Day 28 of this 40 Day Fast

It is hard to imagine where 28 days have gone so fast and at the same time I am ready for 40. I have lost 34 pounds and have experienced an issue over the past couple of days with low blood sugar. Where I am not eating at all I started to get really dizzy on Thursday night and even fell in the floor during the night because I got out of bed too quickly. I am pretty mindful of getting up slowly during the day but that time I awoke out of a sound sleep and just jumped up, then I had to get up again, lol.

I added a bowl of broth yesterday and this morning I took a spoonful of peanut butter and now I feel great, I actually feel as if I have eaten a full meal. At this point I will likely have a bowl of broth each day and if my body signifies that my sugar is low I will again have a spoonful of peanut butter. I have no desire to cut this 40 day fast short, but I am ready to eat.

When I finish the 40 days I plan to feast. But when I say feast I don’t mean that I am going to be reckless, I am going to feast of the things that will bring me health and not sickness. I am going to enjoy some of the things that are not the greatest for us, I still plan to eat cake but it will be a treat and not an everyday meal. I may even enjoy donuts on occasion but I won’t have the whole box. I am undecided about soda’s, I haven’t had dark sodas in more than 10 years and I definitely won’t go back to them but I may go back to having Sprite Zero but not as a habit. I will enjoy water more often with meals and throughout the day as I know it is the fuel that we need for our bodies to operate most efficiently.

One of the biggest changes that I will make is to live a fasted lifestyle. Over the past 20 years I have fasted for periods of 1 day, 3 days, 7 days, 21 days and 40 days but I have never really stayed on a consistent schedule and I believe that is what is needed to be spiritually and physically my best. I have even contemplated if God calls me to another 40 day fast and I am afraid He will. If I do another one, it could be for Lent in 2013 and I believe I would like to try following the Jewish tradition of fasting 6 days a week and feasting on the Sabbath. In other words for us, I would fast every day of the week and eat the evening meal on Saturday through the evening meal on Sunday and then I would fast again. It would just be a different way of doing things and we will just wait to see if God calls me to do another one. I will be the first to say that this is difficult for many reasons. Number 1, I really love to eat, Number 2, I love the time that I spend with my family including friends and family around the dinner table, and Number 3, it is a real discipline to not eat when everything in you is screaming I want to eat.

I do not think that everyone should undertake a 40 day fast but I do believe that everyone should fast. The time period will just have to be between you and God. The Bible is clear, Jesus expected that His disciples would fast. I get all kinds of excuses as to why people cannot fast. Of course there are some with medical conditions and you cannot fast, find another way to do it. I know there are things that you do that you could discipline yourself to stop that would benefit you spiritually. However, if you are physically able and healthy, fasting will only serve to make you more healthy.

How strong are we really if we are healthy and refuse to give up food for a period of time? Especially when we know the Bible prescribes it.

Ronnie

Hillsville Youth Lead Worship @ Resurrection 2012

Fruit of the Spirit and the loss of self-control…

Last night and for the past few weeks we have been looking at the Gifts of the Spirit in Out of the Box Youth. In previous weeks we did a spiritual gifts inventory and we found some really great things about where the youth are gifted. Some of them have the gift of a pastor and that excites me. Some of my strongest gift indicators are in Apostleship, Pastor, and Leadership. What are yours? Are you working within” your giftedness?

Last night though we looked at the “fruit of the spirit”. This is different from the Spiritual gifts, however in order to operate in the gifts God has given us we have to be walking in the Spirit, therefore we will manifest fruit, or grow fruit maybe.

Here is what Galatians 5 and Paul has to say, in 22-26, “²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. ²⁵ Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

I had each of the youth to write down the different fruit and then rank on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being the strongest, how they felt they ranked in these fruit of the spirit.

The result was that many of them were reluctant to put a 5 in any of the fruit, I encouraged them that it wasn’t a prideful thing to know that you are bearing fruit.

The biggest revelation that came from this experiment what that many and probably most of them scored the lowest on “self-control.” I would venture to say that probably most people reading this struggle in the same fruit, “self-control.”

Here was my question to them and to you. What can you do to get the number to a 5 on self-control, or at least to move up the number scale?

Here are the answers they gave. Fasting, Prayer, Bible Study…They were naming off the Spiritual Disciplines. That’s it, they got it right…

When a person comes to know Christ then you receive the Holy Spirit of God who lives inside of you. There is no need to pray for the Holy Spirit, He is there. However, just because Holy Spirit lives inside of us, that does not mean that we are continually filled with the Holy Spirit, nor does it mean that we walk in the Spirit.

