day six

It is hard for me to believe that I haven't eaten in six days.  This is the longest I have gone on a fast.  I am blown away at the affects it has on me right now and on my future.  I have a greater respect for fasting and making a part of our Christian walk.  When I study fasting in the New Testament Jesus talks about it like he does with prayer and baptism.  Not "if" but "when" you fast...Jesus never said "if" about fasting.  Fasting is to be an essential element of our growth as disciples.  After six days I am starting to really figure out what it means to long for food.  I would not call it starvation by any means, but I could definitely shove some food down.  But I am not experiencing any physical concerns except hunger.  That is the most encouraging part of it for me right now.  Since my body has never experienced something like this I was a little worried about the side effects (if any) it would have on me physically.  I know about the mental and emotional side effects fasting would have and most importantly the spiritual side effects.

My prayer is that I will be wise in my decision making.  I was talking to someone today about the fast and they encouraged me to not do it just to "prove people wrong," but rather because God is continually giving you the strength to do it.  He told me that being a full time student is tough while doing a forty day fast after someone who had only fasted for 5 days prior to that.  Fasting is something that most people build into.  I will come off my fast if I continue for forty days the day before I depart for Greece for a week long missions trip.  We will be doing some heavy labor and construction in Greece for a missionary family right at the foot of Mount Olympus.  The physical aspect after coming off forty days does scare me some, but right now I am more than loving this period of no food and a whole lot of Jesus.  I will continue to be prayerful in my fast, and this time period.  I do not feel that God is calling me off of it any time soon.

I am finding out how much a fast can take out of your energy.  The evening is the toughest for me.  It is even tougher when my roommate makes pizza rolls in the microwave and the whole dorm room smells like pizza, but it's all good.  I do desire food, but I can honestly say that I desire God far more right now.  I am starving spiritually for more of Him.  I wish my brain could comprehend everything right now and store it forever, but I am shoving so much in that it is tough to remember everything long term.

It has been so nice lately outside and yesterday Jason and I went outside and through the softball on the field with another guy from the hall.  Jason and I are going to play on the intramural softball team that the hall formed.  We decided it would be good to start throwing a little before our first practice next saturday.  As we were outside though God really touched me.  I almost got the wind knocked out of me it was so powerful.  I saw a vision of the Holy Spirit moving on campus here at Liberty and it was violent, and very powerful.  He was baptizing people in the Spirit, and He was going through everyone's "closets" and doing a house cleaning.  He started to get all of the sin out of people's life and bring it to surface telling them to repent and turn away from these evil ways.  The vision only lasted a few minutes as I was looking over the dorms on the Hill on campus but I believe it is true.  I know an RA on the hill and we were talking the other day in one of my pastoral classes about the anointing of the Holy Spirit coming on his hall.  He didn't use to really believe in speaking in tongues as still being around today but he told me that it is hard to ignore the life changing that is occurring on their hall because of the baptism.

Books I read today:

The Revolutionary Communicator - Jedd Medefind, Erik Lokkesome

The Final Quest - Rick Joyner

Scripture I read today:

Acts 1-10

Isaiah 40-45

Romans 8

Verse of the day:

Romans 8:38-39