Well, seems I have let time come between us again...Lol! I hope everyone enjoyed their End of the Year Celebrations, Family Time, Christmas, New Year, etc. Are you ready for 2012? We are half way into this first month. Have you started working on those pesky Resolutions yet? You know, join a gym, lose weight, buff up, be a better person, cut out the negativity, clean your bad mouth out, be a better Mom/Dad/Sister/Brother/Husband/
Wife/Daughter/Son/Friend...whatever! The list of many millions of people around the world. The list you start and somehow by the end of the year, during the times of reflection, you gripe at yourself for not living up to something as simple as this list. Oh, but that's not you, right!?!?!
I will admitt, I have been that person many a time. I have joined gyms in January (I joined one this January), then stopped going. I always had justifiable reasons WHY? Once you disrupt the routine you amped yourself up to begin, it's so hard to jump back in the game. Then it's one excuse after the next. Excuses do Not produce results people! I KNOW!!!
For the past few years now, I have started the New Year with a F a s t. It seems churches everywhere have caught on to the "F a s t i n g F a d". Oh, but I don't want my time of Fasting to be a Hobby or Bi-Anual Habit, a Trendy Thing To Do, an All-About-Food-Focus, an Anything but God time...For me, Fasting is a way to Force my Flesh to Submit. Simple as that! I consider myself a Moderately Disciplined Person. Some areas of my life are very disciplined, while others..well....I am a Procrastinating Perfectionist. It is what keeps me sane, yet also seems to drive me insane. Some weird catch-22 I suppose. Maybe even a tad sad. Eh, it's how I usually operate. Fasting somewhat breaks that cycle for a time...or maybe it doesn't, but it is definitely a Boot Camp for my flesh and my spirit. You see, my Flesh is learning to relinquish control (something I disillusion myself that I have), it's being put through Ettiquiette Training, it's Stretching Out a l l E l a s t i c-Like...like a Giant Rubber Band Ball Bouncing Around the Walls of "Shut-Up, Sit-Down, and Listen!"...It's not a bad thing at all! It's great! My flesh forgets who it is, gets a little Hot-Headed, Pride pushes in, Self-Will begins to take control...No Good I tell ya! But the Boot Camp isn't JUST for "Reminding my Flesh" of some things. This Boot Camp is producing Strength, Power, Authority, Righhteousness, Stature, Awareness, Soberness, Agility, Passion, Purpose Released! My SPIRIT is finally allowed Freedom to operate how it was intended. My Flesh, always trying to steal the spot light from My Spirit...it's my Fiesty Flesh...a good smack, a little time-out, all goes a long way!
BUT....then also, Fasting isn't so Fancy Free and Fun! It's at times very challenging! It does not feel good to see your flaws. Have you ever started a workout routine...energy is high, then comes pain and soreness, then energy kicks up again and you "feel" like your really making changes, but maybe you don't "see" them changing fully yet. I was listening on the radio this morning and they were discussing a News Releasing indicating a New Pill they want to release on the market that has all the answers...you know this pill...the one that gives you the perfect body WITHOUT the workout. Sadly, if that does ever actually come out, people WILL buy it. I mean who would want to actually DO the work that produces results, when a pill could DO it for you. (insert sarcastic eye rolling here!) It's the EASY BUTTON MENTALITY...always looking for shortcuts. At what price though and with what reward? Is your life worth it? What is more rewarding than sweating it out and achieving a goal! Gee, wonder if Jesus had a shortcut to our salvation....oh wait, He did! LUKE 4...you see Jesus was coming off a 40 day fast, He was hungry...wouldn't you be? I mean He sure wasn't eating Corn Tortillas, because technically they are a vegetable. Or drinking your morning cup of coffee because taking that away just doesn't work, caffeine withdrawals, needing the wake-up-in-a-cup to get through the day. Now I am not saying your fast doesn't count when you do this. The focus of the fast is not about food, what you can or can't eat. The focus is denying your flesh, replacing those fleshly desires for closeness with God, being more sober, more spiritually aware that you are weak and you need God. I am a huge modifier of fasting(yep I admitted it), so I am not being hypocritical, just stating the obvious in regards to how we desire the Easy way. My life isn't even all that awful, it's actually pretty great, yet I still find myself looking for something easy amidst so many other "not-so-easy" things. Anyways, off track as usual....Satan tempted Jesus with the EASY BUTTON more than once. What if He took it? Where would our Freedom and Salvation be then?
Let me put it like this.....
