It Might be a Sausage

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all things for good, assumptions, bananas, labels, sausages

                                     It Might be a Sausage

For those of you who know my family well you will not be surprised by the fact that as I was searching through my freezer last week I came across a bag of, well, let’s say, “unique, unlabeled weirdness”. My youngest son and I could not imagine what these items were, so we finally settled on the notion that they must be sausages. After all, they were gray, oblong, individually wrapped with care, no label anywhere, so (we decided) it must be my husband’s doing. If my husband cared enough to save it, that means it had to be meat. So, we deduced that these weird items must be sausages. I somehow recalled that my sweet man had come home with some kind of leftovers after a men’s meeting one night, so my son and I determined…this must be it. These sausages looked gross to us, but I knew my husband would be so excited. After all, how many times do you open a freezer and have sausages that you had forgotten were even there?

A few hours passed and my husband came home for lunch. I, of course, asked him about these sausages. He examined them and became quite excited. He couldn’t remember any sausages, but wow! He was not going to let that stop him from the enjoyment. He proceeded to take one to his office to microwave for a snack later. Let me tell you there was a bounce in his step as he went on his way!

I received a text just a few, short minutes later (his office is quite close) that read, “NOT sausages (frowny face) frozen bananas.” Yes, you read correctly, the offending “sausages” that had not been labeled were actually my cherished, frozen bananas. At one time I had big plans for these bananas, but alas… I thought they were sausages.

My husband was sorely disappointed, but I was left laughing my head off and then, well, I was convicted. It made me think about how many times I have mislabeled things in my life. I have often looked at a gift from God and labeled it as a “sausage” when in reality it was a beautiful banana. I have often taken the talents that God has instilled in me and refused to look at them as He desires. I view them as worthless and meant for someone else when in reality it is my heart’s desire with a different look than I expected. I have often looked at my gifts as an offense when God sees the beautiful plan He has designed for just that ability.

I was also convicted because I have often caught myself looking at other people’s “bananas” with longing, but labeling my own gift as a sausage. I see their talents as beautiful, yellow, perfectly ripe bananas, but look at my own as a grayish, unappealing, unrecognizable concoction. I need to be reminded that I Corinthians 12:4 – 6 says, “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. And there are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons.” These verses tell me that no matter the gifts, we all have the same Lord. That’s what matters, our God. He is the One that sees us through, not our gifts.

Remembering this makes me unconcerned about someone else’s gift and not ashamed of my own because I know God is my God just as He is their God. My face is continually looking to Him and when His hand moves, or His voice speaks, I am enthralled because He is my all in all. I don’t see bananas, or sausages because my eyes are filled with Him. The psalmist says in Psalm 27:8, “When Thou didst say, ‘Seek My face,’ my heart said to Thee, ‘Thy face, O LORD, I shall seek.’” That needs to be us. That needs to be our focus…God alone; not whether or not our gifts look the same as someone else’s.

I was convicted in another way when I began to think about how often I have labeled experiences that God has given me as “sausages”. In reality, these experiences were in God’s plan to nourish me and to make me become a healthier person spiritually speaking. Sometimes, I have taken God’s beautiful banana and frozen it with my bitterness so that it turned into something gray, gross and distorted. Instead of remembering that “His ways are not my ways and His thoughts are not my thoughts” as Isaiah 55:8 says, I deemed His ways as hurtful, unhealthy and not for my good. In reality though, He was molding me and shaping me into His beautiful likeness.

Hebrews 12:1 tells us to “…lay aside every encumbrance [think sausage] and the sin which so easily entangles us [think comparisons] and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith…” This verse tells us clearly to lay everything down, get on with our Christian race and fix our eyes on Jesus. He’s at the finish line and He’s with us every step of the way. What a beautiful Savior! When are eyes are fixed on Jesus, whether He chooses our gifts to be sausages, or bananas we are thankful because we know He can be trusted. If He chooses our talents to be meaty, or a little fruity, it’s okay because we are not fixated on the gift, we are fixated on Him.

Let’s encourage each other today to re-examine the labels that we have place on things in our lives. Let’s re-examine the labels we have place on ourselves, our talents and our experiences. What you have deemed a “sausage” might be a banana after all. It might be the very thing that God has bestowed on you to reach this generation. So, fix your eyes on Jesus, unthaw your gift and finish your race.

