CHAPTER ONE: A Spiritual Fast to Draw You Nearer to God
I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, . . . that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.
WE’VE ALL HEARD THE SAYING “Money isn’t everything.” However, when you think about it, money does touch just about everything. That’s most likely why it’s mentioned more than eight hundred times in the Bible—and when we count references to both money and possessions, the number goes above two thousand.[1] Clearly our perspective on money is important to God. And your interest in money is probably why you picked up this book.
Money is a big deal. If you have a full-time job, you spend about one-third of your time earning money, and then you can use those valuable dollars as a means of exchange. We trade our time for money. Then we trade that money for food, clothing, transportation, entertainment, and even knowledge. And you most likely traded money for just about everything in your home, including your Bible, your Christian devotionals, and this book.
Almost every day, you interact with money in some way. You pay bills. You make purchases. You balance your bank accounts. You deposit your paychecks. And maybe you also worry about money. If that’s the case, you’re not alone.
A recent study conducted by the nonprofit Center for Financial Services Innovation (CFSI) reported that millions of Americans struggle with their finances—even here in what we call the land of opportunity. A mere 28 percent of Americans are considered “financially healthy,” according to the study.[2] Sadly, 17 percent of Americans are considered “financially vulnerable,” meaning nearly all financial aspects of their lives are challenging. The remaining 55 percent of Americans are “financially coping,” meaning they have some aspects of their finances in control but grapple with others. The report says, “Many are dealing with an unhealthy amount of debt, irregular income, and sporadic savings habits.”[3]
None of these statistics surprise me. In my teachings about the Daniel Fast, a twenty-one-day partial fast based on two passages from the book of Daniel, I encourage people to decide on a purpose for their fast. The defined purpose helps individuals focus their prayers, study, and meditation in God’s Word as they go through the twenty-one days. Every year since 2007, when I started writing and teaching about the Daniel Fast, the number one purpose for fasting and seeking God’s guidance has been finances.
Just as money touches virtually every aspect of life, the way we handle money affects us at a deep level. Worries about money can cause health problems, create tension in relationships, and distract us from what is most important. Conversely, having a handle on our finances can have powerful ramifications now and in the future. The CFSI says, “Financial health enables family stability, education, and upward mobility, not just for individuals today but across future generations.”[4]
Not being financially healthy is a scary place to be. I know that from hearing from tens of thousands of women and men around the world, but I also know it from my own experience. Over my decades of living, I’ve had my tribulations, including eight years with a chronic disease, an unwanted divorce, heartbreaking betrayal, and a life-threatening car accident. Yet I can honestly say that the scariest time in my life was when I was flat broke and not sure how I could pay my bills. I was beyond “financially vulnerable”; I was financially desperate. I’ll share more of my story in chapter 3. But if you’ve picked up this book because you’re struggling with money matters, I want you to know that I understand at least some of what you’re going through. You’re not alone.
No matter what your level of financial stress, I want to assure you that you’re making a wise decision to seek God and His wisdom about money. As you experience the Daniel Fast, you can lean into God and gain understanding, direction, and answers to your prayers for help.
Everyone’s situation is different. Maybe your bills are paid and you feel comfortable with your financial wellness, but you have a big dream for a ministry or a project. You want to see the dream come true, but you know you don’t have the money to cover the expenses. So you want to bring the dream to the One who fulfills the desires of your heart, and partner with God to bring Christ’s light to people who don’t yet know His love. You, too, are in the right place.
Or perhaps you’re weighing financial priorities or trying to pay down your debt and plan for the future. Whatever the state of your bank account, doing the Daniel Fast with a financial focus will allow you to draw near to God, learn to rest in His provision, and understand His priorities for money. You’ll be poised for a breakthrough as you grow to trust God and seek His direction for your finances.
FASTING FOR FINANCES
Back in 2007, God gave me an assignment to help His people have a successful experience on the Daniel Fast. That’s what I want to do for you on these pages. I want to serve as your guide as you enter into this powerful time of extended prayer and fasting. I’ll teach you about biblical fasting and how to use this twenty-one-day experience as your personal retreat with the Lord. I’ll direct you on how to prepare your spirit, soul, and body for the fast. I’ll provide the information you need about the practical elements of the Daniel Fast, including the food restrictions, tips for meal preparation, dealing with food cravings, and how to overcome some of the challenges your flesh is likely to present to you, especially in the first few days of your fast.
