Soul Food
Soul Food
The Fast of Daniel: Drawing Near to God (Day 1)
What happens when you strip away all the secular noise and distractions for 21 days? Discover the profound spiritual growth that emerges as we discuss the 21-Day Fast of Daniel on this episode of the Soul Food Podcast. We begin with Valerie's heart-wrenching yet inspiring story of overcoming family betrayal and homelessness through unwavering faith and resilience. Her journey is a testament to the power of staying connected with God, no matter the circumstances.
Ever wondered how faith can transform debilitating anxiety into a life of joy and fulfillment? Listen to a personal account of battling severe anxiety attacks and finding faith in a spiritual breakthrough during a family dinner. This episode also offers practical guidance on aligning with the Spirit of God to achieve a prosperous life, and how to maintain this spiritual connection actively. Stay tuned for ways to stay connected with us and enrich your soul through our various platforms. Share this episode to inspire and uplift those around you.
Mmm, what's cooking up in the kitchen? Am I smelling that soul food?
Speaker 2:Oh yes, it is soul food, the spiritual food for your spiritual nourishment. And you know what? This food will never expire.
Speaker 1:Never expire. I need this food every day.
Speaker 2:You are listening to these spiritual-based podcasts. There are many podcasts, but this one here is to satisfy your soul, to feed your spiritual hunger. Are you hungry for God? Don't let your soul be hungry, no matter where you are. Whatever you are doing now, at work, home or on the go, you can still listen here and right now, the Soul Food Podcast. Don't let ever your soul to go hungry.
Speaker 3:It's time for some Soul Food.
Speaker 4:The Fast of Daniel is the abstinence from all secular information, such as media, entertainment, music and literature, for 21 days, with the aim of achieving something greater the Holy Spirit. During the fast of Daniel, you will develop an intimate communion with God. But before getting to know what you should do during the fast, you must understand what you should not do. Exclude all unnecessary and superficial activities from your life, the ones that divert your focus from God. Exclude mere entertainment or distractions that add nothing to you. What should you do during the Fast of Daniel? Meditate on the Word of God every day. Go to the church as often as you can during these 21 days. Have your personal moments with God at home. Pray, fast and absorb spiritual content. Take part in the Fast of Daniel and observe changes in your actions and reactions. Find the answer you have been looking for for so long the Fast of Daniel, 21 days to be disconnected from the world and connected to the Spirit of God.
Speaker 3:Here on Soul Food.
Speaker 5:Podcast. I was happy for a while. Everything was going good. My parents had gave us everything. I remember clothes, I, I'm, I've always been such a girly girl and my mom just loved buying me and my sister skirts at the time, because it was just me and my sister, or like matching leggings, all the stuff, everything we had, all the toys, everything.
Speaker 5:Until one day my dad just became very absent at home. We kind of noticed it my mom, I, my sister. He became very absent to the point where he wouldn't even really take work seriously and my family became very unstable emotionally and even financially. So I remember one day my mom was just looking around the house and she found a camera. We both looked into that camera. We went to go print out the pictures. I remember that day specifically and we went to go print out the pictures. When we got home we decided to open them at home, not in the car. We saw pictures of my dad with another woman. Of course he was married to my mom. This other woman was not my mom. So we were completely shocked. In that moment I felt my heart break when I saw my mom crying.
Speaker 5:I remember there were so many fights that I would just go to my room with my little sister and we would cry and look at old pictures of our family when we were smiling and we're like, wow, I wish we could go back to that day. And my little sister would say, do you think it's something we did? And I'm like, no, no, it's, it's, it's not. And I would wonder too. But I tried my best to think that it wasn't, because everything was so good and I kind of hoped that it would go back to being that good again.
Speaker 5:We started to live in a car and I remember that we lived in the car, but we would park in the parking lot of a market all the time, for light, for safety purposes, of course. It was three women, you know three girls my mom, my sister and I. When that happened, my dad completely left. My mom kicked him out of the house, and I was fine with that, because I started to have hatred towards my dad. I felt like it was his fault that our family completely fell apart. My parents eventually got back together and I was unhappy about it.
Speaker 4:Stay connected here on Soul Food to listen to the rest of Valerie's story.
Speaker 3:I'm calling my name, calling me out of my shame. Take it away. Show me I'm not the same. Talking about how you reclaim me, wanting me like I'm a baby Every day. Help me with my unbelief. Who's gonna preach? Say I'm a baby every daily? Yeah, help me with my unbelief. That's gonna preach? Say I'm forgiven and free? This isn't at the degree who me? You really talkin' to me. I'ma get out of the way, feelin' like runnin' away, but you said he's chasin' me down now. What was lost, you found. You brought me back around. Love is calling out. Oh, how sweet the sound Calling my name. I hear you calling my name, calling me out of my shame. Take it away. You show me I'm not the same. Talk about how you reclaim me. Hold on me like I'm a baby.
