This guest post is by John Money:

As we start our church-wide 21 day Fast at the beginning of the year, I want to encourage you with two statements:

1. You can do it!  You can start and complete a 21 day Daniel Fast!
2. You need to define your reason(s) for Fasting.  Define your Fasting focus.

Some of you may think that there is no way that you can do without certain foods (beef, chocolate, pizza, dinner rolls, etc) for 21 days.  I know that I had this fear the first time I went through an extended Fast and it is something that can play with your mind.  Especially when you are starting a Fast and your spouse says, “Hey, I have a gift card that is good for Boulder Creek and Charbonos.”  Which is exactly what happened to me yesterday.  I had been fasting for 1 day and here we were sitting at Boulder Creek.  First challenge was looking at the menu and finding something that would be satisfying.  I chose the Five Greens Salad and a side of Asparagus.  It was great….not quite fulfilling….but very good.  The harder part was watching my son eat an entire loaf of warm bread as the smell of fresh, oven baked, butter-saturated bread waffled through the air!  He then followed the bread up with a Barbeque chicken pizza!

I had made up my mind up ahead of time;  I knew the Lord wanted me to Fast.  To draw near to Him with a season of denying myself and focusing on Him and my reasons for Fasting.  Focusing on why you are Fasting will sustain you….it will give you resolve to not cave into the lure of foods that you have already determined are off-limits during the Fast.  For me, I have pre-determined that meat, bread, and sweets are off limits during the 21 day Fast.

I have also determined that I have critical reasons to Fast.  I want to share my reasons with you as an encouragement for you to develop a Fasting Focus.  I am Fasting primarily for Four reasons:

1. To deepen my connection with Christ.  To focus on being in synch with His agenda for my life (What is on His mind and Heart – 1 Samuel 2:35b)
2. For my wife’s life to be a joy, for her to be healthy – spiritually and physically, and for our marriage to continue to be strong and fulfilling; and for Kerra to fulfill the purposes to which the Lord has called her.
3. For our son, McLain, to be a wholehearted follower of Jesus – to love Christ more than the trappings of this world.  To walk with Christ as a teenager and for the rest of his life.
4. For my extended family and friends to have a close walk with Christ and miraculous healings in physical health

I believe that by determining a Fasting Focus at the beginning of your season of Fasting will keep you on track.  Your time of fasting will not merely be a Christian diet, but a rich time of connection with Jesus.  You can do it!