Standing Fast Against Church Trends…Even When Everyone is Doing Them
Whenever I tried to use the actions of my peers as a justification or defense of my decisions as a kid, I could always predict my parents’ response:
“If everyone jumped off of the Empire State Building, would you do it too?”
It was a bit of an extreme response to my adolescent desire to wear parachute pants, but as an adult, I am grateful for this bit of classical parental wisdom. It warned me of the danger of going along with the crowd, which has surprisingly served me well as a Christian. Refusal to follow the crowd is actually a vitally important asset as a follower of Christ, particularly in today’s highly commercialized and trend heavy church culture. Ehen it is used correctly to help you keep your eyes on Jesus, it is actually an essential part of following Him. Without a willingness to be discerning, you may find yourself jumping off the proverbially Empire State Building with every fad or wind of doctrine, many types of which periodically sweep the church.
that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting..
Ephesians 4:14
The Daniel Fast is just one of examples of this sort of undercurrent. It is not the worst type as there are those that will lead you into cults and spiritual and economic bankruptcy. However, it is a great example of the problems that show up in these man focused programs so that it is instructive to examine. The combination of the clear lack of biblical support for such a fast, the deceptive nature of the appeal behind it, and its popularity make it a great example of what to avoid as you seek to follow Jesus.
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A Bestselling Diet Fad
The so called “Daniel Fast” first swept through the church after the publication of megachurch pastor, Rick Warren’s book “The Daniel Plan” back in 2013. It was promoted as “40 Days to a Healthier Life” and relentlessly touted as a powerful combination of a diet plan and a spiritual growth program taken directly from the Old Testament. The marketing pitch seemed great, “God wants you to lose weight and look great while also growing holier.” and Warren’s prominence and the reach of his enormous megachurch guaranteed that people would take notice. Pastors quickly adopted the Daniel Plan sermon series, small groups studied it, and large congregations joined started it together, consuming the accompanying videos, cook books, and life plans as they did so. Tens of thousands of Christians eagerly embraced the Daniel Plan in the initial wave of publicity before the fad died down for a time. It was not its demise, though, as the now retitled “Daniel Fast” has made a dramatic comeback through a number of different authors and plans that seem to be everywhere. I cannot tell you how many Daniel Fast social media clips I have seen with churches and individual Christians again testifying to how great this plan is for all Christians. Though the technology is different from the first time around, the hooks remain the same:
The Daniel Fast will not only make you holy like Daniel, but also help you look good while doing it. The Daniel Fast will get the church armed for a new year, spiritually powered up, and open doors in ministry and life. If you seek to be holy and hear from God like Daniel, you must do the Fast. If you want success, join in the Daniel Fast. You must not miss out, you have to do the Daniel Fast!!!!…and many Christians are eagerly going along.
On the surface based on the advertising, you can understand the excitement. Who doesn’t want to lose weight, be healthy, and be like Daniel? Daniel was an awesome man of God. Yet, if you are willing to be discerning and check out what is under the hood of this very trendy vehicle, it doesn’t take long to see that there are significant problems with its most important parts. The biggest of which is the fact that there is no such thing as the Daniel Fast in the Bible.
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Since it is not actually biblical, the modern Daniel Fast and those that push it use things that are of God and claim to invoke God’s authority in order to get you to do things God did not tell you to do. The Daniel Fast then offers you promises from God connected to these claims that God never made. It uses God and the Bible to get you to adopt a secular method and plan.
In short, the modern Daniel Fast is a self improvement plan, like a million other ones out there, with the name of a prophet slapped on it to sell it to the church.
Questioning the Daniel Fast – Is it Biblical
Are you willing to test the spirit behind the Daniel Fast?
Many people shy away from doing so out of a sense of inadequacy, misplaced allegiance to leadership, or fear of being accused of being divisive. Yet, if you want to follow Jesus, testing is exactly what you are told to do.
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. 1 John 4:1
Upon examination, it does not take long to see that the Daniel Fast almost immediately falls apart on close scrutiny. Daniel not only never fasts as alleged by the plan, but there is also no plan laid out in Daniel that you can honestly adopt. The Book of Daniel also never says to follow his example, that the food chooses are in any way related to health or will fix any physical issues, or that God promises to bless you if you try to imitate Daniel’s example. God’s direction to Daniel was meant for an entirely different purpose. It was never meant for the church.
As a whole, the Daniel Fast really has little to nothing to do with the life of Daniel.
But I don’t want you to take my word on these points or rely on my conclusions. There are so many similar Bible flavored products out there in the Christian world that you will need to analyze on your own, it is helpful to go through the reasons why this one falls apart.
What does the Bible Actually Say about Daniel and Fasting?
