Weight - 187.5lbs
Home stretch.... the plan is a couple days before the end to start consuming all types liquids to get my body more acclimated before eating. I don't want to have any significant ailments to deal with when I start the vision part of my journey.
Preached my "official" lesson on fasting yesterday. I hope it was received with open hearts. I have been staggered by how many people have never even tried it.
In the midst of the study I was amazed at how many things fasting was associated with....
1. prayer (obviously)
2. repentance
3. confession
4. grief/mourning
5. protection
6. guidance
7. worship
8. providence
9. preparation to persevere
Some amazing stuff. Really never had no idea until I just started looking at everything verse by verse.
So my challenge to the congregation was this......Maybe you have never tried it before.....but wouldn't you at least want to attempt to participate in something, that prophets (Moses, Elijah), kings (David, Jehosaphat), entire nations and cities (Israel, Ninevah), apostles and evangelists (Paul and Barnabus), and even Christ himself found important and maybe even necessary to practice? I can't believe they engaged in these things arbitrarily.
Have you ever tried it before? And made it a part of your life? I would never try to pray or study just one time and then give up just because it "didn't do anything for me". Maybe we need to reevaluate how and why we enter into this wonderful discipline God has given us?
Hey, Danny! To answer your question, I have fasted (briefly) before. Three or four times I did it for sections of a day (doesn't sound that long, but, believe me, I was hungry!) while I prayed for specific things. Each time, my prayer was very obviously answered and with great force. The other times I fasted for a diet (skipping breakfast and lunch every Saturday for 40 days). That didn't have as much spiritual significance, but I could tell that it helped my gut to "catch up" with what I had been eating during the week. :) I have never fasted longer than a day, but all of my experiences with fasting have been positive (though, of course, it doesn't feel good to be hungry). I wish you well with your current endeavor!
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Thanks Becky! Look forward to seeing you guys at camp if not sooner.
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