Our church is doing a week long corporate fast starting tomorrow. (Yes, Super Bowl Sunday!) Jonny & I still have to finalize what our fast will look like, as far as food consumption, because of his INR level & because I'm still nursing Noah & have low blood sugar. We will definitely be fasting from all T.V., Internet, hanging out with friends- basically any kind of entertainment & unnecessary distractions. The point of fasting is to deny the physical to seek the spiritual. The time we'd normally spend watching T.V. or scrap-booking or eating ice cream :)(that's obviously my personal time) will be used to be praying, reading the bible, worshiping, waiting on the Lord. Our church is cancelling all regular activities & instead, opening up the church prayer chapel for several different blocks of prayer & worship times- morning, noon & night.
This whole thing will be very humbling for me, as I've honestly only ever fasted once, and it was only for a day. I'm embarrassed of this after Rob's message on fasting & how biblical it is. It should be a regular thing in the life of a believer, whether its fasting a day in your month or a lunch in your week. Not that it has to be legalistic; Rob said this corporate fast may look different for each individual or family. He said that there is freedom, & we should be ask God what He would lead us to do. He reminded us that it's not a hunger strike, its fasting & prayer! It could be a juice fast, water fast, it may be only three days or lunch every day. Whatever it is, the point is for us to be praying & waiting on the Lord. There should be a place for humbling ourselves in the sight of the Lord. And laying everything down before Him & surrendering to Him.
When Jesus was fasting He said "I have food that you know not of." That's the food we want to seek. Rob taught that fasting can lead to spiritual revival, guidance, knowing what direction to go, need of healing, or special grace. Look at all the spiritual giants of the bible that fasted (well some of the spiritual giants): Moses, King David, Esther, Hannah, Jesus, the early church, Paul...
Then, there are the spiritual leaders who called for corporate fasting in order to be humbled before God- Ezra & Jehoshaphat- to name a couple.
I especially felt convicted when Rob said we are capable of being hardened to sin & need the Lord to refine us with Holy Fire. Sometimes this is revealed after a time of waiting on Him while fasting. I know my heart regularly needs a good deep cleaning of the Holy Spirit. I could definitely benefit from being purged of the dirty, grimy sin hiding in the dark corners of my heart.
Anyway, all this to say- no posts from me for a week! I won't be checking my email, either. Have a good week! Pray for all the mamas who won't be eating but have to feed their babes!
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