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Trisha Keehn

Writer

Trisha Keehn is a creative writer fueled by a lifetime of faith. She is part of the Life.Church and YouVersion Bible App creative writing team, and uses her broadcast news background to help companies choose their words wisely. Trisha is a wife, mom, coffee connoisseur, lover of libraries, and a savvy traveler.

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Healthy Doesn’t Mean Whole

I like the way I feel when I’m eating right and exercising. I feel so alive, I feel healthy! But have you ever considered that being healthy on the outside doesn’t mean you’re whole on the inside?

“Do you want to be made whole?” Jesus asked this very question to the the people at the Pool of Bethesda. Have you ever wondered why Jesus asked this question to a man who had suffered his affliction for thirty-eight years?

Perhaps the question was about more than just physical healing. I think what Jesus was actually asking was, “Do you want to be complete? Do you really know what wholeness will mean, and the responsibility it will bring?”

Yes, God is our Healer but His desire is for us to be whole – body, soul and spirit. Along with needing physical healing, many of us have emotional brokenness and spiritual issues that prevent us from living in the fullness of God’s blessing. As humans, we tend to focus on and react more to the things that are going on around us but pay little attention to what is going on inside us.

When something is broken, it doesn’t function properly and when you are broken on the inside, you are much more vulnerable. Wholeness comes when you are willing to take on the responsibility to change on the inside and deal with the attitudes and mindsets that can hold you back from living a blessed life.

“The strong spirit of a man sustains him in bodily pain or trouble, but a weak and broken spirit who can raise up or bear?” Proverbs 18:14

How is your spirit? Are you hiding brokenness that you are too ashamed or overwhelmed to deal with? Do you want to be made whole?

Father, there is no limit to the wholeness you bring. Help me find the courage of faith to trust You with the areas of my inner life that need renewing so I can live a life of wholeness.

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Encouraged In The Storms of Life

Over the last few months, I’ve been facing an increase in trials, and at the same time, receiving some divine appointments. Is it strange to same I’m encouraged in it? My pastor once said, “Don’t be scared when you face opposition or trials, be scared when you’re not.”   The devil wouldn’t be causing such a stir if we weren’t a threat to him. The closer we get to Christ, the hotter the devil turns up the heat.
“More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”  Romans 5:3-5
God allows these trials to strengthen our confidence in Him, as it provokes a walk in obedience to His word, so that, He can wean milk-drinkers off baby food and train them how to eat the meat of His word and be strengthened from the inside out by His Spirit.
I think sometimes when we find ourselves in a ‘situation’ and feel the heat, our natural inclination is to back out of it thinking we must have made a mistake, ‘for the favor of God doesn’t seem to be upon us’. But if we only understood the painful process Paul is referring to, I think we may press into the heat when everything of us wants to pull back. This is how God refines us by fire.
The confidence in what we cannot see should be a little uncomfortable at times; being stretched is how we grow. Following Christ is an unnatural transformation, from self-loving to sacrifice, from selfishness to serving others. Jesus tells us to ‘count the cost’ before deciding whether or not we want to follow Him.
What I’m experiencing is how to love God and love others with a drastically different, and unnatural, sacrificing love. It’s been a process. What I’m learning is how to ask God for hard things, expecting the hurricanes from hell to come wreaking havoc in what I claim as my life. However, the important part in these storms is this: that I’m not looking around for the quickest escape route. My trust is in God as we weather out the storms together.
God, never do I need you more than in the midst of these trials that toy with every emotion in me. My heart is deeply grieved, my joy saddened. This isn’t easy, sometimes seems not even fair. But I know you have something even deeper you’re working for your glory out of this. So I will choose to rejoice in this suffering, that your glory would triumph and be made known. You are victorious my King, and I claim your victory over any tribulation in my life. Amen.
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Love Actually

Love is a verb, an action, not a word. Love motivates us to do the ‘impossible’. Love operates in supernova strength; love can move mountains.

Love requires sacrifice. The value of something is determined by how much someone is willing to give up for it. The worth of a piece of wood is only as valuable as the sacrifice.

Love can be freely given, but is not cheap. The more we pay for it, the more we invest in greater care and protection over it.

