DAY 20 of 21 "A NEW DIRECTION"

When I read the first line of the paragraph below (you might want to read the first line to follow me lol)....I found myself saying YES without hesitation! Can I tell you how MAJOR that is for me? 20 days ago I was taking a step of faith on fasting even though I never really saw the point. Now I'm to a place where I honestly don't want to leave this place. Now don't get me wrong, I SHALL be partaking of the feast prepared on tomorrow LOL! But I mean this place of surrender where my heart and mind is. I can't say that I have eradicated every issue I set out to get rid of during this fast. And to be honest, I think God kind of hit me up side the head for that being my goal anyway. (Sidebar: I've realized through this fast that God communicates to me through violence LOL). My initial goals fit into my plan....but not His. During this consecration, I have come to realize that some things will always be a struggle for me. But 1 Corinthians 10:13 says: 

" But remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can't stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it." 

Through this fast I have found an eternal way of escape. That escape is through my heart! I've learned that though I may struggle my heart and mind can be so TOWARD God and HIS will that even my failures can feel like successes. I've learned that there is a power in denying my instincts and talking to God before moving. I've learned how to be in REAL relationship with Him and that is what makes me want to keep going. Some parts of the food fast I am going to maintain for health purposes. But what I am really going to continue more than anything is the daily heart check and purposeful surrender to God. I've come to realize that this faith walk is not something that can just be on autopilot. That's how we screw up. We think we've reached a certain place and then we hop off the wheel and take a break. Before you know it, you're crashing and have to start all over again. Last night my mom signed to a song called "It Ain't Over". The chorus of  the song says: 

"It ain't over, until God says it's over. It ain't over, until God says it's done. It ain't over, until God says it's over. Keep fighting until the victory is WON"
 

I think every other time I've heard this song, it has been from a place of hardship and I just cried through it struggling to believe that God was going to bring me out of whatever I was in. Well last night, I heard that song differently. I heard it as a war cry. Like, stop trying to get out of the fight. Stop trying to give up and be done every time something gets rough. You are on the battlefield so KEEP FIGHTING!!! God doesn't have time for us to waiver anymore. Don't expect for the battle of this faith walk to end at some point, because guess what it WON'T! As a matter of fact, I can tell you when it's going to end....when Jesus returns! So shine your armor and get in the fight for GOOD!! That's what I've gotten from this fast. I've gotten the charge to be a real warrior. It's going to be hard some days and I'm GOING to fall, but I'm not sitting any fights out. I'm going toe to toe with the enemy (the enemy being the devil AND MY MIND)!!!! I pray that you have been charged the same way and if not ask God to charge you TODAY! Love yall for REAL!

Zachariah 7

Are you considering extending your fast, or may beginning new habits of regular fasting?  If drawing closer to God is your goal every day, both times of fasting and feasting can be holy to the Lord.  Take time to allow God to speak to you about your fasting experience and ask Him to help you reflect on the ways your fast has softened your heart and influenced you to treat others differently.

DAY 19 of 21 "Reflect and Rejoice"

I thought it would be good to let this message and Psalm speak for itself today. Take a look at the paragraph below and the scripture! Make today personal!

Psalm 84

As you near the end of your fast, think of the marvelous joy of spending this one day in His courts.  Praise Him for the ways you are growing and seeking Him more.  No matter where you are, read this psalm out loud today as your prayer to God.  Personalize it, sing it loudly or just whisper your praises to His might name!

DAY 18 of 21 "The LIGHT at the END"

Last night on our prayer call, quite a few of us requested prayer to keep going! Whether you needed prayer to keep making good decisions, to keep eating the right things, to keep focus or to just keep your heart toward God....we've all got that KEEP thing going on. Sometimes the "keeping" can be daunting. It just feels like we're always pressing, you know? But today as I read this scripture I feel like I got a glimpse of the light at the end of the tunnel for us. In other words, what God has for us as we keep moving forward.... 

Joel 2:28 "Then after I have poured out my rains again, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams. Your young men will see visions."

