Fasting together: Rebuild and Restore

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Fasting together: Rebuild and Restore  (For all of my regulars, yes, the blog is a fright and under construction but will be fixed very, very soon! Thank you for your patience.)

Happy New Year! Ringing in the New Year with The Sweetheart who has been so very sick this weekend. Boo. But 2018 can only get better! Today, we begin our Fasting in January series and we must start at the beginning. I am sharing the introduction from my book, The Daniel Fast, A Devotional, just because we need to get some basics down on the first day. I will blog every day with devotions, tips and even Daniel Fast recipes if you are following that fast. Obviously it is the focus but the devotions and encouragement are for any fast, no matter how long or short! Remember, there are no rules, just commit to sacrifice and see what God will do.

How many times do we go to bed with the worries of the day on our minds; wondering how we are going to fix all of the problems in the world?

  • Will the bills get paid?
  • How long before our company shuts down?
  • Is the cancer going to return?
  • Will our children get back together?
  • Is that divorce going to become final this year?

Night after night we toss and turn, trying our best not to let the sin of worry overtake us.

We are all guilty of it; we are human.

Back a few years ago, I had struggled with this and could not shake it. Many things were troubling me. I was trying to fix them all in my own mind but couldn’t and it was getting me down. I finally decided enough was enough and, in desperation, I finally did something I had always wanted, and needed, to do.

I went on an extended fast.

You might say that the Bible says our fasting should be a secret. No. Jesus said when you fast to not be like the Pharisees who want others to know they are fasting. They walked around with long, drawn looks on their faces and said things like, “Woe is me! I am fasting!” They wanted to appear more holy, godlier and more spiritual than others. That is not the purpose.

However, if we do not share our experiences, how will we learn? How will we grow? How will we bless one another?

This fast was one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life but also one of the most victorious and liberating spiritual battles the Lord has ever helped me win.

His Word says some things only come about by prayer and fasting. “And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could we not cast him out? So he said to them, This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.” Mark 9:28, 29 NKJV.

The devil was tormenting me. Satan had been whispering in my ear for way too long, and unfortunately, I had been giving him credit by believing what he was saying.

Worry is one of his most successful tactics. It rates right up there with fear. The wringing of your hands type of worry is his specialty.

But fasting puts Satan IN HIS PLACE.

The Bible says, “Submit yourselves therefore to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you.” James 4:7 KJV.

He has to obey when you quote the Word, obey the Word and live out the Word!

When you add fasting into the mix, you are breaking YOU. You are humbling YOU. The chains begin to fall; he has no power left. You begin to hear God’s voice, His whispers. You understand His Word, feel His power, and trust His promises.

The one single passage of scripture that jumped out to me while I was on this fast was the fasting message we might be familiar with in Isaiah. Finally, after all of these years, I understood what the Lord was saying here, and it is so beautiful.

First, the Word. It’s a little lengthy, but stay with me. It’s worth it.

‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and You have not seen?

Why have we afflicted our souls, and You take no notice?’

‘In fact, in the day of your fast you find pleasure,
And exploit all your laborers.
Indeed you fast for strife and debate,
And to strike with the fist of wickedness.
You will not fast as you do this day,
To make your voice heard on high.

Is it a fast that I have chosen,

A day for a man to afflict his soul?
Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush,
And to spread out sackcloth and ashes?
Would you call this a fast,
And an acceptable day to the Lord?

Is this not the fast that I have chosen:
To loose the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the heavy burdens,
To let the oppressed go free,
And that you break every yoke?

Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,

And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out;
When you see the naked, that you cover him,
And not hide yourself from your own flesh?
Then your light shall break forth like the morning,
Your healing shall spring forth speedily,
And your righteousness shall go before you;
The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.

Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’

If you take away the yoke from your midst,

The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
If you extend your soul to the hungry
And satisfy the afflicted soul,
Then your light shall dawn in the darkness,
And your darkness shall be as the noonday.

The LORD will guide you continually,
And satisfy your soul in drought,
And strengthen your bones;
You shall be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. Isaiah 58:3-11 NKJV.

The Jews had the proper form for their fasting, but they were messing up everything else that went with it. They were finding pleasure in their fasting time instead of using it to draw closer to God. They were “driving hard all of their workers”, meaning that even though on fast days there was no work done, on the day before and the day after they worked them even that much harder to make up for it.

They were quarreling and fighting, and their fasting was making them irritable with one another…a good sign they were NOT spending time with their Maker.

They were “hiding from their own flesh”; they were not helping their own. They were being selfish during fasting time. This is another “Woe is me” attitude about fasting: avoiding helping others because you are suffering.

