2011 January Fast Over!

Yesterday, we did a Fast Break after our 21 day fast. YIKES! Just one day of indiscriminate eating and I gained 5 pounds. Sigh, I'll have to go back on a reasonable lifestyle to get rid of it. Maybe do the 80/10/10 this week and then go back to my usual way of eating (which does NOT include all the stuff I ate yesterday!) I'm also thinking of joining Jantzen Franklin's fast whenever it starts. Not sure when that is at this point but it's usually the week after the Super Bowl.

2011 January Fast Day 21

I have been doing so well on this fast physically. My "carb" cravings aren't nearly as bad as they were the first few times I fasted the 80/10/10. Yea! I have been able to go to the IHOP NW Prayer Room more frequently this week and so I feel good about that too. On Sunday, the IHOP NW fast is over and we'll have a luncheon to break the fast. I have an Open House at the lake house I listed so I won't be able to stay very long but I'll go for a bit. I plan to continue the fast after that break because I don't think I got the breakthrough I was looking for.

2011 January Fast Day 18

I have not had the usual "carb" cravings with this fast...yea! I have been able to stay on the fast almost every day and even was able to stay on it on Saturday when I went to PCCS where there is free food. double yea!

I am on my way to the prayer room and will be praying for an hour or two. I really feel that I am becoming closer to God with this fast.

2011 January Fast Day 15

Yesterday was a very good day! I did NOT eat the pizza at my sub job, I did NOT eat the free cookies at the bank, I did NOT eat anything that wasn't raw even though I was very hungry just before going to the Prayer Room at IHOP NW. yea! I spent a couple of hours at the Prayer Room before the Friday night Encountering God Service and felt really good about that too. I so wish I had the money for gas to be able to go more frequently but I don't so I just have to be satisfied (wrong word--put up with) the fact that I can only go 2 times a week.

I have not had my "breakthrough" in my intimacy with God but I'm expecting it any minute! Lord, Jesus, I pray that you break in to my busy day today and help me to be more in tune with what you want me to do. Be with me as I show houses to a real estate client and be with me as I lead worship at Pierce County Christian Singles. Thank you, Lord!

2011 January Fast Day 14

The prayer and intercession for the "After the Ghost" movie was very inspiring! I am so honored to be praying for this movie and for the company, Divine Intervention (which has a huge vision for its production of many more projects than just this one movie). I ate salad, and did not eat the cooked dish or the cookies, so I was good with that. But, when I first came, I somehow forgot that I was eating only raw food and I ate one piece of french bread. Yikes! How do I forget something I've been doing for 12 days? I dunno, it escapes me how non-functioning my brain is sometimes. This morning, I woke up and began praying in my prayer language. So my desire to be closer to the Lord (my New Year's Resolution, in fact) is beginning to happen. Tonight, after subbing in the Auburn school district all day and after my chiropractor appointment, I'll go to the prayer room before the Friday night service and pray.

2011 January Fast Day 12

Physically, I am doing very well on the fast, except for my "free" food issues. And, I've not had any sweets even though I ate some cooked food (crackers) at the NW Christian Writers Association meeting. Spiritually, I feel that I need to press in harder with the Lord. I haven't had the gas to go to the prayer room every day and I wish that I did because that focuses me on praying while praying at home sometimes seems as if I get sidetracked to other things not of the Lord. However, tonight I will be at a prayer/intercessor meeting with Danielle and Skip Moody, praying for their next movie and I pray that will be a "bringing closer" experience. Also, on Friday, I plan to go to the Friday night service a few hours early in order to pray.

2011 January Fast - Saturday and Sunday

1/8/11: All week, I’ve stayed on the 80/10/10 fast with absolutely no slips. Yea!

This morning, when I tried to leave my house, my front door would not open. The dead bolt was not on, yet I could not open the door. I could see that the tongue of the door handle was not moving even though I was pushing the handle down. I tried for about 20 minutes but was totally unsuccessful in getting it to open.

