Day Two - Silence

Usually the first day of any new challenge is met with some excitement, but mainly curiosity. What is this? Is it of any value to me?

Day two begins to already weed some folks out. I am glad, at least so far, that those folks are not you. It is important to know you have entered into a spiritual battle. However, you may be fighting yourself as much as the devil. Habits and routines, pleasures and enjoyments, form easily and are difficult to change or break. While you are "detoxing" away from whatever you have chosen to drop and have started, or having added to your normal devotion time, things are happening in the spiritual realm. My hope is that you will fight through your "withdrawals" by allowing those thoughts and trials to remind you to spend additional quality time with God.

Fasting from anything is a desperate measure, for desperate times, among those who are, themselves, desperate for God. I want us to be desperate for our God ; hungry and thirsty for the fullness only He can provide. Scripture promises that there is fullness of joy in God's presence as we move from weakness to strength. We are to delight ourselves in pursuing Him on this pilgrimage of deeper intimacy. The greatest joy of my life has come to me as I have experienced Him working and seeing His hand. What an incredible privilege and honor to pursue the One who not only created us, but comes after us.

Please read Psalm 16:1-11

Verse eleven is my prayer today to God for me and you. May He show us the path of life; may His presence provide for us the fullness and pleasures we all seek. By dropping everything through this fast, we may see He is all we truly need.

Let's return to the Sermon on the Mount and the Beatitudes in
Matthew 5:1-11

Jesus begins with, "Blessed are the poor in spirit." The word "poor" that Jesus used is the Greek word "ptochos." The definition is "totally destitute, totally impoverished." Jesus is saying that we are blessed when we realize we don't have anything at all without Him. Total dependence on Him is the first step toward spiritual intimacy.

Next, He states, "Blessed are those who mourn." Here is talking about the path to happiness and favor from God and describing a life of weeping and lamenting. The sorrow that leads to the fullness of His joy is a brokenness over sin and anything or anyone that hinders our relationship, or intimacy, with Him.

If I could name two mental and emotional issues that are the most problematic for us today, it would be those two. Get this figured out, and your walk with God radically blossoms. Destitute and broken doesn't sound too attractive, I know. Giving up your morning coffee, five more minutes of sleep after the alarm clock, your favorite soft drink, chocolate, etc. etc. for twenty-one days is child's play in comparison to allowing the Potter to break you over and over and over until you and He get on the same page:
His page.

Read Jeremiah 18:1-4

If having a daily devotion or a fast from something seems a little much, then you are in the right place. You have to hang on. You can't quit.

The fast is never really about the item forsaken; it is always about the time and reflection on the Lord. You might have read that it takes thirty days to form a habit. Would you pray that God would help you form the habit of seeking Him, above all else? Would you ask Him, as you hunger and thirst for righteousness, that He would help you to become desperate for Him? Would you ask yourself if you are working toward a place of brokenness over anything or anyone that hinders your intimacy with Christ?

Here is a habit that might be the most difficult to form. Fasting is about getting bad stuff out (SIN) and putting good stuff in (TIME WITH GOD). Well, add this to your list:

Silence.

Yep, I am serious. Aim for two minutes and see if you can make it one. Pray.
We will discuss how to pray tomorrow, but just talk to God, then read your daily devotion - from here, the Daily Bread, your Sunday school, the Gospel of John, the book of Romans, etc.. Then, talk to God again. Sit in silence and learn to listen for His still, small voice.

Read 1 Kings 19:11-12

You will most assuredly not hear an audible voice, but there can be a peace that sweeps over you. It is like a hug. It is the craziest feeling in the world. Time might be the most valuable gift you can give God, hence the Food Fast. I implore you to find something to drop that frees you to give more of your time to Him. Our spouses, our parents, our children, your pastor, your job needs and desires your time; our God deserves it and demands it.
God wants you!!! It really isn't that difficult.



-Pastor Todd