Verse nine says they were oppressing one another by placing yokes, or unnecessary burdens, upon their brothers and sisters. They were also pointing fingers at each other, spreading rumors and lies about their fellow Christians.

Again, they had the method right, but their hearts were in bad, bad shape. They were upset that the Lord had not noticed that they were in sackcloth and ashes. They had fasted, but He had not noticed.

So the Lord speaks and tells them they have it all wrong. He says, “Is not this the fast that I have chosen?”

And here is where I have always looked at it differently:

“To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free…”

I would hear this part preached and taught and get all excited that God was going to do this for me.

But look at what He says next…

“And that you break every yoke?”

That WE break every yoke? I thought He was going to do that? He can and He will, but here He says WE are to break every yoke!

The fast that the Lord is pleased with is when we loose those bonds of wickedness, undo the heavy burdens we have placed on one another, let the oppressed go free and break every yoke!

What else does He say?

We are to share our bread with the hungry, bring the poor to our house, cover the naked that have no clothing, and not ignore those that need our help. Also, stop pointing our fingers and spreading vicious rumors. Those are pretty important.

That is the fast that God has chosen.

He says that when we do those things something will happen:

“Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy reward.

Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;

And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity and thy darkness be as the noon day:

And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.

And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.”  Isaiah 58:8-12 KJV.

Look at all of those precious promises! Your health will spring forth, righteousness will go before you and the glory of the Lord will be your reward. If you call on the Lord, He will answer, He will always be your guide. Another version says that you will be “known as a rebuilder of walls and a restorer of homes.”

All of this when you choose the right fast: God’s fast!

When your heart is in the right place.

When you are doing it unto the Lord and not to be seen.

When you are breaking yokes and setting people free by forgiving, restoring, clothing and feeding then …

God will also restore you.

Join me again tomorrow, and every day in January, as we fast unto the Lord! If you don’t have a copy of The Daniel Fast Devotional you can get it here. 

 

Sharing with Modest Mondays, Inspire Me Mondays,

Pray for peace, people everywhere…The Story behind the song.

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Pray for peace, people everywhere…The Story behind the song! The familiar Christmas song, Do You Hear What I Hear? was not written centuries ago, nor was it written in Europe, but in the early 1960’s, right here in the United States.

Some will remember that pivotal time in U.S. history when the threat of nuclear war was at its height and the Cuban Missile Crisis was all that was being talked about.

Americans were afraid, very afraid, and rightly so. Noel Regney and his wife, Gloria Shayne, were two of those that were terrified.

Noel had experienced enough war to last him more than a lifetime. After studying at Strasbourg Conservatory and the Conservatoire National de Paris, he found himself in the middle of WWII and France was overcome by Hitler’s troops. Against his will, he was drafted into the German army.

Regney despised the Nazis, who had all but destroyed his beloved homeland and while still in the German army, he became a member of the French underground. 

Basically a spy, he remained in German uniform, collecting information and passing it on to the French Resistance fighters, warning them of planned German attacks.

Noel never would be able to forget one terrifying mission when he was to lead a group of German soldiers into a trap so that the French fighters could overtake them. Noel Regney was shot, but, of course he survived and the French only suffered minor injuries.

Memories didn’t heal as easily and Noel could still see the enemy soldiers dying all around him, forever embedded in his mind. Supposedly, he was wounded purposely by the French in order to protect him from being found out by the Germans.

Shortly thereafter, Regney deserted the German army and went underground with his fellow Frenchmen for the duration of the war. “Only then did I feel free, ” he once said.

After the war, he worked for a number of years as the musical director of the Indochinese Service of Radio France and as music director at Lido, a popular nightclub in Paris.

He moved to Manhattan in 1952 where he met Gloria. She was an accomplished pianist and they married a month later! Noel composed music for many early TV shows and wrote commercial jingles. He wasn’t without the serious compositions though. In 1971, he composed Slovenly Peter, based on an old German folktale. Then, in 1976, his five-part cantata, I Believe in Life, was completed.

Regney was the composer, Shayne the lyricist and together they had several successful hits including Dominique. But their most famous work was the beloved Christmas Carol, which was in reality a prayer for peace.

In 1962, at the peak of the Cuban Missile Crisis, Noel walked down the streets of New York City, saw babies being pushed in strollers by their mothers and wondered if they would even have a future at all.

“I am amazed that people can think they know the song and not know it was a prayer for peace.” Noel Regney

In this case, Noel actually wrote the words and Gloria put the music to the song. They didn’t mean for it to be a Christmas Carol, but a hymn to peace. It was a prayer, echoed by millions of Americans, never knowing from one day to the next if the crisis between Russia and the U.S. would escalate to the unthinkable.

