The Christian Fast, Part 2

Confession: I am on the same week that I was on 2 weeks ago. Week 3 day 2. I have stayed up late causing me to be really tired in the mornings and so I don't get up. Right now, the wind is howling outside, it's cold, I'm super tired and I want to got to bed again. I have sick kids. I don't even have a Christmas tree up yet, guys. This is terrible. Well, not as terrible as my lack of growth lately, but you know what I mean.

I'm not even into this lesson. I started it last week and finished it just because I had to finish it. I lose heart when I don't grasp concepts and when I don' t feel like I'm getting it. That's where I am today. Discouraged about my spiritual life and yet still thinking about it all the time...all the time.

The passage was good today, but I went through it like book work. 1 Corinthians 6:12-20. I am sure I could get so much more out of this, but I will touch on verse 18. Our addiction to food, whether over eating or eating when not hungry or just eating too often, it is an affair we are having against God. If we look at a marital affair as infidelity against our husbands, then a food affair is infidelity against God. Why can't we see that?

Going back to that family where the husband left...don't you think that it can get easier and easier to some degree to continue in the affair? The longer he's involved, the quieter the Spirit can become. We have been involved with our food for years. It's high time we leave our "mistress" of sorts (though we aren't men...) and get with God.

• God, I confess that my heart isn't right and I don't know what to do about it sometimes. Myunworthiness is revealed daily, yet I somehow feel deserving of Your attention and correction. I so desperately want for you to grab a hold of me and shake some sense into me or awareness or something like that. I don't want sleep to be more important. I don't want kids to be more important. I don't want anything to be more important than you, but if you watch my life, all things are. More and more things in my life seem pointless and useless for furthering your kingdom and yet more and more time is spent doing these things. Grab us, Lord, and put in us a heart that wants You more than life itself. Forgive me of my sins. Forgive me when I don't even know what they are. Forgive me when I put everything before You. Make me make good choices so I can be more for You. Please do the same for Sam and Erin in their struggles. Thank you for our belief but please help our unbelief.

Thank you, Lord for a Mid-afternoon Victory

Hi ya girls.

Psalm 118:1 "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, His love endures forever!"

Now what is better than that for a little snack in the middle of the day? Nothing!

Plus, my water with fresh squeezed lemon actually tastes delicious right now.

Psalm 118:14 "The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation."

Dear Lord,
Thank you for small victories. May Michelle and Sam also have small victories today and thank and praise you in the midst of them.
Your child, Erin

Same old thing. . .

Okay, is there anything new under the sun? I am supposed to write down the time of day I often fail and cave in with food.

Mid afternoon and before bed.

Easy. I know this.

Number one: It is okay to eat during those times, but in a healthy way!

Number two: It is so embarrassing that I, in my sin, continue to be a prisoner to those times of day. Those are the particular times of day I should specifically set aside to Psalm snack. I just need to schedule that into my day. Duh. If I have time to eat, I have time to read my Bible!

Therefore, I commit to do that today. I will update you on how I did with this commitment. If I don't, well that just proves that I am continuing to be a slave to this sin.

Using Scripture to Fight Temptation

COMPARING TWO MEN

Cain - a man, first born, worked the soil, brought some fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord, the Lord did not look on Cain and his offering with favor, Cain was angry and his face was downcast

Abel - born after Cain, Abel brought fat portions and some of the firstborn of his flock, the Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering

Cain brought "some". The Bible doesn't indicate anything special about his offering. The Bible is quite clean that Abel brought his best.

The word picture of Genesis 4:7 is very powerful. Sin is crouching - like a hungry animal waiting to pounce on me. Sin itself is hungry for me. Thankfully, the Holy Spirit in us is more powerful than this temptation to sin. I can, we can, overcome temptation!

God has given us His word. When the enemy says:

"Just a little won't hurt."
"Go ahead, you can burn it off when you exercise."
"You deserve it."

I can say with the authority of God's word:

1 John 4:4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

Genesis 4:7 "If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."

1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

Therefore, there really is no excuse for continually falling into this sin.

God, forgive me for making my weakness an excuse when You have given all of Your children Your Holy Spirit and Your Word to fight our fleshly desires for food (or whatever sin) over you. May I use the awesome tools You have given to overcome, to master and to stand up under the temptation to satisfy my deep soul hunger with food. It never satisfies the way You do, Lord. Your Child, Erin

Ladies ~
I'm slow, I know, but I am trying to be steady. Today I did Week 2 Day 3. Today I am on a half day. I want to honor that today. I haven't really been planning my days (except fast day) like I should. I need to implement that this week. Please hold me accountable and ask me how I'm doing. Thanks!

