In 2008 I sensed God leading me to do a 40 day fast and I began in February 2009. I felt led during that fast to pray for many things, one was for my mom and dad. I had prayed for years they would be in church and make strong commitments to Christ. It was about the second week of the fast when mom and dad came to church and they have been in church with me now for almost two years. I baptized my dad in June of this year, 2011. There is more that I prayed for but this was the most memorable answer to prayer.
I said after that 40 days that I would never recommend to anyone undertaking such a fast, unless they felt called of God to do such a thing. If God burdens your spirit to do something then I think we have to do it or be dissatisfied. I also said that I would never do it again unless I knew that God was calling me to it. I was satisfied that He would never call me to it again until about June of this year, I started sensing in my spirit that God was calling me again to draw close to Him, to know that my strength comes from Him and not just from the food that I eat.
So, here I am. I planned to start the fast January 1st, what a way to start the New Year, living a fasted life. (I mean this, not a joke)
I started 3 days ago by removing caffeine from my diet. Many times people stop a fast thinking the discomfort is coming from lack of food and in reality it is the withdrawal of caffeine. The first day I went without caffeine I felt terrible. I was sluggish and had no desire to do anything. It was probably about 10am when I prayed and asked God to reveal what was wrong with me and it was then I realized it was the caffeine. I would have never dreamed those morning cups of coffee had that much control over me.
I read a book a few years ago that changed my life. It is the book. “What The Bible Says About Healthy Living” by Dr. Rex Russell. One of the principles in this book is, “Do not eat or drink anything that becomes addictive to you.”
Maybe it is because I am getting older, I really don’t know but I never thought coffee really had this kind of power. I understand now more than ever why those addicted to substances have such a hard time. I know their struggle has to be many times harder than mine with coffee. I have experienced headaches, back pain, sluggishness, no energy at all.
Wonder how long it will last? Survey says….2 days to one week. I’m glad I got a head start on the caffeine removal before removing solid food.
I will have my final meal before the fast this evening with Misty, our kids, and my mom and dad. We are taking the kids and grand-kids to McDonald’s for lunch and as much as I dislike their food these days I will eat with the kids.
I will blog daily to let people know what I sense God is saying to me as well as having a journal of how things go. I will be smart, if I have some type of problem that requires it, I will eat. I am ready and I am really excited and to be honest, I want the 40 days to pass quickly while at the same time I want to mine the riches of scripture for the 40 days and see just what God is wanting me to see.
I will miss running as much as I will miss the food, I plan to take a leisurely walk of about a mile a day to pray and just clear my mind, nothing strenuous and no long distances.
I appreciate your prayers and I really appreciate the many people who have let me know they are fasting with me in some way. Some have decided to fast 3 days a week, some are fasting from soda, and some are doing a Daniel fast. Some aren’t sure yet what they are doing but they want to participate and I am grateful for your courage and your desire to know God better and to just be closer to Him. I can’t wait to see just what God is planning for 2012.
Remember, I always say that God is not a magician but He is magical and fasting is one of the spiritual disciplines where I have seen God work in my own life and in the lives of those I love the most.
Ronnie