These things are accomplished through Seeking God, by Drawing Close To God, through the Spiritual Disciplines. Those who have ears to hear, listen. God is doing a new thing among us and those who are tuned into God will be the ones God uses during this new move of God.

Pastor Ronnie

How could I have forgotten?

How in the world could I have forgotten? This question is boggling my mind this morning and I share with you what God is doing. Lest me first start by sharing something that God is revealing to me in Scripture this morning.

It is found in Matthew 9:14-17 (TNIV) and reads as follows.

¹⁴ Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?”

 ¹⁵ Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.

   ¹⁶ “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. ¹⁷ Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”

This scripture has always eluded me until this morning. In this passage I know that Jesus is saying that when he ascends into heaven that his disciples will once again fast. At this moment they were feasting because Jesus was still with them. Fasting is a discipline that Gods people have done since early on in the Old Testament and it is carried out through the New Testament.

This is not what had me bound, it was verses 16 and 17, but not anymore.

Wine and oil represent the Holy Spirit throughout the scriptures in many instances and here the new wine represents a new thing that God wants to do and is going to do. As a matter of fact, he is getting ready to send the Holy Spirit into the lives of his disciples. In that day, they would pour wine into something called wineskins.

The material the wineskins were made of had to be new and pliable when new wine was poured into them because the new wine would expand. If the wineskins were old they became hard and would crack when the wine expanded.

Fasting is a tool (a spiritual discipline) that helps us have new room for Holy Spirit to work. God has already given us everything available to us in the spirit but we do not often walk in newness of life because the gunk of this world tends to get in and clog us up. (Not just spiritually but physically as well.

God wants to do a New Thing! In this passage of scripture, as soon as Jesus took His last breath on earth, He was sending the Holy Spirit, a New Thing.

God reminded me this morning that it was during my first 40 day fast that started in February 2010 that Out of the Box Worship Center became a REALITY.

The first meeting we had to discuss the possibility of a second site for 1st Hillsville UMC was in February 2010. I remember the meeting with Pastor Ty and Richard Edwards in O’ Charlies in Bristol at Exit 7 and I wasn’t eating. I remember how great the food looked to this day but now I see how AWESOME the BLESSING OF GOD IS. It is better than physical food, it is greater than our appetite, He is greater than anything in this world.

Wow, this is just what I needed from God this morning. How could I have forgotten? It is because we get so involved in the day-to-day struggles and we neglect to renew our old wineskins (our soul and spirit and our mind). Fasting cleans out the GUNK in our lives.

Pastor Ronnie

Book Review: Off Balance by Matthew Kelly

This is the first time I have read a book that has challenged the “I need balance between my work and my personal life” statement. This one will make you think and I believe the author is truly on to something. Kelly’s take is that there is no separation between the work and personal life, they are one in the same. I believe that he is right, we spend an enormous amount of our lives working so that we can pay the bills or as part of who we are. I prefer to think of my work as part of who I am and as the mission that God has given me in life.

Kelly says where the mistake is made is  in people who are looking for satisfaction in their lives and not balance. Again, I believe that he is right. I know when things are going great in the work that God has given me to do then things go better in all aspects of my life. We carry our lives from all sectors into all other parts of our life. If things are going great at home, they ultimately go better on the job as well.

The problems come when someone is hiding from one or the other and buries themselves in one to hide or get away from the other. This is an excellent book and I highly recommend it. There are helps here for us to name what it is we want in life and tools to help us focus our energies on getting those things. We must learn if we want to be the best at some things we have to let others things go.

Here are a few quotes that I really loved in the book and I would give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Ronnie

“After years of study, I’ve come to the conclusion that people don’t really need or want balance. People need and want a satisfying experience of life.”

“How do you get a satisfying life? Most of the time, living a life that is deeply satisfying requires a strategy, daily attention, self-awareness, and discipline.”

“Excellence in any field requires that we miss out on other things. If you want to be the best tennis player in the world, you are going to have to sacrifice a great many other things in order to achieve that. Success always has required and always will require sacrifice. If success were easy, it would be common. It is difficult, and that is why it is rare. I don’t think that the whole work-life balance discussion has adequately pointed out that excellence in any field requires sacrifice.”

Book Review: Spirit Wars by Kris Vallotton

I picked this one up because of the research I am doing for a series on Sunday evenings on ‘The Unseen World”. I really liked the reviews that I read but I would have to say that I disagree with the reviews. I didn’t like the book right from the start because the author claims to live months on end without sin in his life and in my reading of scripture this doesn’t stand up.

