Matthew 4:1-4
“Then Jesus was led out into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit to be tempted there by the Devil. For forty days and forty nights he ate nothing and became very hungry. Then the Devil came and said to him, ‘If you are the son of God, change these stones into loaves of bread.’ But Jesus told him, ‘No! The scriptures say, ‘People need more than bread for their life; they must feed on every word of God.’”
“They must feed on every word of God”
When Jesus was hungry, he proclaimed that people need more than bread for their life; they must feed on every word of God. When you go on the world race you give up many comforts by simply leaving home. Now I am in Africa, and I’ve realized that simply being in Africa has forced me to give up even more. A life of abandonment is what I signed up for. It’s funny though, on the race, just when you think you’ve surrendered everything, God shows you something else.
What about surrendering my down time?
What even is down time? Well, as a millennial I can tell you that most of my generation spends down time on their phone. Smart phones have the capacity to accomplish so much, at the tip of our fingers we check the news, the weather, communicate with anyone, take pictures, play games, watch movies, listen to music, go shopping, google things.. the list goes on. This month I don’t even have Wifi, which means no access to most of these things. However, I still spend a significant amount of time on my phone.
What if that time was spent with Jesus?
On the world race I made it a goal of mine to read through the entire Old Testament. Some months are easier than others, and I have found that this month it has not been easy, for whatever reason that may be. I have found myself on my phone A LOT. Listening to music, playing mindless games that don’t require internet, looking at pictures, all the random things. I realized that this month I’ve put that above spending time with God. Why? Because it’s easy.
Jesus fasted.
Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. I don’t really know why the number 40 was significant. I’ve heard that 40 is the maximum amount of days your body can go without eating. I’ve also heard that it takes 40 days to create a habit. Whatever that reason may be, I decided with 40 days left of the world race that I would fast. God asked me not to look at my phone until I have spent at least one hour with Him each day. I desire healthy habits, I desire to achieve my goal to read through the Old Testament, and I desire to finish strong. This is the next step.
Will you join me?
This is not a rhetorical question. Will you put your phone aside in the morning, and instead give God an hour of your day? Spend the time that you would be on your phone reading Gods word instead. The next 40 days could be life changing. They could create a habit that will last the rest of your life. This new habit could have the capacity to fill you more than anything else could. It could give you an opportunity to achieve goals. Pray about it and ask God if this is something he wants for you, and let me know if it is.
I dare ya.
