Fasting to Move Mountains | Testimony

ARE YOU STRUGGLING WITHOUT BREAKTHROUGH? Consider this.

I don’t typically like to talk about this because it feels self-promotional but I don’t really hear too many people talking about fasting and breakthrough so I’m going to assume that most of you don’t either. The Bible already seems ‘old school’ to many so I am sure it’s methods also seem too outdated to be usable in our present age.

Besides what does food and/or giving up something physically have to do with your emotional or spiritual status, or even an unrelated physical issue? –Well, Tony gives an answer to that question in this sermon but let me give you a little testimony to back it up because what he says here is almost verbatim of what I have experienced in the last year.

But first, here are some other examples where it has helped me.

When my grandfather was dying 7 years ago, there was an issue that we were all unaware of. He was out of state. I was unable to handle it and I almost got the police involved on my behalf. I cannot tell you the turmoil of my own emotional state or the upheaval that I was causing in my family trying to get to the bottom of it. I felt led to fast for 3 days without food. At the end of 3 days, I had peace about leaving the situation alone. Thankfully, the issue resolved itself. But my emotional ‘crazy’ left me as well.

Another time over Lent (in an effort to take better care of the body that God gave me) instead of giving up something, I decided to ADD a 10-minute workout each day because it was all that I could incorporate at the time. Thankfully, it led to a pretty regular routine that grew in length. I exercise more now than I ever have. (That may not sound like giving up anything but sometimes our lives are so busy '10 minutes' feels hard to muster.)

I look forward to a daily devotion mid-day, each day, which is another habit that started the same way during a different season of Lent.

I gave up alcohol completely for almost two years. I am not sure if it really qualifies as fasting because I had many pros/cons documented for giving it up. Many of which were little things in my own heart that may not have made sense to anyone else but me at the time. But I also felt like I needed to do so without a definite reason. It was indeed a crutch in my life and giving it up came in at the beginning of one of the hardest seasons of my life.

I gave up coffee for several months, again without knowing why. -Just feeling like I needed to let it go.

I’ve fasted several other times in several other ways over the years. -Sometimes seeing the benefit of the fast right away. Sometimes never learning the why until a very long time after, if at all.

This last fast was indeed a breakthrough of all breakthroughs for me. Last April, my friend Dawn and I started fasting once a week. Sometimes from coffee, sugar, TV, sleep, or a similar thing. Sometimes from dinner one day to dinner the next.

On 'fast' day, we would call each other on the phone because she lives out of state. We would walk during this time before the kids ever got out of bed. We’d catch up on life, and then we would pray about whatever was going on in our lives.

I can’t explain it but I could feel something shifting spiritually within me. (I didn’t notice this other times in my life, so don’t expect this right away and I was not making the connection to fasting at the time.) By September, I began counseling for an issue. This ultimately led to one of the biggest changes of my life, emotionally, spiritually, physically, etc. I can’t get into all of it now. But I found a root problem with ‘fear of failure’ that influenced many things in my life. I also found understanding (which has led to healing) in a battle with anger that also covered a lot of territory in my life.

When Dawn and I started fasting, I didn’t have any idea that it would affect so many areas of my life or in such a big way. I just knew that it had made a difference every time that I had tried before and I wanted to really incorporate its power, more often. We prayed for the ‘thing of the week’, or ‘thing of the month’, or that one thing we couldn’t seem to let go of. But my life was radically changed by the end of the year and it really hasn’t stopped moving since. (Even though I tapered off fasting this year but I am trying to incorporate it again.)

Over, and over, and over again, throughout this transition, I have been reminded of the passage in Matthew 17:21 that says ‘This kind only comes out with Prayer and Fasting’. I even felt like something ‘left me’ this past July that I can only explain as ‘spiritual torment’ even if that sounds a little ‘hinky’.

While she and I thought we were praying for regular old stuff, there was something inside of me that was getting dealt with on a whole other level. –And in the end, it impacted many of those little things that she and I were praying for. Whether or not you see it yet, I can tell you that I am not the same person that I was last year and I know, that I know, that I KNOW, it was because of the power of fasting in my life. She too was recently able to attest of breakthroughs and healing in some areas of her own life which she attributes to our season together.

