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Thursday, February 17, 2011
Monday, December 6, 2010
day 3.. If your wondering how I am doing and what I am thinking....
Christian Fasting explained - what is it?
What is Christian fasting? Biblically, fasting is abstaining from food, drink, sleep or sex to focus on a period of spiritual growth. Specifically we humbly deny something of the flesh to glorify God, enhance our spirit, and go deeper in our prayer life by going on a fast.
Christian Fasting - Focus Deeper on God
Christian fasting isn't some kind of a "work" that's commanded by Christ or required by Scripture. However, that doesn't mean that fasting isn't recommended as a part of our spiritual growth. The Book of Acts records believers fasting before they made important decisions (Acts 13:4; 14:23). Fasting and prayer are often linked together (Luke 2:37; 5:33). Too often, the focus of fasting is on the lack of food. However, the purpose of fasting is to take our eyes off the things of this world and instead focus on God. Fasting is a way to demonstrate to God and to ourselves that we are serious about our relationship with Him. Although fasting in Scripture is almost always a fasting from food, there are other ways to fast. Anything you can temporarily give up in order to better focus on God can be considered a fast (1Corinthinas 7:1-5). Fasting should be limited to a set time, especially when the fasting is from food. Extended periods of time without eating are harmful to the body. Fasting is not intended to punish our flesh, but to focus on God.
Fasting should not be considered a "dieting method" either. We shouldn't fast to lose weight, but rather to gain deeper fellowship with God. Yes, anyone can fast. Some may not be able to fast from food (diabetics, for example), but everyone can temporarily give up something in order to focus on God. Even unplugging the television for a period of time can be an effective fast.
Yes, it's a good idea for believers to fast from time to time. Fasting is not required in Scripture, but it's highly recommended. The only Biblical reason to fast is to develop a closer walk with God. By taking our eyes off the things of this world, we can focus better on Christ. "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you" (Matthew 6:16-18).
Christian Fasting - is a Lifestyle of Servant Living
Christian fasting is more than denying ourselves food or something else of the flesh - it's a sacrificial lifestyle before God. In Isaiah 58, we learn what a "true fast" is. It's not just a one-time act of humility and denial before God, it's a lifestyle of servant ministry to others. As Isaiah tells us, fasting encourages humility, loosens the chains of injustice, unties the chords of the yoke, frees the oppressed, feeds the hungry, provides for the poor, and clothes the naked. This concept of fasting isn't a one day thing - it's a lifestyle of servant living for God and others.
"Then your light shall break forth like the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and He will say, 'Here I am.' (Isaiah 58:8-9)
Morning
* Begin your day in praise and worship.
* Read and meditate on God's Word, preferably on your knees.
* Invite the Holy Spirit to work in you to will and to do His good pleasure according to Philippians 2:13.
* Invite God to use you. Ask Him to show you how to influence your world, your family, your church, your community, your country, and beyond.
* Pray for His vision for your life and empowerment to do His will.
Noon
* Return to prayer and God's Word.
* Take a short prayer walk.
* Spend time in intercessory prayer for your community's and nation's leaders, for the world's unreached millions, for your family or special needs.
Evening
* Get alone for an unhurried time of "seeking His face."
* If others are fasting with you, meet together for prayer.
* Avoid television or any other distraction that may dampen your spiritual focus.
What is Christian fasting? Biblically, fasting is abstaining from food, drink, sleep or sex to focus on a period of spiritual growth. Specifically we humbly deny something of the flesh to glorify God, enhance our spirit, and go deeper in our prayer life by going on a fast.