I was thinking of Mary, the mother of Jesus, when the people found out she was pregnant and UN-married and Joseph wasn't claiming that baby. The people wanted to stone her to death, that was the law! She must be punished! After all, it wasn't Joseph's baby, people don't just become pregnant without the "doing-it" part! BUT, God totally stepped in and intervened. The Angel visited Joseph, the story takes a dramatic turn back on track. For every "YES" to God's Will and to God's Way, something marvelous is birthed. You see, Mary said "YES" to God and the Salvation of the World was birthed. Jesus said YES to God, and The Salvation of Mankind was Fulfilled! What happens when we say YES to God...What amazing thing is God birthing through our YES? From Moses to Abraham to Issac to Jacob all the way to David and all the way to Mary. All these people said YES and something GREAT was able to be made manifest. If just ONE of them said NO, the picture would not be like this. So what thing(s) is God asking you to say "YES" to? Have you said Yes? It doesn't actually Stop with the Yes. Yes is the beginning. Don't let that scare you though. The rest is Easy, well not Easy Button Easy, but Easy in the sense that you just Let God Be God! You pray, you seek Him, you worship, you guard and protect the thing you birthed, you let Him be God. Mary said YES to God, Jesus was birthed, then she had to Let God be God. She was not in control of how Jesus would Save the World. As a Mom, I am sure she had moments of being Mom-like, but in the end God had to step in, intervene, and have HIS way so His will would be accomplished. "IT IS FINISHED!"
Yet, it's not over! Jesus is returning for His people...are we ready for Him? Have we done all God has asked us to do to Prepare the Way for the King? What things are we still needing to Say YES to? God works in steps to fulfill His purpose. It was steps from the beginning of creation, the flood era, the promise of Abraham, the heart of David and the restoration of the Tabernacle, the birth of Jesus, the obedience of the Disciples. Each person, each area, played a significant role to accomplish the bigger picture. I am sure that when each person said YES they didn't realize the magnitude of what was then able to be accomplished at large. God may have even given them glimpses, but to take in in full the vastness of His plans....
If you don't say YES, if you don't Let God Be God, if you skip out on Your Part of the Whole...what are you doing to the Larger picture?
ARE YOU READY FOR 2012 now?
Wife/Daughter/Son/Friend...whatever! The list of many millions of people around the world. The list you start and somehow by the end of the year, during the times of reflection, you gripe at yourself for not living up to something as simple as this list. Oh, but that's not you, right!?!?!
I will admitt, I have been that person many a time. I have joined gyms in January (I joined one this January), then stopped going. I always had justifiable reasons WHY? Once you disrupt the routine you amped yourself up to begin, it's so hard to jump back in the game. Then it's one excuse after the next. Excuses do Not produce results people! I KNOW!!!
For the past few years now, I have started the New Year with a F a s t. It seems churches everywhere have caught on to the "F a s t i n g F a d". Oh, but I don't want my time of Fasting to be a Hobby or Bi-Anual Habit, a Trendy Thing To Do, an All-About-Food-Focus, an Anything but God time...For me, Fasting is a way to Force my Flesh to Submit. Simple as that! I consider myself a Moderately Disciplined Person. Some areas of my life are very disciplined, while others..well....I am a Procrastinating Perfectionist. It is what keeps me sane, yet also seems to drive me insane. Some weird catch-22 I suppose. Maybe even a tad sad. Eh, it's how I usually operate. Fasting somewhat breaks that cycle for a time...or maybe it doesn't, but it is definitely a Boot Camp for my flesh and my spirit. You see, my Flesh is learning to relinquish control (something I disillusion myself that I have), it's being put through Ettiquiette Training, it's Stretching Out a l l E l a s t i c-Like...like a Giant Rubber Band Ball Bouncing Around the Walls of "Shut-Up, Sit-Down, and Listen!"...It's not a bad thing at all! It's great! My flesh forgets who it is, gets a little Hot-Headed, Pride pushes in, Self-Will begins to take control...No Good I tell ya! But the Boot Camp isn't JUST for "Reminding my Flesh" of some things. This Boot Camp is producing Strength, Power, Authority, Righhteousness, Stature, Awareness, Soberness, Agility, Passion, Purpose Released! My SPIRIT is finally allowed Freedom to operate how it was intended. My Flesh, always trying to steal the spot light from My Spirit...it's my Fiesty Flesh...a good smack, a little time-out, all goes a long way!
F a s t i n g!
Sing it out now....
