This is from Laurie's blog today. I thought it was fitting to put it on here today.
Thanks Laurie!
A PIECE OF MY HEART
Thank you for joining me today as I share my heart. It is my prayer that your heart will be strengthened today!
1 CHRONICLES 22:19 "Now determine in your mind and HEART to seek the Lord your God."
FROM MY HEART TO YOURS:
Today is day 12 of the 21-day DANIEL FAST that our family has been doing along with many others from our church. I went to the doctor yesterday and really noticed what eating fruits and vegetables can do for a girl when I stepped onto the scale. Yippee...I lost weight!
Even though losing weight is not the reason for doing this fast, it is definetly a side bonus! As I thought about what I had lost, I was reminded that the hunger that I feel throughout the day has NOT been lost. I still have hunger pains, and I still have cravings and temptations. This week, God has reminded me that there is a DANGER OF BEING HUNGRY, and I need to be watchful as the tempter tempts me and wants me to lose something greater than food cravings.
MATTHEW 4:2-4 "After fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry. The tempter came to Him and said, 'If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.' Jesus answered, 'It is written: Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."
The evil one, the tempter, had a goal to destroy God and anything He loved. Satan saw a perfect opportunity to attack Jesus. He saw Jesus was isolated, there were no friends to warn Him and there were no supplies or food to keep Him strong. For forty days and nights, Jesus fasted. He faced the vulnerabilities of exposure and hunger. The accuser nagged and harassed, but waited until the right time - THE FORTY FIRST DAY - to use his most deceptive tricks.
The tempter sneered. "Ah, you must be starving. If you really are the Son of God, you could make these desert stones into bread. Why don't you?"
Jesus sensed the sham. "God has said, 'Man cannot exist only on bread.' My food is God's truths." Jesus trusted in the goodness of His Father and in the timing of His provision.
Chocolate cravings are one thing, but there are hungers that take such a hold that they leave you exposed. The tempter waited to tempt Jesus at the END of His fast, that is what the enemy does...he looks for opportunities of our greatest vulnerability.
So, when you have reached the limits of your hunger, and find yourself drifting into the arms of compromise, remember Jesus in His wilderness. God had us in mind when He sent Him to face intense conditions and temptations.
There is a DANGER OF BEING HUNGRY, but I am thankful that God has provided us a way of escape.
1 CORINTHIANS 10:13 " You can trust God, who will not permit you to be tempted more than you can stand. But when you are tempted, He will also give you a way to escape so that you will be able to stand it."
That is a piece of my heart today......
Laurie
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2 comments:
I had a pretty rough night last night. It wasn’t the food cravings that made it difficult; it was the questions, doubts, and fears that took over. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard “what if this fast doesn’t work?” or “what IF you don’t hear from God?” But in the middle of my worries and tears, I was reminded that all of this stems from the enemy. I realized satan was doing everything in his power to get me off track. So I pressed on, poured my heart out to God and now today, those scary feelings are gone! I don’t have all of the answers but I do have hope! I feel like things are gonna change! It's amazing how God takes care of every one of us. I believe all the blogs that were posted today (Pastor Rusty’s, Laurie’s, and Dorinda’s from yesterday) go together for a reason! And today’s theme (in the Daniel Fast notebook) encouraged me big time too. I'm not gonna throw in the towel cause that's exactly what the devil wants me to do. I’m going to take the Proverbs 3:5-6 approach and wait to see what He has in store! ab
AB:
No doubt the tempter is prowling around, looking to see who he can devour. 1 Corinthians 10:13 gives us hope! God WILL NOT permit us to be tempted more than we can handle AND He WILL give us an escape. The importance of prayer during this fast is crucial...The tempter came at Jesus hard on day 41 of His fast, no doubt without a grounding of prayer, and growing close to Him...day 22 may be similiar for me. 1 Corinthians 10:13 encourages me to press on, keep on and stay strong!
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