Day 40!

Day 40

Here I am, day 40.  This experience has been nothing like I thought it would be.  So what have I learned from this fast?

First, I have learned that on the days I sought God’s will, those days were the easiest.  I had no hunger, no cravings, and no weak moments of the flesh.  On days I hurried God, I hurt. I was hungry. I craved everything. I was weak.  To wit, God is my strength when I cannot.

Second, I have learned a fast is a microcosm of life.  There are good days and bad days, but when the day is through God still loves me the same no matter how bad I stumble and fall or how successful my day was.  I can’t be good enough to earn God’s love or bad enough to lose God’s love.

Third, I have learned that to reach the Goals I have set, will require much more of me seeking Gods strength and me being willing to accept the pace God wants me to reach these goals.

Lastly, I have learned even though a fast should be private endeavor, I have had my most success because I had to lean on God more so I wouldn’t fail publicly.  I had accountability for my action not only to God, but to the people I talked to my fast about.  It generated talk about why I was doing and allowed me to share with people about God.

My three goals I set will remain private, but I will share this. I am going to keep given God my first fruits of each day. I am going to give God 10% of my month by fasting the first 3 days of each month.  God has blessed me during these last 40 days.  I believe I have grown as a Christian.  I know I am closer to God.  Will trouble still come my way?  Yes, but as Meshack and the boys found out, the hotter the fire the closer God will be to you.  Things will happen that will bind me, as they were. Whether it be my own sins or actions of others, but it will happen.  When it does, I know God will be in the fire with me, strengthen me and guiding me.

I have enjoyed my time with this blog.  I know it is hard to read because I just type as I think things.  Thank you for those who have prayed for me.

Remember no matter how bad it gets, we are blessed. Fill your body with water, fill your soul with the living water and watch out for “l”!

Day 39

Day 39

Wow! What a struggle yesterday was!  I think because the end is near, I craved everything yesterday.  My stomach growled all day. Note to self, don’t watch the food network on days like yesterday. It is not good motivation! 

Other than a few cravings, it was a good day.  Some of the goals I set are getting easier to maintain. I still have much work to do to achieve them, but progress is being made.

While doing my Bible study this morning, I had two big revelations. First, the word “in” is used an awful lot in Ephesians. Second, I realized there are two words in the Bible that are awesome. What are they? “but God” How many times in the Bible should we as human race been destroyed by our own wickedness, but God didn’t.  I deserve Hell, but God sent his only begotten son. I can’t do enough to earn Gods love, but I can’t do enough to lose God’s love.  I have stumbled and fallen so many times during this fast, but God has picked me up and set me back on the path.  I don’t know it there are more beautiful words in the Bible.  How much different would the world be, if God treated me like I treated others. Nobody is writing about “but Gus”.  The world wouldn’t have lasted long if God was like me. 

God love what is on the inside. Our outward actions don’t really matter.  I know lots of people who are nice on the outside but mean on the inside.  Outward appearance can be faked.  A heart for God cannot. Adam and Eve tried to hide from God after they sinned.  God knew what they did and where they were.  How much grace and mercy do I show people who offend me?  What if God showed me the same amount of grace and mercy?  I would be in Hell right now.

I am beginning to believe I am trying to do too much in the world. Maybe I need to do less to do more.

My prayer, Lord let me show those around me the same grace and mercy as you have shown me. Amen.

Day 38

Day 38

Three days to go and I had a great Monday.  Tuesday is going to be a long day, but I am prepared. I made a tasty concoction last evening for lunch today.  I have discovered on the days I don’t each much protein, I struggle. I have been trying to increase my protein intake and reduce my fast carbohydrate intake.  Looking back on my last rough spot, I didn’t eat much protein at all and I made the mistake of eating too much of a good thing. Fluid intake is much better and I didn’t have quite as many slips.  So I am pumped for the next 3, let’s see what happens!

