21 Days of Fasting, Part 1

This week is the first week of my 21 days of fasting. I shared some personal stuff about it here. I must say, I thought I would be in prayer for direction on the possible church change all 21 days but God has really been doing some work elsewhere. I mean, I’ve been praying about the direction on the possible church change; but I’ve also been praying for other things in my life that God has placed on my heart.
I have decided to keep a journal (in the form of blog posts) about my fasting. I think it will be awesome to take a look back here in a month, a year, or however long and see what amazing things God has done because of my fasting. When I write, I write what comes to mind as if I were speaking. Sometimes, I don’t think before I talk/write so some things may sound differently than how I really feel or what I really meant to say. In no way am I trying to take credit for anything that happens. I give ALL the credit and glory to God. I also believe that prayers are answered regardless if you fast or not, but fasting certainly shows God you are committed to see change and are serious.
Day 4 of 21 Update:
A friend of mine shared with me a book that she had done as a Bible Study. It’s called Becoming the Woman of His Dreams by Sharon Jaynes. I quickly ordered this from Amazon and decided to start on another book while I waited for Becoming the Woman of His Dreams to arrive in the mail. (Side note: I got this book in the mail today and have started it. It is AWESOME and look forward to sharing some things about it later. Perhaps, after the fast. I’m not sure.) The book I have started is The Power of a Praying Woman by Stormie Omartian. I have to admit that I started this book a long time ago but never finished it. I really want to finish it this time because I feel like I need to learn some things when it comes to prayer. I have learned that praying needs to start with ME. I need to really take a look at myself and cleanse myself of all sins and ask God to show me places that I need to change. This includes forgiveness. I will not go into details, but last year I faced some really hurtful times with a couple of my family members. I wrote a letter to them and asked for forgiveness and had never heard back from them. It has been around 8 months since this happened. Since that time I had prayed for them and for Him to help mend the relationship. Nobody is perfect, we all make mistakes. But we should always be quick to forgive. I had peace that I had forgiven and had moved on….waiting for God to help them to forgive ME. Well, on day 3 of my fast (just before reading the chapter of forgiveness in POAPW) I received a letter from one of the people I had hurt and forgiven. She apologized and has forgiven me as well. Praise God!
So my fasting has taken a different path than I thought it would originally. I know that there are going to be obstacles in the way during these 21 days but I also know that God has already done great things and will continue to do so. I really feel refreshed and closer to God. I pray that I continue to be committed to Him and will keep these prayer and reading habits even after the 21 days are over.