When You Deny Yourself… You Find Him

The 40 days are up today.  For those new to my blog, let me get you up to speed.

I felt led to fast from sugar and carbs for 40 days.  I was looking for spiritual clarity in some areas and God prompted me to turn my attention towards Him and take my eyes off of me and my circumstances.   Believe me… that was not an easy thing for me to do.  You?

Once the idea grew on me a bit and I accepted His challenge, my thought was… “Hey, if Jesus can do it… so can I!”

Wow… maybe I need to work on my pride next. 🙂

In my original post, I cited a desire to deepen my relationship with God as a reason for fasting.  I needed some answers and direction.

This act demanded that I deliberately deny my flesh so I could feed my spirit.  And to be honest, it was so much harder than I thought it would be.   Why?

• This is pumpkin spice syrup season at Starbucks
  
• It’s also “candy corn mixed with peanuts” time of year
• We’ve celebrated Sam and Wayne’s birthdays… with cake, of course
• I’ve attended one too many events with a Mexican food buffet
• All my good friends cook and bake like there is no tomorrow

And that is just scratching the surface.  But you know what?  God really blessed my efforts to seek Him more.  I wanted to share some of what He revealed to me in these past 40 days:

1. I was able to define the direction and specific mission of my ministry
2. God challenged me with a new teaching style that allows me to hear the Holy Spirit’s prompting better
3. Some very deeps hurts were healed
4. He gave me a deeper desire for Him
5. I’ve learned to pray with more authority
6. God gave me mentors for different areas of my life
7. I was given a new retreat topic to develop
8. He opened doors for new friendships which are rich and deep
9. My husband was divinely blessed with a new job close to home

Through this fast, I had my mind set on God and He once again proved so faithful to bless my obedience.  I sought Him and He showed up.

I wonder what answers you are seeking today?  Maybe there are “cloudy” areas that need clarity.  Are you needing more of Him and less of you?

Consider fasting.

It can look different for everyone.  For example, I know someone who has fasted from their computer.  Another fasted from shopping at Target.  Still another fasted from peach tea.

Don’t laugh.  These are real examples of real people feeling led to give up something “difficult” for them so they could seek His presence.  Scripture tells us that when we seek Him, we will find Him.  And find Him, I did.

You lookin’ for Him, too?  Think about it…

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