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Stop the “Selfies”

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camera, inward focus, outward focus, selfies, selfishness

                                  

                               Stop the Selfies

I don’t know if you agree, but the “selfie” is here to stay. You know, the craze where everyone turns the camera on themselves and “snap” takes picture after picture. We see them smiling, taking a bite of food, with a sultry look, tongue sticking out, a slight grin, etc. etc. etc. Whatever look their faces can make, we have seen it.

I thought at first that the fad would die down after a time, but it just keeps gaining momentum. I’m not sure why I thought this. After all, when I was younger, my friends and I took picture after picture of each other. The only difference was that we didn’t have the technology to take the picture ourselves. In fact, we had to wait until the film was developed to even know if our friend had taken a good picture. Gasp! How archaic! We would then have to decide how to share these pictures without seeming like we were bragging. For instance, we would have an entire mini-album of pictures dedicated to ourselves (that’s a “first generation selfie”) and “accidentally” set it on the lunchroom table while getting something from our book bag, or purse. We would pray that one of our friends would start looking at it and when our prayers were answered, we would then act all embarrassed and shy. It took a lot of strategy to get your favorite guy to see the few pictures that turned out really well. “Selfies” are not just of this generation, believe me.

As Christians, we must be aware of the “selfie”. I’m not talking about taking a picture of yourself. I’m talking about the mentality of the focus always being on ourselves and not others. II Timothy 3:1-2 says, “But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant…”

This Scripture is a clear warning for us and yet, we love ourselves, do we not? That’s why it is so hard to die to our flesh as the Bible commands. We don’t even like to sing the real words to the song “At the Cross.” In the original version, this song says, “…would He devote that sacred head for such a worm as I.” In today’s version we sing: “…would He devote that sacred head for sinners such as I.” We won’t even call ourselves a worm anymore. We don’t like that “selfie”, so we photo shop that image into one we like better. After all, we are all sinners, but a worm? No, thank you.

Jesus says in Matthew 16:24-25, “… ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life for My sake shall find it.” Self-preservation says that this teaching of Jesus cannot be right. Self-preservation says that we must protect ourselves in order to survive. It’s becoming more apparent though that if we keep listening to ourselves, we will miss the calling that God has on our lives. We are not called to be focused on self. We are called to be about our Father’s business.

So, how do we counter the culture of the “selfie”? How do we counter our own tendencies of self-preservation? How do we see others instead of ourselves? These are really good questions with a really simple answer: We simply turn the camera around. We stop with the “selfies” and get on with our calling, to win the world for Christ. Jesus says in John 4:35 that the fields are white unto harvest. He tells us to “lift up our eyes and look at the fields”. We must allow Him to change our focus. We must pray for His eyes to see. When we are taking a “selfie”, all we can see is our own image on the screen. When we turn the camera around, we see a whole different landscape. We see the world around us.

In Luke 9, we see the disciples of Jesus taking a “selfie”. They were hungry and they decided that the crowds’ hunger was less important than their own. They wanted the crowd gone so that Jesus could take care of their needs. Their “camera” was focused on self. Jesus countered their mindset by sending them into the crowd. He had them to speak to the people and see the true need. He wanted their focus off of self and onto the people. The disciples were perplexed, but obedient.

What did they see? As they began to walk among the people, they saw people who were truly hungry. They saw rich people and poor people all in the same predicament with no way to provide for their own need. They saw people with no way to feed themselves and eventually, they saw a miracle. Without seeing the need, they would not have been able to see the miracle. How many miracles have we missed simply because we could not see the need? How many wonders has Jesus worked all around us, but we could not see because we were focused on ourselves?

Jesus could have easily said to the boy with five loaves and two fish to come up front. After all, He knew who had what. He could have simply made bread from a rock, or had food dropped from heaven. I believe though that He wanted the disciples in the crowd, among the needs of the people so they could see something other than themselves. He wanted them to identify with the hunger of the crowd. Did the disciples need food? Yes, they did, but they also needed to identify with the famished people. They needed to turn their “camera” to the crowd and off of themselves.

