Embrace the Within no. 139

“And whenever you are fasting, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they put on a sad and dismal face [like actors, discoloring their faces with ashes or dirt] so that their fasting may be seen by men. I assure you and most solemnly say to you, they [already] have their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head [as you normally would to groom your hair] and wash your face so that your fasting will not be noticed by people, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees [what is done] in secret will reward you.

Matthew 6:16-18 AMP

Everyone fasts. We can not possibly eat all the time. BUT fasting for a purpose is an important part of our walk with the Lord. Fasting is also a benefit to our physical health as well which is an important part of our walk. Being a mess is no way to be an example of the Kingdom of God.

Life is messy. Life is filled with so many situations and obstacles we cannot control. BUT here in the Sermon on the Mount, Christ again talks about making choices that are directly under our control. We can serve the Lord and treat that service as a burden or we can serve the Lord and treat that service as our obedient duty. We can use our service to draw attention to ourselves or we can use our service to draw attention to God. And we get to choose.

This idea of secrecy in our deeds underlies the Sermon on the Mount. Prayer is to be done secretly, charity is to be done secretly, and fasting is to be done secretly. And a lot of that has to do with my choices. I get to choose if this walk with the Lord is about me or is it about Him.

When I first got started on my walk with the Lord, I had no idea it was going to be a walk with Him. I thought I was just trying to get healthy. BUT I neglected to understand then that any sort of health is going to be directly dependent on the Lord. I can’t be spiritually healthy without Him. And spiritual health is a key component of overall health.

Fasting is just another part of the overall health picture. And the secrecy of fasting is an important part of being spiritually healthy. While the act itself does have physical benefits, fasting is primarily important in my spiritual walk with the Lord. Fasting helps me focus on what is truly important and my obedience to the Lord.

So, incorporate some form of fasting into your walk with the Lord? Take some time to give up something you would choose to occupy your focus and replace it with more time with the Lord. I assure you that spending more time with the Lord is not time wasted. Take the time to show your obedience to the Lord in following His Way to be nearer to Him?

I love you. I forgive you. Have a blessed and abundant day!

#ThinkBetter #BeBetter #NoGodsNoMasters #NoKingButChrist #EmbraceTheWithin #NotMyWayYHWH

Embrace the Within no. 138

“Beware lest there be any man that spoile you through philosophie, and vaine deceit, through the traditions of men, according to the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”

Colossians 2:8 GNV

Dude, have I found many philosophies over my nearly five decades of walking and wheeling around this earth. And not one of them led me to anywhere near fulfillment until I started living in peace and harmony with myself. Back in 2020 when the plague hit, I was scared about the lockdowns and what it might mean for my family being able to eat. I was really worried for the first time in my life that there was going to be a real problem with my ability to provide for my family. And for me that meant taking some changes to align my philosophy with my life.

I had spent years talking about personal responsibility and self ownership BUT I wasn’t doing anything to be responsible or control my life. I was like most of the folks in the world and was content to just pull up at the store every week. I had faith that the store was always going to be there, open, and stocked. That changed with the lockdowns and the plague.

So, I had to take a really important look at my philosophy and it’s vain deceit. Because until that point, everything had worked in favor of my vanity and selfishness. I was doing things just like everyone else despite my philosophy. So, things had to change.

And that has led me into the fourth year of changing my life to align with what God wants me to do. This is the beginning of a fourth year of treating my body like the temple the Lord wants it to be. This is the beginning of a fourth year of walking in His Way of love and Truth. This is a continuation of making sure that I am no longer so easily gripped by fear through faith in His provision.

I can take a lot of time winning debates and conversations or I can take the time to put God’s Will into effect in my life. And for years I was out here worried about winning. And I wasn’t worried about changing. I shouldn’t have been worried about changing other people’s minds and instead I should have been worried about changing my life. Now that I have finally made those changes, I see how self righteous and vain it was to want everyone else to change to accommodate my philosophy. It was me that needed to change. And so it was me that did change.

Today is a great day to make a change in your life as well. I am not here to tell you that change was easy. I plodded away at change every day for three years now. I started small and worked with what I had and then kept going, through God’s grace and mercy, to get here in year number four. You can start where you are today as well. You just need to decide it is time for your body, your mind, and your spirit to change and ask God to make that move.

I am not sorry for where that journey has taken me through His Will. BUT I never expected to be where I am. So, my only warning is that when you let God have control, you are going to end up in places you never imagined. I never planned for my journey to get me here today BUT it was never my journey alone. It was always His Way.

I love you. I forgive you. Have a blessed and abundant day!

#ThinkBetter #BeBetter #NoGodsNoMasters #NoKingButChrist #EmbraceTheWithin #NotMyWayYHWH