21 Days of Prayer and Fasting

Day 19

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:1-2

As I approach the end of my fast, I am noticing the changes that have occurred.  I have denied foods that were a regular part of my diet.  What I anticipated was something that was more demanding on my body.  I was warned that this would shock my system in harsh ways.  However, apart from a few days early on in the fast, I have not experienced those elements.

What I have experienced is a greater clarity of thought, an increase in focus and attention, and an energy that sustains through most of the day.  I have slept better and felt better.  I have learned that many of the foods that were a regular part of my diet are not as necessary as I had thought. 

I have also learned that I am more conformed to the pattern of this world than I thought.  There is so much of this world that I just don’t need.  I am told I need it, even by well intentioned people, but I do not. 

I need God, and I need a relationship with God more than I need anything from God.  How often do I pray and ask for something that I think I need, when in reality I am asking God to give me something that would conform me into the pattern of the world.  Why would God ever give me that, when His desire is to transform me to be more like Jesus.  I need to be transformed more than anything else.  Part of that path of transformation is recognizing how much the world tells me what I need and how little of the world I do need.

The formal nature of this fast will end in a few more days, however the lessons I have learned, and this new patter of life will not end.  I do not want them to end.  I do not want to go back to how it was, I want this new level of dependence upon God and denial of self.  I want to reduce how the world conforms me and increase how the Spirit transforms me.

I am not sure what that may look like, but I know the direction I want to pursue.  My sacrifice is a denial of self.  My transformation is a dependence upon the Spirit.  In the process I am learning more of God’s will for my life.

Prayer: Father God, what I anticipated to be a difficult journey of denial and suffering has not occurred.  What has occurred is a new insight into how much I can sacrifice and how every sacrifice of something physical and worldly brings me closer to You and opens my spiritual eyes.  I ask You to continue to transform me, to continue the process of renewing of my mind.  I reject many of the things I thought I needed.  I embrace my need to know You more intimately.