Regaining Focus

4-11-12

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Cor. 4:18

The Daniel Fast has come to a close.  We broke out fast on Sunday and I actually felt a little sad!  I was really enjoying the fast.  Not only was I enjoying the food, because of how it made me feel better, but I loved how I felt like my life wasn’t so distracted, but perhaps I bit more balanced.  Michael and I also agreed that for us, during the fast, we just felt loved and valued by God. 

I remember talking to a friend on Sunday and telling them that I wished it wasn’t over.  They said, "it doesn’t have to be!"  You know what, they are right.  I got to thinking about it and I really want to incorporate some of the different things I learned from the fast.  I wrote on an earlier blog post about how I found myself using food.  Well, I am now trying to be more aware of that, I have found that it has really helped calm my anxieties at times by not trying to find satisfaction in food.  This lesson, I want to hold onto and take with me.  I also learned that getting away from distractions is so beneficial to our life in Christ.  I was praying about the fast I was doing from TV, and have felt the Lord calling me to extend this fast.  So I am and I’ll break it when the Lord says it’s time.  He's got more work to do in me.   

I cannot even begin to express to you how beneficial fasting truly is.  We all need times where we can get away, and regain focus.  Life is busy and it’s just plain messy at times.  The longer we go without taking times for rest, the more our hearts are in need of renewal.  I praise God, because in ways I have felt renewed. I have also seen God begin to answer some prayers we prayed during this fast.  Fasting is a good thing, no a great thing, because when God calls us to fast He always meets us and empties us so that we may be filled with more of His Love.   

So my encouragement to you today is to seek the Lord in prayer and fasting.  Ask Him how He might lead you in fasting.  Perhaps it’s a food fast or maybe it’s a TV, Facebook, coffee, internet, shopping, video game fast.  God knows what you need and He also knows what you need to take a break from so you can better focus on Him, your family, and the mission He has for you in this life. 

This is my prayer for us all: Gracious Father, fix our eyes on You, not on temporal, earthly things that do not matter, but on You and the mission You have for us.  Empty our hearts of the vain, temporal, insignificant things and fill us to the fullness of Christ.  Remove from us our divided hearts of stone and grant us undivided hearts of flesh, that we may be fully devoted to you in singleness of heart and action.  Yes Lord, we are Yours, grant us Your vision.  Amen. 

Rollarcoaster...of Life

4-1-12

“Be still, and know that I am God…” Ps. 46:10a

Wow, it’s hard to believe we have entered into week three of our Daniel Fast.  Only five more days to go!  As I march on, I’m still struck with the theme of choosing life and what it means for me on a daily basis. 

Michael and I had kind of a challenging week in different ways.  Some things have come across our path that could cause us to worry.  I say could, because we have a choice to make.  Will we believe in the Word, or live out of our emotions and circumstances?  By the grace and mercy of God, we are choosing to live a new way.  Choosing to trust God.  Choosing to believe in His goodness for us, regardless of the outcome of our present circumstances. 

Life is really a rollercoaster at times, isn’t it?  We have our ups and our downs.  I am so thankful I have Jesus Christ in my life.  I don’t know what the future holds, but I know who holds it.  As I have been able to slowly put aside some of the distractions in my life, it is amazing to me how much better I have felt.  I know I have shared on my blog about feeling out of balance.  Though my body still physically feels out of balance at times, and I still have moments where my emotions get the best of me, my spirit feels much freer.  It’s an inner peace that we are going to be okay and that God will and is with us through it all. 

 

I have learned it’s a peace that comes from walking with Jesus and cleaving to His Word.  I long for the Word of God to truly overtake every part of me and change the way I think, feel, and act.  I think, by the grace of God, it is and I look forward with great expectation for the continual changes God will make in me as I meditate on and get more and more of His Word in my heart.  I know we’ve got a ways to go, but I thank God for how far we’ve come and for His patient love in my life.  It’s truly, ALL because of Him.  The more I get to know Him and His Word, the more I learn how gracious and patient He is with me, even when I mess up. 

 I told a friend once that our knowledge of God must move from our heads, into our hearts, where it can then grow deep roots of faith and belief which push us to action and obedience.  I think this is the journey I have been on and will continue to be on for the rest of my life.  His Word is becoming more and more real in my life.  I wonder if it is in yours?  It can, but friends it takes work.  It takes diligence. Most importantly though it means surrendering to Father who loves you so dearly and allowing Him to do this work in you.  Before Jesus went to the cross He promised to send us His Holy Spirit who would be our Helper.  The Holy Spirit is given to all believers in Jesus Christ to help them choose life, and live as an overcomer.  Ask God to empty you and fill you with more of His Holy Spirit.  Surrender all to Him and watch the amazing work He will do in your life.  Put aside distractions and start digging into the Word like never before.  You will not regret it. 

Food: It's a Love Hate Relationship

So the other day I was talking with a good friend about some of the things I have been learning during the Daniel Fast.  One of the things I am learning is about how I use food.    Michael and I tend to eat pretty healthy but as I reflect upon my own habits I began to realize how often I do look to food, whether it be a slice of pizza or a piece of chocolate to give me some sense of joy or happiness. 

