3 TAKEAWAYS FROM PSALMS 1:1-2 
(Daniel Fast — Day 1)

Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the LORD (Word of God), meditating on it day & night. —Psalms 1:1-2  (NLT) 

These two verses that David penned via inspiration of the Holy Spirit are power packed with supernatural wisdom. Here are three takeaways that will help you kick off the new year the right way!

1 — BE CAREFUL WHO YOU LISTEN TO 
Our culture is constantly preaching to follow your heart and/or follow your feelings. The Word is clear in Jeremiah 17:9 that following your heart is not only dangerous, it’s destructive. As followers of Jesus, we live by faith…faith in God and His Word. You have two choices in 2023: Listen to culture or listen to God. If you listen to God, you won’t be deceived by lies that sound like truth.

2 — BE CAREFUL WHO YOU HANG WITH 
While it’s important for you to have friends who are unbelievers— so you can establish common ground as a means to share the gospel—you need to be careful who you get close to. This age-old saying is true: “like produces like.” In other words, we become who we hang around with. Proverbs is packed with warnings about hanging out with fools and Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 15:33 that “bad company corrupts good character.” The Contemporary English Versions says, “bad friends will destroy you.” Ouch.

3 — DIVE INTO THE WORD OF GOD DAILY
Spending time with God will not only help us make better decisions, it will make us more like Christ. The Bible is a collection of 66 books that contain 1,189 chapters, 31,102 verses, and 783,137 words of God speaking to us. This means there is never a valid excuse for saying, “I pray, but God never speaks to me.” David hid the Word in heart. We need to do the same.

POWER POINT 
How we respond to this passage will most definitely make or break us. Responding the right way—by leaning into Jesus and His Word—will not only reap lasting benefits in 2023, but will ultimately change the trajectory of your life.

PRAYER POINT 
“Jesus, thank you for a clean slate and a new beginning on the very first day of this brand-new year! Help me to choose you, to follow you, and to obey you. Help me guard my heart and help me choose wisely who I listen to and who I spend time with. Give me a new hunger and desire to spend time with through worship, prayer, and your Word. I love you, Jesus. In your name I pray, amen.”

THE ORIGIN OF OUR DANIEL FAST
Here’s a little backstory how the ‘Daniel Fast’ originated. In Daniel chapter one we learn that King Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem and God’s people were taken back to Babylon as captives. A few good looking, strong, and smart men (exiles) were chosen to serve in the royal palace to be trained in the language and literature of Babylon. The young men were Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

Daniel 1:8,11-12 (NLT)
But Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief of staff for permission not to eat these unacceptable foods. Daniel
spoke with the attendant who had been appointed by the chief of staff to look after Daniel, Hananiah (Shadrach), Mishael (Meshach), and Azariah (Abednego). “Please test us for ten
days on a diet of vegetables and water,” Daniel said.

It’s important to note here that while no verse in the Bible instructs us to follow the fast that Daniel undertook, there are numerous scriptures that encourage us to fast. Jesus fasted and
prayed for 40 days as preparation for his ministry here on Earth. He also made it clear to His disciples that some demonic strongholds can only be defeated by prayer and fasting. Daniel’s story acts as a powerful example of what can happen when you choose to eat simply and live prayerfully and mindfully. *In Daniel chapter ten, Daniel conducts the same fast for 21 days.
This is why some people do Daniel fasts for 21 days. Chapter ten is an excellent example of spiritual warfare that goes on while we are fasting. Read it!

THE FOCUS OF OUR DANIEL FAST
The Daniel Fast is a spiritual discipline designed to better connect us with God. We will take 10 days (or 21 days) of the new year to deepen our relationship with God and center ourselves around what God is going to do in RockChurch and in our lives during 2023. This can be a challenging process, but we look forward to hearing from God and experiencing Him with intensity during our time of fasting and prayer.

PRAYER IS THE KEY
Don't forget to PRAY during your fast! Without prayer, this fast is just a diet.

MENU
The Daniel Fast is a partial fast, which means that we will eliminate some common things from our daily diet, but will have generous options available. We will focus on eating fruits and
vegetables that are pure and simple. Below is a list of foods to eat and foods to avoid.
*If you have any known medical conditions or suspect such conditions, consult your doctor
before beginning the fast.

FOODS TO EAT
Whole Grains: Brown Rice, Oats, Barley Legumes: Dried Beans, Pinto Beans, Split Peas, Lentils, BlackEyed Peas
Fruits: Apples, Apricots, Bananas, Blackberries, Blueberries, Boysenberries, Cantaloupe, Cherries, Cranberries, Figs, Grapefruit, Grapes, Guava, Honeydew Melon, Kiwi, Lemons,
Limes, Mangoes, Nectarines, Papayas, Peaches, Pears, Pineapples, Plums, Prunes, Raisins, Raspberries, Strawberries, Tangelos, Tangerines, Watermelon
Vegetables: Artichokes, Asparagus, Beets, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery, Chili Peppers, Corn, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Garlic, Ginger Root, Kale, Leeks, Lettuce, Mushrooms, Mustard Greens, Okra, Onions, Parsley, Potatoes, Radishes, Rutabagas, Scallions, Spinach, Sprouts, Squashes, Sweet Potatoes, Tomatoes, Turnips, Watercress, Yams,
Zucchini Seeds, Nuts, Sprouts
Liquids: Water, Unsweetened Soy Milk, Herbal (caffeine free) Tea, Natural Fruit Juice (no added sugar), Honey

FOODS TO AVOID
Meat, Poultry, Fish White Rice, Fried Foods, Caffeine, Coffee, Tea (Decaf is up to you), Carbonated Beverages, Foods Containing Preservatives or Additives, Refined Sugar or Sugar Substitutes, White Flour, Margarine, Shortening, High Fat Products, All Breads, Dairy (milk, butter, cheese, yogurt, etc.)
*Some people choose to drink coffee (coffee is a bean) during their Daniel fast. This is up to each individual, however decaffeinated coffee is recommended. You can get creative with your fast, too. Regardless of how much you cut out of your normal diet, we know God will honor your sacrifice.

