Stay the Course

As our 21-day fast is coming close to the end, I just want to encourage each of you today, to make this fast the beginning of a "fasted lifestyle." I have heard some say something like, "Just a couple more days until I can have that coffee!" My question to you is "Why go back?" You have quit drinking caffeine and sodas for this long, so there is no logical reason that you should go back to it! There is not even ONE benefit to be gained by consuming these! It's similar to quitting smoking and then picking it back up!

The things that were avoided on this fast (with the exception of meats such as chicken, fish, and even lean red meats) would be better left avoided indefinitely. Processed foods, t.v. dinners, refined sugary foods, candy, deep-fried fatty foods, sodas, and coffee with creamer/sugar/etc, are all things that your body was not created by God to ingest. These foods offer us zero nutrients and in fact, only bring about negative conditions, such as disease, susceptibility to sickness, and obesity.

So, let's allow our minds to be renewed in this area. Do we want to eat, indulge, and end up looking like the world in the area of our eating habits? Or do we want to glorify God with even our physical bodies? Do we want to treat this earthly temple of God in a manner that is thankful and worthy of Him who created us?

Now, I want to be clear. I am NOT saying that what you eat makes you "unclean" spiritually. Jesus made this very clear in scripture. But, He never said that what you eat wouldn't possibly harm your body or make you sick! Also, many of these processed, fast and nutrient-devoid foods have an addictive effect on the human brain, causing you to want more and more, perpetuating a vicious cycle or overeating and gluttony. And gluttony has an effect of fogging our minds and making us more dull in spiritual matters. It tends to have a sedative-like effect. Have you ever noticed this, say, after a Thanksgiving meal when the land of "Snoozeville" is calling your name?

So, be encouraged, my friends. With this fast, you have begun the process of cleansing and detoxing your body. You have allowed healing to come in many areas. You have overcome the compulsion for junk food, and you have the power through the Spirit to continue on this path. I admonish you today to continue, to not turn back, to endure the temptations of things that are not good for you, to flee the temptation to over-indulge. May the Lord give us His strength and His Wisdom in all areas, even in our diets and lifestyle! I believe it is very important and can even be a shining area of witness and testimony to the world.

Stay the course! Blessings to you!