Breaking your fast

One of my first experiences with fasting for an extended time (beyond 24 hours) was during my Bible school days.  The president of our school had called the entire student body to a 3-day fast, with the cafeteria resuming service for the dinner meal on the third day.  (He also informed those of us who worked off-campus that we could break our fast that evening with dinner). So, along with some of my friends from work, I went to a Mexican buffet and ended my fast with 9 tacos! Needless to say, I spent the rest of the evening in the men’s room, and learned a valuable lesson in the process!

If you have observed the fast for the past 21 days with us, I would encourage you to go slowly as you resume eating tonight or tomorrow.  Especially if you have only taken water & juices, your digestive system has taken a long-needed rest, and to awaken it by eating large quantities or heavy foods (like the steak you’re craving) can result in nausea, cramping, and worse.  Besides, one of the ‘victories’ you’ve won in these past 3 weeks is showing your flesh that it does not dominate you, but that you can and did discipline your body…..so you don’t want to ‘blow’ that now, by indulging your flesh in everything it wants!

Here’s a couple of additional articles with several suggestions about the best way to break a fast – by Dr. Bill Bright and by Ron Lagerquist.

Don’t forget our “ENCOUNTER” service tonight at 6:00 pm!  Also, this Wednesday in Tinley Park, immediately following our annual Business meeting at 7:30pm, we’ll move into a time of sharing and hearing your testimonies from the fast – I’m already looking forward to that, and hope you’ll join us!