Wherever you spend most of your time, thoughts, energy, is where your love is. Sometimes our love for something, someone is ‘unseen’ and we fool ourselves into determining its worth by what the world sees.

Love is death… to every will in our flesh. Love is crucifying everything else that tries to throne itself in the only place love should be. Love is concerning, it cares… about all the little things, not just the big stuff. Love actually, is Jesus, who didn’t care about appearances, or riches, or tomorrow. Love actually, is God who cares about even the hairs on your head. Love is His Truth, which testifies to the greatest commandment of all, love for Him. To love God is to know Him, trust Him, desire Him, follow Him, to want nothing more than Him. Love is higher than hope, peace or joy; it goes beyond the bad times and sees only His good. Love is steadfast, everlasting, ever present… never-ending, never escaping, never withering. Love actually, cares for the hearts of God’s people and presses in, it embraces when the circumstance hurts beyond what we can bear. Love is self-sacrificing and walks in complete abandonment to the world, it’s worries, it’s demands, it’s temptations to give up this sacrifice because ‘you can have what you need right now’ (Matthew 4).

My Jesus, you are the Love of my life… may I love how you love. My flesh fails miserably at grasping the fullness of your love, God. May you give me this desire of my heart, that your love radiate a portrait of your steadfast, sacrificing, never-ending love for you and for others. In my weakness to love, may your love prove to be all that I cannot. Amen.

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Awakened to the Love of Jesus Christ

I am lovesick. I sit here in the stillness of the morning and my heart is sustained by my Healer. He revives me in the dawn as His breath blows a fresh air into these lungs. The Spirit of God quickens my life, empowering and invigorating me to do in Jesus’ Name what cannot be done by human flesh and blood alone. I can taste His sweet Spirit in the gentle breezes.

When I’m weak and defeated, God infuses a strength wholly beyond me. He puts iron in a weary and worn out soul. The fire of Christ is in my bones. I ask Him to pour out His Spirit on me in ways that exceed what He’s done in the past and vastly glorify His Name. He is forever faithful to His Word and I desire nothing more than to bring glory to Christ, to be used by Him to extend the outreach of His powerful hand, and to serve in His merciful Name.

I deliberately enter into a fresh season and invite Jesus to do something brand new in me and thank Him in advance for what He has planned. His ways are always right. Always fitting. I am filled with a childlike enthusiasm. Without having a clue what is ahead, I can have unshakable confidence that God will be good to me. He holds me securely in the palm of His hand.

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Building Faith For The Future

Sometimes our circumstances can cause anxiety but what I’m here to remind you is that despite the outward situation, our good and loving Father will always bring something better out from the ruins that gives all glory back to God for something so marvelous. Most of the time, His work is being done in us during the ‘wait’ for a physical condition to change. This time of patience and trust in Him builds a faith for the future.

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? (Matthew 6:25)

It scares us to lose these necessities, but honestly, most of us don’t consume the basics of these needs. We buy into the pleasures of food and clothing and what frightens us most about losing them is that we would lose some human praise or admiring glances if we didn’t have nice clothes and that our taste buds would miss the rich flavor of certain foods.

And to this Jesus responds: If you are gripped by anxiety over these things, you have lost sight of the greatness of life. Life was not given primarily for physical pleasures or the approval of man, but for something greater—the enjoyment of God. The things of this world can not provide the greater things of life—the pursuit of God’s gracious favor, the love and joy of His spirit and the hope of eternity in His presence.

There’s another problem with anxiety though; it leads to sinful actions and attitudes. Anxiety about finances can cause coveting, greed, hoarding and stealing. Anxiety about succeeding at something can make you irritable and abrupt. Anxiety about relationships can make you withdrawn, indifferent and uncaring about other people. Anxiety about how someone will respond to you can make you cover over the truth and lie about things. If worry could be conquered, a lot of sins would be overcome.

Here are some reminders from Jesus and Paul about God’s promises to battle unbelief:

“Fear not for I am with you, be not dismayed for I am your God; I will help you, I will strengthen you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).

“So shall my word that goes forth from my mouth; it will not come back to me empty but accomplish that which I purpose, and prosper in the thing for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11).

“My grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

“As your days so shall your strength be” (Deuteronomy 33:25).

“I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you” (Psalm 32:8).

“If God is for us who can be against us!” (Romans 8:31).