The Daniel Fast is based primarily on two moments from the long life of the Prophet Daniel recorded in Daniel 1 and 10. These are when chooses to abstain from certain foods for a time. It is not entirely convicting alone, but it is worth noting as a starting point that these occurrences are not actually “fasts” and are not diet plans as you would think of them. Daniel doesn’t stop eating entirely so they are not fasts like the one of Jesus in the New Testament. The passages also don’t say that he in any way cut down on the amount of food he ate or that he was trying to in nay way lose weight or be healthy. Thus, even at its most basic level, the Daniel Plan/Fast and what Daniel actually did are not at all similar.
The context of Daniel is also incredibly important to understand. The book opens in the midst of a great tragedy, Jerusalem had just fallen and God’s people are being taken into captivity in Babylon. Daniel is one of the young men of Israel taken from among the prisoners to serve the King’s court. There, Daniel was taught the Babylonian language and customs and ordered to eat from the King’s table, including delicacies that were prepared for the king himself. This apparent generosity was not meant to bless Daniel and his friends. Rather, it was intended to gain their loyalty. It was a tool to trick them into forgetting Jewish culture and religion. The Babylonians were trying to seduce Daniel away from the dietary laws of the Mosaic Law and, as a result, away from God.
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Once you understand this, you can see very clearly that the food issues in the Book of Daniel have nothing to do with dieting or physical fitness. They are hard fought spiritual battles over loyalty to the God of Israel. This is obvious as you read the passages, starting in Daniel 1:
But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. Now God had brought Daniel into the favor and goodwill of the chief of the eunuchs. Daniel 1:8-9
Daniel’s objections reveal his motivation. It is with being “defiled“, a dietary law observance issue, not for his weight. He was not objecting to the caloric contents or commenting on the health benefits of any food. There is nothing inherently sinful, wrong, or unhealthy about the Kings’ delicacies. The Bible does not even spell out what they were, a fact that instantly renders any plan based on avoiding them questionable. Daniel chose not to eat things that would defile him, in other words, those not allowed under the Mosaic Law – pork and shellfish or meat sacrificed to idols – not those he thought would make him feel fat. Daniel’s motivation is a great one for him as an Old Testament Israelite, but anyone trying to transfer it to you should cause serious alarm bells to sound for you as a Christian. Jesus makes very clear that He fulfilled the Law and that Christians are free of its dietary restrictions as a result.
But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do. 1 Corinthians 8:8
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval. Romans 14:17-18
As a result, if you try to apply Daniel’s actual reason for his diet in Daniel 1 to your life it brings you into direct conflict with Jesus’ completed work and your identity in Him. Your spiritual health is never about eating and drinking thanks to Jesus and any attempt to make it so only serves to point you away from Him – never a good thing.
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God’s Provided what Daniel Needed
The Eunuch in charge of Daniel responds to his request for a different diet with a very human emotion – fear. He is afraid Daniel will look miserable and sober to the King and that give away that Daniel is not falling for the temptation. Daniel responds with a specific “test”, wherein Daniel will only eat vegetables and drink only water for 10 days and Daniel looks better and healthier than the other the young men at the end of the period. This seems to provide some support for the Daniel Fast on initial reading, but when you look closer, again has nothing in common with the modern version.
First, Daniel’s choice of foods still has nothing to do with their health benefits and his health and prosperity at the end of a period is clearly the Lord’s work. When you follow the story, it is Daniel’s faith and trust in God in the face of opposition that is rewarded, the recurring theme of the Book of Daniel. God is faithful to those who honor Him. In fact, if it was the food eaten that was the source of Daniel’s health and prosperity, it would actually take away from God’s glory in the passage.
Second, the word that is translated as vegetable in his test diet means generally “things that are sown” in Hebrew. It refers to all crops, including everything from wheat, barley, and beans to fruits of all kinds. These is also no specific serving sizes noted or recipes laid out. As a result, you cannot actually determine what Daniel’s specific diet was during the time, which would seem to make impossible any attempt to offer a diet plan based on it.
Lastly, and most importantly, God never says that Daniel’s choices are based on blessed food or that they are in any way better that other foods. He also never says that He will provide a benefit from attempting to somehow copy it. The category of food is also not chosen because it it is nutritious, but because they are not able to be defiled by the practices of the Babylonians. It is clear that God records what Daniel did in Daniel 1 to show how Daniel remained faithful to Him, much like the similar stories of when Daniel faced the lion’s den or his friends face the fiery furnace, not as an cooking manual. When you turn it into a diet plan, you miss the entire point of the passage.
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A Diet of Mourning for Israel
Similar problems reveal themselves when you examine passages the Daniel Fast relies on Daniel 10:
In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a message was revealed to Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar. The message was true, but the appointed time was long; and he understood the message, and had understanding of the vision. In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three full weeks. I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.
