Disciplines like prayer and fasting don't make God. They make me. There's no arm twisting or begging of God in these things. They are reminders of Spirit, a focused intention tending to the roots of faith in the soil of the heart. The disciplines of of prayer and fasting kill unbelief and give rise to an awareness that we are more than mere flesh and form. We don't do these things because we are becoming something. We do these things to become aware of who we are. When you lose yourself, return to prayer. When your heart is darkened by foolishness, return to fasting. When you forget who you are, pray and listen. When you're offended at God, fast and detox. These aren't dead religious works unless they become lifeless habit. They are an infusion of Presence in purposeful acts of life-giving worship. In prayer and fasting, I awaken and align to who the Father has always known me to be from before the foundation of the world. These disciplines keep me from becoming consumed with me. The desire for things diminishes as the awareness of the Spirit is illuminated in clarity. If you have lost and let go of these disciplines in an effort to rest in a revelation of grace, I encourage you to revisit some of these disciplines that were so important to Jesus Christ. Let the Spirit draw you to them and them to you and in that drawing you will find the Spirit life and depth of soul tie with God that you longed to discover when you said your first prayer.
1 comment:
I'm a weirdo. . . . Once I discovered fasting. . . . I learned to love it and look forward to it. . . One of the things that happens when I start to plan an extended fast is that I almost get giddy even thinking about it. I discover that my body isn't the boss of me. . . I discover that communing with the Lord and being aware of His closeness is easy. . . I don't often see "break through" or the "answer" I may be seeking during a fast, but I see that others around become aware of a deeper presence and anointing from the Lord. . . If you will set your heart to seek the fast that God has chosen. . . there is an amazing grace that is granted to do it. . . don't get me wrong. . . it can be excruciatingly difficult at moments. . . . but it's doable and it's worth it. The devil has tricked the church into not talking about fasting. . . we have to break that lie off of us. . . .there is a big difference between "fasting to be seen" which the Lord warned of. . . and hiding fasting to the point that no one even does is anymore. . . We talk about our quiet times. . . . we should also talk about our fasting times. . . .
Bless you brother.
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