Do we have needs? Yes, we do. Do we have dreams and ambitions that God placed within us for His plan to be accomplished? Yes, but we need to turn the camera off of ourselves and focus on Jesus and the hurting, hungry crowd around us that He has called us to serve.

Matthew 9:35-37 tells us, “And Jesus was going about all the cities and the villages, teaching in their synagogue, and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of sickness. And seeing the multitudes, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and downcast like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.’” He was telling them to look around and see the needs. He saw the multitude and He was asking them to do the same. He was telling them to change their focus to a world without direction. He was telling them to get out into the crowd and stop taking “selfies”.

Maybe the reason why we take so many “selfies” is so that we won’t see the need. I get that. Sometimes, the needs are so great that we are overwhelmed. But, our God is a God of miracles. Our God is a God who takes our puny lunch of five loaves and two fish (that He provided) and turns it into not just enough, but more than enough. We have got to be vulnerable enough to see the need so that we will be able to see the miracle. Will we be overwhelmed? Yes, but then we can stop relying on self and rely on our God, the only true Provider.

O, God, help us to see the needs of the multitudes. Help us to truly see the lack of ability that the crowds have to help themselves. Help us to have Your heart for the people. Help us to not be lovers of self, but lovers of You and Your calling on our lives to reach the world. In Jesus’ Name…

 

You are welcome to checkout my webite at: Seeking Hearts Ministries

Mourning a Friend

Tags

choices, hope, joy, mourning, weeping

                                        Mourning a Friend

I saw a friend slit her own throat today. Not physically, but spiritually speaking. You might think I’m being dramatic, but I’m not. That is truly what happened. I have a dear friend who had some choices to make. They were hard choices, I admit; choices that required a trust in God beyond the superficial. Choices that were life defining. She chose to leave God behind. There are very few times in my life that I have known the will of God for someone else, but I did for her. I knew it in the marrow of my bones. I prayed with her and for her. I gave her Scriptures. I let her talk everything out and she simply walked away from God. The many blessings that she has been given she chose to think she accomplished for herself. The encounters with God that she has had, she viewed as her due. At times, I wanted to scream at her, “When did God fail you?” But, I did not. I knew at that point it was no use. I was left watching her back as she walked away knowing that her choice was the poorest one that she could have possibly made.

My heart is so heavy for her. I feel as if I am in mourning. No, I am in mourning. She chose her own spiritual death today. What do you do with something like that? When my husband drew me into a hug later that day, I told him my very soul was hurting. There was no other description.

I went to sleep in exhaustion only to wake up still grieving. I still hurt for my sister and she is blissfully unaware. She truly believes that her choice was okay. I tremble for the direction that her life has taken, but she seems to have no fear. On days like this, I feel alone. I know it’s not true, but the feeling is there. In 1 Kings 19, Elijah had these same feelings. Verse 10 says, “…I have been zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Thy covenant, torn down Thine altars and killed Thy prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”

God answered Elijah starting in verse 11, “So He said, ‘Go forth, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.’ And behold, the Lord was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind. And after that the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing. And it came about when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold a voice came to him…”

That’s what I’m waiting for. I am waiting to hear my Father’s voice. I feel the gentle blowing beginning and I am straining to hear His voice. I need to be reminded by God Himself that He is my hope and that He is my help. I need to be reminded that when my face is turned towards Him, I am revived. When my face is looking at His face, I can remember that My God specializes in restorations and that becomes my focus. I need to be reminded today that God is a God of resurrections. In fact, it’s His specialty.

Luke 7 relates to us the story of Jesus encountering a widow mourning the death of her only son. Verse 13 tells us that He felt compassion for her and said to her, “Do not weep.” He then touched the coffin and the funeral procession stopped. Jesus spoke to the dead son and said, “Young man, I say to you, arise!” Verse 15 says, “And the dead man sat up, and began to speak…”

God can still bring the dead to life today. Hebrews 13:5 assures us that He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He is the same Miracle-Worker today as He was in the book of Luke. He is the same Resurrection and the Life as He was in John 11:25. Our God is the Great Resurrection!

