Choose Life

So this is day 5 of the Daniel Fast and day 30 of my fast from Television.  My conclusion:  Fasting is a good thing.  I never realized how easy it is to get caught in these traps of the mundane, ordinary, and pointless.  I haven’t watched television for 30 days, and the interesting thing is is that I really haven’t missed it.  Maybe once for a short time, but I’ve come to realize it is such a waste of time and God has so much more for me.  I don’t have a lot of time and I want my time to count.  There’s so much more God has for me during the day then sitting down and watching an episode of Matlock or Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.  Yep, there’s more for me and for you.  Far more. 

The passage I have been meditating on is Deut. 30:11-20 and I especially want to highlight v. 15-16:

See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. ¹⁶ For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.

Moses gave this charge to the Israelites in Deuteronomy 30, they were said to be “the words of the covenant which the Lord commanded Moses.” (Deut. 29:1a).  At this period in Israel’s history they had been wandering in the desert due to their rebellion when they chose not to believe God could bring them into the land He promised.  Their wandering period was coming to a close; they were preparing themselves to enter into the Promised Land.  Moses reminds them, that like their forefathers, they have a choice to make.  They have seen the consequences that rebellion brings first hand and now they must make the choice for themselves. 

Will they choose life or death?  Moses gives them some very basic instructions on how to choose life, at least it sounds simple.  Ready? 

1.       Love God

2.      Walk in His ways

3.      Keep his commands

That’s it!  It sounds pretty simple, but when it comes to life and all of its complexities, and temptations it can be a bit challenging at times.  Moses actually repeats this again in v. 20 but adds a new twist “hold fast to Him.”  I like it.  We are called to Love God and hold fast to Him, why?  Because so often our allegiances go to other things, to worthless, pointless, mundane things.  Idols.  You know what I’m talking about.  Things that consume your time, things that you feel you have to have in order to be happy.  Things you put before God.  Trust me friends, we all have them; I’ve got a few myself.  It can even be as simple as TV or Facebook.

We are also told to walk in His ways and keep His commands.  Kind of goes with the first point doesn’t it?  The more I walk with Jesus, the more I realize a few things.  One, is that we have an Enemy, he’s called a Liar, a Murderer (John 8:44), an Accuser (Rev. 12:10), our Adversary, a Roaring Lion (1 Pet. 5:8-9), but most commonly known as Satan (Matt. 4:10), and the Devil (Rev. 12:9).  Yep, and he lives up to every one of his names.  So in light of this, the next thing I realize is, there are two paths we can choose in life, the path of the Roaring Lion or the path of the Prince of Peace (Is. 9:6).  Which path would you rather follow?     

I know who I want to follow, Jesus Christ, THE Prince of Peace.  Friends, we can walk in peace; we can walk in victory, and in true unadulterated fullness in Christ.  It’s a daily choice.  May God grant us focus and courage to choose life, that the temptations of this life would not entangle us and lead us on a path to destruction.  Seems pretty serious?  Well, it is.  I want to get this point across.  We have an Enemy, and there are ways in our life that we bow to Satan and we do not realize it.  Ask God to show you the ways you’ve bowed to Satan’s lies in your life so we can walk away from them and start walking with Jesus on the path to life.  The Devil has taken far too much of our wholeness in Christ and it’s time to take a stand and claim it back in Jesus’ Name!  

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.

 

Lent: Why I'm Observing

Lent begins today.  Lent is a time of preparation for the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Over the past few months God continues to hit me with the idea of preparation.  I’m afraid Lent is not talked about widely in some of our protestant denominations and is seen mostly as a Catholic tradition.  As a protestant, I must say, we need Lent too!   

We need to be prepared, we need times of consecration, to be set apart for the work God has for us.  Our Sunday school class is currently going through the book of Joshua, and I cannot even begin to tell you how many times this idea of preparation is woven throughout the chapters of Joshua.  The Israelites had to be prepared; God was leading them to take possession of the Promised Land.  I know God wants to do a work in me, and in the church Michael and I are at, but we must offer ourselves to the Lord for a time of preparation and consecration.

God wants to lead us to take possession of all that is ours in Christ.  This is why seasons such as Lent are so vital to our Christian life.  “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” Eph. 1:3  Yes, it’s time to take a step back, it’s time for a deeper commitment to prayer, to fasting, to self-reflection.  God longs to move in our hearts, our communities, and our churches.  He is waiting for us to surrender. 

At a time when I am feeling a bit unbalanced myself, I know this season of Lent is all the more important.  This Lent I want to know Jesus more.  I want to be completely utterly satisfied in Him.  I want to move on from fear and overcome strongholds.  I want to be more equipped to fight against the Enemy.  I want to be more confident in who I am in Christ.  I want to know His Word and Love like never before. 

I know God is calling me to fast, to pray, and to get into His Word with great feverency.  So this Lent I’m fasting from Television so I can regain my focus on Christ.   I know I’m not really giving up anything, but I am gaining everything.  More of Him.  Yes, more of Him.  I know the Bible tells us when we fast we are to do it in a way that does not bring attention to ourselves (Matt. 6:16). I don't share this to bring glory and honor to myself, I've done enough of that in my life, but I share it to encourage you and challenge you in your walk with Christ. I hope you can find something to give up so you can focus more on God and the plans He has for you.

Maybe you don’t know Jesus; maybe you don’t understand why I keep saying I want “more of Him.”  Friend, Jesus loves you dearly.  He lived a sinless life for you.  He died on the cross for your sins, and rose again to defeat all death and evil.  He lives, and if you would accept Him into your life, acknowledging your need for a Savior, He will forever change your heart for the good.  The love you so desperately long for, the lasting peace and joy your heart needs, it’s found in Him.  We all need a Savior.  Our Savior has come and His Name is Jesus.