Speaker 3:Everything you say that you will not leave. This is not hide and go. Seek Finders, keepers. You are the love. When I weep, I'm the sheep and you're the shepherd. Everything is getting better To your spirit. I am tethered. You remind me of your love forever. What was lost you found. You brought me back around. Love is calling out. Oh, how sweet the sound. What was lost you found, you brought me back around. Love is calling out. Oh, how sweet the sound.
Speaker 2:The meaning of this 21-day, pastor Recton, is to take us more closer to God. You know, I was in the church in Jacksonville and I was preaching, explaining to the people that many are those who only remember God Saturday night, others only Sunday morning. From Monday to Saturday, the whole week. People are far from God. They don't read the Bible, they don't even touch the Bible. It seems like last Sunday they came from church, they threw the Bible. They don't even touch the Bible. It seems like last Sunday they came from church, they threw the Bible away. They got rid of the Bible.
Speaker 2:And only one week after they take the Bible Saturday night or Sunday morning and they say Sunday is church day and they go to church and once inside of the church they hear the word but they don't understand. They are inside of the church physically, but mentally they are elsewhere. They don't have time for God throughout the week and Sunday morning they are so polluted that the word, the seed of the word of God, does not find a good ground to be planted. And though a person says I go to church, I am a believer, I am a churchgoer, I am a born-again Christian, but he doesn't, she doesn't know God.
Speaker 6:Exactly, bishop. We see that many times people make this mistake that they only go to God once a week. The rest of the week they forget about Him. He doesn't exist in their lives. They don't talk to Him, they don't pray, they don't read their Bible. It's like God was not a part of their life until Sunday morning.
Speaker 2:And the others only come or call God or pray to him when they're in need of something. It's like Mother's Day. They only remember they have Mother on Mother's Day. For the rest of the year they don't call their mother, they don't talk to them and they have to wait for one more year to have Mother's Day to say I love you or to give to her a gift. This is not a kind of relationship that pleases God.
Speaker 6:No, this is a terrible type of relationship to have. The example that you give of the mother. Many times they talk bad to their mothers, they mistreat their mother, they offend her, they are rude to her and then one day out of the year they come and they say I love you.
Speaker 2:Or else when they need something, like they need money, they need support, when they need something they call Mom, I need your help. But the mother, like God, is not there only to support you or to help you. You have to please your mother to be pleased by her. You have to please God in order to be pleased by Him.
Speaker 6:And it's funny that you mentioned that, bishop, because there are many people in this example that you're giving that they go to their mother because they know their mother will not fail them. And the people do the same with God. They go to God when things are bad because they know God will not fail them, but they're only going to see what they can get out of Him. They're not going with interest of what they can give to him. That's correct.
Speaker 2:That's why it says seek the Lord while he can be found, Meaning that there will come a day, there will come times that you will try to seek God and you are not going to find Him. Now you despise, but one day you are going to try to seek Him and you are not going to find Him. Dear friends, the 21 day is for you to have a relationship with God. But how can you have a relationship with someone that you displease, someone that you disappoint? You disappoint him. How can you say that you have a relationship with him? That is impossible? Well, to end one day, to disconnect from everything, everyone, and to please God.
Speaker 5:I would get home all the time and I would just go straight to my room during the day and I would go to sleep. It was like three in the afternoon after school and I would go to sleep, turn off all the lights, close my windows, close everything. I needed to be in complete darkness to be happy, which I wasn't, but I wanted to be happy, which I wasn't, but I wanted to sleep, to not think about my problems. When I would go to the ER, they were like you're fine, your breathing level is fine, you're OK, you just need to relax. You need to relax, take a breather, relax. And I was like no, something's wrong, because they didn't know how I felt, but I felt it. I felt my heart beating so fast like it was going to come out of my chest. I'm like something's wrong, I'm going to die.