Neither Noel or Gloria could actually perform the song because of the emotions at the time. “Our little song broke us up. You must realize there was a threat of nuclear war at the time.”

Said the night wind to the little lamb,
do you see what I see
Way up in the sky, little lamb,
do you see what I see
A star, a star, dancing in the night
With a tail as big as a kite
With a tail as big as a kite
 
Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy,
do you hear what I hear
Ringing through the sky, shepherd boy,
do you hear what I hear
A song, a song, high above the trees
With a voice as big as the sea
With a voice as big as the sea
 
Said the shepherd boy to the mighty king,
do you know what I know
In your palace warm, mighty king,
do you know what I know
A Child, a Child shivers in the cold
Let us bring Him silver and gold
Let us bring Him silver and gold
 
Said the king to the people everywhere,
listen to what I say
Pray for peace, people everywhere!
listen to what I say
The Child, the Child, sleeping in the night
He will bring us goodness and light
He will bring us goodness and light
 

Today, we are faced with similar threats all around the world. Many fellow believers are giving their lives for the cause of Christ, others are being forced from their homelands all because of their belief in the God of the Old and New Testaments.

Just because it is Christmas time doesn’t mean that everyone is free. Not all Christians will be able to worship the King in freedom and liberty as we are fortunate to do. We need to remember our brothers and sisters around the world and lift them up in prayer as we reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. We also must pray for our own country that we can hold on to our liberties and be able to freely worship and share the Gospel in these last days.  He came for all of us and He is coming back again for all who believe in Him. Let us not forget to be thankful for what we have and what we know.

And then…

“Pray for peace, people everywhere.”

Enjoy Bing Crosby’s rendition of this song which he recorded in 1963, just a year after it was written. 

Nannette Christmas

Have you purchased my  book for the upcoming fasting season?? The Daniel Fast, A Devotional is a great resource for ANY FAST! 21 days of devotions with three days BEFORE the fast to prepare. Also comes with recipes for every day! Available on Amazon now!

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Only Jesus

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Only Jesus. It’s #FiveMinuteFriday and the word prompt is Only. That word just had to go with the Name above all Names…Jesus.

I am not a sports authority by any stretch of the imagination. I like baseball, but it’s slow and boring to watch. I used to like to watch basketball, when there were rules such as no traveling. Football? I can leave it any day of the week. Too violent and they never make any progress! It would drive me crazy to have ten 250 pound bodies pile on top of me to find out we had only moved two feet. Not worth it. (Okay, they do make millions of dollars so maybe some would say it is worth it.)

Sports figures, speaking generally, are overpaid and over-privileged. Some do use their fame and fortune to make this world a better place and we thank you.

Then there are those such as LeBron James, who has christened himself with the nickname, The Chosen One. He made this statement recently, “There’s only three people in this world that can score on me in the post,” LeBron said. “Shaquille O’Neal in his prime—who else was it? Oh, it’s two. And Jesus Christ.”

Now, you may argue his remark was tongue-in-cheek, and I hope it was at least that but it was still highly disrespectful and definitely insulting to Christians everywhere.

I have news for LeBron: Jesus doesn’t play basketball.

Jesus came for one purpose; to seek and to save the lost! (Luke 19:10)

  • Only Jesus can fill that empty void in your life.
  • Only Jesus can give you peace that passes all understanding.
  • Only Jesus, as the song says, can satisfy your soul!
  • Only Jesus can take everything that is wrong and make it right.
  • Only Jesus can give you favor with your co-workers, classmates, neighbors, etc.
  • Only Jesus can heal your physical body and your anxiety-ridden mind.
  • Only Jesus can save your lost loved one that you have prayed over for ten years.
  • Only Jesus can deliver from addictions.
  • Only Jesus can forgive sins.
  • And Jesus is the Only Way to heaven.

It is true; Jesus is capable of doing absolutely anything. And it is also true that He could play basketball if He really wanted to…and LeBron James would be left holding the towel. But Jesus didn’t come for superficial things; He came to save the world! He died so we might live and He empowered us with His Spirit so that we could be His hands and feet in this world.

Tell the world, Jesus is the ONLY GOD who died, rose again and is coming back for those that love Him. If you only have Jesus, and nothing else in this world, you have everything.

What would you add to the above list? Only Jesus ______________________________________________. Encourage one another with your addition!

Enjoy this song by Matt Redman, Jesus, Only Jesus.

Who can command the highest praise?
Who has the name above all names?
You stand alone, I stand amazed
Jesus, only Jesus