“…suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:3–5).

“Even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save” (Isaiah 46:4).

“none of us lives to himself and none of us dies to himself; if we live we live to the Lord and if we die we die to the Lord. So whether we live or die we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and rose again: that he might be Lord both of the dead and the living” (Romans 14:8–9).

“He who began a good work in you will complete it unto the day of Christ” (Philippians 1:6).

“He who calls you is faithful. He will do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:23).

“He is able for all time to save those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25).

Rest on the promises of God and find your security in His Truth. I pray you find peace as you look back at your own testimony and see that He’s never let you go yet. Time after time, our great Provider has been there holding your hand, sometimes carrying you through it. My hope is that His word will reign supreme in your heart and mind as comfort that He will never let you go. Your solid stance on the Rock will keep you steady, though the winds may blow, you cannot be carried away with the shifting sands. When you wake up on the other side, you will see that just as He provided a way in this situation, He will also do it again and again and again. He is greater than your circumstance! Believe it and let Him build your faith for an even greater future.

Excerpts from Battling Unbelief by John Piper.

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Success Doesn’t Mean God’s Favor

There’s a trap the enemy tries to seduce Christ followers with by drawing a conclusion that success in this world equates with God’s favor upon us. Psalms 84:11 says “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.” But what if God’s favor doesn’t look the way our world sees success? What if the Christian martyr who is slain in the name of Jesus did not find favor with people or in the land and yet still had God’s favor to be there?

God’s favor is His presence. His spirit that guides our daily walk to bring back glory to Him. So often we seek success by our own strength; if I practice more, if I move to that place, if I had those attributes, then I will have ‘made it’. But we forget that God’s favor rarely translates into riches and fame in this foreign land. God’s favor comes from obedience to His spirit and word.

Our illustration for the favor of God is in the life of Jesus himself. He didn’t receive many warm welcomes with His messages, especially from the ‘rich’. Jesus warned “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to go into the kingdom of heaven.” And just because you don’t have much money doesn’t mean you are exempt from this passage. Covetousness for riches and ‘stuff’ can be hidden in your heart. When Jesus spoke, He gave all credit and fame to God the Father.

By the worlds standards, favor looks more like the kings, rulers and Babylonians drawing crowds with popular beliefs and messages. After all, there are many stories of evil people in scripture who were allowed success. Today we see it too. And while it can be difficult to watch other’s gain popularity and ‘success’ around you, let Jesus’s words be a reminder of the Truth that goes beyond what you can see. “I say to you, do not worry about your life…” God reminds us to be careful only about one thing—our relationship to Him. “The cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches,” and the lust for other things will choke out the life of God in us (Matthew 13:22).

Jesus knows our circumstances better than we do, and He says we must not think about these things to the point where they become the primary concern of our life. Place your confidence in Christ that when you throw off the world’s desires for your life and walk in God’s favor, you can expect to see a “thiryfold, sixtyfold, and hundredfold return” (Mark 4:8, 20).

Lord, I choose you. Always. Forever. First. You are so good to me. You have ravished my heart with your beauty that goes beyond any riches this world has to offer. Help my heart not get caught up in what my eyes can see. May my gaze and attention be fixed on you, I press into you. All of my love is for you. You are the reason that I live and breathe. You bring life to me. I just love you God.

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Discernment And Testing The Spirit That Speaks

Every spirit that presses on our heart needs a tried and true testing for accuracy and validity, no matter what your calling unto God is. Discernment is desperately needed in the body of Christ. 1 John 4:1-3 warns believers “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. There are several ways you can test the Spirit to know it’s true source.”

Prophecy can be delivered through and revelations given to imperfect people, so we must always test the spirit. There is always the possibility of mixing up a word from God, because our Heavenly Father chooses to use wounded people and so we are encouraged in 1 Corinthians 14:29 to “Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said.” Sometimes sincere people dilute God’s word by simply adding their own insights, drawing from things in their own psyche, heart, emotions, concern or sympathy to what started out as an authentic, God-given revelation. We need to learn to discern when God has stopped talking and man has continued on.