While the Daniel Fast is a plant-based eating plan, I’m going to serve you giant servings of meat. Not the kind of meat you buy at a grocery store, but instead the meat that is waiting for you in God’s Word. I want to show you how you can develop your faith muscles and learn to trust God in ways you may never have trusted Him before. I want to show you how to rely on your activated faith to find wellness in your financial vulnerability. And I want to walk with you as you step away from fear, worry, and stress and move into the hope, peace, and assurance of the good news Christ proclaims.
If you’ve done the Daniel Fast before, some of this will be familiar. The basic building blocks of the fast remain the same no matter what goals you have for the twenty-one days, but now you’ll be approaching it differently, looking through the specific lens of finances as you seek God’s direction in this area.
When we do the Daniel Fast, our main goal is to seek God and grow closer to Him—and we often see additional benefits of becoming healthier, developing better eating habits, and perhaps losing weight. When we do the fast with a financial focus, we will better understand our reliance on God’s provision—and then we may also experience natural benefits such as gaining a clearer financial focus or developing better spending habits. Our ultimate goal is always drawing nearer to God and listening to His direction.
My desire is that during your twenty-one-day Daniel Fast you will step into new revelations of faith as you focus on God, His truth, and His priceless love for you. I want to show you how you can co-labor with God to dig out of the hole you may feel you’re in and step onto the solid ground of trusting that your Lord cares for you and for your financial well-being. And I also want to share some tools and resources you can use as you bring order into your financial matters and become the financially healthy, wise steward that your Father wants you to be.
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK FOR YOUR SUCCESSFUL EXPERIENCE
My editorial team and I have organized this guide with you at the forefront of our minds. The book is ordered so you can gain a clear understanding of your upcoming spiritual journey.
I suggest you read most of part I as your first step to prepare for your Daniel Fast. (Save chapter 10 to read when your fast is almost completed.) Not only will you begin to grasp what’s ahead, you’ll also start feeding your soul with encouragement, faith, and hope. We’ll talk about what I mean by “financial breakthrough,” and I’ll help you focus your attention on what God’s Word teaches His people about finances, stewardship, walking in faith, giving, and putting your trust in Him.
While you’re reading, you’ll find thoughts popping into your mind about your circumstances. You’ll begin to discover insights about God and His ways. And you likely will begin hearing the still, small voice of your Father. Please be sure to capture these thoughts, insights, and messages on paper. I encourage you to use a journal, which can become your personal travel log for this spiritual journey.
I’ve also prepared action steps that appear at the end of each chapter. Plan to work through these steps as you fast, putting your knowledge into action. After all, you want results. You want change, and you want success. You can have it as you join hands with your Lord. He will do His part as you do yours. Partner with Him by taking appropriate actions. Enliven your faith with your works and enjoy the benefits that await you.
Part II of the book includes practical tools for your fast. I’ve included more than seventy recipes for you to use during your fast. I’ve also included my best tips for meal planning and preparation. You’re wise to prepare some meals in advance. I promise that you’ll feel much more grounded when you’re equipped ahead of time rather than racing to catch up.
You’ll also find a collection of twenty-one Daniel Fast daily devotions that you can use during your fast. They are specifically written to feed your soul with the truth of God’s Word and to nourish your spirit with His wisdom.
Plus, I created a Frequently Asked Questions section to give quick answers for questions you may have. Skim them to find the information you may need. Also, be sure to visit the Daniel Fast website for even more information (Daniel-Fast.com/breakthrough).
Think of this book as your travel guide. Keep it with your Bible, journal, and other tools used in your daily quiet time. And as you touch these pages, know for sure that every word has been lovingly chosen to serve you as you enter into this powerful time of transformation and God’s blessing on your life.
BEGIN TO BEGIN
Imagine that you are planning to go on a three-week spiritual retreat. You registered for the retreat because you want to learn some new skills, and you have questions you want answered—questions about money, about priorities, about faith. You want to experience growth, moving from where you are now toward where you want to be. You’ve set aside time for the retreat, and you have a lot of excitement because of the retreat Leader.
You know about Him. You’ve read about Him. And now you get to go away with Him for an intense time of learning, discovering, gaining understanding, and hearing from Him. You’ll also be able to share your thoughts with Him.
During your retreat, you will quiet yourself so you can hear the still, small voice of the Leader. You’ll set your mind in a learning mode. You’ll eat differently, enjoying simple, nutritious meals so you can pay more attention to your studies and your time with the Leader. You’ll reduce distractions because you want to receive the insights, lessons, and messages that He wants to share with you. You’ll make sure you get enough sleep so you’re well-rested and alert. And even though you may need to step away to fulfill some day-to-day tasks or meet obligations, you can still continue to think about what you’re learning and what you want to receive.
