s presence and receive what He has for us.
I encourage you now to review your calendar and the way you use your time. Step back and decide what you want. Consider the days you’ll be fasting.
- Can you plan your days differently?
- Can you forego or reschedule some appointments?
- Can you lighten your daily tasks?
- Can you reorder your day to create time and space to be with God?
You can also think about what you can do to be quieter and calmer in your mind. For example, decide to stay quiet for the first part of your morning — no digital devices. No television. No podcasts. Just you, your Bible, and your Lord.
During the Daniel Fast, my favorite way to start the day is to prepare a cup of hot water with a slice of lemon. Then I cuddle up in my comfy armchair and sip on my water and greet my Father. I read from my devotional or my Bible. And then I pray about what the Lord is saying to me through His truths.
I often journal during this morning quiet time. For me, my journal is letters to God. I find the Holy Spirit frequently speaks to me as I write. I receive insights and revelations that I know are from the Lord and not from my thoughts.
I close my quiet time by envisioning my day and “seeing it” before it happens. I take this step as it helps me to see my day as successful, blessed by the Lord, and that I’m able to fulfill the tasks and obligations.
Take a few minutes and imagine your “best quiet morning time.” What would your particular time be for you? And then make a plan to create the time and space so you can step into your sacred space with the Lord each day.
Imagine Jesus’ morning time:
Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.
Mark 1:35
Jesus had a routine. He had personal customs that He followed so He could stay close to His Father. We can do the same. And developing these habits during the Daniel Fast can be our launch for starting our days in our secret place where we visit with our Father.
Only Believe
Jesus says, “I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” Unlike how we operate in the world where we “believe it when we see it,” Jesus calls us to enter into a partnership, level of trust, and position of faith with Him to believe that He will fulfill the requests we have for our needs and desires.
Sadly, most Christians are told “to believe,” however rarely are we taught “how to believe.”
That’s the focus of our Daniel Fast course for 2020. A series of online teachings that you can access from your computer, tablet, phone or other digital devices, will lead you on a path where you will learn how to ask the Lord for your desires and needs. Then how to enter into a place of trust and assurance, so you do “only believe.” And then how to receive from the Lord as He fulfills your requests.
Check out the course using this link: Daniel Fast – Only Believe
Enter into a life-changing experience with your Father. Allow the Holy Spirit to minister to you as you learn how to increase your faith, deepen your trust in God, and discover how to “only believe.”
Your Next Steps
- Decide that you will not indulge the flesh during your Daniel Fast. Instead, begin thinking about your spiritual life and what you want for your faith.
- Consider your upcoming fast. Start thinking about when you will begin. Examine your heart and what the purpose of our fast will be. Think about how you can lighten your load during your fast so you can receive more from the loving Father.
- Start to collect recipes and meal plans for simple, nutritious, and easy meals, so you don’t spend so much time preparing meals, but instead focus on God.
- There is no hard rule for when to start the New Year Fast. Most often, the fast begins at sunset on the first Sunday of the New Year. However, if you or your community choose another day, then that is 100 percent ok. Allow the Lord to lead you on when you can be most successful for your fast.
Now is the perfect time for you to begin preparing your spirit, soul, and body for the upcoming New Year Fast. You’ll join hundreds of thousands of followers of Jesus Christ as you dedicate the coming year to your Lord. Plus, you’ll enter into one of the most influential spiritual experiences as you commit yourself to the 21 days of extended prayer and fasting.
We always value your thoughts and insights. Please leave your comments below and be blessed on your fast.