Speaker 5:And I remember one time specifically where this scared me so much but I had no control over it, where I was at the dinner table and I knew normally and my mom knew how I would get before an anxiety attack because they would see it happen where I was eating dinner and I remember putting my, my fork and or my spoon down and I started breathing really fast and I was like and I got quiet and my mom's like what's wrong? I was like nothing, nothing, everything's fine's. Like what's wrong? I was like nothing, nothing, everything's fine. She's like what's wrong, are you okay? And I'm like no, everything's fine. I was trying to like convince myself everything's fine. I remember getting so angry and I was like I need to leave and she's like where I'm like to my room, I need to leave. Now I remember like literally screaming to her like I need to leave because I felt so much pressure in my chest like I wanted to scream. I remember going running to my room and my mom like follows immediately, and my dad too, my sister, my brother, everybody's concerned and I started socking the wall really hard and then I looked at my hand and it's like I didn't have control of what I was doing and I was afraid. I was afraid of myself, of what was going on and I started screaming and I was like I'm gonna die, like I'm literally gonna what I was doing. And I was afraid. I was afraid of myself, of what was going on, and I started screaming and I was like I'm going to die, like I'm literally going to die. I was like I'm so scared, I'm so scared, I'm so mad and I don't know why. I remember saying those words I'm so mad and I don't know why. So I remember specifically one of my ER visits where I went directly from school and I went there and the doctor was like what's wrong? And I was like, well, I'm here to find out what's wrong because I don't know. I feel like this. And I remember him telling me you know what you need to do, little girl. And I was like no, and he's like you need to look for God. He's like stop worrying and look for God. I remember looking at my mom on the side of me and I was like well, that's weird. I'm like why in the world would a doctor tell me that? And my mom's like you do? So?
Speaker 5:One day I was attending one of the services in the Universal Church and I was sitting all the way in the back it's where I used to like to sit and I remember the pastor was talking and he was like you know, if you want your life to change, you can't just be sitting in the chair all the time. You really have to give your whole life to him. He's not going to judge you. He's not. Nobody's listening to your prayer, nothing. He's not going to judge you and just give everything to him and everything will be okay. And I was like, well, maybe I should try that. And I remember paying attention to all of the service that day and I was like, okay, I'm going to give this a try. So I told God. I was like you know how I feel. I was like the pastor said that I could tell you how I feel. So I was like you know how I feel, but I want to tell you too. And I told God everything. And that was the most happiest day of my life Because after that day I never had anxiety attacks again.
Speaker 5:I remember I went to go tell my dad I'm sorry and it came out of me and I went to give him a hug and a kiss and I normally don't do that because I didn't grow up affectionate, nor did he and he was like what's wrong? And then he was just shocked and I was like nothing. I was like I'm sorry and I love you. And I said and I forgive you, even though you don't ask me for forgiveness, but I was like I had a lot of resentment towards you and after that day, my relationship completely changed with my parents. Everything is so much better now. It's completely different. My family is so happy. We have a great relationship.
Speaker 5:I'm very open with my parents when it comes to telling them everything about my life. I have a great relationship with my siblings Me and my siblings. We always talk, we hang out, we go out, we go out to eat, we go watch movies. We do everything that siblings do. We enjoy spending time together.
Speaker 5:Today, I'm happy to say that my parents are business owners. We finally got our house back. I'm so happy working in what I love. I'm a to say that my parents are business owners. We finally got our house back. I'm so happy working in what I love. I'm a makeup artist. I also have my own business right now for lashes, and my parents are a complete example of what I would like in a marriage. I've seen them sacrifice love, you know, and I've seen them be patient, you know, and I'm certain that only Jesus could have done this, because my life completely changed. I was hoping at the beginning that my life would go back to good when it was bad, but I think it changed for the better and for the best, because Jesus only gives us the best.
Speaker 2:When you surrender all to the Lord, he surrenders all to you. It's all for all. You can count on us. If you have doubts about the Holy Spirit, you need help. If you are watching me on YouTube, on Facebook, you can go ahead and leave there your comment. Leave there your prayer request or your doubts, and we are going to answer you. Also, if you are watching us from any part of the world, you can write there your experience with the Holy Spirit and your experience with the fasting of Daniel. Pastor Hector, we have somebody else on the line and I want you to speak to this person to help right now. Yes, Good evening.
Speaker 7:Hello.
Speaker 6:Hello, what is your name?
Speaker 7:My name is Tamara tamra. Okay, tamra. So what? What is your? Your doubt of the holy spirit? I really don't have any doubt. I want to learn how to just um, basically build a better relationship or learn more about it to To learn more about receiving the Holy Spirit.
Speaker 6:Is that what you said?
Speaker 7:Correct.
Speaker 6:Yes, no. Well, the first thing that you have to understand about wanting the Holy Spirit in your life is you have to know why you want Him. What's the purpose that you want the Holy Spirit inside of you? Because everything else will come as you learn. You read the Bible, you go to church, you seek. On the days that we do the seeking of the Holy Spirit, wednesday, when we have the Bible studies, and I'm sorry, I'm sorry, sorry to interrupt you.