I am sharing this with you today because one of the things that I have struggled with has been a ‘mountain’ to me for several years. I shared a post one time on Instagram about how when God moves your mountain, it might rock your world, and knock you off your feet, and he might answer in a way that you never expected. –Let me tell you, I thought I was encouraging someone else with that post but that was a premonition for me an EXACT YEAR TO THE DAY of my ‘break’ even though it did NOT feel like a ‘through’.

In this sermon by Tony Evans, he hits on so many personal things that I can attest to. The power of fasting. The power of giving up something of the flesh for something spiritual. The faith of a mustard seed that moves mountains. And how planting that tiny mustard seed of faith might seem small but when it breaks open, it becomes something evident to everyone.

He talks about how the weight of that external mountain is what holds our light in. Your ‘mountain’ is the shell to your faith. When the external breaks, the internal expresses itself. Oh, how I could go on and on.

I’m not a doctor. Consult one if you have concerns. But fasting doesn’t always have to be from food. It could be from an activity or adding an activity. If you don’t feel led to do it, it might not be time for you do so and so there is no reason for shame or guilt. It may be a seed for later. But fasting doesn’t have to be ‘radical’ either. I implore you that if you have been battling something to no avail, PRAYERFULLY, consider how you might be able to incorporate fasting for healing in this area of your life and then do it until it’s done or until you get an answer.

If you try it, then during your fast, every time you get that hunger pang or the urge for the thing, remind yourself that it’s a prompt to pray instead. I will be praying over anyone who accepts this challenge.

If you have EVER fasted and experienced breakthrough, no matter how great or small. Not only do I give you permission to feel awkward, piggybacking, and self-promotional by sharing it in the comments below, but I encourage you and INVITE YOU TO SHARE YOUR TESTIMONY FOR GOD about how you’ve experienced breakthrough in hopes that you may encourage someone, who is silently struggling, to do the same. Now go!

Now here’s the sermon ‘Fasting for Deliverance’ by ‘Tony Evans’.

https://tonyevans.org/tony-evans-sermons/fasting-for-deliverance/

Messes

It's so easy to look at pictures and captions and then [compare] tell yourself stories about what something else looks like. You don't even realize that you do it. Yet, it changes your mood, how you feel, your response, everything!

This picture behind me is my living room. Most of what you see on EVERY surface is what we unloaded from vacation over the weekend. We haven't managed to get it all put away yet. 🤷‍♀️(But it looks like we got back from vacation a lot- with dust- so, tell yourself that if you ever come over. Haha).🤦‍♀️😂

And trust that this is not the only place that needs some tidying.

NONE of us have it all together. And sometimes learning something new, practicing a new habit, or even life, brings changes that come at the expense of something that you used to do and know well. 

It's ALL only for a season. (Ecclesiastes 3) and most of what we worry about doesn't even matter (Ecclesiastes 1).

CELEBRATE even your tiniest accomplishments, especially in the chaos. Try to enjoy the things you don't like because there are many other scenarios that are much worse. Prayerfully, prioritize your messes and choose one or two that you're willing to live with. If you want perfection, seek Jesus. He's the only thing that is! Heck seek him anyway, because he changes you, and can even change your circumstance or carry you through it. Now be BOLD AND COURAGEOUS and post a picture of your 'mess' in my comments. Tell me about it if you don't have a picture! #BandTogether #RealitySocialMedia#PerfectionismAnotherSilentKiller #ComparisonIsAThief #EndTheSilence 🙌👍

Not Consumed

For the Lord, your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. – Deuteronomy 4:24

By definition, the word 'consume' means to 'use up.' While this word is most often heard when talking about eating a meal, consuming groceries or logs that are ‘used up’ in a fire- Sometimes, we ourselves can feel as though we are used up- overtaken and consumed. –Along with all of our time and resources that we have available.

This can be a result of internal emotions, like depression, exhaustion, shame, insecurity. –You know the stories that we tell ourselves and things that we rehash. But it can also be caused by a job, an issue, or a relationship.

