faster, Faster, FASTING
Do you ever feel like the world is changing so quickly around you and you’re just trying to keep up?
Literally, there is a new fad or trend or viral thing to keep up with everyday just to participate in the “water cooler” chats at work. I feel like what’s PC and not changes weekly. & I feel like I’m constantly out of the “worldly” loop. … Like is sour dough still cool or are we back to hating carbs?
Uh… my head spins at all the craziness happening around us these days, & honestly, I think that’s the point.
Our world is in a place where it is thriving off of chaos, division and drama … & it is so easy to get sucked in.
I don’t know about y’all, but the algorithm targeting gets WILD. It’s easy to scroll, it’s easy to compare, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by all the information thrown at me, and it’s so easy to get sucked into the time trap of it all.
It’s too easy to get distracted in today’s world.
I find myself feeling the desire for simplicity. I find myself needing to take a break from it all, and that’s where fasting from this fast world has been so impactful for me lately.
I always thought fasting had to be this big ordeal for like a congregation or denomination maybe? I honestly don’t know what I thought. I just knew you couldn’t eat and no one around me talked about it commonly. What I didn’t know until the past couple of years is that fasting and prayer is one of the most calming, cleansing and empowering tools we have as Christians.
Life lately has been crazy. We have had a LOT of changes personally and professionally and releasing P2T has just called more attention of the enemy to my little family. Add the hustle and bustle of today’s world, the pressures I put on myself, and the desire to keep up with the trends … and life is moving too fast.
& Whenever I feel like life is moving too fast, that means it’s time to fast.
Like I mentioned, my knowledge on fasting really increased in the past two years. It was greatly influenced by Carrie encouraging me to look deeper into it. She encouraged me to consider a fast to humble myself, seek God’s guidance and ultimately grow closer to him back in the end of 2023 when I was going through some trials.
Immediately, I had excuses.
I can’t fast; I’m breastfeeding. I can’t fast; I need to eat or I’ll get sick. I can’t fast; we have reservations coming up. I can’t fast; I still have to cook for my family.
Thank God for Carrie’s patience and placement in my life, because she is good at calling me out in love. Her response was, “It’s easy to decide why you can’t do something or why something is hard, but what if you think about how you can do something and how it can fit into your life?” This was just enough to get me thinking, but more importantly get me into the Word.
Psalms 69:10 says, “When I wept and humbled my soul with fasting, it became my reproach.” This verse and re-reading the story Esther stuck with me.
Almost 6 months later, the idea was placed on my heart again and, I needed to fast. I had been convicted.
My first fast was two weeks after my first prayer walk. I told myself I could start small and just fast from supper until lunch. Every-time I was hungry or checked my clock to see if I could eat, I would pray about the myriads of things currently weighing me down. I didn’t have a timeline, and I gave myself the easiest goal. I didn’t want to set myself up for failure.
A week in, I had my first answered prayer and a big decision to make. I was so happy with the clarity and peace around it that God had given me in our extra moments of prayer that I had to tell Carrie.
I spoke boldly about my fast … Out loud.
The enemy can’t read our hearts or hear our thoughts like God, but he can listen and use that to tempt us. & let me tell you… the second week was the hardest week ever. I had clients bring me donuts and people invite me to brunches. The temptations were EVERYWHERE. But I stuck to it. I kept my simple fast going and kept praying. My grandmother even surprised me with my favorite breakfast one morning. At that point, I boldly told the enemy that every temptation gave me a moment to draw closer to God, and I thanked him for it. Week three, I found myself not checking the clock, praying first on matters out of habit and desire - not for hunger pains, and the weight of the world I was carrying on my shoulders was gone. I was resting, I was reviving my soul, I was having prayers answered, and I was having clarity in my life. I decided to make things harder. I went from wanting food to wanting to be even closer to God, so I went down to eating just dinner. At the end of a month, the work God had done in our lives was amazing!
The ironic thing is we found out we were pregnant then. Something we were told my body wasn’t going to do again for some time - if at all. We were given one of life’s biggest miracles, and we were over the moon. … The only downside was I had to stop my fasting. God’s timing with this pregnancy was a surprise but such a blessing. I had grown closer to him and his calling and he was blessing and providing for our family. The abundance we had was immeasurable.
As life is like a roller coaster, the hilltop we were on was going to be coming down. And that’s when I realized (even pregnant) I could still fast.
Fasting doesn’t have to be food. It wasn’t the lack of food that had given me this peace, clarity and rest in my life - it was the sacrifice I made to spend more time with Him. The idea behind fasting is as easy as giving up something we idolize or prioritize. When you would normally have or do that thing - spend that time with God. Simple right?
So ‘fast’ forward to today and I will forever praise a fast and the closeness it brings us to God. Since my first, I’ve fasted the traditional food and drink, TV, music, reading outside of the Bible, my cellphone and Social Media.
When life gets hectic, when things feel like they are spinning around, when I find myself distracted from the goals I have - that’s when I fast.
Take time in this holiday season and pray on how you too can grow closer to God and prepare to grow closer to His calling on your life in the next year. Maybe it’s time for a fast?
& If it is - don’t overthink it. There are no wrong ways to make more time for your Faith. Just focus on finding Him.
God’s Love & Mine,
Christina
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SPOILER ALERT: Carrie and I have a podcast coming out about prayer walks and fasting. We hope this little story is a glimpse into the power and beauty of the experiences we share and will inspire you to grow your walk with God as well!