As we continue to join forces together in this fast, I feel like we can take a look at this and begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel. When I look at this verse I don't see it as 'We're all about to become apostles' or something. I see it as an awakening!!! God is encouraging us to keep pressing because He wants to raise us up! He is pouring the rain on us now (by the way verse 23 says For the rains he sends are an expression of his grace) so that we can come out RENEWED! I don't just expect to overcome certain "sins" by the end of this fast, but having read this I expect to have FRESH drive and determination towards my destiny! For example, Krista mentioned last night that she needs prayer for direction and what passion to pursue. Well God is saying 'KEEP your focus on ME and stay in this race and I have clarity of thought waiting for you at the end'. Or even Uncle Tank...to me this scripture is God saying 'If you can trust me with all that I have put on your plate and KEEP your heart open, I have the creativity to pour into you to finish the works I've started in you'. I think you guys get the point! Let's start getting excited about where we are because although there has been rain, there is a major harvest at the end that is going to carry us through this next phase of our lives. So put down your umbrellas, open your heart and LET IT RAIN!! Keep on Keepin on Family ;-)! 

Joel 2:12-32

You can finish strong by making sure that your heart is open wide to allow God’s power and presence to sweep across the landscape of your life.  Tell God today that you are bearing your heart before His mercy, compassion, and unfailing love.  Ask Him to give you the courage to join his advancing army.  Ask Him to open your eyes to dreams and visions that are in line with His will for your life.

DAY 17 of 21 "HIS truth vs MY trial"

Ok so here is the million dollar question (well not real money cuz I ain't got none).....Is it possible that your fire is a RESULT of your faith?? Yep, your faith....not your sin....your faith. SO let me tell you want jumped out of the scripture at me today. I know the story of the 3 hebrew boys. I know it took an insane amount of boldness and trust in the Lord to be thrown into that furnace and I am STILL learning everyday how to be sold out that way for Christ. But my focus went to the onset of the decision by the king to throw them in the furnace. If you haven't read this scripture yet, basically the king put out a mandate that everyone was to bow to this statue of his. If anyone refused the consequence, of course, was that they would be thrown into the furnace. The hebrew boys stood for their God and decided NOT to bow down to something that didn't represent their Lord. So it got me to thinking....what things in my life have I chosen NOT to surrender to that wants my heart? What things have I stood against, even if just within the past few days, that the enemy had set up to trip me? Could it be that my refusal to bow down to the mindsets, struggles, ideals, etc. that once threatened to bring about my demise has brought about my current "fiery furnace" like state? The answer is YES! I swear I could hear God so clearly telling me that the fire is only as intense as my current fight! We are only in such heavy battles because we have the heavy artillery (faith) to withstand it. It's YOUR faith that got you here! So stop complaining and trying to figure out the "why me's" of your situation and ask God to show you the hidden strength within you that got you to this fiery furnace in the first place!! God can't lie. When He said He wouldn't put more on us than we could bear, he meant it! You know how He knows what we can bear, besides the fact that he's all knowing? It's because we SHOW him! You have probably been flexing your little spiritual muscles before God and didn't even know it. So don't get upset now  that he's upping the weight. He just doesn't want us to get comfortable. So today, I want to say thank you JESUS for challenging me and pushing me to walk into what I already am!! I suggest you do the same!

Daniel 3

This is one of the most powerful stories in the Bible.  These boys were facing a real situation with real consequences.  They were in a position where truth opposed facts.  What facts are you facing that defy God’s truth?  Take the facts to God in prayer and believe with boldness that your God will not only be with you in the fire, but is well able to deliver.