On the flip side, we ourselves must be careful when sharing revelations or visions that God has given us for someone else, so that we don’t add anything. At the very least, we need to preface anything that comes from our own interpretation. Personally, I’m not comfortable injecting my own thoughts in a message for someone else. I’m confident God will give them insight into what it means or He wouldn’t have given the vision in the first place. At all times we must seek the Lord’s wisdom.

1. Does the revelation edify, exhort or console? The end purpose of all revelation is to build up and encourage the people of God. Anything that is not directed to this end is not from the Lord. Jeremiah the prophet had to fulfill a negative commission, but even his difficult message contained a powerful and positive promise of God for those who were obedient.

2. Is it in agreement with God’s Word? God never contradicts Himself.

3. Does it exalt Jesus Christ? All revelation ultimately centers on Jesus Christ and glorifies Him (Revelations 19:10).

4. Does it have good fruit? God’s revelations produce fruit in character and conduct that agrees with the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:9, Galatians 5:22-23). Some that clearly are not the fruit of the Holy Spirit include pride, arrogance, boastfulness, exaggeration, dishonesty, covetousness, financial irresponsibility, immorality and feeding into addictive appetites and temptation.

5. If it predicts a future event, does it come to fruition? (Deuteronomy 18:20-22.) Any prediction concerning the future should come to pass if the source of revelation is God. There are some exceptions including the will of the person involved, messianic predictions that take hundreds of years to fulfill and those of national repentance where an entire nation (like Ninevah) repents and thus a word from God will not occur.

6. Does the revelation turn people toward God or away from Him? (Deuteronomy 13:1-5.) The fact that a person makes a prediction concerning the future that is fulfilled does not necessarily prove that person is moving by Holy-Spirit inspired revelation. If a person, by his own ministry, turns others away from obedience to the one true God, then that person’s ministry is false-even if his predictions were correct.

7. Does it produce liberty or bondage? “For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!'” (Romans 8:15) True revelation given by the Holy Spirit produces liberty, not bondage. The Holy Spirit never causes God’s children to act like slaves, nor does He ever motivate us by fear or legalistic compulsion.

Stick close to Jesus. Seek Him. Love Him! Give your all to Him. James 4:8 “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” Desire intimacy with God and walk in obedience through your relationship with Him and watch as the channels separating you and Jesus fly open as He begins to pour His voice into your life.

(Excerpts from Exploring Your Dreams and Visions by James W. Goll)

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The Devil Is In the Details

Satan is the father of lies, a deceiver and one who twists the word of God. He casts doubt in what God says to conform a person’s desires with scripture, regardless of wisdom or the Truth. 1 Corinthians 6:12 AMP says “Everything is permissible (allowable and lawful) for me; but not all things are helpful (good for me to do, expedient and profitable when considered with other things). Everything is lawful for me, but I will not become the slave of anything or be brought under its power.” Sometimes our ‘good’ intentions are not God’s best.

Satan questioned God’s word with Eve and mocked Jesus in the wilderness, and he’s calling out to our hearts in the same manner as well. The devil not only draws us into doubt by questioning God’s word but even the Almighty’s authority. Since we can’t see or touch our Omniscient God, the deception of time and space causes us to think (or not think at all) that He doesn’t know when our minds and hearts are ‘somewhere else’. 2 Timothy 4:3-4 “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.”

There’s an old saying, ‘the devil is in the details’, so take heed and pay attention to the place of your heart. You can be off caliber with God’s voice and think the messages you’re hearing are from His spirit. Testing everything with scripture and Proverb’s wise counsel, the Lord will reveal His will. There’s no one way to seek God, but there are some truths to hearing his voice. Here are just a couple on how to ‘get real’ with God and seek His spirit.

Completely devote your prayer and worship time to God. When you think about the things in your life that you devote time and attention to (ie: work, relationships), what does that look like? For the most part, devotion is more than a few minutes in the morning and a couple worship tunes. Don’t get me wrong, God is glorified and invited into our day with this kind of worship, but if you’re looking for the heavens to call down, it takes more than a small fraction of your time? This world consumes bombards our attention for most of the 24 hours we have, so which message do you think sounds louder at the end of the day?

