Now that the fast is over…

I woke up at 4am and couldn’t go back to sleep…..still feel like I’m floating after yesterday’s services, even though I’m sitting here at my desk at home.  I just don’t have words to describe all that God did with us during this season of prayer & fasting!

But I do have a few thoughts about what we should do next:

1.  Write it down.  If you didn’t keep a journal during the fast, I urge you to jot down your personal experience, while it’s still fresh in your mind.  Include any ‘impressions’ you received from the Lord, certainly any ‘directives’ that you heard from Him in prayer, any Scriptures that particularly spoke to you, and any answers to prayer that you received.

All of this was and is important, and in the weeks ahead you’ll find it helpful to look back, both for encouragement, and also, to keep you on track with what you heard.

2.  Expect to hear more.  As I shared several times during the fast, in my experience, most of the insights that I’ve received from fasting have come after the fast is over.  So I’m approaching my Bible reading and prayer times these next few weeks with an even greater anticipation that God will be speaking to me.  In fact, let’s not limit Him to those times that we focus on reading the Word or praying – I’ve found that He can speak to me throughout the day, sometimes when I would have least expected it.  So be sensitive & alert for His still, small voice!

3.  Walk in a new discipline.  All of us learned some valuable lessons about our flesh in these past 3 weeks.  As Jon Jones shared with us last night in Tinley Park, we probably were surprised to see just how much we let our bodies dictate to us.  But we broke that control through fasting.  Let’s be careful not to fall back into the same habits of an undisciplined lifestyle, eating anything we want, anytime we want – watching anything on TV, etc. You don’t have to do without food in order to discipline your flesh!  And the more we subject the flesh to our will, the more sensitive we can become to His voice.

4.  Enjoy your new health.  Most of us dropped some unnecessary pounds.  (I lost 20; I’ve heard from others who lost 30!) Last night I heard testimonies from people whose sugar levels dropped, whose blood pressure improved, and who report new levels of energy, etc.  That’s just one of the ‘fringe benefits’ of fasting.  So again, I encourage you to maintain your health by eating right, exercising consistently, drinking lots of water, and using our bodies as a Temple of the Holy Spirit, to accomplish God’s plan for us everyday.

Finally, come prepared this Wednesday to share YOUR testimony with other CLCers.  Our annual business meeting begins at 7:30pm and when it concludes we’re going to hear more stories from this season of prayer & fasting – so all of us can be encouraged about what God is doing!