I had kind of a stressful day today and I found myself really wanting a piece of chocolate.  Not because I was hungry, but because I wanted something to make me feel better.  I shared this with Michael and I remember praying and thinking to myself, I don’t need it; that’s a lie.  Yes, it is a lie; food will let us down every time. 

I do not think I am alone on this.  How often do we find ourselves having a bad day, and to give ourselves a short spike of satisfaction or to relax we eat something?  Think about it for a moment.  Food has been one of those things in my life that has been what I’d call a love hate relationship.  I love it and I hate it all at the same time.  Food is a good thing, ice cream is delicious but when we start going to it to be filled emotionally, it then becomes a vice, a sin, a tool of deception.  Once again, I don’t think I’m alone on this either, especially as women, food seems to be a bit of a vice for us, does it not? 

But on my Daniel Fast I not been able to have ice cream or make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (which I love you mind you!).  I never realized just how often I did go to little snacks to offer me something.  In depriving myself of these things I have learned a couple of things.  One is that I surprisingly don’t really miss them.  Which leads to the second thing I’ve learned; I now see how food has become this thing I used to give me something.  You know what though; it has let me down a lot and it always will.  It will never completely satisfy me and even if it does it won’t last.   

The words of Jesus tell us in Matt. 6:35

“Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.”

This is a promise my friends, a promise that will not fail nor will it disappoint.  So the next time you  have a bad day at work, an argument with your spouse, or a rough day with your kids, take a step back before you reach for food.  Ask God for grace and for His Love to nourish whatever emotion you may be feeling.  Food doesn’t have to rule over us anymore.  We can choose life and wholeness in Christ.  

The Daniel Fast: 21 Days to the Heart of God

Today our church has begun a new adventure; the adventure of the Daniel Fast.  It’s a 21 day partial fast.  I like to call it a 21 day journey to the heart of God!

You might be asking yourself, what is the Daniel Fast?  Great question! 

In Daniel 1:12 we read “Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink.” (KJV) 

Then in Daniel 10:2-3 we read, “At that time I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks.  I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over.”

Ok, it’s Bible lesson time!  I like the KJV translation of Daniel 1:12 because it uses the word pulse (in other translations you will see the word vegetables).  Now, the Hebrew for pulse is zerason {zay-raw-ohn'}; from zara something sown.  Susan Gregory says in her book, The Daniel Fast: Feed your soul, strengthen your spirit, and renew your body, “Pulse was food that originated from the seed, including legumes and fruit.”[i]  Various commentators also agree on this point. For example, Matthew Henry’s Commentary says concerning the meaning, “during that time let us have nothing but pulse to eat, nothing but herbs and fruits, or parched peas or lentils, and nothing but water to drink…”[ii]

So basically this means, we can eat vegetables, fruit, nuts, beans and different types of grains (brown rice, oatmeal, quinoa, and whole wheat chapatti, etc.) Now concerning Daniel 10:3 “choice food” the Hebrew word here is lechem {lekh'-em}: bread, food.  So from this we denote that Daniel didn’t eat any bread.  Matthew Henry also notes “During the days of Daniel’s mourning he ate no pleasant bread…”[iii]  Nor did he eat meat or drink wine, so on the Daniel Fast the only beverage is water.    

For 21 days we restrict ourselves to a strict vegan diet.  No dairy, no sugars, no bread, no animal products but instead we eat whole foods, no chemicals, no man made stuff; with the hope that in our fast we would draw closer to the heart of the Father. 

Sure we restrict ourselves in what we eat, but we do it with great hope and expectation for God to move.  Yes, it’s going to be difficult at times.  I love cheese, I love bread, and I love myself a nice tall cool glass of ice tea, but I love Jesus and you more.  I want you to know Him and His Love.  

So as I enter into this fast this is my prayer.  Lord Jesus may my one and only focus be on You, not food, but You, on getting to know You more and on being a vessel of your Love to this world.  I’ve asked the Lord for some type of a focus in this fast, and I keep getting drawn back to Deut. 30:11-20 and the idea of choosing life over death, knowing that God and His Word is very near to me.  So this will be the passage I will be meditating on over these next 21 days.   

Fasting is a very powerful tool in a spiritual arsenal against the Devil and his foes.  In fasting we empty ourselves so we may be filled to the fullness of God in Christ. We need this, I know I do.  We get so consumed with ourselves that we leave no room for the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ.  Being emptied is a beautiful thing friend, because what we get in return is pure hope, peace, joy, and freedom like our hearts have never known.      

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[i] Gregory, Susan.  The Daniel Fast: feed your soul, strengthen your spirit, and renew your body. (Carol Stream:  Tyndale House Publishers, 2010), 17.

[ii] Bible Study Tools.  http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/matthew-henry-complete/daniel/1.html?p=4.

[iii] Bible Study Tools.  http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/matthew-henry-complete/daniel/10.html.