“19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NIV)
Day 3 of our corporate fast, prayer and personal devotion at The Summit Church. Dana and I have been doing a water only fast for our country, church and our home. Many of you are doing a Daniel Fast or some other specific food or juice fast. If you have stayed the course in this you will find that by day 3 you are experiencing a physical “detox.” The chemicals (caffeine, nicotine, Mercuries, bbp’s, and other unhealthy & high levels of fats, sugars and crabs) are leaving your body and you are experiencing fatigue, headaches, muscle and joint pains and other uncomfortable symptoms. This is a natural part of removing harmful elements from your body so it can operate at a higher and more healthy level. The body will cleanse itself so it can function as it was intended.As you press into God with prayer and personal Bible devotion you will also see that God will begin to take you through a “Spiritual” detoxification. When Israel had gotten so far from God that they lost their effectiveness, He took great measures to restore His name and His people.
“25 Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 36:25-26 (NASB)
Israel was hurting and they were quitting on God. They cried night and day about their pain and how hard it was to serve God. They began to compromise and take on the traditions and behavior of the countries around them. They perceived them as successful and thought that was what they needed. God was not happy. In 1 Corinthians 6 we see that we are “bought with a price.” And that price was painful. It required our creator and God to give His ONLY Son over to the ungrateful so we could have life. God knew through the pain we would find happiness.
When we Fast, Pray and devote a time of our days to reading God’s word and spending time with Him we find that we begin to physically and spiritually “Detox.” It’s painful! But anything that’s worth having is always birthed in pain. If you haven’t paid a cost it isn’t worth having! Developing a lifestyle of fasting isn’t easy. It also isn’t required to be saved or have a personal relationship with Jesus. But if you want God’s very best you must fast, pray and read His word on a regular basis. Having God’s best requires personal sacrifice but I guarentee it’s worth it!
Press in and don’t give up! God’s promise is greater than the enemies lies.
Pastor Bryan
