My friend Jill asked me to join her in a 30 day fast during the same time that Ramadan is happening. She has such a heart for our Muslim friends and wants to experience what they go through during those 30 days. So she personally will be following along with the Muslims in not eating during sunlight hours. That means she will only eat (and I think drink as well) anytime from after 9pm to before 5am. I will be joining her but not in a food fast. I refuse to fast food right now since I am still nursing Jed.
Awhile ago I made a list of things getting in the way of my relationship with God. One of the major things that gets in the way is how much time I spend watching TV. So for at least 30 days during Ramadan (which is sunset of June 17-sunrise of July 17) I will not watch any TV. Instead, if I have free time, I will use it to read books, read the Bible, pray, worship, exercise, clean, etc. But my main focus should ALWAYS be on God and not just these 30 days.
I realize this is like lent in a way. A fast from something. But I don't want to just give up TV unless my heart is changed. Because otherwise I'll just replace watching TV with something else that isn't important. If God isn't #1 in my life, then no matter what I take away, He still won't be #1. I need a heart change.
I have a lot of respect for Muslims and people of other religions. Although I don't agree with their beliefs, I have so much respect for how much time and effort they put into their religion. Jehovah Witnesses go door to door telling people about God. Muslims pray a certain amount of times a day and are obligated to participate in Ramadan unless they have a valid reason not too. Why are we slacking as Christians? The GREAT news is that as Christians we don't HAVE to do anything. We don't have to pray. We don't have to read the Bible. We don't have to fast or tell others about Jesus. BUT we should be. We abuse the freedoms we have. We're saved because of Jesus' saving grace and not by what we do....however we should be doing all of those things in gratitude and love toward God. If He is really #1 in our lives, we'd see the urgency in telling others about Jesus. We'd choose to die to ourselves daily.
So will you join me? Will you join me in a 30 day fast? What can you give up? Don't just give up something if you don't replace it with God. We need to be on our knees praying for our unsaved family members and friends. We need to be telling people about Jesus. We need to be reading the Bible DAILY. We need to stop and listen to God. We need to be worshipping God. If you're not doing these things, why not? Take some time to yourself and see why God hasn't been first in your life. Let's repent and start fresh.
Will you join me? This isn't JUST about 30 days...it's about life and death. So yes I'll be giving up TV for 30 days and using my spare time to spend with God, but I hope in this 30 day challenge that my heart will be changed and I'll always put God first from here on in. Let me know if you're joining me and Jill for our 30 day fast!