That’s what I’m praying for. I’m praying for resurrection in my own life, but I’m also praying for resurrection in my friend’s life. Hope is never gone until the grave. Hope is never gone until the grave. Hope is never gone until the grave. So, I’m choosing to stop mourning through the power of Christ in me. I’m choosing to hope. I’m choosing to believe Psalm 71:5. “For Thou art my hope; O LORD GOD, Thou art my confidence from my youth.”

I’m choosing to believe Psalm 38:15. “For I hope in Thee, O LORD; Thou wilt answer, O LORD my God.”

I’m choosing to believe Psalm 30:11. “Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing; Thou hast loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness.”

I’m choosing to remember Lamentations 3:22-26. “The LORD’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Thy faithfulness. ‘The LORD is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘Therefore have hope in Him.’ The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the person who seeks Him. It is good that he waits silently for the salvation of the LORD.”

I’m choosing to go to God and His Word and receive the resurrection that He has promised. I’m choosing to believe Romans 15:13 where God is called the God of hope. “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of The Holy Spirit.”

I’m choosing the “now” of Romans 15:13 and I’m choosing the power of The Spirit. I’m choosing the God of hope. I’m choosing to believe in His resurrection. I’m choosing to believe that God can raise the dead, dry bones once again as He did in Ezekiel’s day and I’m choosing to believe what Psalm 30:3 says.  “…Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”

I’m Called to Fast…Now What?

                          I’m Called to Fast… Now What? 

  Sometimes, the most confusing thing about fasting is which one we are called to partake in. There are many types of fasts and I will try to explain a few of them as simply as I know how. As you read through, God will draw you to the fast in which He is calling you. Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you. Our flesh will always tell us it’s impossible, so try to hear His voice clearly.

  A complete fast is a fast from everything, including water. I feel that you must talk with your doctor about this fast before you take part. This is extreme deprivation that I believe should be monitored closely by a loved one. I personally have not been called to this fast as of yet, but my husband has. In fact, he broke his fast by taking The Lord’s Supper. How awesome would that be? He said that it was an incredible experience. I’m not discouraging you from this type of fast. I just want you to be wise.

  Another form of fasting is a complete fast from food and any liquid besides water. Again, I think this is an extreme fast and should be monitored closely. You are not allowing your body anything but water. I feel that a loved one should be informed, so they can care for you if your body reacts poorly. Once again, be wise.

  A juice fast is another type of fast. In this fast, you drink only liquids that are pure fruit and, or vegetable juice. Water, of course is vital in conjunction with juices. Water is vital in every fast unless you are called to take part in a “complete fast” as mentioned above. Water removes toxins and helps our bodies to function properly. As you can imagine, flushing our kidneys and bladder is crucial. If you are addicted to caffeine, or sugar, water helps headaches and other symptoms leave quicker than they would otherwise.

  The Daniel Fast is probably the fast that is most familiar to many of us. This fast is varied depending on who you talk to, but for the most part you eat only the food that comes from plants and drink only water. Fruit juice is between you and God, as is plant based sweeteners. My family and I did not choose sweeteners due to Daniel making reference that he did not eat anything sweet. One can make the argument that raisins in oatmeal are a natural sweetener, so again, it is between you and God. Before you allow certain items though, ask yourself why you are allowing it. If your motivation is to “get away with something”, to “outsmart” the system, or something in that vein, realize that you are giving self an opportunity to reign. We are dying to self through fasting, so pray and ask God to reveal your heart.

  As you must realize by now, the Daniel Fast is actually stricter than veganism. So, you will have no meat, no additives, no artificial flavorings, no unnatural preservatives, no processed foods, no fried foods or solid fats, no sweets or sweeteners, no yeast or leavening of any kind, no caffeine or other stimulants, and no dairy products.

  You can have fruits, vegetables, whole grains, seeds, healthy oils (think olive and grape seed) and herbs. Salt, pepper, legumes, nuts and combinations of the above are also allowed.

   I have many recipes to help in planning for a Daniel Fast. Some people have issues with recipes and feel that food should be only in its “natural state” while fasting. Again, that is between you and God. Remember, God calls each person to different things at different times. Every Christian’s journey is set apart for a specific assignment, so everyone’s training will look different. Allow for God to speak to each individual as He directs without condemnation. Romans 14 and 15 are my favorite chapters relating to this. I encourage you to study them.