The Biblical Fast

I'm not sure what it is about the fasting days, but they go by so fast. Actually, I am kind of guessing that it's no accident. When I have a busy day, it is next to impossible to do my study, let alone to sit and take in any "Psalms snacks" and take extra time to be still for God. That is my goal for the next fast. I was prayerful throughout the day, but not still long enough to hear anything.

First off is one of the verses for the week. I Corinthians 6:12 says "All things are lawful (permissible) for me but I will not be mastered by anything."

That verse alone should be able to give us so much freedom, but instead I believe it, at times, binds us even more. We go overboard in our "lawful" things instead of being thankful that we are "allowed" these things, for lack of better words.

I don't think I have ever leaned toward asceticism, which is what the Biblical fast is NOT. Asceticism denies the body completely and permanently of pleasure in order to attain a higher level of spirituality.

• John Piper explains the existence of a path between the path of asceticism and total indulgence and that is the path of "pleasant pain." We deny ourselves in order to break the chains that bind us, but also that we might know more of Christ. We give up food for a time so that we might HUNGER FOR GOD, so that we might know more of Christ.

There were 2 passages to look at today, but I will only brush on the first one. Colossians 2:6-8 is the first one in which we are exhorted to walk in Christ. (The second passage was Colossians 2:16-23). I used Tim's Complete Word Study of the New Testament to find out some of the Greek meanings and such for some of the words and the word for "walk" means to be occupied. We are to be occupied with Christ. I know we know that, but I'm just pointing it out. There's a bigger epiphany to come.

We can only be occupied with Christ if we are firmly rooted in Him, verse 7. Then the kicker for me was in verse 8 when we are warned against being spoiled or taken captive or as the word means in the Greek, SEDUCED.

Girls, do we let ourselves be seduced by other men away from our husbands? No. I fight to be preoccupied with Tim by being firmly rooted in him. Why then do I allow myself to be seduced, as it is, by food (chocolate) when there is Christ who can satisfy me? Following an affair never lasts. For the Christian, it is empty, lonely, painful, guilt-ridden...it doesn't satisfy like your spouse can. Chocolate, among other things for me, is empty, lonely, painful, guilt-ridden...it will not satisfy me like Christ can. The goal for me is to be thankful and content with less of the good thing and discontent with my consumption of Christ.

• God, I want to starve for you. I want the gnawing in my belly to shout that you are alive and I need to feast on you. Thank you that I didn't overdo it on the fudge yesterday, even though I broke the fast as I was making dinner. Grab hold of our hearts and our minds so we aren't seduced by the pleasures of this world; so that we are not preoccupied by them rather than by you. Thank you for Sam and Erin and their like desire to be overindulged with you. Please show each of us little victories that will keep us persevering in this race. We want to finish and be able to live as women of moderation, for your glory!!! Your unworthy child, Michelle.
  

All in a day's fast...

Yes, I am fasting. I need to keep this really short...I was going to call each of you, but I am behind schedule on things and just layed the kids down at 1:30 only to get them back up at 2:30ish to get the boys from school. Ugh! That means that after doing a un-noticeable amount of cleaning in the kitchen, I now have 30 minutes to sit and do my study. Therefore I cannot stay on this blasted computer for long. I will update soon, but in the meantime, I am thinking of you guys and am excited to see the stuff that's going on. Please pray for me as I will for you!

Fasting Today

Lord, as I fast today I desire to be with you. And while I rest my body from food, please purify it as well.

If I continually disobey God, not only am I disobedient, but I am a liar because I claim to have fellowship with Jesus. It is amazing how such things can truly squelch our witness for Christ! Thank God that if we confess - not only will He forgive, He will purify us. A lot of times, especially with food, I don't know if I get to that second step. It's like I don't trust that He will purify me. I know He will forgive, but He wants to purify me too!!

It isn't like I claim to be without sin. . . yet, I do. What I mean is, I avoid confronting the issue. If I don't step on the scale and see how much weight I've gained, or if I don't dwell on how much food I consumed, then I don't have to address the sin. I just sweep it under the rug and don't mention it to myself, God or others. Of course, it is still sin and avoiding the issue simply lets Satan have more of a foothold.

So, now that I think about it, a lot of times I am also not confessing my sin!

1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

I have to admit that overindulgence is a sin and I have to trust that He will forgive and purify. By not admitting it I am doing what 1 John 1:10 says, "If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives."

I guess what I hadn't addressed is avoiding the subject, ignoring the sin, is just the same as claiming that I haven't sinned!

Thank you, again, Lord, for a new understanding from Your Word today. May I apply it through the day. Please help Sam as she comes off a day of fasting to be moderate with food and immoderate for You. Please be with me and Michelle (I think?) as we seek You rather than food today. I love You, Lord. Your Child, Erin.