In fact, even things we love, like hobbies, church, or other Godly activities can drain us, if we get them out of order or allow them to have more power over us than God.

This can be tricky because good things, important things, can get out of whack. For example:

God should come before everything. Many of us go to church and even help run it in order to partake in the lessons and fellowship that strengthens our faith.

Relationships are important. Otherwise a good “love walk” wouldn’t be written in the commandments.

Work is important too. I mean, you do need an income in order to consume other basic necessities, right?

So where do you draw the line? How do you know when things have crossed over? Well consider these next few items and think of your current situation. Could any of them be said about you?

*You're up at night, full of anxiety, fear, stress or worry?

*You cannot rest and your health is suffering because this thing keeps you ‘on.'

*You don’t have time for reading your Bible, going for a walk or enjoying something little or new is just a luxury.

*You don’t even offer to help others because your time is tied up or you’re too afraid that your contribution wouldn’t be enough.

*Perhaps normal ‘interruptions’ from your family frustrate you because you are trying to work on or look at this thing.

*You can’t even begin to plan ahead or even think of anything else because [it] always has ‘one more thing’ that needs to be taken care of first…

*What about being a martyr? Are you the only one that can do something when it comes to [it]?

*Or survival mode. You are literally just trying to get through each day.
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Boy, those are some hard statements aren’t they?  - I can safely list each of these because I have been in every single one of them. –And learning it once or discovering this about yourself in an area doesn’t inoculate you from getting stuck there again somewhere else.

So, if any part of this has picked a scab for you, I pray that you hang in there and hear my heart. –Because I have to tell you this is not the path of walking in victory.

Exodus 20:3 is part of the 10 commandments that reads ‘that you shall have no other Gods before me.’

So, if everything in your life has to bow to this thing before anything else can be taken care of, then you might have an idol or a stronghold on your hands. If we’re 'consumed' and all used up by something other than God, His purpose, His plans, or His love for others. -That's not just a problem, it’s a sin.
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The funny thing is, when it's God consuming us, we are inspired and strengthened. Isaiah 40:31 says "but those who hope in the LORD will RENEW their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and NOT grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

Even Psalm 40 is a passage called “God Sustains His Servant’. I encourage you to read it.

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I can’t help but find the timing for this message to be perfect. This week, on March 1^st, marks the first day of the Lenten season. Lent represents the 40 days between Jesus’s baptism and then going into Galilea. He was in the desert, fasting and prayerfully seeking God, but he was also tempted by the devil.

Many believers of various denominations will choose to fast from something themselves, each day during this time. As an effort to draw closer to the Lord and remember His sacrifice for us.

You can read more about Lent on the Upperroom but let's look at Matthew 4 together.

¹Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted^[a] by the devil.² After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. ³ The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

⁴ Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’^[b]”

⁵ Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ⁶ “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,

    and they will lift you up in their hands,

    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’^[c]”

⁷ Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’^[d]”

⁸ Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ⁹ “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

¹⁰ Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’^[e]”

¹¹ Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. 

Here are some of the things that stand out to me from that passage.

·       *Fasting doesn’t keep you from getting tempted (v2)

·       *The devil looks for those who are tired and weary. (v2)

·       *The devil uses scripture (v6)

·       *Each time that Jesus was tempted, He made it a point to recall the word of God too.  –And he was part God. (v4,7,10)

·       *Angels came to assist when he resisted. (v11)

Like Jesus, we have a holy spirit who is with us.

Psalm 34:7 says that The Angel of the Lord also encamps around us when we fear him.

Think about your own temptations for a moment. When temptation comes our way be it chocolate, cake, a cigarette, spending five dollars, DOESN’T doing it one more time, only lead to wanting to do it again just one more time? How is that any different from a job or a relationship or this thing you feel compelled to do or can’t pull away from?

Our verse today in Deuteronomy 4 reads “For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.” He wants to be the only thing that consumes us. In doing so, he refines the very offerings that we have to give everything else.