ADDITIONAL IDEAS
If you are unable to participate in the diet of the Daniel Fast, here are some additional fasting ideas.
Juice Fast — Going without food and only doing juices or liquids.
Entertainment — Going without TV or entertainment.
Social Media — going without social media for a period of time.

ROARING TWENTIES FAST
We are partnering with Think Eternity in “Calling 1 million people to Fast and Pray in the Roaring Twenties.” This began in 2020 and will continue throughout the 2020’s (twenties). The Roaring
Twenties Fast is a 21 day fast.
Visit roaringtwentiesfast.com for complete details.

“No, this is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people. — Isaiah 58:6 (NLT)

GUEST POST — CATHERINE WORDEN
Office Manager

I decided this week that I’m done praying for strength – at least I’m done praying for strength the way I used to pray. So many times I have said to a friend going through a rough season or situation, I am praying for strength for you. And it seems like the good and right thing to pray. You want your friend to have the strength they need to stand and to push through whatever is in front of them. But what I’m finding is that when we pray for strength (at least in my own experience) is that we pray for strength to get through something, and then the next thing comes along and we pray for more strength to get through that, and to get through the next thing and the next thing. I don’t think that’s at all what God intended for us.

“Come to me all who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” – Matthew 11:28

Jesus didn’t say, if you are tired and you are carrying heavy stuff come see me and I will make you stronger so you can carry more stuff. He didn’t say He would give us more strength so we could continue to push through this thing just to get to the next hard thing. He said He would give us rest.

Do you know what I’ve found when I’m in that place of feeling worn down and even on the verge of being burnt out? It’s usually when I’ve put too much on my plate and I haven’t taken the time to rest. More than that, when I am really feeling overwhelmed, it’s usually when I’m relying on my own strength instead of God’s.

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.” – Ephesians 6:10
His mighty power. I can be strong in the Lord because of HIS strength, not mine. Carrying a lot doesn’t make me strong. Sometimes it just makes me tired.

Something else I have found as I have looked a little closer at how I pray for strength, is that sometimes I’m not slowing down to rest because there are things that come to the surface when I’m quiet. It may be a hurt that I haven’t processed through, or something the Holy Spirit has pointed out to me that I need to change in my life. Sometimes it’s a relationship that I need to grieve because it suddenly ended. And it feels silly to grieve and to hurt with such depth because the person didn’t actually die, they just aren’t a part of my life anymore. We tend to think grief only happens around a gravesite, not in the every day relationships as adults.
We equate strength with standing tall, pushing through, and smiling, even when we are exhausted and really just need to feel the emotions we are feeling and let the tears fall. But what if strength also meant learning how to lean, learning how to rest, and not being afraid to feel the deep emotion and let the emotion fall however it may. What if we stopped praying for strength and instead prayed for rest?

What if we stopped just praying for strength all the time, and instead began praying and asking God for rest. I’m talking about the kind of rest that comes with learning how to say no to that one more thing you’ve been asked to do. Rest that comes with letting the tears fall when they need to instead of holding them back. Rest that comes with leaning into God for His strength and not our own.

“Come to me all who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” – Matthew 11:28

Chances are, you’ve gone head-to-head with a giant at some point in your life. If so, you know firsthand what defeat feels like. A giant can be anything from a financial crisis to cancer to the big jerk in seventh grade who won’t leave you alone. It can be whatever stands between you and your family, you and your dreams, or you and your hope. A giant can even be that voice in your head that whispers, “You can’t” or “You won’t” or “You never will.”

In 1 Samuel 17, we meet a giant bully named Goliath, who has taunted the nation of Israel for 40 consecutive days, just begging for someone to come fight him. The constant jeering has all but paralyzed King Saul and his army.

I love that the most unlikely contender was the very one to step onto the battlefield and finally accept the giant’s challenge. David wasn’t only the least likely person in Israel to fight Goliath; he was also the least likely person in his own family—the youngest of eight boys.

Here’s a sad reality: No matter how young or old you are, you haven’t seen your last giant. Your enemy, the devil, is doing everything he can to place giants between you and your dreams; between you and your God-given vision; between you and your miracle; between you and your victory; between you and your second chance; and, ultimately, between you and your destiny.

It’s important to point out that David heard the very same words that every soldier in Saul’s army had heard. The difference was that David decided to do something about it.

What are you going to do about the bully who stands between you and your victory? What are you going to do about the giant standing between you and your dream? What are you going to do about the obstacle that is keeping you from becoming the person who God created you to be? Are you prepared to cut through the resistance? Are you ready to fight? I’m talking about trusting God and stepping onto the battlefield—even when no one else believes you can win—and fighting, if need be, until you are the last one standing. David was that somebody with Goliath. You can be that somebody too.

God will help you fight battles that you could never win on your own.

WHAT GIANT DO YOU NEED TO CONFRONT?