As I wrote on Tuesday, the FYMs and leaders are all putting into practice this week what we are learning about fasting. Today is the last day of our fast, and tomorrow morning we will all join together for a Celebration Breakfast and an end to this time of fasting. God has spoken to each of us during this time of denying our flesh in order to seek Him. As we empty ourselves, we allow Him to fill us with His presence. During our class time this morning we shared what the Lord had been speaking to us during this week. Read from Laura about what Lord is doing in her life through this week of fasting…
WHY FAST? Well mainly because JESUS SAID TO! This week we have been learning and living in a mode of fasting. This mainly consists of certain meals being cut out and replaced with time with the Lord. I have to admit I was a bit nervous… if you know me at all… you know that I do love my snacks and special treats! Immediately God spoke to me in this kind of thinking and encouraged me to be open and that fasting had nothing to do with loving food. Fasting is about LOVING GOD. Why is it that we don’t talk about fasting as much as they do in the bible… why is this not a practice that is common….common in the Christian community even? Jesus is pretty specific about us fasting… not really much of a choice if you really read His Word. We are currently in the middle of our week of fasting… and it has already been such a blessing. What an amazing time for us to come together as a team and surrender ourselves before wanting MORE OF HIIM. Once we were told of the schedule of fasting I began asking the Lord, “What is it that you want me to fast for?” The clearest answer is that I WANT MORE OF HIM… I want to be hungry for him and for His spirit to guide me.
When I worked at a camp there were different practices for the campers to earn different ranks and mainly to grow in their walk with the Lord. One of the practices was a 12 hour time of not speaking. During the last few weeks the Lord has been reminding me of some of my campers during their time of not speaking. He then prompted me to try it for myself. I decided that for one full day I would NOT SPEAK… those of you who know me are currently laughing and IM OKAY with that, more the reason I needed to do this. The coolest part of this practice “fast from talking” is that I could never do it on my own… what mighty power there is in our God. The Lord used psalm 139 to seal the deal in making me fast from speaking. It says, “Where can I go from your spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.” I did not know this as truth in my life. In some ways I would say my need to talk was filling in times where the Lord was speaking! It was truly an enjoyable day. If I had anything to say or NOT say… it was that much easier to speak to JESUS than to anyone else. It was hard but the Lord made it clear what His requirements would be for this day… such as no cell phone calls or emails. Sorry everyone! He kept my focus and my attention on Him. What a joy it will be to have my first words tomorrow be in worship to Him.
