Honest thought: When people use to tell me they were fasting, I thought it was their way of not admitting they were dieting. [Don’t worry- I no longer believe that].
***
Malaysia was full of great friendships, exotic food, & craving more of God.
Often times, people talk about how they want more of God, as if they are physically hungry for His spirit. I definitely categorized [still do] myself as one of those hungry people. & Yes, I have tasted and seen His beautiful goodness countless times. But when it comes to knowing God, you always want more & sometimes that [want] becomes a desperate [need].
So, as 2016 began- my New Year resolution wasn’t necessarily to add something into my routine but rather, to eliminate my distractions. The reality is this, what my flesh thinks it needs has interfered [for too long] with what my spirit is actually craving.
& With that realization, this year I started to dig into fasting.
***
It’s easy to associate fasting with not eating.
Yes, it can be one way to fast.
& Yes, many people daily depend on food for comfort.
But, if you take a moment & think about what you hang onto throughout each day- you may realize that food is just one of the many things distracting you from what your spirit is [actually] hungry for.
I had to take that moment & ask myself questions. What was I depending on? What was I feeding my soul? Did anything give me endless satisfaction? No.
So… why was I giving myself away to things that were more of a distraction from reality than a satisfaction?
That was my wakeup call.
***
Throughout this race, friends of mine have been fasting. It has been anything from food, social media, speaking, spending money, or even coffee [not physically or emotionally ready for that one yet]. I’ve always been impressed by their willpower but I never thought twice about fasting myself.
… I obviously didn’t know the beauty behind fasting.
***
“Fasting isn’t to show others you’re spiritual, it is because you are spiritual”
After hearing those friends talk about what they encountered & learned during their fast, I got curious. They put themselves in a position where they became weak, just so the Lord could make them strong. They depended on the Lord for their satisfaction [not the cereal box or the television screen] & guess what? The Lord blessed them.
“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God” -Psalm 42
We live in a world that loves to distract us from what our soul really needs. Our soul doesn’t need more food, more likes on social media, more television shows- it needs the Living Source of Life [Our Creator]. That’s why people fast. Not because they want to seem religious, but because they literally want to acknowledge & be FILLED with the source of life. Who knows you better than the very power that created you?
So that is why I began this journey of fasting. It isn’t a weekly or even a bi-weekly thing for me yet. I am still figuring it out. [I’ll just let my spirit tell me what I need for the very day I am living].
All I know is when I fasted for the first time, things changed. I didn’t need anything apart from the Lord. I felt free because I didn’t give into my flesh [which fails often] but instead I gave into Him [who never fails].
***
I believe that once you know the goodness of the Lord, you will continually fight for Him [& know that looks different for everyone].
I just encourage you to,
Get simple & feed your soul [not your flesh]- for you will receive endless satisfaction. I promise.