There were some good quotes from the book and I will share a couple of them but over all, it wasn’t anything that I found worth the time. There were other places where I feel the authors theology are also incorrect.

“As much as I would like to promote the “happily ever after” lifestyle, I am reminded that we were born into a war—a war that has already been won.”

“Many say that ignorance is bliss, but God says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6). I am astonished by how many people (including Christians) are unaware that we do not inhabit, but we cohabit, this planet.”

“Just as enemies fought Joshua in the Promised Land and Nehemiah as he rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem, so will our enemy fight us when we begin to take the spiritual terrain God has promised to us.”

“Most Christians, however, are completely unaware that the resistance they encounter as they step into God’s promises is actually part of a spirit war. They retreat at the first sign of conflict because they fail to recognize the true source of the battle or the way in which war is waged in the invisible realm.”

“One of the most common ways demonic spirits attack is by giving us thoughts that the Bible describes as flaming arrows (see Ephesians 6:16).”

These are some great thoughts, I just wish the entire book had been so good.

Ronnie

Day 24 and only 16 to go

It is amazing, today has been one of my strongest days. I worked all day, made a trip to the hospital and walked a mile. I am at 29 miles for the fast and down 32 pounds. People tell me that I look really thin but to be completely honest I am just now getting close to my ideal weight. My plan is to change my eating habits and stay thin, we will see how that goes. It is my desire to be healthy and gain my energy through eating the right foods rather than caffeine.

I live a busy, fast paced life and if I eat right and exercise I should be able to accomplish that much more. I have the exercise routine down, running between 30 and 40 miles a week.

I had a dream last night that was really strange but it also made sense. In the dream I was bitten by a snake and it was a real ordeal trying to get to the hospital. God has spoken to me through the dream. It has to do with vision believe it or not.

Today has been one of those days when I had big plans to accomplish several things but instead it has been full of divine appointments designed by God. I wait in anticipation to see what God does, not just in the next 16 days but in 2012. I believe with all my heart that God is up to something BIG.

Ronnie

Tithing – Trusting God with what He gives

From the Jan. 23, 2012, Turning Point Daily Devotional: In his book,Seismic Shifts, Kevin Harney tells about Dan and Dawn who had been active in church but had never reached the point of giving a full 10 percent of their income to the Lord. They were juggling the expenses of a growing family; but they felt God wanted them to increase their giving, and they established a plan to do it in increments. One day, Dan felt it was time to make the final step. He sat down with Dawn to suggest giving a full 10 percent—a tithe. Smiling at him, she said, “We have been tithing for the past three months!” God had been so faithful in meeting their needs that Dan hadn’t missed the money and hadn’t realized his wife had accelerated the schedule.

“David Jeremiah notes, ‘Money is one way we can see who we are. If we try to control our money on our own, we do not trust Him as we should. If we honor Him in giving, it’s a mark of faith and faithfulness.”

I thought this was worth sharing.

Ronnie

Day 22 of 40, Fasting and Praying

22 days and still going. I have lost 30 pounds and everybody keeps asking if that is one of the reasons for the fast. No, but it is sure a great side benefit. The fact is if a person doesn’t change their eating habits after losing weight in a fast it will all come back rather quickly. It is my intention to change my eating habits to a great degree.

I preached three times yesterday and I had plenty of strength to do so for the first two services, I was pretty tired by the time I preached the third time. It seems to me that God is revealing the flow of scripture to me in new and exciting ways. I am reading and understanding things that I have never really grasped. Yesterday I preached from Nehemiah and that is the first time ever. I read the book of Daniel yesterday and though I still do not understand all of it, it made more sense than ever before.

God is revealing lots of things to me about true humility, discipline, and just living the Christian life. We are a spoiled bunch!

Too many Christians are fat and happy. I don’t mean physically fat, I mean satisfied and not concerned. The fact that there are fights in church about the color of the carpet and who is going to use the building and what they have to pay to be married in the church, on and on and on…is evidence that we have lost our way.

We have come into the promised land, we have eaten and been full, we have drunk and been satisfied, we have built fine houses (most way bigger and more than we could ever need or use) (many have been built with money robbed from God, read Malachi) and we have forgotten God.

We live in a time when many and maybe most church members give God an hour on Sunday morning and sometimes more but not enough that it is a sacrifice. Salvation is free but living for God is work, not to gain or keep salvation but to bring about the Kingdom as God has asked us to do.

Do you want to hear from God more than you want food? Follow the Biblical Discipline of fasting just for a couple of days and then make it a lifestyle and that will be a sacrifice.

