Spiritual Breakthroughs

So, my fast - or partial fast - is finally over. Every time I do it, I'm shocked at how much my body craves certain things and how often those cravings come. This was a sugar fast, so I gave up all sugar except for one teaspoon a day in my coffee, and one slice of cake on Thursday to celebrate my daughter turning Sweet 16.

My morning time spent with God is sacred for sure... and sweet - sugar in my coffee makes it so. I've been legalistic in the past during times of fasting, and I was determined not to be a party pooper on this day of celebration.

                                       I didn't eat the marshmallow centerpieces though!

As I mentioned in my Five Finger Fasting post, I was fasting and praying for five specific family groups. I can't even tell you how God worked in those families, but He never ceases to amaze me with his faithfulness. At least two people had much needed spiritual breakthroughs (mine included). I'm not sure of the others because they didn't know I was fasting for them, but I know God will reveal it to me if He so chooses.

The first day, when the sugar cravings kicked in, I swear I was praying for people every 20 minutes. By the end of the ten days, the prayer promptings came less frequently, but I'm pretty sure there was nothing left for me to say by that time.

A normal fast would be not eating anything for a specific period of time - usually 24 hours. That is way too easy for me though, so I chose the sugar because it's the hardest thing for me to give up.

In his excellent book, The Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster says this:

"More than any other Discipline, fasting reveals the things that control us. This is a wonderful benefit to the true disciple who longs to be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ. We cover up what is inside us with food and other good things, but in fasting these things surface. If pride controls us, it will be revealed almost immediately."

If you've never tried it, I challenge you to try the discipline of fasting and see what God has in store for you.

"While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." Acts 13:2

Five Finger Fasting

One great thing about getting older is that you care less about what others think and more about what's really important.

Another great thing is that you begin to lose a little bit of your memory.

Now, I realize most people wouldn't think that's great at all, but I do, because it makes things simple for me. I find that when I struggle to remember something, I become more creative. Like when I start to forget people's names, I begin to focus intently on them and try to find ways of remembering.

That narrowing makes me more focused, and when I focus intently, everything becomes clearer and sharper. Check out what Steve Jobs says about focus:

                                    Yikes! This Fast Company Magazine photo makes Steve look like he's focusing on you.

"That's been one of my mantras - focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking down to make it simple. But it's worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains."

        Moving mountains.

No one on earth knew better about moving mountains than Jesus. He said that with faith, his followers would be able to move mountains, and some people I care about are in desperate need of a miracle. Because fasting is one way to break through strongholds and obstacles, I've decided to fast for awhile.

In case you're not familiar with it, fasting is when you give up something for a designated time and pray instead of indulging in what you've given up.

Because my memory is poor, I made up a simple trick that's been helpful for me in the past. I just put the initials of the thing or people I'm fasting over on my hand, like this:

This picture represents five families in need of a breakthrough. The "R" on the thumb represents my own family - we've been struggling with various illnesses for over six months. Maybe you need some sort of breakthrough too, and if so, I hope you'll ask God for help.

"...I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." Matthew 17:20

Good Health

This post is a long overdue thanks to God for what He has done for me in the past year and a half in regard to my physical health. I've been sick with various health problems for over five years...so many to list:

Anemia
Adult Onset Asthma
Multiple Vitamin Deficiencies
GERD
Fatigue
Many upper respiratory problems
Multiple female maladies

After a focused effort to take care of myself and get my entire body checked out top to bottom, I can say that all of my problems, with the exception of GERD, is gone. Thanks to God!

Don't get me wrong, the hard work was on me, but God guided me and gave me strength through it all. I had to allow poking, prodding and the discouragement and financial costs of multiple doctor's visits. It took about 14 months of dogged determination but I made my health my first priority after God and family.

I got the news in January that all of my blood tests were normal - the first time I've heard that in 5 years! It came during a time of fasting for my husband and I, so it was extra special. This leads me to the next part of praise. During the time of that good news of my health, my husband decided to make his health a priority.

This was totally a God thing, because all I did was pray and God did the rest. I wanted to watch a documentary on Netflix called, Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. Hubby wasn't too interested, but he did it anyway. He was so inspired by this film and the stories of the people in it, that he went out the next day, bought a juicer and started juice fasting.

I can happily report, that he's been at it for two months, and has lost over 40 pounds, his blood pressure is fantastic and he now has a better diet than I do. We've watched it twice and I can't say enough about it. We're now drinking our fruits and vegetables, although I'm not as good about it as he is.

 I don't often endorse movies or products, but if you're interested in learning more about juicing or just love inspirational stories, I urge you to watch this film.

It's up to us to be good stewards of our health and our bodies. It is NOT easy, I struggle with diet and exercise everyday and I fail often, but there's one line, I absolutely love in this documentary. The guy who made it, Joe Cross, is from Australia and he's talking about being able to fast for any length of time. He says something like, People get upset if they can't do the whole ten days and can only do seven, but I say, you can only do seven? Well, good on you for trying!

That's not a direct quote, but the simplicity of the statement has really impacted me. Now, I'm trying to rid myself of the GERD, which is caused by all the foods I love: coffee, chocolate, onions, garlic, peppers, and tomatoes, etc. When I stumble and don't feel so great about my progress, I say in an Australian accent, "Good on you for trying Erika!" and continue my efforts.

So in whatever endeavor you struggle to achieve, I say to you: Good on you for trying!