On January 18th, our church started 21 days of fasting and prayer. The fast started on Friday, January 8th and ends on Friday, January 29th. I decided to do a partial fast. This fast is sometimes called the Jewish Fast and involves abstaining from eating any type of food in the morning and afternoon. This can either correlate to specific times of the day, such as 6:00 am to 3:00 pm, or from sunup to sundown. My fast consists of only water from 10-pm-12pm the following day. If you know me, you know that breakfast has become vital to my survival in life. That’s why I chose to challenge myself and fast through the morning hours.
This is my second time doing any kind of fast. Each day brings lots of challenges. It seems like whenever you enter a fast, there is more food that pops up everywhere. 10 days into the fast and I’ll have to admit it is not easy. Fasting is never easy. But this time around I’ve learned some valuable lessons. Here are some of the lessons that I’ve learned this time around.
Sincerely,
A girl on fire
This is my second time doing any kind of fast. Each day brings lots of challenges. It seems like whenever you enter a fast, there is more food that pops up everywhere. 10 days into the fast and I’ll have to admit it is not easy. Fasting is never easy. But this time around I’ve learned some valuable lessons. Here are some of the lessons that I’ve learned this time around.
- Fasting brings revelation: during my time in fasting and prayer over the last 10 days I’ve gotten deeper into the word. I’ve been taking more time each day to read the word of God. With studying and meditation comes revelation. God has been showing me things through my personal time with him that I believe wouldn't have been revealed if I wasn't fasting and praying.
- Fasting brings spiritual breakthrough: before I started the fast I listened to a sermon about the power of fasting and prayer from a pastor in Illinois. He talked about spiritual breakthrough through the power of fasting. There are some things that can only be broken through the power of fasting and prayer. Even though it’s only been 10 days, I know that God is helping me to break through some inner things that I’ve been struggling with and giving me permanent freedom. I also believe that my family will have breakthrough as a result of fasting and praying.
- Preparation is the key to a successful fast: whether you’re doing the Daniel fast, a full fast, or a partial fast, preparation is always key. Getting into prayer before hand and changing of your eating habits prior to starting the fast will help you to be successful. Preparing my meals help me to stay on track throughout my fast.
- Plan not to fail: during any fast the temptation to give into food becomes even greater. There have been several times in the last days where I’ve wanted food badly. I’ve also been tempted not to get out of bed and read in the morning. I’ve been so tempted to sleep in during the time I would have been preparing my meals for the day. During this time I've had to be determined not to fail. I’ve set up reminders all throughout the day to make sure that I am keeping the terms of my fast.
Sincerely,
A girl on fire