Your retreat is a place of safety. You get to open your heart and share your innermost thoughts with the Leader. You’ve been assured that He wants to hear from you and comfort you. He wants to wipe away any tears that may fall or calm any nerves that may show up. He wants you to know that He has the answers to your questions and concerns. He is bigger than any struggle you may be experiencing. He is stronger than any circumstance that has come your way. He is more loving and more caring than any person you have ever known or even imagined. He promises to provide for you. He knows how to change your perspective on money to ease your worry and help you set wise priorities. And you get to be with Him on this personal retreat. Just the two of you. Together. Sharing. Solving problems. Learning skills. Receiving blessings.
This is your Daniel Fast for financial breakthrough, and it’s waiting for you to begin. It’s waiting for you to separate yourself from your typical daily routines so you can enter into a short period of focused prayer, study, and interaction with God. And the Daniel Fast is waiting for you to step away from the challenges and on to victory and solutions.
SEEKING A SUCCESSFUL FUTURE
Do you remember the Old Testament story of Ruth? It’s a short book—only four chapters—so you might want to pause now and read it. While our lives today look very different from Ruth’s, if you read the story with an eye for the theme of God’s provision, you may find some similarities between your life and hers.
Ruth, a young woman from the land of Moab, found herself in distress when her husband, her brother-in-law, and her father-in-law all died. Ruth made the choice to stay with her Israelite mother-in-law, Naomi, even though it meant leaving her own home in Moab and traveling to Judah, hoping for provision in the land of her husband’s family. Ruth was a woman who was financially vulnerable. Young and able-bodied, she carried the responsibility of her own well-being as well as the well-being of Naomi.
Ruth and Naomi lived in poverty, with little natural hope for relief. Ruth scrounged for food in the best ways that she knew, working diligently and always being honest and honorable. She remained tenacious, doing whatever was necessary to meet Naomi’s needs and her own. During her time of focused effort, Ruth met Boaz, who owned the land from which Ruth was gleaning grain. After a series of events, Boaz took Ruth as his wife. Through this union, Ruth and Naomi received financial security. Even more significant was that Ruth, who perhaps had thought she would never marry again, had a child with Boaz. His name was Obed, and he was the father of Jesse. Jesse was the father of David, who features prominently in the genealogy of Christ.
I remind you of this story because it illustrates the lovely assurance we have available to us: the assurance that God will redeem and provide. Ruth was a seeker. She left the home where she lived in poverty and chose a different way—a way that led to Judah, where God had blessed the land. Ruth kept the faith and the hope, and she stayed the course. She worked with integrity and honor. And then she met Boaz, one of the most dramatic figures in the Old Testament, who foreshadows the redeeming work of Christ in our lives.
Boaz recognized Ruth’s good heart and kind nature, shown in her care for Naomi. He redeemed her from the old life of poverty, stress, and survival and gave her abundance, security, and well-being.
We also have an open invitation to experience the redeeming power of God in our lives. The Lord can turn around seemingly impossible circumstances, and He calls us to trust Him to provide what we need. Right now you can make the decision to place your hope in the Lord, your Redeemer. And you can learn more about how to do this during your time of extended prayer and fasting.
YOUR JOURNEY FROM FEAR TO TRUST
A while back, I sent a gift to a loved one: a copy of a newly released book called The Latte Factor: Why You Don’t Have to Be Rich to Live Rich by David Bach and John David Mann. It’s written specially to help millennials see the benefit of saving a little every month for a relatively short period of time to help them gain financial security in their older years. My loved one is hardworking, but he was holding down one full-time job plus a part-time job to cover his family’s living expenses. I thought the book could help him out.
I had the gift shipped to him directly from Amazon. On the day the book arrived, my loved one called to thank me for the gift and said he was eager to read it. But then he told me, “When I walked up to my doorstep and saw the package from Amazon, I was so upset. I knew I hadn’t ordered anything, so why were they sending me a package? Then I started a rant inside my head. ‘What’s this going to cost me? Did they charge it to my account? I can’t afford anything right now. I need to give them a call.’”
Clearly, my loved one was coming from a place of stress, worry, and anxiety about his finances. And when he saw the package, he immediately went to the “fear place” instead of a happy place of anticipation. I could identify with his feelings since I’d been there in my own times of financial challenge. I remember how I hated to go to the mailbox because I feared what bill I might find. I was reluctant to answer the phone, worrying that a bill collector was calling me.