On Thursdays, the coaches at my school get together at 6 AM and have a Bible study.  We are studying Ephesians this time.  As I am reading Eph 2:1-10 it hits me like a ton of bricks.  I now know why vampire and zombie movie and TV shows are such a hit.  They are an analogy of us.  The living dead, sounds a lot like an oxymoron. Without Christ in our lives, we are zombies. We are walking around dead. God created us with different parts, a physical part and a spiritual part.  Death is the separation of these two parts.  Adam and Eve died twice.  They had the spiritual death from sin and then a physical death.  God in human form, Christ, died because he had a physical body, but his spirit rejoined his body after resurrection. 

I am going to look around for zombies today. Unlike movies, I am going to try to kill zombies not with a shot gun, but with Gods word. Salvation is just that, saving people from death. I have said it before, eternal life begins not at death but when we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior. I do believe we may have some zombie Christians.  We get the fire insurance and then go sit on a log.  I got saved at 13 and haven’t done what I should have for the lord. I know when I die I am going to heaven, but with what to show? We do things in life for 2 reasons: 1 because we have to, 2 because we enjoy it.  I love to coach. I have coached many seasons with out getting paid.  Do I enjoy working for the Lord?  Or do I serve Him because I have to?

Day 37

Day 37

Please pardon my appearance this morning, I am a little “skint” up and bruised from the weekend.  I had a great start to the week last week and hit a slick spot and down I went.  I fell in all three areas of my fast since last Thursday.  I over ate, I dehydrated my soul, and wore a hole in the couch. The great thing is God still loves me!   I have, counting today, 4 days to finish strong. 

 I was reading my devotion for today and the verse was short and simple, Col 1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  Yeah, yeah I’ve read it before. What am I going to get from this?  Wait a minute, in John 3: 16 He gave his ONLY begotten son. How can Jesus be both ONLY and FIRSTBORN?  This confused me greatly. Then I read on. Christ came to us as God’s only son. He bled, died and arose.  When Christ arose, he arose as the first born.  Why the firstborn? Jesus death and resurrection allow me to become a CHILD of God. I say I am a child of God, which means I am a brother to Jesus.  If Jesus is the heir to the throne of God, that means I am an heir as well.  Think about that. I am not a lowly peasant, a servant yes, but not lowly.  I am a child of God. Wait, doesn’t that mean I have even a bigger responsibility?  Yes!  I am no longer a part of this world. I am a stranger in a strange land. Jesus suffered and died for me to gain His inheritance.  Is it to much to ask for me to take up his yoke? He tells me it is easy.  What am I afraid of, change? Is it to much to ask to read God’s word, so I might know Him better? I mean really, what has God ever ask me to do that He hasn’t already provided for, nothing?

I have heard it said, “Do something for 30 days and it becomes a habit.”  Well I have been at this fast thing for almost 40 days and while easier, still far from habit.  I want to make drinking of the living waters a daily habit.  If I need 64 oz of water a day to stay physically hydrated, maybe I need 64 verses to stay spiritually hydrated.  Staying spiritually hydrated will help me have the strength to continue to work on my goals I set for this fast and all other goals God has revealed to me during the fast.  Though I may stumble and fall, I have the grace of God to pick me up, dust me off, and set me on the path.

My prayer, Lord thank you for loving me when I am battered and bruised. Thank you for making a way for me to become one of your children Amen

Day 31

Day 32

8 days to go!  This may have been the best 3 days of a week I have had on the fast.  In addition to loosing more weight, I have had very few hunger pains or cravings.  The stumbles have been few. 

In the devotion this morning, it talked about trusting in God.  There have been many days during this fast, when I have been weak and relied on my and failed. When I have been weak and relied on God, I have succeeded.  What does that tell me?  Quite relying on me and rely on God.  Simple huh! Why is it so hard to take everything to the Lord in prayer?  Why can’t I just take everything I want to do through God?  Sometime I feel like I am not moving because I am waiting on God.  If I would just take my actions through God I would be working for Him until He directs me in a different direction.  If I work through God, He will remove the obstacles before me. 

