Post 40

As i typed the title, i realized that this really can mean several things; like yes i'm over 40 years old, sounds like a cereal, some golfers would love to post a 40 on 9 holes, but this is in regards to a post i shared with you guys back in March.

You see i shared that in observance of the 40 days leading to Christ's resurrection, i was refraining from sweets. You can scroll down a few blogs to catch up. Well Easter was yesterday and man o' man did we celebrate. No not by eating bunny ears (although those are quite tasty) We gathered with our brothers and sisters across the globe to celebrate our Risen Savior. I thought our skin was going to pop off at times,with our hands raised, eyes closed and my bride after we sing He's Alive is just about to put her fingers in her mouth for a good ol southern whistling salute of her Praises to the King....she refrained hahaha...

Well it's Monday. The celebration continues, as we know that for over 2000 years our Lord reigns!

I must share that this year my senses were heightned to the resurrection as i journeyed through the fast. You see as my body would crave the sweets, (which still has not gone away)i would think of Jesus. As the days came closer and the week of His triumphal entry, i literally would place myself in the setting and play out where i thought i might be, i would ask myself, "how quick would i have ran" when asked about Jesus. Would i have been like Peter and have Jesus tell me to get behind him? Or would i have been one of the crowd asking for the release of Barabas instead of Jesus.....I don't have to wonder that anymore.

You see in the days leading up to the resurrection this verse was revealed to me. Revelation 19:6-8 Look at verse 8. The she is us folks...those of us that have said yes and believe to Jesus, those of us that recognize Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. That fine linen, well when you dissect that word in the original greek language, it is a bleached white linen (spotless without blemish)Our spotless, without a blemish Savior places this on me and you. Go ahead jump and do a chest bump or side bump with someone.....gang that is why He emptied Himself out of that tomb to conquer death, so HIS bride (the body of Christ)can live everlasting to everlasting with our bridegroom Jesus Christ without a blemish.

What's that? oh yes, i did eat a piece of nanny's (my mother in law's)amazing , that is submerged in eagle brand milk, creamy white icing with coconut flakes drizzled cake........oops sorry i fell down for a second hhahaha. But the struggle through the 40 was way much more than about not eating sweets. It is SO WAY ABOUT our reflection on Jesus and seeing that HE IS STILL ALIVE.

how fast is fast?

to abstain as a religious exercise from food and drink: either entirely, if the fast lasted but a single day, or from customary and choice nourishment, if it continued several days

That's the definition of fast…Yea Jesus demonstrated this discipline in the desert for 40 days, and then we see in Matthew chapter 6 verse 16 He states "and when you fast, don't make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, who try to look pale and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I assure you, that is the only reward they will ever get." (NLT)

Before we dive in, let me share my first experience. I'm thinking now that it was about 5 years ago, I'm reading scripture and the thought of fasting came to mind and so in my typical fleshy way, I said to self….hey let's do this….Yea let's do this thing…I can do this…let me pick something to fast from…heck my doing was more like a side show you see when you go to Coney Island in NY. Yea the shows that show half dog half cat jumping through hoops of flames, or the tent where the man is swallowing everything except food or water. That was my mind set, look at what I'm attempting for God…WRONG answer! The attempting part was correct, but the motive way off. I was going into the fast as I would running a distance I have never run before, just to see if I could do it. Well guess what happened? Yep, fast didn't last…. Oh I forgot to tell you, my 2 day fast was from pop-tarts. No kidding I really really really enjoy those tasty little pastries, with butter smothered on them…placed in the ov….someone slap me here…ok I'm back with you. Fast forward to 2010

I must admit that most of the time when I hear the word fast now in this setting, I think to myself….yea, the reason it's called a fast is that when you are in it, you want it over real fast hahaha. But as God does when we are talking with Him, through His word and just talking (praying) in whatever we are doing. The verse pops up yet again and the week this verse pops up is start Ash Wednesday. The part of the verse that continues to penetrate me is the word WHEN. It doesn't say if i decide to fast, or if i think about it, Jesus says when you (we)fast. And this time, as I read, the week before, the thought of refraining from certain sweets was starting to enter my mind. Here's why…9 years ago, alcohol had a grip on me, it was an escape, it was a form of numbing the world around me (you can shoot me a message for the other details, will refrain here) suffice to say for those that understand addiction, you realize that the "whatever" can be more than the substances like drugs and alcohol, but also things like shopping, exercise, work, sex and hobbies, creeps into your mind and tells your body you NEED this.

So if you'll notice in the scripture cited above, Jesus tells us don't make it look obvious, so i really dug in and said YEA YEA…no one will know, not even my bride. Well remember this started on Wednesday and things are going ok, as I replace the sweets like chocolate chip cookies, brownies, donuts, cake, pies…ok ok I'm back…with the Word and or prayer and most of the time both. Wednesday night comes and a friend shares that she is fasting as well, so we high fived and said me too! but don't tell anyone…DAG GUM IT! I just told you…ok ok….keep it a secret. Friday comes and Debby, my bride, comes out of the store with, yep you guessed it. A big ol Hershey bar, my favorite. Satan away from me…surely Jesus didn't face this type of temptation did he?… Shook it off…."WHAT?" was her shocked reply. Yea, and as I brought deb up to speed I shared how this sweet thing is more than I really thought…kinda thought this would be a chip shot, but I am seeing even in this short time, my reliance on this is crazy. I ask her to pray with me during this time (James 5:16). The weekend comes and goes…whew, how many more days? Need reinforcements…Tuesday comes, I meet with some dear friends each Tuesday morning at 05:00 to discuss life, I bring them in. And as I am sharing I'm thinking, "this is so foolish, seems so trivial" but folks it's not!

Tomorrow will be the half way point. In just a few days we will celebrate our risen Savior Jesus Christ! We will celebrate the One who was tempted for 40 days in His fast, that was part of His preparation for the day that brings me and you our eternity, our salvation through faith in His risen Body! So right now when I say no to the Hershey bar, or when I say no to the whatever in life that has gripped me…..i am saying YES to JESUS…and the grip of the whatever loosens just a bit, the grip I have on myself loosens, as I continue to say YES to JESUS!

If you are saying yes, and you "feel" your yes just isn't sticking, give us a shout and share your experience with us we look forward to hearing your story.

mike