As of woman in faith, January is one of my favorite months!
Simply put in most church communities, it’s a time to fast. Churches across the globe will come together to pray, worship, and fast away to gain insight from God for the new year.
The church I attend falls in that percentile. As congregants, we come together and we individually select the fast we would like to partake.
I love being a part because I gain so much encouragement during the fast than me fasting alone. Now, don’t let me fool you.
I don’t enjoy giving up my comforts. (Like, crispy French fries, pizza, chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, and red wine. Which all sounds so good right now! )
This certain time is my favorite because I know the power of taking a break from things I pleasure to seek God.
You see, I learned early on in life how fasting can miraculously change things. As a teen in high school, I made the decision to fast for the very time.
At the time, my older sister had a need that back then I felt only God could meet. She was in college pursuing a music degree and desired to pass an exam that would allow her to teach music.
The situation was simple. My sister had a difficult time passing the exam. Each time she went to take the test, it would not only cost her money, but I believe her peace played a factor as well.
I felt for my sister and I knew how bad she wanted to be a teacher. I remember hearing about fasting from a sermon my father taught, so I decided to see if God was really real.
I didn’t fully understand how fasting work, but I wanted my sister to pass her exam. On a Saturday morning, I secretly prayed,
“God, I believe in you. Help my sister pass her exam. I will give up sweets until she passes.”
After praying, I thought about what I decided to give up: sweets. I completely forgot about the church’s bake sale that was on the same day!
I went on to the church’s event with a strong belief my sister would pass. I never mentioned to anyone what I was doing.
Though I felt a bit hurt declining the generous offers of sweet baked goodies from my church family, I carried on smiling.
I was confident God would help my sister to pass her exam.
And, she did pass!
Every since then, any time where I’ve chosen to fast, God always blows my mind with answered prayers, vision and wisdom on how I should move forward in my spiritual journey.
If you have never been a part of a fast, I pray you will seek God today to show you how to fast. I am believing when you pray God will show you the steps to take and He will place you in community to help strengthen you on your new journey.
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Fast Nuggets!
Get empowered! Read The Story of Daniel’s Fast (Daniel Chapter 1)
Be intentional! Remember this time isn’t simply about pushing away the things we enjoy. We must seek God through prayer and reading His word.
Writer: BG
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