Ronnie

 

Fear is an evil Spirit…ever thought about this???

II Timothy 1:7 says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

I have had several people ask me recently if I had ever experienced “bad thoughts” or even “evil thoughts” with no reason or explanation as to why they came. My answer was yes, as a matter of fact, there have been times when I am waiting to preach, I mean just minutes even seconds away from standing up to preach and these thoughts will come out of no where. I typically quote 2 Corinthians 10:5 which says, “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

The Bible tells us that when we have these thoughts they originate with the evil spirits that exist in the unseen world. They are everywhere, all around us in this world.

OK, so we know where they come from. Jesus quoted scripture to Satan when he tempted him in the wilderness and we must learn to do the same. We must recognize first that evil spirits exist in this world. Then we need to quote the truth to Satan. I usually pray something like this, “Lord I lift this thought up to you, taking it captive so as not to dwell on it, I give it to you.” Amazingly, it usually is done and dealt with. We cannot allow ourselves to dwell on these evil thoughts, this is where demon oppression comes from. If Satan can confuse us enough and get us sidetracked into thinking these thoughts originated with us rather than him, then he has a stronghold.

We demolish, disrupt, destroy, stop Satan in his tracks when we quote truth. 

Ronnie

For the next 4 weeks I am preaching a series “The Unseen World” at 1st United Methodist Church Hillsville located at 225 Fulcher Street @ 630pm on Sunday evenings. You are encouraged to join us.

The Countdown Begins…Day 21…19 to go…

Today is day 21 of my 40 day fast and yes I would like to eat. However, I must stress to you that I am not hungry and I have not had a hunger pain in 21 days. I know in my heart and mind that my desire to eat is much greater than the anticipation of what the food would taste like and how I would feel after eating.

I believe the greatest lesson that I have learned on this 40 day journey to date is…The Christian world or at least the vast majority in America have either ignored or never heard of the Spiritual Discipline of fasting. There are a lot of problems associated with this.

Problem #1. If you are a Christian and you have never heard of this, it means that you are not studying the scriptures for yourself. I say this because it is painfully obvious if you read the scripture that men and women of God have fasted for more than six thousand years. You will also find that Jesus expected that His followers would fast. You will also find that fasting is just as important and compared or contrasted with prayer and giving of the tithe. Now, there is an obvious problem when it comes to tithing also but that is for another time.

Hosea 4:6 says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”

II Timothy 2:15 says, “Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

John 5:39 says, “Search the Scriptures diligently (Study) because you think that in them you possess eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me.”

These scriptures are a starting place. God has called us to know Him and many of us have professed to know Him and yet we have neglected to know who He is and how He acts in our lives.

Wow

Ronnie

Book Review: Axiom by Bill Hybels

This book is a compilation of lessons learned and tools with ideas to be a better leader. Matter of fact the contents of this book are good for the church world as well as the business world. They are short chapters really meant to read and contemplate rather than just reading through in one sitting. I could recommend this book as one that you have on your shelf (or in your kindle) for those times when you need a jump-start in accomplishing something or when there is an issue looming that you need to know how to handle. It is not one of my favorites and at this time I didn’t gain great value from the book.

I do believe it is timing for me and not the content, the content is good.

Ronnie

Day 19 of 40 Day Fast

Day 19 and I am amazed at how well I am doing. It seems that my attitude is making all the difference this time. The first time I did a 40 day fast I was a little freaked out about all the changes taking place and all the concerns of how I would make it. This time I know that I won’t die from an extended fast and I also know that God has called me to do this. I haven’t had any earth shattering experiences but God is speaking.

I am down 27 pounds which is a faster weight loss than the first time, this is likely due to the fact that I am walking almost every day. I walked 2 miles today for a total of 20 miles for 19 days. I feel great. I admit that I get pretty tired and ready for bed earlier than normal. I could actually go to be easily at 8pm every evening but that just doesn’t happen when the kids are not on a schedule.

A couple of days ago I remembered that someone had suggested years ago when I was fasting to take a spoonful of honey and I tried it, it was amazing the energy it gave me to get through the rest of the afternoon. I am now taking a spoonful every day and feeling even better. Amazing what a spoonful of honey can do. I have heard it said that honey is one of God’s miracle foods and I believe it.

It dawned on yesterday as I was working with one of our college students on some scripture references that a fast is a way of saying, “Here I am God, I’m Listening.” I am listening and I am more attuned to what the Spirit is saying these days. The Bible teaches us over and over that if we want our voice to be heard on high, we need to combine fasting with prayer. I am not saying that God doesn’t hear our prayers without fasting, but I am saying that when we get desperate enough we will resort to desperate measures.