Maybe you are fearful about your money matters. You toss and turn in the night, feeling restless because you’re not sure you can pay your mortgage or make your car payment. Or you feel like you’re carrying around a fifty-pound weight on your shoulders because you don’t see any way out of the survival mode of living paycheck to paycheck. You know that if the car breaks down or your electricity bill soars because of unexpected weather conditions, you won’t have the money to cover the added expense.
Stress, worry, and fear grate on your soul. Many times, these emotions become our own sounds in the silence of the night. And for married couples, the stress, worry, and fear become fuel for arguments, threats, blame, and even breakups.
Financial problems can also negatively affect your relationship with God. You might be so full of fear that you don’t remember what it’s like to trust Him. You might be unable to think about how you can serve God or others because you have to focus so much energy on your daily needs. The financial strain can exhaust you, leaving you feeling isolated and disheartened.
But there is another way. And my hope is that within these pages you will shift from fear about your money matters and move into hope, trust, and peace. Yes, peace in your soul—no matter how impossible it seems right now—because you’ll learn how to bring Christ into the center of your finances. You’ll partner with Him to calm the storm and regain your sleep.
This isn’t a budget book or a financial planning book. For that information, the Tools and Resources section refers you to some respected authors who specialize in teaching those important skills. Instead, this book is a guide to lead you into a spiritual experience so you can leave fear in the past and step into the rest that is yours through Christ. The breakthrough you will experience isn’t going to be money raining from the sky or the discovery of a long-lost relative who left you a fortune in their will. That’s not to say that God can’t or won’t provide in miraculous ways. I’ve heard story after story from my readers about ways that God stepped in to meet their needs or help them get back on track. Yet the most valuable breakthrough any of us can experience is a step forward in our faith and in our trust in God and His priceless, immeasurable care for us.
God’s Word says, “Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7). My guess is that you can’t quite imagine casting all your care upon the Lord. That’s because making that shift isn’t instantaneous. It’s a process. It’s part of your walk in faith. And using the Daniel Fast for this leg of your journey will help you progress on your faith walk.
God’s Word is a treasure chest of promises for all believers. And my plan is to help you discover them and realize they are God’s gifts to you. He wants you to have them, because He cares for you. And that’s the truth!
THE DANIEL FAST IS A SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE
The purpose of biblical fasting is to learn from God’s truths about His ways for living. To communicate with Him and hear His instructions. To humble yourself before Him so you can receive His direction and guidance. To receive the revelations that come from His Spirit to your spirit that will point you on the way you should go. And in this Daniel Fast for financial breakthrough, you’ll also learn to discern God’s purposes for money and how He wants you to use it and think about it.
During your twenty-one-day fast, your daily life will be different from your typical routine. I’ve come to believe that God designed biblical fasting to specifically involve restricting food for a spiritual purpose. It’s a way to call our whole being (spirit, soul, and body) to attention so we can experience God’s presence to a greater degree during our separated time.
During your fast, you prepare to be away from some of your typical daily activities. You most likely can’t take three weeks off work, school, or other responsibilities, but you can try to cut back on other obligations to give yourself more time with God. You set intentions for what you want to experience during your three weeks of personal retreat. You make plans for when you will begin and when the retreat will conclude. You anticipate the mystery of what you will experience because you’re not quite sure what the Leader will tell you or what He will ask you to do.
This particular retreat has your financial matters as the focus because that’s what you’ve asked of the Leader. Psalm 66:19 assures us, “Certainly God has heard me; He has attended to the voice of my prayer.” You can plan your retreat with expectations that the Master Leader will do His part to provide what you need.
BE FILLED WITH ALL THE FULLNESS OF GOD
The book of Ephesians is packed with powerful truths about the life we have available to us because of Christ. Paul wrote this letter to the women and men in the church at Ephesus because he saw that they didn’t understand the benefits given to them through the grace of their Father. I encourage you to read all six chapters of Ephesians as if Paul were writing the letter just to you. But for now, let’s look at a few verses:
For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
My hope is that you will pray that same prayer for yourself. During your time of extended prayer and fasting, may you be strengthened with might through the Holy Spirit. I pray that you will grasp the love and truth of Christ, which is a revelation to your spirit so you will know the fullness of God in your life.
The revelations are already there waiting for you. As a follower of Christ who is looking to God for your future, you can do your part by humbling yourself before Him, learning from Him, and then following His instructions. Hear Christ’s message to you: “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. . . . I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:1, 6). Following Him is the way to abundant life.