Speaker 2:Also, 21 programs we are going to have here talking about the Holy Spirit, all those like her that want to have the Holy Spirit. They need to watch us on Facebook, youtube, but also listen to the radios through the app, because for 21 days we are going to be here opening the book. If you have doubt, if you have questions, you are going to be with us for 21 days. Go ahead, please.
Speaker 6:Yes, and we're going to be teaching how you receive Him, what are the steps, what are the process and, of course, the main thing seek Him. Seek Him with all of your strength, because that's how he's going to come into your life. You heard in the testimonies and you're going to hear more about other people as well, but the thing that they all have in common they cleanse themselves, they removed what displeased god, they started pleasing god with their lives and they started seeking him with all of their strength. And that's what this program for the next 21 days is precisely for to help you reach that which you desire most the spirit of god inside of your life okay, okay.
Speaker 7:So are we doing a fast? What are we doing as far as the cleanse, I don't know.
Speaker 2:Well about the cleansing. We said that a cup must be cleansed for the water to be poured. The cup symbolizes our lives. The water is the Holy Spirit. For Him to be poured, we have to fix our lives before God and I understand your question and I admire your interest to receive the Holy Spirit. However, it's not by knowing, it's not by knowledge Bible knowledge that you receive. Some people in the past said Holy Spirit, I do not know. The Holy Spirit exists. The apostles laid the hand and said receive the Holy Spirit. And even without knowing what the Holy Spirit was all about, they did receive the Holy Spirit. What's her name? Tamara Tamara. I'm Tamara.
Speaker 7:Tamara. I'm Tamara. Are you guys at the church? Are y'all at the church right now? Can I come up there right now?
Speaker 2:No, we are in the radio. The pastor is going to be with you over the phone and he's going to explain to you more about the church, and tomorrow you can go to the the church and you are going to be able to learn more about the Holy Spirit and to seek Him. Alright, god bless you. Stay on the line, do not hang up. The Universal Church is open every single day, every single day, wherever you are. Right now, let us pray, let us call the presence of God. Even if you do not know Him, you are going to receive Him upon you. Close your eyes. Let us talk to God. Likewise, let us talk to God. O Holy Spirit, my God, you are the Spirit of light. Where you are, there is no darkness. You are the Spirit of peace. Where you are, there is no tribulation. You are the Spirit of peace. Where you are, there is no tribulation. You are the spirit of happiness. Where you are, there is no sadness, no depression. My Lord, if this person is empty, like Christ was, this person is downcast. This person is downcast. This person is heartbroken. This person is suicidal. It shows clearly that your spirit is not there.
Speaker 2:But I am praying right now, my God, for those who have been to church, or to many churches, without knowing you, those who have been, like Martha, they are distracted, they are concerned and worried about so many things. But the reality is, my father, they know the building called church, they know the book called Bible, they know the man called pastor, but this person doesn't know you. This person did not have an experience with you yet. But I am praying my Lord, as the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. Just as the Word became flesh, materialized itself. Lord, let your Word become reality inside of this person. Come, holy Spirit, to dwell. There is a space inside of this person that is only for you. Oh Lord, I ask you to give strength to this person that has to take a decision by. But this person is so far from good. Enter his life and give strength, like you gave. You spoke to Chris. That relationship was not healthy, was not the good one, and she had the strength to choose you over that relationship. Oh, holy Spirit, come upon these people right now. Oh, my friends, wherever you are, I stretch out my hands to heaven here in the studios and I say receive peace, receive the presence of the Holy Spirit. Be embraced by God. He embraces you, he empowers you. Be strengthened by the power of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Together we say Amen, praise God. ©. Transcript.
Speaker 2:Emily Beynon. All that you have, for all that God has, look for one universal church all over the globe. This Monday we are going to do both To bless your finances, because the Spirit of God is rich. Those who have the Spirit of God cannot have a miserable life. It doesn't make sense. God cannot have a miserable life. It doesn't make sense. But also we are going to give you steps on how to please God, how to receive the Spirit of God. Also on Facebook, youtube for those who are outside America, you can check us on the I Hope app. You can go to iTunes, google Play and you can download the app or just go to IHopeRadioorg. That's the website of the radio. God bless, you. Have yourself a good one.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening in. That's all the soul food we have to share today. Stay tuned to the next episode on soul food and keep your notifications on. Share each episode with your friends and family to feed their souls. Give the food that lasts forever.