How can I make my spiritual experience the best it can be while I am fasting? - Day 11
Welcome to Day 11!! Over half way there!!
Technology has made everyday life easier in regards to communication, entertainment, and the way we find/store information. Just like groceries, the latest fashion, and the price tag of a new vehicle, our reliance and love for technology has come at a cost.
Today’s Topic
How can I make my spiritual experience the best it can be while I am fasting?
What a great question and an important topic to cover. And this question is closely related, yet very different, to another question below. To make your spiritual experience the best it can be, I recommend taking a break from the many diversions that compete for your attention.
Reliance is defined as the dependence on or trust in someone or something. Think of the last time you misplaced your phone and the feeling in the pit of your stomach that your reliance on this rectangular object created. Now think back to when you left your Bible behind on your way to church or forgot to read a daily devotion. Did the misplacing of this other rectangular object have the same effect on you?
One of the things technology has cost us is our ability to communicate with one another and with our Lord and Savior. We used to set aside time for friends and family to meet in person, share a moment, partake in a meal, give/receive advice, play a game, debate a topic, and enjoy each other’s company with little to no distraction. Now the vast majority of the population would rather scroll, binge watch, post, tweet, like, share, pin, tag, email, and blog rather than an in-person experience with someone else. If technology has cost us personal relationships with our fellow man, what has it cost us in regards to our relationship with our Heavenly Father?
2 Corinthians 6:14-18 (NKJV) says:
Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said:
“I will dwell in them, and walk among them.
I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”
Therefore“Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord.
Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.”
“I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters,
Says the Lord Almighty.”
God has called us to be different from the world and to “Come out from among them, and be separate.” You can come out from among them during this time of fasting by praying and worshiping the Lord God Almighty. Ultimately, God wants an intimate relationship with each and every one of his children. Fasting, praying, and worshiping are all key in your fasting experience and personal relationship with God.
Technology and entertainment can become a temple within us. A temple we rely on more than each other and our Heavenly Father. It can also tempt, distract, and lead us astray from God’s promise. Taking a break from social media, talk radio, television, and even from going to the movies or anything else that is your normal routine is a great way to eliminate distractions so that you can focus on the Lord.
One hymn that comes to mind when I feel the distractions of the world trying to consume all my attention is “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus:”
Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.
His Word shall not fail you, He promised; believe Him and all will be well; Then go to a world that is dying, His perfect salvation to tell!
Get your Bible out and spend time in the Word. Spend some time in worship. Spend time in prayer. We also have many resources to help you with your fast at jentezenfranklin.org such as blogs, devotionals, messages, and online courses.
In short, shift your focus. “Come out from among them, and be separate,” from your normal life, even from your friends, just for a season. Allow yourself time to press in but also allow yourself time to listen. Give the Lord permission to wake you up in the middle of the night or early in the morning, and when He does, even if it’s 3am, get out of bed and start praying and interceding, and listening. Make yourself fully available to the Lord for this season of fasting. Remember, reliance is defined as the dependence on or trust in someone or something. Let us use this time in fasting and prayer to put our “reliance” in Jesus Christ and His Word. If you put Jesus as the center of your life, make him what you rely on, you will make your spiritual experience the best it can be in this life.
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