Uganda - 38 days!

Psalm 90:14English Standard Version (ESV)

14 

Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,

    that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

Today, our team is talking about fasting.  I really hate talking about this for some reason, probably  because I am a bigger mess than most peeps and it seems like fasting should be reserved for the spiritual people that kinda have it figured out, or the legalistic folks that make disciplines their religion.  Honestly, I would have not thought fasting was for me simply because of the 2 reasons I stated above, BUT God's Word says different and I'm thankful for a few brave people in my life, starting with my sister, that were courageous enough to share their experiences and understanding about Christian fasting.

*I say Christian fasting, because there's a lot of diet type fasting, and I'm talking strictly about Christian fasting and prayer.*

Americans, especially hate putting themselves in "uncomfortable" situations or conversations, and I am ALL AMERICAN baby!  We don't typically like to open up about our relationship with God or any other spiritual matter, except when we are in church or Bible study.  I think this is all wrong, I think living our life and relationship with Jesus out loud is how we grow and learn  from each other and be lights in a dark world.

  So I'm gonna dive in and if you think I'm weird, you are totally right.

Throughout the Bible people would fast and pray when they really needed to do serious business with God.  Yes, He can hear us with a full stomach, but do we really get serious with him if we are just talking to him in between laundry loads and meal times and Sunday?

God can hear us and do anything at any time, but we know from His Word that fasting is a really good way to get us in line with His heart, and show Him how hungry we are for Him to move in our hearts and in our lives and in our circumstances.

A way to sum up fasting is that we are hungrier for Jesus than we are for food.

In the Bible, when people were really desperate for God to move in their lives, they would fast as an individual, or a people, or a church. Fasting is gross and wrong if it's done for reasons of self elevation or trying to manipulate God (it won't work, thank God,so don't bother)  Our team is going to "fast" something  *everyone has chosen something different* s for the 40 days leading up to the trip and also set aside a day a week for fasting from food to some extent.  There's no rules of what to fast, or how long, or what meals, because that is how is gets twisted and legalistic.  Each person on this team has a personal relationship with Jesus, and I pray God speaks to each one of us about what that looks like for each of us individually and as a team.

Trust me when I say, we don't take this subject on because we are super spiritual; the only reason we can take this on, is because we are desperate for Jesus and we are anticipating and preparing for Him to do a work in all the people going,  the people receiving us on the Uganda side of things, and all the people staying and keeping the home fires burning and kids cared for.

A big part of being the "KNEES" on this trip, is to be in prayer, and that means even as we prepare.

I struggled once again with whether to share this post publically or not....I was thinking of the scripture:

Matthew 6:17-19English Standard Version (ESV)

17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

I was reminded it's all about the condition  and motivation of the heart ...and for our team, of mostly introverts, it's easier to be quiet and hidden, than to be bold and brave, and humbly admit that we are doing things that might be  considered strange in our culture, because we are desperate for Jesus and His mission and His presence in our lives and the lives of all we encounter.  

I pray for our team, that our hearts are hungry for Him and we are only satisfied in Him.