Park pictures

While Josh was at his sock hop, I took Jonathan and Lily to the park. It was a perfect day, getting cooler, and leaves changing color. Fall is so pretty here in Belton!

Day 6 - Habits

After pouring my Ezequiel 4:9 Cereal, (yes, that is actually the name of the cereal, purchased at my local supermarket, one of the very few that qualifies for this fast, it tastes somewhat like grape nuts, and I think it's growing on me), I inadvertantly reached for the gallon of milk. As I went to pour, I gasped, put the cover back on, returned the gallon to the fridge, and grabbed my unsweetened almond milk. (After Sunday's slip up with 4 candy corns, where I completely forgot about the no sugar allowed until after they were consumed, I need to be paying more attention to what I am doing!)

Habits are hard to change. Maybe it's because after so long of repeating the same thing, we have convinced our mind it's the right way. Maybe it's because we have never seen it done any other way. Or maybe, we are just stubborn. Our life is really a compilation of habits, some good, some not so good. The way we eat, sleep, get dressed, brush our teeth, even the way we deal with our relationships. All habits. When Luis and I were first married, we had a clash of habits, and boy was it messy! When the things I really admired about Luis prior to marriage began to take up mutual residence after marriage, they somehow lost their glamour and glitter. I'm sure he would say the same, and maybe more.  When we both finally decided that change was necessary, and we were determined that nothing and no one was going to tear us apart, we had a life-changing shift in our mindsets and habits. It didn't happen all of a sudden, but it was a process that still, even after fifteen years of marriage, continues to evolve. Now, when I look at the picture in my mind's eye of my life, Luis is right there with me. That wasn't always the case. But each day, we both choose to see the other in our life's picture. We have to purposely set our minds on what is right. The Bible says in Proverbs 23:7, "As a man thinks in his heart, so he is". Consequently the first thing I have to get in submission to God and His purpose and plan for my life is my mind. So, for my habits to change for the better, I must to first change the mental picture that I study daily. I have to start seeing myself in that new, good habit, before my will and emotions can follow. Thankfully, it is not left up to me and my own feeble will-power to do so. We have the Holy Spirit, living on the inside of us, who continually fills us if we ask, and empowers us to change. Habits can be broken in our own strength if given enough consistancy and time. Habits that are brought into the submission of the power of the Holy Spirit working in and through us can be changed much quicker. Such good news for a weakling like me...I can find my strength in the One who is all powerful!

Day 5 - Alert

[For I always pray to] the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, that He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation [of insight into mysteries and secrets] in the [deep and intimate] knowledge of Him, By having the eyes of your heart flooded with light, so that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you, and how rich is His glorious inheritance in the saints (His set-apart ones), And [so that you can know and understand] what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His power in and for us who believe, as demonstrated in the working of His mighty strength, Which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His [own] right hand in the heavenly [places], Far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and every name that is named [above every title that can be conferred], not only in this age and in this world, but also in the age and the world which are to come. Ephesians 1:17-21 (AMP)

I made a comment to Luis last night about how clear my mind seemed after only 4 short days of this fast and meditating on the Lord and His word. I feel like my mind is alert, and sharp.  I feel great physically...strong and energetic...but the real difference is how I feel inside my spirit. Like everything has been heightened. When I read my Bible, the words feel like they pierce me greater than before. Maybe it's because I have a greater expectation for what the Lord is doing and will do. After all, expectation keeps our eyes focused and our ears tuned.  Whatever the explanation, I like the way I feel!

This scripture was in my reading today. I have been using the reading plan at Bible Gateway  for some time now. I love it because I can choose the version and even switch the language if I want. I usually read in the Amplified version as it does just what the name implies. In particular, my eyes caught the part of scripture that says,

 "He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation [of insight into mysteries and secrets] in the [deep and intimate] knowledge of Him."

How amazing is it that? We, as mortal men and women, can have spiritual insight to the mysteries and secrets of God. It's like a secret club with private access to God himself. How? Reading on, it says,

"By having the eyes of our heart flooded with light."

Flooded. Not just a flicker or a spark, but FLOODED with light. Being continually filled with the Holy Spirit, and the Word is how the eyes of our heart can be flooded with the light. Light that disperses all darkness and reveals all truth to us. When the eyes of our heart are flooded with light, darkness has no place to hide.

Then, the scripture goes on to give three results to having our hearts flooded with light.

1. You can know and understand the hope to which He has called you.
2. You can know how rich is His glorious inheritance in the saints.
3. [So that you can know and understand] what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His power in and for us who believe.

I love that God invites us to enter in to a deeper dimension with Him, but he doesn't just throw it out there. There is a cost...a price to pay. He desires us to seek Him and pursue Him daily. The more we seek Him, the more He reveals Himself to us, which makes us even more excited to seek Him at a deeper level. I am convinced that God is so awesome and powerful, so great that no matter how much we seek Him, there is no limit to how much we can know Him. And, if we continue to seek Him we will know Him more and more every day until He returns again.

Thank you, Lord, for revealing yourself to us as we seek you. Thank you for making us alert as we flood the eyes of our heart with your Spirit and your Word. Thank you for giving us a spirit of wisdom and revelation, so we can continue to know you deeper each day. 

Day 4-Heart Condition

"Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day's out. Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ's law. If you think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived.

Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don't be impressed with yourself. Don't compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life. Be very sure now, you who have been trained to a self-sufficient maturity, that you enter into a generous common life with those who have trained you, sharing all the good things that you have and experience. Don't be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds. All he'll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God's Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life." Galatians 6:1-8 (The Message)

Not only have we been given a physical heart that we must take care of, we have also been given a spiritual heart that requires just as much, if not more daily scrutiny and care. This fast, along with my walking, is oh so good for my heart in both realms. So many times in scripture God reminds us how he is much more interested in the condition of our spiritual heart than anything else. When the prophet Samuel arrived at Jesse's house, seeking to anoint the new king of Israel, he was reminded by God that the chosen one wasn't going to be who everyone would obviously pick by judging outward appearance. Time after time, Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for having a holy, righteous outward appearance, yet filthy, rotten, judgemental hearts.

Have you ever tried to drive straight while being distracted by something behind you? Where ever your eyes lead, the rest of you will follow. It's impossible to stay on our own path if our focus is on another. We all have been guilty of this at one time of another, but if we truly grab hold of this idea of staying focused on God and His path for us, what freedom!! It is so easy for us to take our eyes off of our own life, our goals, and our divine path, and compare our life to that of someone else. I am convinced that all the devil needs to do to render us ineffective is to just distracts us from our purpose and plan of God for our life. He doesn't have to make us fall into deep sin or renounce God, but just get us off course ever so slightly, and take our eye off the prize, which is running the race that God has set before for us!

I want my physical heart to become strong! Even more so, I want my spiritual heart to beat with passion and zeal for all that God has planned for my life, whatever that might be. My life will not look like anyone else's life. No one else will be as excited about my life and my purpose than me. The purpose and plan God has for my life can not be fulfilled by anyone else but me, and no one else's life will ever satisfy me more than my own. That, my friend, is real freedom!

I mailed in my contract to the Just Between Us editor today. I am not sure when my article, Slivers, will be published, but they will let me know. It is a Christian women's magazine that is published quarterly, so it could be a while. Even so, I am excited to have my first piece actually published in a magazine!