I see a model in God’s call to give 10% of our income back to His kingdom. With this tithing message in mind, giving 10% of my day to Him is where I start. Anything after that becomes an offering. This equates to about an hour 15 in the morning and an hour 15 at night. But when I’m seeking something specific from the Lord, my time in scripture studies and prayer far exceed that designated time. I surrender to God, abandon all other demands, humbly crawl to my knees and drown my head in the clouds of the heavenlies. I stay there, sometimes all through the night, wailing in deep groans until He delivers. Note: This can be difficult for spouses (or parents) as 1 Corinthians points out that single people have the freedom to be anxious for the Lord while married people have divided interests between their spouse and God. If you’re married and/or have children, you may have to wake up earlier than your spouse and kids to seek the Lord in this capacity.

My second tip is to set your mind and heart aside and diligently throw off the distractions and lures of the enemy. Remember, the devil is in the details so be proactive in your music choices-let no explicit lyrics, no sexual messages or careless words of fame and riches sneak in through your ears. The devil is a sneaky snake. He catches us off guard in these small, behind-the-scenes areas of our lives. Be cautious of your television viewing- mind-numbing storylines, drama or sexuality that captures the gaze of your eyes. Be aware of the places you’re in- bars, nightclubs, lounges and sometimes other people’s houses. Be mindful of the people you’re surrounded with- nonbelievers, lukewarm believers, sexual partners, shady friends/acquaintances. Also, be cognisant of where you’re spending your time. Is it wrapped up in smaller distractions or on purpose in prayer? The purpose of all this is to protect your thoughts, heart and mind as you open the flood gates to God’s voice.

From my own life, I will share that the enemy tries to lure me to turn on the television and ‘just have it on in the background’ or ‘to just unwind’, but truthfully, it consumes my subconscious attention and draws me either into a show or is just something to distract my mind from where it needs to be – seeking God with all my heart, mind and soul. Sometimes it’s a temptation to text with family and friends. Or spin that old record to relax. It doesn’t take long before I recognize my spirit starts to shift. And it’s very difficult to turn a freight train back around once you’ve begun venturing down a path.

It’s like this with fasting as well. The enemy would like me to make small compromises in my choices. When my fast consists of only veges and fruits, Satan will downplay the importance of ‘nothing else’ by convincing me that curry sauce on top of veges is still veges… so it will be okay to eat that dish. It’s these kinds of small compromises that dictate the rest of my choices made throughout life. They are the same ones he tried to deceive Jesus with. The devil is in the details and I firmly believe that is where decisions begin the descent or ascent in our lives.

I am often distracted. So during these times, I first pray declaring the devil to get behind me and I ask Jesus for the strength to stay steadfast in pursuing Him. I get on my knees and pray harder if my first attempt is unsuccessful. Then I turn up my worship music even louder and plug in headphones to be completely immersed in praise. I grab my journal and just start writing out the thoughts and prayers of my heart. I open my bible and start reading devotions or scriptures to get my head back in the Word.

Sometimes our circumstance calls for choices that are different than our neighbors, but they will never be different than God’s wisdom and Word. Many have been riding the same carousel in life, going around and around with the same choices and mistakes. You can fight all day long in your own strength to make changes but when you tap into the Spirit of God, there is a strength beyond what you can muster up. Remember, the faith of Daniel didn’t come in a moment of being in the lion’s den. Year after year, he stopped what he was doing to kneel and pray three times a day. Get serious about your pursuit of God today so that you can hear and see His truths unfold tomorrow.

Lord, I want everything you are. Shine your light into this dark heart and let it reflect the light that shines from you. Take this heart and make it glow. Give me your Word as a sword to draw against deception from the devil. Shine light on every evil the enemy tries to throw my way. I want to be more like you, Father. Help me to desire a deeper intimacy with your Spirit. I can’t live a single day, I won’t take another step without you Jesus.

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Mirroring God

The greatest characteristic a Christian can exhibit is this completely unveiled openness before God, which allows that person’s life to become a mirror for others. When the Spirit fills us, we are transformed, and by beholding God we become mirrors. You can always tell when someone has been beholding the glory of the Lord, because your inner spirit senses that he mirrors the Lord’s own character. Beware of anything that would spot or tarnish that mirror in you. It is almost always something good that will stain it—something good, but not what is best.

