Fast Talk

It's just about that time of the year again -- a time I truly look forward to. I'm not talking about Christmas (although I do love Christmas!) or New Year's (although I love New Year's, too). I'm talking about the annual 7-day Prayer and Fasting that we as a church do every start of the year.

If we backtrack to three years ago, the word 'fast' would have only meant 'quick' to me. I've never been the type to deprive myself of food. Even when trying to lose weight, I've always resorted to physical activity but never to dieting. So when I first heard about fasting as a new Christian, I was skeptical. What on earth would not eating my meals do other than possibly giving me an ulcer?

So even if I didn't really understand what it was about, I decided to go for it. I wanted to see for myself what all the flack was about. I wanted more of God and if this was the way to have more of Him in my life and hear from Him, then I had nothing to lose.

On the second day of Fasting, I realized I hadn't just 'lost nothing,' I gained what (or Who) was priceless.

I remember singing a worship song at Galleria at lunchtime that second day and the Lord clearly told me that it was time to move on, to give up my job -- a job I enjoyed and loved. I was very fond of earrings at that time and I don't know why it was my first reaction but my automatic response was "But, Lord, if I quit my job, how will I buy all my earrings?" That exact moment, my knees buckled (that time I thought it was because I was hungry) and I lost my balance and found myself sitting on my bible. I felt led to look at the page my bible was on and when I did, the words of Isaiah 3:18-20 literally jumped right out of the pages. It said "In that day the Lord will snatch away their finery: the bangles and headbands and crescent necklaces, the earrings and bracelets and veils, the headdresses and ankle chains and sashes, the perfume bottles and charm.."

That was the first time I knew for sure that I had clearly heard from God.

For the first time in the two years I'd worked there, that second day of fasting, my fellow associate F found me in tears at my desk. I wanted out.

It didn't happen just yet that year and even now I feel I had delayed obeying as long as I could (not something I am proud of) but what I did realize then was that God wanted me somewhere else. At that time, I just didn't know where that somewhere was.

***

Prayer and Fasting is always a powerful time for me. I have experienced countless breakthroughs and encounters with God during and after fasting. So I'm excited. If you want to read more about fasting, check out this great book by Pastor Joey Bonifacio called The Mystery of the Empty Stomach (available at any Victory Resource Center). It explains what fasting is and what it's not and answers a lot of the questions that I usually get about fasting.