So how do we uncross those lines? Well, I believe that you fast from those things. But the way that we do that will look different to each of us. So, I encourage you to try this lenten season, maybe for the first time. Ask the Lord to reveal the area of your life that has more of you than he does. Maybe you already know what it is. Then ask him to help you give a little bit of it up every day for the next 40 days. It’s okay if that looks different every single day of that challenge. But seek a way to honor him, in replacement of it. Which can be in the form of prayer, it can be loving your family, it can be choosing a healthier option.

*You can prepare to be tempted through this season, like Jesus.

*You need scripture to meditate on, so go ahead and pick some verses out.

*Make some boundaries. Preferably with your spouse, a mentor, a group or friend, someone that can pray with you and/or keep you accountable.

Then have a date to check in and talk it out. Then do it again!

I’m going to end with a quote that I heard from Pastor Fred City Life, and it’s a good one so pay attention:

You will never have dominion over any appetite of your body until you give it over and make fasting a regular part of your diet.

I’d like to tweak that to say that you nor God will never have dominion over your life, as long as we let other things keep draining/claiming the power. 

Friend, if you’re feeling consumed, maybe it’s time to reprioritize and let the ‘thing’ go. If you can't quit it, maybe you should change the way you've been feeding it.

If any part of this message has been offensive, I hear you. I would encourage you to pray that if you didn’t feel like the message applied, but you were offended, ask God what he wants YOU to know instead. Let me assure you that God uses those deep things to take us higher. –Not to lead us into condemnation or to convert into anger.

I pray that this message ignites not only a new passion but a new area of faith for you that blows your mind. I would love to hear about your challenges and how you see the Lord working in them. Know that I am praying with you all the way to victory.

Until next time- Thanks for tuning in!

Taking Possession

Taken by @denise_clare on Instagram

I am working with a group of ladies on a scripture memorization project called ‘Who Am I”. Sharon Thomas leads the ministry, Established Footsteps, and every week she offers a correlating message and devotion about the verse we’re reading. 

This week’s message is based on Ephesians 1:7-8 “In Him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us.” In it she uses the illustration of children playing with sand to talk about grace and the things that we marvel over.

One day while observing children playing on the beach; she was captivated by how impressed they were with ordinary sand. How they couldn’t wait to show their parents. Over and over again they would grab it, show it, and let it go. Yet we do the same with our own marvels. Before we know it we’re letting something go, then again grabbing another marvel and hoping to impress someone with it. Then losing interest and letting go again. Then she asks us how excited we over the treasures that come with our salvation.

That question alone was thought-provoking enough and I hope you listen to her message.  But there was something else that spoke to me about it.

Like Sharon, and most likely you too, I love the beach. There are too many things to list, as to why; The healing property of salt (the way it dries sinuses & heals wounds), a sun-kissed tan, admiring sea life, being refreshed and cooled by the water, collecting shells and other treasures, sounds, smells and many others.  

When I think about Sharon’s message with the verse and description, I imagine myself looking up and down the beaches and how, in most cases, it goes on as far as the eye can see.

It also reminds me of the following verses: 

Psalms 8:5-8

You have made them a little lower than the angels

and crowned them with glory and honor.

You made them rulers over the works of your hands;

you put everything under their feet:

all flocks and herds,

and the animals of the wild,

the birds in the sky,

and the fish in the sea,

all that swim the paths of the seas.

Genesis 13:15

for all the land which you see, I will give it to you and to your descendants forever.

Our verses in these projects are grouped by topics. This week’s verse is under ‘Possession’. Here we see, in the verses that came to my heart, that He made us only a little lower than angels & gave us authority over all of the things in his creation for permanent possession.

And yet how many times do we complain because the sand is too hot. The water is too cold. The jellyfish are out or we're mad about all of the junk that we decided to bring to the beach when no one told us to carry it or bring it! 

And just like a day at the beach, how similar is that to our life story? What marvels do we miss because of where we're looking? –What things do we bring into our day because we think that we need them but they end up being a burden instead?

Just as we have authority over everything else that the Lord created, we [you and I] also are a part of what he has made. We have authority over ourselves, to change, to choose, to fix our eyes and/or thoughts…

We stand in the midst of blessing after blessing that He freely gives and lavishes on us. Yet our will and our vision, sometimes, keeps us from seeing them. We let the authority of something else skew our perspective or the power of feelings, even if they’re out of line, dictate our actions. What about Fear? How many things do we hand over to fear while remaining captive instead of pushing forward or through its barriers?