  My family also chose not to partake in modified products that simulate dairy. We did not get almond milk, soy cheese, or egg replacements. We strongly felt that we would just be going “healthy” instead of fasting. I personally realized as well that I would be trying to “outsmart” the system. I needed to allow God to reign, not my flesh. Again though, that is between you and God. You will be surprised when you start reading labels what you are allowed to eat on the Daniel Fast. Focus on what you can eat, not what you cannot.

  There are also modifications of any fast. For example, one season I felt called to partake in a Daniel Fast for ten days. During those days, our church had two fellowship meals. Instead of putting off the fast that I knew God wanted me to partake in, I asked Him what to do about these times. He was so sweet. He guided me directly on what I should do. I went to the meals and was told in my spirit exactly what I was allowed to eat and what I was not. No one knew but God, my husband and I and it was a precious time of communion. At one such meal, I even had a brownie. A sweet friend had made a new type of dessert and was watching to see who would like it. I knew that I had to eat that brownie, or really hurt a Christian sister. The brownie was really good and I wanted another, but that was going beyond what I was being allowed to do, so I stopped at one and got to truthfully tell her how delicious it was while staying in obedience to my Father. After those meals, I went right back to my regular fasting allowances. It was a beautiful learning time for me. It was about grace and not legalism.

  It is best if we can set aside whatever period of time God is calling us to fast, but sometimes that is not feasible. Large chunks of fasting is amazing times of renewal and sanctification, but there are seasons when a large chunk of time is not possible. In those times, I mark my calendar with the days I can fast for the amount of time that God is leading me to. For example, say I am called to a 21-day Daniel Fast, but during the period of time I believe God is calling me, I have children’s birthdays, a family get together, a church-wide barbeque, and a wedding. What do I do? I lay out my calendar and mark the days I can fast until it reaches the number of days God has called me to. If I pray and feel that this meets God’s approval, I go ahead. If not, I ask Him to show me a better way and He does. Does that make sense? It’s a heart issue, not a legalistic box to check.

  Keep in mind, when partaking in any fast, you might want to reduce your normal physical activity until you know what your body can handle. Fasting is not a weight loss program; it is a spiritual journey. So, the normal miles you run, or weights you lift might have to be put on hold for a time. Remember, First Timothy 4:8 says, “For bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”

  So, now that you know which fast God is calling you to, how long do you do it? Again, that is between you and God. There are 100 day, 40 day, 21 day, 10 day, 7 day, 3 day and 1 day fasts. There are fasts from a particular meal for a certain number of days. There are fasts from a particular food group. There are literally hundreds of ways for you to fast.

  I know you want me to give you specific instructions, but I simply in good conscience cannot. It is TOTALLY between you and God. He will tell you. Trust Him. He will guide you. Relax. The only wrong way to fast is knowingly disobeying the Spirit’s prompting. Go for it and remember First Thessalonians 5:24:“Faithful is He who calls you, and He will also bring it to pass.”

  Now that you are called to fast and have narrowed down the type of fast that God has in mind for you, here are a few tips.

  The number one “tip” on fasting is to be prepared as much as possible. The last thing you want to do is to focus on anything other than your spiritual walk. So, prepare as much as possible before you begin.

  A great help to you on your fasting journey will be WATER! I know I mentioned it before, but water is essential unless you are on a complete fast. The more water you drink, the quicker the toxins will leave your body. When this happens, headaches are less frequent. The more water you drink, the better you will feel. I realize that fasting is not about feeling good, but when you can focus on God without massive headaches, all the better.

  Remove all items from your home that you are not allowing on your fast. This is difficult if you are not single, or no one else in your home is called to fast at this time. At least have a cabinet, or a refrigerator shelf that is yours alone. If your whole family is fasting, box up what you will not be using and store it away, or consider giving the unopened items to a local food bank. Remember, Isaiah 58 talks about sharing our food with the hungry while fasting.

  If your family is not fasting with you, talk to them and explain what is happening so that they can help you, pray for you, cheer you on and understand why you might need a little space at times (for crabbiness or getting away from temptation).My family has always been super sweet and understanding, even when they aren’t getting their favorites at suppertime for a while.