I was already late to a “Quickening” seminar (a Klemmer Personal Mastery seminar with Christian emphasis) and so I thought I would just deal with it when I got home after the going to the seminar and then leading worship at the Pierce County Christian Singles meeting.

During the meeting, I had another one of my problems with “free” food and I did eat some cooked food. I was not happy with myself but tried to give myself grace about it.

In the morning, I had gone out the back door and had locked it so that no one could get into my house. When I got home after 10PM, I could not open the back door! My key wouldn’t even go in at all! Every house I’ve ever owned had the same key for all the outside doors and it had not even occurred to me that this house was different when I went out the back door.

I went back to the front door, praying the whole time that it would open……it didn’t. I went back to the back door (all these trips were in the rain because my carport is only on my front door side) and the key still would not fit in. By this time, I was not only praying, but crying out to God about my need to get into my house so I would have a good night’s sleep before being on the worship team at IHOP NW in the morning.

I’m not even sure how many times I went back and forth but nothing opened no matter how much I prayed. Just as I was coming around once again to the back door, there was a car turning in to a house just down from me and so I went down there and asked them if they knew how to break into a house. Amazingly, they said they used to help a locksmith and they might be able to do it! What are the chances?

But, they weren’t able to get in. However, they knew another guy who they used to work with in the locksmith business and he might help and he lived about 5 houses down. Again, what are the chances. And, what are the chances he would be willing to come help at this rude hour of the night?

But, he did come. Unfortunately, the back door lock was frozen (as in had not been used in so long that it wouldn’t work). We all went around to all the windows hoping that I had not been efficient in locking them all. No luck, they were all very well locked.

However, I had never removed the air conditioner when I got the heat pump and all four of us finally, after much grunting and straining, were able to get the air conditioner out of the window and I climbed into my house through it. Whew!

As I pondered these events I realized that first of all, God takes our “fastings” seriously and I fell off by eating cooked food at the PCCS meeting. This opened a door for the enemy to work in my life.

So, I was unable to get in by the front OR the back door. However, God is gracious and provided a way out! The fact that my neighbors came home just when I needed them, the fact that they had ideas about how to get in, the fact that they knew the guy who was a former locksmith (and who was strong enough to help with getting the air conditioner out when he was unable to pick the lock because the door knob was frozen) are all examples of God’s grace for me even though I was not obedient to the fast.

I praise His Holy Name!

By the way, today I’ve been good all day long and plan to stay on the fast the rest of the time.

Jan 7th 2010 Fast

Had some computer issues so haven't been on since the first day. :( I've done very well physically and was able to water fast the first day and do the 80/10/10 fast since then (check the beginning of this blog for the various types of fasts). One of my New Year's Resoultions was to get closer to God this year and this fast is helping me do that too. I went to the IHOP NW Prayer Room on Monday for a few hours to pray. I felt so blessed! I am praying for many things this time including for my family and friends, the NW awakening or breakthrough, and my financial situation. Yesterday, I prayed strongly for both my sons' situations and rebuked the enemy in their lives. This morning, I woke up praying! I love when that happens! God is so good!

January 2011 Fast-1st Day

IHOP NW has called us to fast for 21 days and pray for spiritual breakthrough in our region. I am SO all in! Today, even though I had to do an Open House down at American Lake, I stayed on the fast. I am reading the material given to us this morning about fasting, fellowship and trust. The Prayer Room will be open each day at noon (and until 9:30 or 10PM) and we have prayer assignments in 2 hour blocks. This week is a teensy bit less busy because it's the first week of the quarter so I just have a few orientations for my City U job. And, I pray that I will have enough gas to go to the Prayer Room to pray corporately for the breakthrough. Physically, I did fine today and all I had was water and GoVera (which is an Aloe product from Univera). Aloe helps with the hunger pains. We'll see how tomorrow goes.