Daniel 10 is set in a context that is entirely different than yours today. Daniel is a Prophet in mourning, likely over the continued captivity of Israel. He is seeking answers from God about this miserable situation and asking when the Messiah will come. As part of this process, he does not fast, stop eating for a period, but chooses to not eat pleasant foods, meat, or wine. He also did not anoint himself with oil for three weeks. God does answer Daniel with a powerful vision of what is to come, including the about the arrival of the Messiah, which is great, but do you notice what is not present in this passage?
Once again, you are not given a specific menu or list of food and drink to partake it or avoid. The definition of “pleasant food” is never given, nor specifics about whether it refers to all meats including fish and products of meat giving animals, like eggs and cheese. You may define pleasant food as you sit here today as foods containing sugar or desserts, but Daniel never says that so have to guess whether chocolate, soda, or coffee are included. Wine seems clearly out, but what about other alcoholic beverages? There is no answer to these questions, whatsoever. This may seem like splitting hairs, but please remember that the Daniel Fast claims that God will bless you based on compliance with the diet listed in these passages. How can you possibly obtain that blessing if you don’t know what to eat or not to eat?
This question is answered by the more important problem with the passage from Daniel 10. It is clear that there is no suggestion that Daniel’s food choices here should be copied by you or promise that God will reward you if you do so. There is nothing in the passage that even hints that you will receive a similar revelation as Daniel. you know from the New Testament that fasting can be a good thing for your spiritual life, but none of the directions for the church on the subject suggest copying Daniel, who wasn’t fasting. There is certainly nothing in the passage or the Bible as a whole that promises you will lose weight or be healthier based on Old Testament dietary choices.
Jesus’ Cross Made You Greater Than Daniel
The Book of Daniel is God’s interaction with His prophet in that time in that context, not with you now. This may seem disappointing since Daniel is amazing in so many ways and it would be great to have a way to receive the visions like he did. Yet, it is actually recognition of great news – as a Christian, you are greater than Daniel, Ezekiel, and all of the prophets. Don’t believe me? How about when you hear it from Jesus:
Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
Matthew 11:11
That is from the mouth of the One who never lies and knows all things. Even if you come in last in the rankings of every Christian who ever lived ( I don’t think Jesus works this way btw), Jesus says you are greater than the man upon whom this diet is based. This still surprises me to this day when I think about it from my perspective as I know I fail on a regular basis. Yet, it does make sense if you change your focus. It is only because of the Resurrection of Jesus and all that involves that you receive such an exalted rank. Since you live after the Cross, you are not only a follower of God like Daniel, but also indwelled with the Holy Spirit, born again into new life, adopted into Jesus’ family, and seated in the heavenlies. The prophets longed to see the arrival of the Messiah and all that came with Him. They saw through the glass darkly, while you receive the greater blessings that Jesus earned for you on the Cross. This is not a source of pride since all that you receive is through grace alone, but the privileges you were gifted should also never be ignored. You are meant to celebrate and eagerly embrace your better position and advantages, including no longer needing to go through prophets, programs of man, or the Mosaic Law.
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16
Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.
Colossians 2:8
The Daniel Fast and similar church plans and trends seem to offer you a guaranteed way for you to work on yourself so that you can gain a closer position to God and earn the right to be blessed by Him. These “get holy quick” schemes appeal to your very human instinct that says you have to work your way to the top and nothing comes for free. They seem to make sense in these ways until you realize that Jesus already gave you all these things for free. His work already placed you in Him and Him in you and destroyed the need for that old path to success in the process. You are welcome to go directly to the Throne of God whenever you wish, you don’t need formulas and schemes to get there.
The sad truth is though the Daniel Fast and all of the plans like it seem like they are ways to grow in their faith and get closer to God, they are based on a lesser relationship with Jesus. Jumping over the hurdles they set up between you and God with the goal of getting to Him tends to also feel satisfying and like you are accomplishing things for God, but it only serves to reconstruct the things that Jesus tore down.
The veil in the Temple that kept you away from God tore completely apart at the moment of Jesus’ death sending a message that all were now welcome to come directly to God. Don’t allow any plan, fad, trend, or person try to put it back together or restrict your access.
The Daniel Fast is not the worst of the popular but flawed fads that capture the attention of the church. You are not bad if you have done it or are on it now. It may, in fact, help you lose weight or benefit your diet. It is just not from God. He did not ask you to do it, made no promises associated with it, and already gave you so much more than it promises. There is no need to go back to the past to get what you already have.
Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. Galatians 5:1
Merci infiniment pour ce texte très inspiré et inspirant. Que Jésus vous bénisse encore 🙏
Christine Jorel