  I also recommend if you will still be making the meals for your family while fasting that you buy as much convenience food as possible. I always felt guilty about this because the rest of my family ate barely nutritious food during these periods, but they loved it. Frozen pizzas, corndogs, fish sticks, sandwich meat…that kind of thing. Sometimes, this isn’t possible, but if you can purchase things ahead of time that they love to eat and can maybe even fix themselves, all the better. But, be sure to not purchase your favorites. I love pizza rolls, so I do not purchase those. I also love chicken rings and French Fries so, if possible, they are not around during times of fasting. I do not like a certain brand of frozen pizza that my kids love. So, of course, that’s the kind I buy for them. By the end of a rather long fast, even the smell of those pizzas were tempting. So, be prepared to be desirous of unexpected things as well as the usual.

  If your conscience just won’t allow you to serve your family junk, consider having meals prepared in the freezer ahead of time. Portion them out in such a way that when unthawed there is just enough for them. That way you won’t convince yourself that you “need” to eat the leftovers.

  Obviously, also have everything you need for your fast bought and stored beforehand as much as possible. If you are on the Daniel Fast for a long period of time, you will clearly have to go to the grocery for more fresh produce, but other than that, try to have everything on hand so that you will not have to go into the great place of temptation called the grocery store.

  If you are on a juice only fast, do not forget vegetable juices as well as fruit juice. Your body needs nutrition, so be wise. I do not like vegetable juice, but I make myself find something that I can stomach so that I can still function. The goal is not to end up sick in bed shaking from being weak, it is to hear God’s voice more clearly.

  Cut out as many social engagements as possible (that revolve around food). Don’t be a recluse, but try to reschedule lunch dates with friends for another time. Or, change the date to a manicure (or the gun range) instead of being centered on food.

   Another way to prepare for your fast is to have a devotional plan in place. Be flexible about this; God will show you what He wants to teach you, but it is good to start with something. Several devotionals are out there specifically that are geared toward fasting. Others are good, general Bible studies. Ask God to show you what He would have you to do. Obviously, you can read a portion of Scripture at each mealtime and ask the Lord to reveal to you what He wants you to see. Write down what He tells you. You can also pray back to Him the portions of Scripture you read. You can do a combination of the suggestions above; whatever you decide with the Spirit’s prompting is the right thing to do. Don’t panic if you are unsure, just have something on hand to begin and the Lord will show you the rest.

  Another way to prepare for your fast is to compile a “distraction” list. When temptation is not allowing you to concentrate on anything but food, or a certain un-allowed beverage, go to this prepared list. On my “distraction” list I have things like singing, playing the piano, sitting outside, taking a walk, watching a movie, reading, scrapbooking, playing a board game, taking a bath (or a long shower), throwing darts, doing my nails, rearranging a closet, etc. The longer the list, the better. Why? Sometimes, you cannot be distracted by one thing, so you move to the next. Sometimes, I can read while fasting, other times it makes me want food more. In that case, I need another option.

  Personally, I cannot watch “live” TV while fasting. I was shocked at how many food commercials there are, especially during a football game and I certainly cannot watch a TV channel totally dedicated to food while fasting. I also have trouble on Pinterest. There is so much good food! I can log in and search other areas, but cannot look at my normal wall. Sad, I know, but I’m just being honest. You might think you don’t need to have a “distraction list”.  You might think that you will be able to remember things that will help, but honestly, some days I am just not able to concentrate, so I need the list. Be safe and do the same. If you don’t need it, all the better, but if you do, it’s there. God is our help, but He gives us wisdom to face temptation logically as well.

  You will also need an arsenal of Scripture. Have a list handy for when temptation strikes, but also for continual motivation. Some verses that I have found helpful are Job 23:12, Psalm 101:3, Philippians 4:13 and Isaiah 58:6-14. I’m in the process of writing a series of devotionals to help during a fast, but Susan Gregory, One Cry and others have resources available now.

 These are just a few tips that have helped me on my journey. I pray that you are not feeling overwhelmed, but excited for the calling that God has placed over you. God’s Holy Spirit will sustain you in ways you never imagined. He will be your strength and you will never regret any journey that takes you closer to hearing His voice.