I am currently on day 1 of my fast and I have already gained so much insight. You may be wondering why I am fasting in the first place. Well, for starters, I need spiritual clarity from God. Lately, I have been feeling like the pressures of everyday life have been amplified. For the past week or so, I have been feeling discouraged, overwhelmed, and just plain hopeless. Have you ever felt this way? Have you ever felt like nothing in your life was going the way you thought it should be going? May I propose, it may be the enemy tormenting you? What we think and feel is not always true. What God says about us is the only truth that we can rely on in times like these. When it feels like everything around you and inside of you is prying it’s way to your fuse box, it’s time to fast my friend. It is especially important when God has revealed to you your purpose in life. The enemy will do anything in his power to get you off-course from what God has prepared you for. Satan will mess with your mind, your kids, people you come into contact with, objects you depend on such as your car….the list could go on.
I was reading an article last night that talked about fasting having powerful benefits to our health. (Do your own research to get specific details on the facts, because I am only giving a summary of what I read and am by no means an expert.) It was actually proven that fasting can boost and restart your immune system. The article stated that your white blood cells actually regenerate as your body rids itself of the bad white blood cells as you fast. It stated that fasting has proven to be more powerful than chemotherapy in cancer patients, and has been known to ward off cancer in non-cancer patients! As I ponder this, it is beautiful that God told us to fast. In fact, in Matthew chapter 6, verses 16 and 17 both start off by saying, “WHEN YOU FAST”. So fasting is an EXPECTATION for us. We benefit from being obedient to the Word of God.
Lately, in the midst of my struggles, I know within my heart that I needed a spiritual healing and reset. I recently talked to a friend and I revealed to how I’ve been feeling. They asked me what the root of my troubles was and suggested a reset, which was another confirmation that God was calling me to fast. God will send people at the right time to tell you what he needs you to hear. Just when I felt like giving up and pulling the plug on my purpose, God pressed in. I was so thrilled to unplug and get a moment of clarity.
This morning, I went on a walk through a nature trail after I dropped my son off. It was probably the best thing for me to kickoff my fast. At the beginning of my fast, I told God the things that I wanted to gain from doing this fast, one of which was to de-clutter my mind and get spiritual insight from God. While I was on the nature trail, I was able to clearly think through my life and extract things in my life that needed to be changed. I was able to get better insight on the things I took for granted. I realized how silly I’ve been for putting so much worry and emphasis on things that just don’t matter. As I walked the trail, a lady stopped me and told me that there was a baby heron down on the right side of the creek that I should check out. As I walked over to it, I was reminded of the scripture that I had read the night before. Matthew 6:26-27 says, “Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?” We put so much emphasis and care into things that have no real bearing on our lives. For instance, I have been trying to become debt free, and have been obsessing over every penny to the point where it has been giving me anxiety and adding undue pressure to my life. So, I told myself that I was going to instead give my cares to God. I decided to allow Him to be my Provider, and whatever I needed, He would supply. God did just that! That is another testimony in itself that I will share with you in a future post. Life is way too short to stress over small things that don’t matter. Give your cares to God and you will live more abundantly.
During day 1 of my fast I gained insight on what was important and what was not. I was reminded that our lives are but a vapor. We are here today and gone tomorrow. Death is more real than we realize. I attended a high school friend’s funeral a while ago. One thing the speaker said stuck with me. He said, “in life you have your date of birth, a dash, and your date of death. The dash is the most important part of these figures. What are you doing or going to do with the dash of your life?” What he meant by this was the time between your date of birth and when you die is where you get to decide what you do in your life — the dash. Will you live with purpose? Will you do something that impacts others? Will you say yes to the calling of your life? What will you do with your “dash“? Lately, there have been many deaths around me. The most challenging part is that the deaths are mainly young people. This reality is a wake up call that tomorrow is not promised to any of us no matter how young or old we are. During this fast, I am praying for an awakening for me and for you. I pray that you have been moved enough to start your journey of recovery from what the enemy has stolen from you.
It’s time to fast. You don’t always have to do a food fast.You can do a social media or a Netflix fast. You may just need to fast from some of the noise in your life. The point is, you need to hear from God on the type of fast He wants you to do for the calling on your life. You need to make sure that God’s Voice is the loudest, and that you are not making idols of worldly things or people.