Christian Fasting - Focus Deeper on God
Christian fasting isn't some kind of a "work" that's commanded by Christ or required by Scripture. However, that doesn't mean that fasting isn't recommended as a part of our spiritual growth. The Book of Acts records believers fasting before they made important decisions (Acts 13:4; 14:23). Fasting and prayer are often linked together (Luke 2:37; 5:33). Too often, the focus of fasting is on the lack of food. However, the purpose of fasting is to take our eyes off the things of this world and instead focus on God. Fasting is a way to demonstrate to God and to ourselves that we are serious about our relationship with Him. Although fasting in Scripture is almost always a fasting from food, there are other ways to fast. Anything you can temporarily give up in order to better focus on God can be considered a fast (1Corinthinas 7:1-5). Fasting should be limited to a set time, especially when the fasting is from food. Extended periods of time without eating are harmful to the body. Fasting is not intended to punish our flesh, but to focus on God.
Fasting should not be considered a "dieting method" either. We shouldn't fast to lose weight, but rather to gain deeper fellowship with God. Yes, anyone can fast. Some may not be able to fast from food (diabetics, for example), but everyone can temporarily give up something in order to focus on God. Even unplugging the television for a period of time can be an effective fast.
Yes, it's a good idea for believers to fast from time to time. Fasting is not required in Scripture, but it's highly recommended. The only Biblical reason to fast is to develop a closer walk with God. By taking our eyes off the things of this world, we can focus better on Christ. "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you" (Matthew 6:16-18).
Christian Fasting - is a Lifestyle of Servant Living
Christian fasting is more than denying ourselves food or something else of the flesh - it's a sacrificial lifestyle before God. In Isaiah 58, we learn what a "true fast" is. It's not just a one-time act of humility and denial before God, it's a lifestyle of servant ministry to others. As Isaiah tells us, fasting encourages humility, loosens the chains of injustice, unties the chords of the yoke, frees the oppressed, feeds the hungry, provides for the poor, and clothes the naked. This concept of fasting isn't a one day thing - it's a lifestyle of servant living for God and others.
"Then your light shall break forth like the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and He will say, 'Here I am.' (Isaiah 58:8-9)
Morning
* Begin your day in praise and worship.
* Read and meditate on God's Word, preferably on your knees.
* Invite the Holy Spirit to work in you to will and to do His good pleasure according to Philippians 2:13.
* Invite God to use you. Ask Him to show you how to influence your world, your family, your church, your community, your country, and beyond.
* Pray for His vision for your life and empowerment to do His will.
Noon
* Return to prayer and God's Word.
* Take a short prayer walk.
* Spend time in intercessory prayer for your community's and nation's leaders, for the world's unreached millions, for your family or special needs.
Evening
* Get alone for an unhurried time of "seeking His face."
* If others are fasting with you, meet together for prayer.
* Avoid television or any other distraction that may dampen your spiritual focus.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Fast Day Two
Hey all, I made it!
Day two, lol I still have a LONG way to go! The hunger pains were bad for a while then I prayed and drank some broth and I felt MUCH better. I actually have MORE energy today than yesterday. Tomorrow I have another liquid/juice day and then one Tuesday it will be water only. then Wednesday-Friday are juice days. and so on until i am done.
I have been doing good with taking in liquid calories. Enough so that my body does not hurt too bad. But on my water day I am sure it will be intense.
Whether your addiction be sugar, salt or TV, fasting cuts at the spiritual roots of addiction: fear, insignificance, laziness, self-centeredness, guilt, negative thinking, resentment and spiritual emptiness. Fasting, being still, prayer and reading the Bible have the power of a chainsaw on these roots. During your fast, you take an aggressive stance on a battlefield to face all your addictions. Urges come and you say no. They return with greater urgency, and you stay firm in resolve. With each resistance, the power of addiction grows weaker.
I like thinking of myself on the battlefield of life, facing the toughest things in my life and standing firm!
In the Bible we were told to fast and we were given directions on how to do it. I feel honored to get to share the suffering of Christ. Even though it is only in a small fraction of the suffering He went through.
Tonight I am going to take a long bath and dive into His word. I am going to try to get closer to Him the deeper into this thing I go.
