BUT GOD IS REAL

Thursday, November 5, 2026

Maybe It’s Not the Prince of Persia....

Had a conversation recently that was quite revelatory. We were speaking on the subject of fasting and prayer.

Many of us like the Daniel Fast. Even as far as what we are “allowed” to eat. There’s a whole lot more coming, I believe, but I can’t get away from this thought...

Daniel was fasting. He had prayed, and the answer had not yet reached him. But what he didn’t realize was that his prayer had already been heard on DAY ONE, and the answer was already on its way.

The Bible tells us that the prince of Persia resisted the messenger for twenty-one days. (Daniel 10:12–13). And we tend to get excited about that part. We believe we’ve prayed some things, and because we haven’t gotten the answer yet, the prince of Persia must be holding it up.

Oh, it’s the enemy! we say. That has to be what’s holding it up.

BUUUUUUUTTTT.....

Before the Bible tells us anything about what the prince of Persia was doing, it tells us something about what Daniel had already done.

God told Daniel that from the FIRST DAY he had set his heart to understand and humbled himself before God, his words were heard.
There’s an order there.

Daniel set his heart to understand.
Daniel humbled himself before God.
Daniel prayed.
And DAY ONE, God heard him.

So maybe we can’t automatically start blaming the enemy for holding up our prayer requests if we haven’t first considered how we are coming before God.
Have I set my heart to understand Him, or am I just trying to get an answer?
Have I humbled myself before Him, or have I already decided what the answer should be?
Am I seeking His will, or simply asking Him to bless mine?

We love talking about the prince of Persia because sometimes it’s easier to believe,
“The enemy is holding up my answer,” than it is to ask: “Is there something I have done, or something I should be doing?”

Before we blame the enemy for fighting the messenger, maybe we need to check our position.
Because the text doesn’t start with the opposition. It starts with Daniel’s posture before God.
There’s an order.

I hope to share more about praying and fasting as soon as I am released to do so, but for now...
Receive the order.
DAY ONE, Daniel prayed.
DAY ONE, God heard him.
DAY ONE, the answer was already on its way.

And yes, there was opposition. I’m not getting away from that.
But before we really start blaming the enemy, let’s make sure we haven’t skipped over the other part.

Because sometimes it’s not always the enemy.
Sometimes it’s us.

God is real.

The Lord's servant,

Sis. E and Joe's mom

#butGodisreal #writerswrite #Author #blogger

God's Peach

Evelyn Fannell has the true heart of a servant. She spends a great deal of her time assisting friends, family, and others with a variety of plans and projects, always seeking simply to be of help; always going the extra mile. A writer since her youth, in 2008 Evelyn created the blog, But God Is Real, inspired by real life situations and circumstances that speak to the “realness” of God and His intervention in daily life. After the death of her son, Joseph, Evelyn started another blog, In the Shadow of Grief, created to chronicle the emotions and stages of grief so that she could help others through their journey of pain and sorrow. Along with the blog, Evelyn also started a grief support group on Facebook, under the same name, where members can share with one another in a supportive, non-judgmental environment In her spare time, Evelyn enjoys jigsaw puzzles, photography, and planning and creating items for special events. She also serves as First Lady and administrator of her church, On Good Ground Christian Fellowship, now in Charlotte, North Carolina. In addition to Joseph, she and her husband, Jeff, have two daughters, Brandi and Jasmine, and a grandson, Christian.