It may be time for you to fast...

I don't think the average person wakes up and thinks to themselves "Let me do the 10-day Daniel Fast!" so I definitely felt a little crazy committing to the Daniel Fast for 21 days. Now, for those who do not know what the Daniel Fast is, I will try my best to explain but, also, a link. In summary, in the biblical book of Daniel, after Daniel and his friends had been taken from Jerusalem to Babylon to serve in the King's court, "Daniel fasted to remain undefiled, to repent for the sins of his people, and to draw closer to God". The Bible never called it a fast, but instead, a test. Honestly speaking, I prefer this because it is the only word I can use to describe the process of only eating fruits vegetables, legumes, whole grains, seeds, and nuts for three weeks.

*Record scratch* You may be wondering, how did Thelma get here?

During the month of July and August, I kept telling myself, nothing was wrong but something was not right. It's not something I could explain, but just a feeling of internal misalignment. This feeling continued growing. Mid August, my Pastor announced that our church would be doing 21 days of prayer and fasting, and immediately, something told me I would be doing the Daniel Fast. I know that something was God. I have fasted plenty of times before but not to this extent. I was very nervous about the Daniel Fast and did not think I would have the strength to finish. The thing about fasting for the Spirit is--you need to pray, HEAVY! I understood that without the praying aspect, there was no point in fasting but I doubted myself when it came to waking up for 5:30 am prayer calls (yes, you read correctly, 5;30AM!!!). Additionally, I was not ready to completely be obedient when it came to my diet or to the other instructions that I knew God would have for me.

Gracemade for recipes!

Being the planner that I am, prior to the fast, I did A LOT of research. The Gracemade blog was the most helpful for recipes and things to avoid. I really felt prepared after my research and THOUGHT I was set. Within the first few days of the fast, I was humbled by God; I could no longer use sweets to cope when I was annoyed, socializing had to exclude drinking, and just like the world, dancing and work would not stop because I was fasting (I have so many examples of this that I will share after I have finished processing). I sacrificed staying up late to wake up for prayer calls, I journaled daily to God instead of venting to my friends and family, and I substituted my usual snacks with lots of fruit. After a very challenging couple of days, I became more creative-- I recreated the healthy versions of my favorite African meals, I ate a lot of grapefruit, and I stuck to Bibibop and chipotle on the three occasions I ate fast meals. Not only did this result in a heart change, but my mindset and weight also changed.

Now, remember what I said about realignment? Initially, the fast started just for alignment but as time passed, it became about other things as well. There were so many things I prayed about and although

one's mindset during a fast should not be a reward, God went above and beyond (I mean, I'm his favorite haha). I received answers to prayers I stopped praying about in 2021. From finances to career to family to relationships, I received so much insight but I was also obedient and ACTED on things God ordered me to do.

As I reflect on it now, it was the most difficult fast I have ever done, but it was the most rewarding. Will I ever do this fast again? Yes! Will I do the fast for 21 days? NO, probably 10 max, but now, I know I am disciplined and more than capable. I hope this encourages you to try fasting, there is no time like now. If you have any questions in general about the fast or specific questions for me, feel free to contact me or DM me on Instagram! Looking forward to hearing your story!

With love,

-Thelms