More than once, I’ve received an email from someone who has “messed up” on the Daniel Fast. The question usually posed to me is, “Should I quit?”
When you participate in the 21-day fast, you determine to seek the Lord through increased time in His Word and in prayer. You also deny yourself the food you desire and decide to adhere to a fairly stringent – although healthy – way of eating for three weeks.
Messing up on the Daniel Fast could mean a variety of things. Maybe you caved and had a cup of coffee, stole a few French fries from your son’s plate, or gave in to the temptation to eat ice cream. However way you prematurely broke the fast, you may wonder if you should even continue at all.
My advice to you is, “No, don’t quit. Keep going!” Just because you fell off the wagon, so to speak, that doesn’t mean you should lie on the ground and stay there. You get up, dust yourself off, and get back on that wagon right away.
The Daniel Fast is difficult because fasting in any form is difficult. Just because you’re allowed to eat (as compared to a water fast when you’re not) doesn’t mean that your fast will be a breeze. Expect to be tempted. Expect to face challenging situations. And don’t be surprised if your fast doesn’t go as you planned.
I’ve done the Daniel Fast more times than I can count since 2009. Have I always completed the fast perfectly? Of course not! On my very first fast I used a salad dressing mix throughout the 21 days that contained sugar. I didn’t know it at the time because I never checked the ingredients on the label. Months after the fast, though, I saw “sugar” listed there as plain as day!
During another fast, I was a guest speaker at ladies’ luncheon. The woman who invited me had pre-paid for my meal. I remember feeling very torn inside, not knowing what to do. I wrestled for several minutes, trying to decide if I should show my gratitude to my friend and eat the non-Daniel Fast friendly food, or if I should polite refuse. I came off the fast for that one lunch because I didn’t want to be rude to my friend who had been so kind to me.
Just this past Monday I experienced another misstep on day 9 of the 21-day fast I’m doing with my church. Since day 1, I’d fasted one meal each day, usually breakfast. On Monday morning, my teenage daughter and I got into an argument, which made me feel frustrated and angry. I didn’t want to fast breakfast, so I planned on fasting lunch instead. Well, I ended up not only eating lunch but also dinner. I went the whole day without fasting one meal.
Did I feel like a loser? Yes. I even entertained thoughts of giving up. But my pastor had called our church to this fast, and I wasn’t about to let him or our church family down. More importantly, I wasn’t going to dishonor my God. On July 29th, 2018, I made a commitment to the Lord that I would devote the next 21 days to fasting and prayer, so I wasn’t about to drop out. I got back on track the next day.
If you have a bad day and blow it while on the Daniel Fast, don’t quit. Keep praying! Keep believing! Keep going! Refuse to let shame rest on your shoulders because God certainly doesn’t condemn you. “For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust” (Ps. 103:14 NLT). When you make a mistake, you can be sure God is there, not to punish you but to show you His unfailing mercy and love.
Has something similar happened to you? How have you seen God give you strength to continue the Daniel Fast when you were tempted to quit?
Today, I’m beginning 21 Days of Fasting and Prayer with 