GOOD NEWS FOR THE INWARD MAN
Your God treasures you. He is your Father, and He wants the very best for you. He teaches and ministers to your inner self, or what some translations of the Bible call your “inward man.” When Paul wrote to the Christians in Corinth, he taught about the invisible nature of our faith that, while not seen with our natural eyes, is still very real. He pointed out that while we may go through challenging experiences in our natural life, these difficulties bring priceless rewards and benefits to us that are not seen.
The apostle Paul writes this to the Corinthians:
Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
As you humble yourself before your Lord and open your heart to His truths, He will minister to your inward man in ways you can’t even see. He will reveal more about His nature, His authority, and His immeasurable love and care for you. He likely will give you instructions that you will receive by quieting yourself so you can hear His still, small voice speaking to your spirit.
As you go through your Daniel Fast, look for the breakthroughs you will gain in your understanding and direction from the Lord. Some may be tangible. Yes, many people have told me of receiving new jobs during their Daniel Fast, about selling their home that was “stuck on the market” for months, or about receiving an advancement in their work.
Star wrote and told me that she was the only believer in her household, and doing the Daniel Fast was hard for her. The fasting experience was intensified by her financial pressures. She had been out of work for months, and she and her family were barely scraping by. They had little to no money for food. She was thankful for the help she received from her church, but at the time she wrote to me, she was living on potatoes. She was also feeling very down about not being employed. She couldn’t understand why it seemed like everyone around her was getting blessed, but she wasn’t.
So as she started her Daniel Fast, she focused her prayers on asking God to help her get a job. During the last week of her fast, she made another call to a store that had previously not been taking any applications. This time they invited her to come for an interview that very day. The interview went well, and Star wrote to me with big capital letters, “I’M HIRED!” She was thrilled and gave God all the glory for working in her life. He opened shut doors and led her on the path to her success.
Financial breakthroughs like this are gifts from God. However, the most priceless breakthroughs are those of the heart, when we learn to trust God as our Provider, as the One who loves us and will never leave us or forsake us. That’s what I received back in 2007, and that’s what Becky received also. She sent me this message about her breakthrough and shared how it’s not limited to the dollars and cents:
Susan—by far these have been the best 21 days of my life. When I started the Daniel Fast I thought it was about finances, but as I got honest with God, I asked Him how could I expect Him to help me with my finances when I wasn’t even sure He loved me. Since I didn’t have an earthly mother and father that showed they loved me, I have never been sure of love. Why would this “GOD” be any different? The revelation He gave me concerning His love for me wouldn’t begin to fit in this space. But I have walked that revelation out for the last 21 days. When GOD reveals Himself to you, it is something you never forget, and it is something you know because you know, because you know. So I’ve decided to go further and for the next 21 days I will be doing the Daniel Fast for my finances, and you know what? My wonderful “FATHER” will be beside me. You will never know, Susan, how much your help has meant to me. All I can say is BE BLESSED and continue to be GOD’S anointed vessel. Becky.
I am so thrilled for Becky and the many others who open their hearts to God and experience His amazing love and truth. In the midst of my own financial crisis, God revealed to me truths about His nature that I didn’t know—just as He revealed truths to Becky. Since then, I’ve learned so much more about how to live by faith and not by sight. I’ve learned to trust Him more deeply than I even knew was possible. And I’ve gained a relationship with Him that I had previously only longed for.
God has a breakthrough waiting for you with your name on it. It’s already there. Your part is to open your heart, enter into the experience, and receive the blessings He designed just for you.
Faithful Servant Action Steps
These Faithful Servant Action Steps are intended to help you bring God into the center of your finances as you go through your twenty-one-day Daniel Fast. Again, I encourage you to read through the steps now, then come back to them in more detail after you’ve read the rest of part I and you’re beginning your fast.
- The Daniel Fast is based on the life of the Old Testament figure of Daniel, whom we’ll talk more about in chapter 2. In preparation, read the Old Testament chapters of Daniel 1 and 10 and imagine the man of God in both of the situations described in the passages. Think about his deep devotion to God as well as how he must have longed for freedom after being in captivity for so many decades.
- Think back to your childhood. What messages about finances did you receive from your parents and other people of influence? When you hear the word “money,” what are three words that immediately come to mind?
- Consider the goals you have for your finances. Where are you today regarding your money matters? Where would you like to be as God leads you on this leg of your faith journey?