Spiritual Disciplines

Soul Food: Feasting and Fasting

July 28, 2022 by Ellen 4 Comments

Fasting.

I have a love-hate relationship with it. Mostly hate, because, well, I live in the land of awesome food. South Louisiana: where fine food is revered, and there is no lack of good and tasty fare. Breakfast consists of donuts, beignets, french toast (Pain perdu), waffles with maple syrup or (heavens!) waffle bananas foster. If that carb overload isn’t enough, don’t forget the biscuits and gravy.

Lunch can be anything from fried shrimp poboy to muffuletta to good ole southern friend chicken. And dinner? Oh, such a feast! Slow barbecued ribs, drunken chicken, or seafood casserole with sides of anything white: rice, potato, etc. A beautiful caesar salad is the green veggie of choice.

But I digress. Or maybe it’s a sugar coma. Or carb overload. Where was I? Oh yeah, fasting. Sometimes it’s a necessary evil.

Many times, food gets a hold of me and takes over. It’s all I think about (in case you couldn’t tell). What’s for lunch, what’s for dinner. What restaurants will there be on our road trip? Perusing the aisles at Sam’s, there are various taste testing samples of choice bits of, well, anything!

Breaking this food idol is hard. Food is everywhere. We can’t do without it. Or can we?

OUR SUSTENANCE

“Moses was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did not eat food or drink water. He wrote the Ten Commandments, the words of the covenant, on the tablets.” Exodus 34:28 CSB

Moses was with God for forty days and nights. During that whole time, he didn’t eat or drink. Nada. Nothing.

The Lord God was his sustenance.

Sustenance, according to Merriam Webster, is food or provision, or something that gives support, endurance or strength.

When we fast^⁠1 (not if), God will provide all we need. Oftentimes, we see fasting as a famine. No food! Oh, nooooo! Rather that look at this spiritual discipline as a scarcity of food, we need to see it as a time of great abundance.

Fasting is not famine, it is feasting on Christ

The abundance comes when we feast on Jesus and His goodness. Fasting takes our focus off food, and puts it precisely where it needs to be: on Jesus. We remember all He has done in and for us. And we worship Jesus as Lord.

“While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Acts 13:2 ESV

FEEDING OUR SOULS

Fasting is not starving our body, it is feeding our soul. Fasting provides extra time with the Lord. Skipping lunch? Spend time with Jesus, in prayer or in the Word.

Often during a fast, we spend “meal time” doing something – anything – to keep our minds off food. Maybe watch tv or play a game on our phone. Whatever keeps us occupied and not thinking that we are deprived of food. But we are starving and depriving ourselves in a different way: Lack of Jesus. Let’s learn NOT to replace food with other things. When we fast, replace food with Jesus. He will fill our souls!

“O taste and see that the LORD is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!” Psalm 34:8 NASB

Recently, I had a “forced fast” due to some medical testing. When I reached the end of myself, and thought I could go no further without food, I turned to Jesus and His Word. He sustained me, supported me and gave me endurance and strength. I have a different mindset now about fasting.

How about you? Will you embrace fasting to feed your soul? Will you taste and see that the Lord is good?

Grace be with you,

Do you know Jesus?

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¹“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. Matthew 6:16 ESV

Are You A Sissie?

October 28, 2021 by Ellen 2 Comments

“Gittin’ Old Ain’t fer Sissies!”

The bumper sticker made me laugh out loud (or LOL, depending on your age). I had just celebrated my sixty-third birthday, and the aches and pains of mild arthritis, and a pinched nerve at C8, made me realize how true this statement is!

To combat the symptoms of aging, I’ve had to change my lifestyle, incorporating things that haven’t been regular habits:

Massage. For the overall aches, as well as arthritis, massage therapy has helped loosen my stiff and aching joints and muscles. I have loved incorporating this into my life! Love it! I can rationalize the expense, because it is a medical necessity!

Exercise. There. I said it. The “E” word. Did I mention I hate exercise? Especially in the heat of South Louisiana? I am currently using my Fitbit. I have fallen in love with this little encourager! It helps me track my exercise, and cheers for me when I reach my goals! It also reminds me to move each hour, which is huge for someone that sits and writes, or sits and reads, or well honestly, just loves to sit! With exercise, I have felt a difference in my energy level, and a lessening of the aches and pains. But did I mention I hate exercise? It’s HARD!

Chiropractor. Indeed, the chiropractic adjustments have helped my pinched nerve. But when the doctor takes my head and cranks it all the way around my neck, I feel like a possessed woman in a horror film. Not to mention wanting to scream. In the long run, my pain is relieved. The adjustment is terrifying and uncomfortable, but worth it.

By incorporating these practices into my life, I am seeing a decrease in my pain and an increase in endurance and flexibility. There is an overall improvement in my health. And, I just plain feel better!

In the same way, we need to discipline our spiritual lives.

“…discipline (train) yourself for the purpose of godliness.” 1 Timothy 4:7

Disciplining ourselves for godliness ain’t fer sissies either! Here are two spiritual disciplines that will start you on your journey:

READING THE BIBLE. One foundational practice is reading scripture. When you make it a habit to daily read God’s Word, you will be surprised to find new nuggets of truth jumping out at you like never before.

Believe it or not, there are many ways to read the scripture. You can use your own personal Bible, or a Bible app. You can choose one translation, or compare many translations. How about writing the passage you are reading? This will help commit it to memory. I also find it very helpful to read aloud, especially if I can’t seem to focus (or am half asleep!). By reading aloud I am better able to comprehend what the passage is saying.

Will you discipline yourself to make time for reading the Bible? We need Jesus every day, and the best way to find Him is through God’s Word. It may mean getting up earlier than normal. That’s hard for many people, and definitely not fer sissies! But God is faithful, and He will gently wake you each day, until it becomes second nature. Just ask Him and see!

FASTING. Then there’s the “chiropractic” of all spiritual disciplines: Fasting. I love food. All kinds. That’s why I fast a half day from time to time. Fasting is uncomfortable but it takes my mind off my food idol. It breaks the hold food has over me (hello, sugar! I’m kissing you goodbye today!). Praying for others while we fast stops our self focus in its tracks. Focusing on Christ puts our priorities in order. It reminds us of this: Jesus died on the cross for our sins. Let’s ponder this anew and dwell on it. Let’s hunger and thirst after Jesus.

Will you discipline yourself to fast? Will you fill your heart and mind with Christ, instead of filling your stomach?

Just as physical exercise strengthens our bodies, spiritual exercise strengthens our souls. We can run with endurance, rather than get tripped up by sin and self focus.

How’s your exercise program going?

Will you discipline yourself for godliness? Or are you a sissie?

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.” Hebrews 12:1 (NLT)

Grace be with you,

This post was originally published on 9-20-14.