DAY 16 of 21 "A LOVE Relationship"

Today's scripture and devotional challenge has got me thinking of my love relationship with God. I know we all say we love Him, which I'm sure we do, but how do we show Him? I think a lot of times as Christians we tend to think that our "sinLESSness" is a way we show love to God, when the fact of the matter is that you can cut out every physical "sin" in your life and still not have a heart TOWARD God! Think about it this way. If you have a friend, boyfriend, or girlfriend and they always tell you they care about you but they never want to be around you unless they want something....how would you feel? I'd like to think of God as a real  person....just to make it more personal. Like, have you ever asked God what His love language is? Have you ever thought 'Can God FEEL my love or does He just hear it'? Yeah, I know God is not human and doesn't feel what we feel...blah blah blah....but you know what? He IS our father and I'll bet you money that a dad who took time out of His universal schedule to meticulously construct your life probably would like to have a love based relationship with you. I know personally that I've got some work to do on this. I know my heart is for God, but honestly I don't know if He always feels it. Other PEOPLE might see it, but I know I don't spend enough time with Him to make Him feel special. And see, that's what we do as humans. We cushion our lack of intimacy with God by saying 'yeah I know I'm not doing what I should do' OR 'I know I need to be spending more time with God'....and we leave it right there. In our minds, the remorse is enough to make us feel like we're doing something. Well you know what, It's NOT! I'm talking to myself here so if you get side swiped along the way, my apologies lol. No but seriously, I want God to feel as loved by me as I do by Him and I'm DETERMINED to make that a reality. I'm determined to make our relationship fresh...to find new ways to reach His heart. I really want to build a relationship based on LOVE rather than sin and obligation. Will you join me?

Psalm 27

The title of today’s reading is A Psalm of Fearless Trust in God.  It talks about seeking one thing.  During this time of seeking, its easy to focus on seeking things from God instead of just seeking God…to seek His hand and not His face.  Think of the difference between approaching a king to kiss his hand and approaching a loving father to kiss his face.  God is both King and Father.  He is capable of meeting your needs and answering your prayers.  But He also loves you more deeply than you can ever know.  When you seek His face, you end up in a much closer posture with Him.  Pray today that you will get closer to Him than you ever have before.

DAY 15 of 21 "HOMESTRECTCH"

Have you ever watched a race? I'm sure you have....like a sprint race. I have no idea what the official names of the races are though lol but yall know what I'm talking about. I LOVE watching those races because you never know who is going to win. Sure someone could seem like they are the forerunner but maybe they're not pacing themselves correctly and they lose breath. Maybe their legs will get tired at a certain point. You never know right up until the end who is going to win. Just at the last second the person who has been trailing in 3rd place could get a second wind and break the finish line a half of a second before everyone else!! It's so exhilarating to watch! Well that's kind of what today is about. We are in the last week of this fast and it is SO important that we not just endure to the end but that we make the most out of this home stretch! I know that we have all been enlightened thus far, and that's great, but there is still more God has for us. Psalm 51:17 says "The sacrifice you (God) want is a broken spirit. A broken and repentant heart, O God, you will not despise." I want to challenge everyone to challenge YOURSELVES to break down before God this week. Treat this week as if it's your last week in communication with God. As if it's your last chance at LIFE!!! This week is like the last few seconds of the olympic race. Don't be this far ahead and then lose guys! Remember the sacrifice God wants is our hearts. So let's be sure we are giving him ALL of that in this last week. Love you all!

 
Psalm 51

Wow!  You are starting the third and final week of your fast.  If you’re fasting with a group, take time to get together and celebrate what God has begun.  Be sure to write down your experiences.  Even though you may feel like you’re in a groove now, for many this final week will be harder than the others.  Ask God to search you and begin to shine a light on all the dark corners of your heart.  Ask Him to use this last week to refine you and cleanse your heart from stubborn and hidden faults.

DAY 14 OF 21 "BLESSINGS"

So this weekend was quite a jam packed one. It was filled with back to back obligation that kept me on the run. That's sort of the story of my life. I'm always doing something. This weekend I actually realized the blessing in my running around. I realized that nothing I do is purposeless. God has blessed me to have many passions and I am constantly pursuing them 24 hours a day! That was so great for me acknowledge because sometimes I start to get overwhelmed. But coming to that realization confirmed that God BUILT me for this. I'm so blessed to be able to move forward freely in what HE has placed in my heart! Doesn't get much better than that! What's your blessing(s)?

Matthew 5:1-14

Make it a point today to count your blessings.  Keep a journal with you all day to write down the blessings that God brings to your mind.  Pray and thank Him for those blessings, even the ones that come as a result of enduring a hardship or trial.