(Dan 1:12 KJV)  Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink.


        Is that your first question?  Who me Fast?  Or I have nothing I need to fast about!  Or are you one of those who try and then give into self in a few hours. Well you are not alone this pastor has experienced all of the above.  But see God loves us so much that  those who cannot fast totally  or just need help getting going the first time, He has shown us the Daniel fast.  But it seems that there is some confusion about what a "Daniel fast  really is.  The King James Bible calls Daniel’s meals as "pulse  , whereas the New International Bible says "vegetable".  The best place to go to when in doubt is the original language.  Here the Hebrew is  zeroa',  something sown, i.e. a vegetable (as food) (pulse). If we go further into the root word in the Hebrew,  zaw-rah' means to sow; plant,  conceive seed, sow, yield.  From this we can draw that Daniel was not just talking about vegetables, but things "sown of seed".   It is generally accepted that a Daniel fast consists of  fruits and vegetables with not fats or grains.  But, if we take the definition of pulse literally we can see that a Daniel fast can be anything sown of seeds.  I believe that it is not so much the strict adhering to the preconceived idea that fruits and vegetables are only "allowed  on a Daniel fast, but the heartfelt desire to grow closer to God through the self-denial.  This is the true meaning of fasting.  The act of denying your self of something.  Most definitions of fasting have two things in common; 1) they say the denial of food and 2) for the purpose of fasting is to growing closer to God.  Through the process for seeking God’s presence I have become convinced that the only way we can grow closer is to kill self and I can tell you from experience if you want self to rear its ugly head just fast a few days.  The fact is we cannot see God’s face if ours is always in the forefront.   Jesus tells us that fasting and prayer are essential partners in God’s power for us. (Mat 17:21 KJV)  Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.  In other words when everything else seems to have failed.  When we have tried everything it is time to go to fasting and prayer.  What are you willing to give up?  How far are you willing to go out of your comfort zone to seek God’s face?   Years ago my wife and I sold our home in Colorado and now live out of our 33 ft travel trailer.  In the summer of 1996 Mary and I had felt a real need to come closer to God and His will.  We went camping in one of our usual mountain spots.  Far enough from man and near enough to God to hear His quiet still voice.  When My wife and I are seeking God's will in our lives we seek to leave the world behind and enter into God's nature.  On that  summer day in July of 1996 Mary and I were deep in prayer when the spirit of the Lord came upon us.  Without any communication we both knew what God wanted for our lives though we did not understand His timing. God’s spirit showed us we were to go on a journey.  A journey where we were to travel and spread his word.  Today His Will Ministry reaches over 93 nations around the world.  The best part is it has nothing to do with Mary or I but all the Glory goes to Jesus.   We do not know where God is leading us next, but we know He is leading. Steven Curtis Chapman wrote a song in the early 90's called The Great Adventure.  One of the lines went like this " Saddle up your horses we've got a trail to blaze, through the wild blue yonder of God's amazing grace. Let's follow our leader into the glorious unknown, this is a life like no other, yeah!"