Thanks for joining me on this quest and reading along, if you want to leave a comment I would love that! I hope to write every day to chronicle what God has been doing in my life.
XOXOXOXO
Day two, lol I still have a LONG way to go! The hunger pains were bad for a while then I prayed and drank some broth and I felt MUCH better. I actually have MORE energy today than yesterday. Tomorrow I have another liquid/juice day and then one Tuesday it will be water only. then Wednesday-Friday are juice days. and so on until i am done.
I have been doing good with taking in liquid calories. Enough so that my body does not hurt too bad. But on my water day I am sure it will be intense.
Whether your addiction be sugar, salt or TV, fasting cuts at the spiritual roots of addiction: fear, insignificance, laziness, self-centeredness, guilt, negative thinking, resentment and spiritual emptiness. Fasting, being still, prayer and reading the Bible have the power of a chainsaw on these roots. During your fast, you take an aggressive stance on a battlefield to face all your addictions. Urges come and you say no. They return with greater urgency, and you stay firm in resolve. With each resistance, the power of addiction grows weaker.
I like thinking of myself on the battlefield of life, facing the toughest things in my life and standing firm!
In the Bible we were told to fast and we were given directions on how to do it. I feel honored to get to share the suffering of Christ. Even though it is only in a small fraction of the suffering He went through.
Tonight I am going to take a long bath and dive into His word. I am going to try to get closer to Him the deeper into this thing I go.
Thanks for joining me on this quest and reading along, if you want to leave a comment I would love that! I hope to write every day to chronicle what God has been doing in my life.
XOXOXOXO
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Fast day one
12 pm -Hey all I am on my first day of the fast, today is not a water day but a juice and liquid day. This way I prep my body for the harder fast.
Today so far I have had tea, and veggie juice. And now I am having some diluted broth. The main issue I am having is that I am tired, and my home is not the stress free environment needed to truly get into the fasting process. I wish I could just slip away to some other place for ten days to be alone.
But oh well such is.......
Today so far I have had tea, and veggie juice. And now I am having some diluted broth. The main issue I am having is that I am tired, and my home is not the stress free environment needed to truly get into the fasting process. I wish I could just slip away to some other place for ten days to be alone.
But oh well such is.......
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
THE PRE FAST BLOG!
Hi all,
I am starting a new and exciting challenge! I am about to embark on a ten day fast to clean out my body, break my addictions (to caffeine and nicotine) and to become closer to God. I hope you will join me as I go through this. I would love to have your support and help for the next ten days!
Today I am prepping, mentally and physically. I am cleaning my house top to bottom, doi9ng all the chores and eating all natural foods today. Nothing processed, I will do this through tomorrow and maybe even into Friday we will see how I am feeling. And then probably on Sat I will start with three days of juice and water. I want to start off this way to ease myself into it. I know I have a bunch of crud built up in my body and if I go straight into a water fast I will get uber sick. So on day four it will be a water day, days 5-8 will be juice and 9-10 will be water. This is a good first time fast so i dont over load with toxins too quickly. I am hoping to get some help around the house and with meals during this time. And will look to cook as few as possible,( for my sanity!)
If you have done this before I would love to hear from you and if not you can join in on the "fun" with me. lol I have talked to a few friends who have done this before and they say the first few days are the worst, hence why I am doing it while my husband is home to help out.
Well here goes nothing I will keep you all updated and let you know what is going on with me!
I am starting a new and exciting challenge! I am about to embark on a ten day fast to clean out my body, break my addictions (to caffeine and nicotine) and to become closer to God. I hope you will join me as I go through this. I would love to have your support and help for the next ten days!
Today I am prepping, mentally and physically. I am cleaning my house top to bottom, doi9ng all the chores and eating all natural foods today. Nothing processed, I will do this through tomorrow and maybe even into Friday we will see how I am feeling. And then probably on Sat I will start with three days of juice and water. I want to start off this way to ease myself into it. I know I have a bunch of crud built up in my body and if I go straight into a water fast I will get uber sick. So on day four it will be a water day, days 5-8 will be juice and 9-10 will be water. This is a good first time fast so i dont over load with toxins too quickly. I am hoping to get some help around the house and with meals during this time. And will look to cook as few as possible,( for my sanity!)
