I remember the first time a friend invited me to fast . It was to be on a Wednesday from 6-6 and I was drawn to it . The next morning was Tues and I spent the day studying everything I could find about fasting, and still with many questions in my head Wednesday morning came and I fasted. I had no idea what I was doing and I told this to God as I began my morning. I got out a sheet of paper and started to make a list. On my list I wrote names of all the people I loved. I laid my hand over the paper and told God these are the names I fast for today. Though out that day every time I got hungry I would sit and pray for the names on my list. First name was my husband then my kids, family , church etc. With every name, I would tell God thank you for so and so and began to worship. I would see a face to match the name come from my memory, and then a need ,to match the face and I would pray for that need of theirs. The day flew by and it was dinner time and just before 6. As I sat down to to say my final prayer ,I felt a power shift in my heart and I cried out ......
Let my people go ......I found myself thinking about Moses and thinking, this is how he felt. I began to cry, and asked God to let these people go,and always be free to know you without limit. Let them worship you .Make a way just like you parted the sea for each spirit to go through. That evening before bed I was saying my prayers and thanked God for our day together.
That next day my cup was overflowing . My spirit receives faster than my mind , so for days my mind , now more clear, had to play catch up .I felt like someone shot my own personal drug of choice straight into my veins and I was instantly addicted. Up till that day my spirit was starving and now it had a taste of the food it needed to be alert, awake, healthy, and to grow, like miracle grow for my spirit. God was closer than ever before to me , and as I did my daily studies , what God wanted me to know was now magnified to me. My mind grew sharper and more clear with each fast and my fast list changed each time . My second fast , I wrote name on the paper my spirit was sensitive to . And my spirit became more and more sensitive , I wrote names on the list of people that were mean to me or my kids. The list to follow that was a list of children my kids knew, I looked forward to fasting and my changing lists.
Not so long ago I felt another change and one name would come to me at a time. I never knew who God would bring to my mind to fast for each week . One week I fasted for an atheist that attacked my blog. Who ever God made my spirit sensitive to that's who I fasted for and it began to be very clear to me why I was called to fast . God always allowed me to be aquainted with or even know who I fast for ,and the more God allowed me to know about them ,there need was magnified to me.( Example). I got to know a parent of a child my son goes to school with. The more I would run into her and talk with her the more my spirit would listen and hear a need. Then when God told me to fast for her I would see a strong hold that she was captive in. I also would see her strengths very clear and see that, she has been using them to please man not God, and that will bring fear, disappointment, hurt, and anger. I knew exactly how to pray for her and I was committed. This woman was angry to begin with, and grew more mean to me ,with no reason except that the world sees believers as a threat. The more uncomfortable around her I would feel , I continued to fast for her over a few weeks. God says pray for those who come against you. I did but when she continued to stand out to me . I wanted muscle behind that prayer so I fasted , and fasted and fasted for this person. The more I fasted for her I would starve my own feeling to death. I starved the hurt she caused me , I starved to need to avoid her, I starved the fear of confrontation our of myself . This went one until my feeling were no longer important and her needs were more important .
I felt another change growing rapidly. It was like my spirit was playing catch up from all years I missed because I was stuck in my own strongholds and with every strong hold God showed me and conquered he gave back time with Him I missed.
I started to notice my gift of discernment was on fire. I could walk in a room and tell you within minutes whoever God would show me truth in ,if they were in desperate need of God. I could see it in the facials , I could hear it seconds after they opened their mouth, sadly I could see it and hear it in there children. Discernment is a gift God give for us to see right from wrong ,but it like fasting, has a power of its own, and the limits to these gifts when used with the tools like fasting, for Gods will ,with God there is no limit. . The more obedient we are the more they grow. When I started to use discernment with fasting , discernment was not for me to see right from wrong with judgement, but with a need for intersession.
Then I knew God wanted me to fast for those who don't know Him yet and desperately needed Him. Pray for those who come against you. With all the fasting I had gained confidence in God .I began to feel the freedom that is in Jesus. With this freedom I have come to find joy like no other I have know. The joy is in my pride for God, my confidence in Him, the self-control fasting had helped me gain, its in the accepting that I am not in control and I am dependent on God. Not just my needs now ,but others as well. I still fast every Wednesday and for what or whom depends on God . I find my self now fasting an extra day for every aspect of my life I want God to intervene in before they become strongholds.
(Example), my job, marriage , church etc. God made every aspect of my life, I want to Him to be in total control them, I want every cell of my body to be so dependent on Him that my first thought is always Him.
When I found freedom in Jesus, I saw a positive in every negative. Others took notice, they see I am a positive person.
When you see positive things, you make positive choices . Then people see happiness ,excitement and energy. This is alluring to others, its like moths to a flame . They want to know if its real, and if they can get it.God cant put negative people out there to draw people to Him. God knows the benefits of overcome a stronghold with Him. When you go through something with Him its hard, you really have an understanding ,and overwhelming compassion that grows in you that is necessary to help someone , more necessary than any advice you can give.
Fasting brought me a clear mind, self control and order. Jesus said your thoughts are an index of your mind. What you think, you say in your speech, action etc. That's why fasting is important , it brings clarity.
I have been asked a lot "What is my purpose here on earth?"
My only purpose is to be a living sacrifice for God. To be an example of the love that is in me . The compassion I now have because God showed me. This was ,for some reason hard to except for me ,but it turns out it was not just one or the biggest reliefs I have come to know ,but it really is the only thing I want to do. I want to study and learn and spend my life maturing in faith so I can some day hear those magical words,"Well done good and faithful servant."
What I want most ,is to encourage other to use the tools needed to build their own relationship with God, and come to know for them self the freedom of Jesus . I want to shepherd others in the right direction by motivating love so they will hear those magic words first.
Dear Jesus. Thank you for teaching us by example what they told are and how to use them to build and build our unbreakable relationship with you. Please Jesus fan this fire in me and let it grow so I can be a example of the love you showed for me. Amen
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