With 8 days left, I look where I was and where I am.  I am closer to God than I have been in a long time. I am making an effort to thank God for all of the little blessing He gives every day. I am making an effort to spend time with God everyday.  I want to have a relationship with God. I want to walk with Him daily. The best way to know Gods will is to be close to Him in walk and in talk.

A gentleman told me that a fast should be in private. That is probably true, but I have had more success this time on a longer fast because I know people are looking.  I want my actions to serve the Lord, and if having a public fast is a way, then that is what I will do.

Day 31

Day 31  1 Month!!!!!!

For those of you that don’t know, we serve an awesome God!!  Yesterday I went way of the fast topic to discuss Mr. Turner, The Bible Man.  Through all of the prayers and Christians taking actions, he will get to continue coming to the schools in Jackson County to share with our children.  I don’t believe this fight is over. The FFRF is not one to duck its tail and run.  They will be back, but so will we.  The FFRF hasn’t read the book; they don’t know they are on the loosing side.

Alright enough of the soapbox. What would be my answer if Jesus ask me “Who do you say I am?”  I have the church answer, but who is Jesus to me?  If there is one thing I have learned during this fast, it is that I know about Jesus, but I’m not sure how well I know Jesus.  Do I know Him like I know George Washington, facts and stories or do I know Him as I know my best friend?  We are told to draw close to God and God will draw close to you.  God isn’t hiding I just don’t seek Him as I should.  How much time do I waste on worldly things when I could be doing “Wordly” things?

I have drawn closer to God during the last 30 days.  I am not near enough. I don’t want 2 shadows; I want to be so close there is only one shadow on the ground.  This won’t happen over night, but it will be my daily goal to continue to develop a relationship with God.  I do agree with one thing with FFRF, I do believe need to be free from religion and have a relationship. Religion is ritual and habit, a relationship is new fresh and ever changing. That is what I want.

Day 30

Day 30

30 down and 10 to go. I had a good week, save the weekend.  I let life get in the way.  It got busy and I just jumped in and went with the flow instead of staying the course. 

In doing my Bible study this morning, Mathew 19:24, the author was talking about money.  I know the purpose of this study was to help me focus on relying on God instead of worldly wealth, but that isn’t what I got out of it.  

We are fortunate to live in an area where we don’t have to hide God.  We have in all areas of our school system access to God.  A gentleman has been coming to the schools in our area for over 30 years using Bible stories to teach not only about God, but good moral values.  Through the years there have been complaints, but no student has ever been forced to attend. It is a free assembly and the kids love to go.  Now the Freedom From Religion Foundation has come to our area and is trying to have “The Bible Man” removed from our schools.  With our nation in the state it is in, we need more people like him coming to our schools and exposing the next generation of leaders to God and moral values.  It breaks my heart knowing that for the foreseeable future he will not be able to come and speak.  The songs he sings, the good news he brings will be sorely missed.

I believe this is a direct application of Mathew 19:24. As a nation we have become so blessed by God we think we no longer need Him.  We no longer read Gods word to see the consequences of straying from God.  I remember asking my mom while growing up, Mom why did Israel keep straying from God?  Now I know.  They, as we, believe they have the power to stand alone and face the world.  I’m no Bible scholar, but I do know what kept happing to Israel and I am afraid the same fate is waiting on America. 

There are many people in our area upset and mad about the Bible Man situation. Many of us up in arms as it were.  When ask about the situation, The Bible Man gave yet another reason, taught us another lesson with his answer.  Don’t fight it, just pray pray, pray!!!  Thank you for reminding us all what we need to do in all situations.  I am thankful for a man like Mr. Turner that lives his faith.

As I enter the last ten days, I am going to follow Mr. Turner’s advice and pray, pray, pray!!