The most important rule for us is to concentrate on keeping our lives open to God. Let everything else including work, clothes, and food be set aside. The busyness of things obscures our concentration on God. We must maintain a position of beholding Him, keeping our lives completely spiritual through and through. Let other things come and go as they will; let other people criticize us as they will; but never allow anything to obscure the life that “is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). Never let a hurried lifestyle disturb the relationship of abiding in Him. This is an easy thing to allow, but we must guard against it. The most difficult lesson of the Christian life is learning how to continue “beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord . . . .”

O Lord, I look to you so utterly that I am worse than useless without You. Be made wisdom and discernment and understanding unto me today.

My Utmost For His Highest -Oswald Chambers

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The Excellence of Daniel

ImageHappy New Year! As the calendar flips over, there’s a deep desire for us all to start fresh into a new season of life. We can make lots of resolutions for the coming days, but if our deeper spirit isn’t ‘right’, healthier choices won’t make a difference after long. We’ll slide back into our old habits and find ourselves on that dusty old road of last year. I learned several years ago, the best thing I can do is set aside my agenda and seek God through the fast Daniel used during his time of mourning and needing direction. Each year, I’ve come out spiritually rich with wisdom and insight for the days ahead. The cleansing of my mind and heart is incomparable to any retreat or sum of Sundays.

If you’re seeking God’s direction for your life in the new year, consider Daniel- a man described in the Bible as having an ‘excellent spirit.’ He lived to glorify God with his life, no matter what it cost him. Daniel loved God and was unwavering in his commitment to serve Him. As a result, God gave him favor with king Nebuchadnezzar, which led to his promotion over the leaders in the land. But his commitment to God was tested as the others didn’t like that the king favored Daniel. So they manipulated the king to sign a decree that prohibited anyone from praying to any god other than the king for 30 days. Violating the decree meant being thrown into a den of lions. Daniel didn’t cave in to this decree, he was more concerned about keeping his commitment to God. In the end, God protected him and was glorified through it.

I want to encourage you to live with that same excellent spirit. Be determined to really live for God. As you do, you’ll fulfill your true purpose and glorify God in everything you do, just like Daniel. If you’ve never tried the Daniel fast, I would encourage you to in order to receive wisdom and the most incredible beginning to your new year as well. The fast consists of fruits, vegetables, and legumes (beans and nuts), and of course lots of water. Scripture identifies it as ‘anything sown by the seed’, which includes rice and Ezekiel bread amongst others. To prevent my heart from tainting the spiritual purpose with a weight loss program, I eat plenty of nuts, which are high in healthy fats. You may already eat pretty healthy and thus find this kind of ‘diet’ normal. If that’s the case, I would urge you to identify something to sacrifice to fulfill the purpose of this fast. I’m choosing to abstain from rice, Ezekiel bread and black coffee. There is a perceived power our physical hunger has over us, so the sacrifice is important!

I can say in my life that, by far, the most satisfying things that have happened to me are during these moments of fasting when I sensed I had done as the Lord wanted me to do. When I attempt to satisfy self apart from doing the will of God, initially it feels good, but inevitably is a frustrating, empty and discouraging thing. Be careful during this time not to compromise your surroundings. Fasting makes us more vulnerable in situations to sin, as the devil is bringing everything he has to cause us to stray. This is a time to increase your worship and prayer as your mind and heart will be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. When you’re tempted to fall, put your mind on this truth: fasting is not about what you’re giving up, but what you are gaining.

There is a sense that physically satisfying myself in some way keeps me from needing to find satisfaction in God. So we’re left with this question: Am I satisfying myself with that which is not bread and that which is not meat, as well as other things that really don’t fill my soul? Is anything hindering my hunger for God? Is it money? Opportunities? Work? Friendships? Identifying those hindrances is the purpose of fasting. We have to recognize our enslavement to food, or anything that deadens our hunger for God.

1 Peter 2:11 “Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.” When we fast, enslavement to things of the flesh is broken and we are freed to focus our hunger upon what we really need. Fasting reveals the things that control us. It humbles us and shows us our true selves.

Father, help me to fast, and use it to show me the things I am unaware of that control me. I want all of my hunger to be focused on You and satisfied only by You. Lord, instill an ‘excellent spirit’ in me, so that I may serve You unwaveringly in all that I do. Remove the scales from my eyes, open the channels in my ears, grant me direction for this life I give to you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.