Yet ALL authority has been given to us...

Gosh, I feel like I could rattle on but I won’t. Consider this day that the Lord has made and given to you. What things take authority in your life? Is it people or tasks? Is there are habit or regret that you allow to shape your day, mostly because it has been there days before? What, in your life or in the spiritual realm, is waiting for you to take possession?

Photo credit: This is actually a snippet from a video by @Denise_Clare on Instagram

Bright Spots

So yelling at my kids has always been one of those things that really bothered me about my parenting. For some reason as the kids got older, I got louder. As if, their ears being bigger, meant they needed more to hear. You’ll see me nitpick that occasionally when I write.  (If you're starting to squirm a little relax, this is a good post. In fact, it could be life changing. Hang in there.) The funny thing is, it was one of those unpleasant things that I gave the power to isolate me or define me. -Wait, that's not funny at all. -It's not for you either!

Don’t get me wrong. It can be damaging and unhealthy. I get it. But there’s a lot of good that can come from it. Say…. If your child is running in front of a car or if they need to know they got your attention. But I see a lot of posts and mommy blogs and classes online about not yelling. I hear parents on the next isles over at the grocery store, trying to “whisper-yell” because we’re all in “public”.  Which leads me to believe that there are a lot of private yellers and TO any of us in that clique… you’re not alone. 

**God bless you quiet, patient, sweet, types is all that I can say.  You’re very encouraging and inspiring to the rest of us. -Even if some of us just can’t admit it yet.**

Thankfully, I can say that when I stopped trying to micromanage it or condemn myself about it, the yelling finally started to slow down in my life. (Hallelujah!) –Kind of like when your own mom advice comes ringing back in your ears. “Stop picking the scab, it will heal.” “Just leave it alone.”

That’s good, right?! ;) Surprisingly, it has a lot of healing power!

But yesterday, I had this epiphany while I was running.  If yelling was such a fear of mine, like people might only remember the loud things that I said…. Why not make sure that the things that I am going to yell are worth remembering. WHY NOT YELL THE GOOD STUFF LOUDER?!

So as I stroll back into my yard and see my husband sitting on the porch. I remember how much he has lovingly teased me about not crying when he proposed.  So I yell coming into the yard “IF YOU ASKED ME TO MARRY YOU AGAIN TODAY, I WOULD AND THIS TIME I MIGHT EVEN CRY!”  Never mind it’s 6:00am and he just woke up. (You’re welcome neighbor.)

When I get the kids up for school, I calmly ask them to get up but then YELL everything else (not immediately) within feet of their face throughout the morning. “YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE AN AMAZING DAY AT SCHOOL TODAY. YOU KNOW HOW I KNOW?!?! 

[wide eyed-blank stares back]

-BECAUSE YOU ARE SO AMAZING... THE DAY WON’T BE ABLE TO HANDLE YOU!  Then later I yelled about how awesomely they brush hair and how sparkly their teeth are and how they have the best kisses ever! GIMME SOME MORE!

After the initial shock, we were all giggling and they were yelling crazy good things back. Well, except for Colin, who had to go to work before they got up. –And who has probably just resolved himself to the fact that after 15 years of marriage he is never going to know who he will wake up with in the morning. (Oh the suspense of it!) HOW EXCITING!!!

It was a funny a little exercise. I thought about yelling at grocery store clerks and even maybe some of my co-workers. –Still only with ridiculous goodness. I giggled more at the thought of it. I CRACK MYSELF UP.  This might have to become a new regular practice. It is a genius idea after all. My test group mostly proved it.

The point is-

You might not be a yeller. Maybe you are… Who knows. Whether or not it’s yelling, we’ve all got a little something that we just can’t shake (YET).  Stop picking your boo-boo and leave it alone. How about today instead of worrying with your dark spot, just make sure your bright spots are BRIGHTER!

Picture Credit: http://romax.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Shout-Out.jpg