If you have done this before I would love to hear from you and if not you can join in on the "fun" with me. lol I have talked to a few friends who have done this before and they say the first few days are the worst, hence why I am doing it while my husband is home to help out.
Well here goes nothing I will keep you all updated and let you know what is going on with me!
Friday, November 19, 2010
It's Your LIFE!
Hi all,
Today I am diving into a topic near and dear to me. Mommy self esteem. I myself have had issues with this and I feel it is a topic often under looked by many. Sure the news media has in the past few years made some great stride in showing our Mommy worth but we as moms seem to have a hard time believing this. How many of you like me were once independent working women? How many of you once had dreams bigger than your mind could fathom. Wanting to be a doctor or a lawyer or a congresswoman or a movie star? I was once a girl with a dream to ride horses in the Olympics, big huh? Then through life's ever present twists and turns I find myself the queen of my home, the master of my vacuum and the chief of juice bottles and diaper changes. Although being a stay at home mom is a great thing it also leaves me with a longing.
Knowing that when I was younger I had feeling of power and potential leaves me often feeling let down by what life has given me. This is not to discount my kids or my role in raising them. But the truth of the matter is that I like many out there do not know where it is in my life that things went awry.
In this day of empowerment for women, with endless opportunities we who chose to be moms are often overlooked and under appreciated. I have had people in the past ask me "what do you do all day?" and "aren't you bored?" Well answers to that are ALOT! and NO....well kinda. Changing diapers and watching the same cartoons day in and day out has left me worn out. The adventure side of my life is less than desirable and my biggest fear is wake up one day and wonder where it is my life has gone.
I am not going to start spouting some magical advice for you nor do I have the answers to this other than we as SAHMs need to remember the little dreaming girls inside of us. I know this for sure, if you do not take care of yourself you cant take care of your babies. In the last year my life has become much happier. About a year and a half ago I was depressed, faced with the birth of our second child and the stark realization that I would be stuck doing this for a long time. I was angry and resentful. My life seemed like a never ending replaying reel of the same boring movie.
getup
get breakfast
change diapers
clean house
play games
clean house
get lunch
clean house
play
get snack
clean house
get dinner ready
clean up after dinner
bath and bed
the same movie over and over, toss in sex and wine once a week or so and it was complete! Now today I am still doing this routine but I am also going to school (online) and taking photos whenever I can, riding my Harley, and also I show my dog whenever I can, by myself...for two or three days at a time. Kind of a recharge for my batteries. Being here at home and charged with possibly the most important job I could ever have and loving myself a lot more has helped me more than I can say. Also developing a personal relationship with God has helped immensely. We as mommies of this new era need to take back some respect, weather you work or you dont it does not matter. You are a woman first and a mommy second. You are strong and powerful. You have a great impact on the future of this planet (your children!) if one of them grows up to be a doctor or a criminal you have an impact. So even though society looks down on us "poor" moms who are saddled with kids. We should be standing strong and letting everyone who is ignorant to our daily plight know that we are important, we are worthy, and most of all we are complete! We do not need parties and wild nights, hook ups and awards to make us feel accomplished and fulfilled. Rather we should rest in the fact that we are our nations greatest workforce making the next generation into competent and intelligent people full of compassion and dreams hopefully bigger than our own.
An whether you tell your little girl to do the opposite of what you did or whether you encourage her to strive for mommy hood too, know that you are not alone and your life is still your own. Someday your kids will grow up they will leave. And then who will you be? If you do your job right they will be on their own, living out their own amazing dreams. So in the mean time I ask you to really evaluate who you really are inside. What matters to you, and even to go and find a new dream. Maybe your dreams need to be altered a bit (due to finding a babysitter lol) but dont let your amazing talents fall to the wayside or one day you will wake up and realize you have no idea who you really are......