"FREEEEEEEDOM, FREEEEEEEEDOM,
FREEEEEEEEEDOM, FREEEEEEEDOM!
I'm gonna Clap a little louder, sing a little stronger,
dance more freely, jump higher, spin around, shout it out loud!
No More Shackles, No More Chains, No More Bondage, My Spirit is Free!
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah,
FREEEEEEEEEEEDOM!"
BUT....then also, Fasting isn't so Fancy Free and Fun! It's at times very challenging! It does not feel good to see your flaws. Have you ever started a workout routine...energy is high, then comes pain and soreness, then energy kicks up again and you "feel" like your really making changes, but maybe you don't "see" them changing fully yet. I was listening on the radio this morning and they were discussing a News Releasing indicating a New Pill they want to release on the market that has all the answers...you know this pill...the one that gives you the perfect body WITHOUT the workout. Sadly, if that does ever actually come out, people WILL buy it. I mean who would want to actually DO the work that produces results, when a pill could DO it for you. (insert sarcastic eye rolling here!) It's the EASY BUTTON MENTALITY...always looking for shortcuts. At what price though and with what reward? Is your life worth it? What is more rewarding than sweating it out and achieving a goal! Gee, wonder if Jesus had a shortcut to our salvation....oh wait, He did! LUKE 4...you see Jesus was coming off a 40 day fast, He was hungry...wouldn't you be? I mean He sure wasn't eating Corn Tortillas, because technically they are a vegetable. Or drinking your morning cup of coffee because taking that away just doesn't work, caffeine withdrawals, needing the wake-up-in-a-cup to get through the day. Now I am not saying your fast doesn't count when you do this. The focus of the fast is not about food, what you can or can't eat. The focus is denying your flesh, replacing those fleshly desires for closeness with God, being more sober, more spiritually aware that you are weak and you need God. I am a huge modifier of fasting(yep I admitted it), so I am not being hypocritical, just stating the obvious in regards to how we desire the Easy way. My life isn't even all that awful, it's actually pretty great, yet I still find myself looking for something easy amidst so many other "not-so-easy" things. Anyways, off track as usual....Satan tempted Jesus with the EASY BUTTON more than once. What if He took it? Where would our Freedom and Salvation be then?
Let me put it like this.....
If God doesn't step in
and intervene,
we get stoned!
I was thinking of Mary, the mother of Jesus, when the people found out she was pregnant and UN-married and Joseph wasn't claiming that baby. The people wanted to stone her to death, that was the law! She must be punished! After all, it wasn't Joseph's baby, people don't just become pregnant without the "doing-it" part! BUT, God totally stepped in and intervened. The Angel visited Joseph, the story takes a dramatic turn back on track. For every "YES" to God's Will and to God's Way, something marvelous is birthed. You see, Mary said "YES" to God and the Salvation of the World was birthed. Jesus said YES to God, and The Salvation of Mankind was Fulfilled! What happens when we say YES to God...What amazing thing is God birthing through our YES? From Moses to Abraham to Issac to Jacob all the way to David and all the way to Mary. All these people said YES and something GREAT was able to be made manifest. If just ONE of them said NO, the picture would not be like this. So what thing(s) is God asking you to say "YES" to? Have you said Yes? It doesn't actually Stop with the Yes. Yes is the beginning. Don't let that scare you though. The rest is Easy, well not Easy Button Easy, but Easy in the sense that you just Let God Be God! You pray, you seek Him, you worship, you guard and protect the thing you birthed, you let Him be God. Mary said YES to God, Jesus was birthed, then she had to Let God be God. She was not in control of how Jesus would Save the World. As a Mom, I am sure she had moments of being Mom-like, but in the end God had to step in, intervene, and have HIS way so His will would be accomplished. "IT IS FINISHED!"
Yet, it's not over! Jesus is returning for His people...are we ready for Him? Have we done all God has asked us to do to Prepare the Way for the King? What things are we still needing to Say YES to? God works in steps to fulfill His purpose. It was steps from the beginning of creation, the flood era, the promise of Abraham, the heart of David and the restoration of the Tabernacle, the birth of Jesus, the obedience of the Disciples. Each person, each area, played a significant role to accomplish the bigger picture. I am sure that when each person said YES they didn't realize the magnitude of what was then able to be accomplished at large. God may have even given them glimpses, but to take in in full the vastness of His plans....
If you don't say YES, if you don't Let God Be God, if you skip out on Your Part of the Whole...what are you doing to the Larger picture?
ARE YOU READY FOR 2012 now?
No comments:
Post a Comment