XOXOXOXO <3 I love you all! You are not alone! We are a sisterhood of mothers that has spanned through the beginning of time. <3
Today I am diving into a topic near and dear to me. Mommy self esteem. I myself have had issues with this and I feel it is a topic often under looked by many. Sure the news media has in the past few years made some great stride in showing our Mommy worth but we as moms seem to have a hard time believing this. How many of you like me were once independent working women? How many of you once had dreams bigger than your mind could fathom. Wanting to be a doctor or a lawyer or a congresswoman or a movie star? I was once a girl with a dream to ride horses in the Olympics, big huh? Then through life's ever present twists and turns I find myself the queen of my home, the master of my vacuum and the chief of juice bottles and diaper changes. Although being a stay at home mom is a great thing it also leaves me with a longing.
Knowing that when I was younger I had feeling of power and potential leaves me often feeling let down by what life has given me. This is not to discount my kids or my role in raising them. But the truth of the matter is that I like many out there do not know where it is in my life that things went awry.
In this day of empowerment for women, with endless opportunities we who chose to be moms are often overlooked and under appreciated. I have had people in the past ask me "what do you do all day?" and "aren't you bored?" Well answers to that are ALOT! and NO....well kinda. Changing diapers and watching the same cartoons day in and day out has left me worn out. The adventure side of my life is less than desirable and my biggest fear is wake up one day and wonder where it is my life has gone.
I am not going to start spouting some magical advice for you nor do I have the answers to this other than we as SAHMs need to remember the little dreaming girls inside of us. I know this for sure, if you do not take care of yourself you cant take care of your babies. In the last year my life has become much happier. About a year and a half ago I was depressed, faced with the birth of our second child and the stark realization that I would be stuck doing this for a long time. I was angry and resentful. My life seemed like a never ending replaying reel of the same boring movie.
getup
get breakfast
change diapers
clean house
play games
clean house
get lunch
clean house
play
get snack
clean house
get dinner ready
clean up after dinner
bath and bed
the same movie over and over, toss in sex and wine once a week or so and it was complete! Now today I am still doing this routine but I am also going to school (online) and taking photos whenever I can, riding my Harley, and also I show my dog whenever I can, by myself...for two or three days at a time. Kind of a recharge for my batteries. Being here at home and charged with possibly the most important job I could ever have and loving myself a lot more has helped me more than I can say. Also developing a personal relationship with God has helped immensely. We as mommies of this new era need to take back some respect, weather you work or you dont it does not matter. You are a woman first and a mommy second. You are strong and powerful. You have a great impact on the future of this planet (your children!) if one of them grows up to be a doctor or a criminal you have an impact. So even though society looks down on us "poor" moms who are saddled with kids. We should be standing strong and letting everyone who is ignorant to our daily plight know that we are important, we are worthy, and most of all we are complete! We do not need parties and wild nights, hook ups and awards to make us feel accomplished and fulfilled. Rather we should rest in the fact that we are our nations greatest workforce making the next generation into competent and intelligent people full of compassion and dreams hopefully bigger than our own.
An whether you tell your little girl to do the opposite of what you did or whether you encourage her to strive for mommy hood too, know that you are not alone and your life is still your own. Someday your kids will grow up they will leave. And then who will you be? If you do your job right they will be on their own, living out their own amazing dreams. So in the mean time I ask you to really evaluate who you really are inside. What matters to you, and even to go and find a new dream. Maybe your dreams need to be altered a bit (due to finding a babysitter lol) but dont let your amazing talents fall to the wayside or one day you will wake up and realize you have no idea who you really are......
XOXOXOXO <3 I love you all! You are not alone! We are a sisterhood of mothers that has spanned through the beginning of time. <3
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