I want to hear from God.

Ronnie

Book Review: “Every Body Matters” by Gary Thomas

“All the proper doctrine in the world can’t save us from eating away our sensitivity to God’s presence or throwing away years of potential ministry if we wreck our heart’s physical home.”

Misty has started to use my Kindle and while looking at books one evening she ran across this one. As she started to read it she became pretty excited about what she was learning. As she started to share some of what she was reading I was pretty interested and ended up putting some other books aside so that I could read it.

Gary talks a lot about his own personal struggles with food and over eating and that is one things that makes this book such a winner. He admits that he runs a little more so that he can eat a little more of the things he likes that are not good for him. That describes me pretty well also.

The whole idea of the book is that God created us with perfect bodies that work well when treated well and fed well. It is when we eat the wrong things, which is almost everything with processed foods being the norm today. However, there are ways we can combat the wrong foods. They are exercise and eating well, not overeating and not always going for the easy foods.

This book has encouraged me to do a “Biggest Loser” in our church and preach a series of messages on the concepts of Biblical eating and care of our bodies. I can’t wait.

I would give this book 5 stars out of 5.

Ronnie

Here are a few great quotes from the book.

“God gave us souls — and bodies to go with them. To be fully alive, fully human, fully the people God created us to be, we have to care for our bodies, discipline them, and make them our servants in our service to God.”

“Staying in shape require a lot of work and even regular pain, not being in shape requires its own pains and labors.”

“Protecting your health is the same thing as protecting the vehicle through which God wants to change the world.”

“Sin can lead us to become overweight, but being overweight is not, in and of itself, a sin.”

 

 

Group Magazine November-December 2011

This is a great magazine for anyone working with teens. Here are just a few things I found in the November-December Issue, 2011.

#1 Lots of encouragement for a ministry that often times goes unappreciated.

#2 Inspiration to get back to having one of the best, Bible teaching, mentoring, Youth Ministries around.

#3 Encouragement in handling Crisis Situations that come constantly in the lives of teens.

#4 Great ideas for planning throughout the week for ministry nights and delegation responsibilities.

#5 The great importance of rules in youth ministry, Jesus never said it was easy to be His Disciple.

#6 If you want to tell great faith stories, you have to be willing to risk it all.

#7 Tips on dealing with “churched” kids.

#8 Great insight on the movie “Divided”. (It is a critique on Youth Ministry)

Pastor Ronnie

Teens – Texting – Reading their Bibles

I just read a statistic this morning in “Group” Magazine that reads as follows.

“The average teen sends & receives 3,300 texts every month. For girls the # is above 4,000. Studies show it is having a dumbing down effect.” 

However, the article goes on to say that there are also a lot of good benefits to the teens and their texting, such as, they are making more friends, they are sharing more of their struggles, and they are relating better in person because of getting to know each other better through texting.

My guess is that they feel more freedom and comfort to talk about personal matters through texting than in person and once their secret is out in the light they can then talk about it in person. This is what I think and I have seen it in action with a lot of teens who tell me things first through texting.

Here is the point of this blog…

I don’t get anywhere near the 3,300 or the 4,000 text messages a month. I may get close to 1,000 (maybe just a little more, occasionally) on occasion and I probably send and receive between 20 and 50 each day.

Here is the exciting part – At the beginning of 2012 I challenged our Out of the Box Youth to read their Bible through this year and an amazing number of them have taken the challenge. I am getting text messages EVERY Day from teens who have questions about what they are reading. THIS IS AWESOME!

Keep the questions coming, we live in a new day where texting and social media are part of life. Let’s quit condemning their use in the church…

Ronnie

 

This video inspires me…Mike Yaconelli

 

Mike also wrote one of the best books that I read in the last 15 years “Dangerous Wonder”. Read it, you will not be disappointed. By the way Mike died from an automobile accident in 2003, he was co-founder of youth specialties. What a Man of God.

Fast Day 16, 2012

It has been a few days since I updated on the fast. I am in day 16 and doing great physically. There is a battle raging mentally, I want to eat. Let me assure you that I have not experienced a hunger pain in the 16 days. As a matter of fact I feel the best physically that I have felt in the past two years, I am 23 pounds lighter. This brings a question to my mind. As good as I love to eat, I haven’t experienced a hunger pain. What does this say about having a real hunger for God? Are we really hungry for him? If so how do we really show it? Is it that we read the Bible, pray, and then go about our daily business? I don’t really think so. As a matter of thought, I don’t really think very many people are hungry for Him today. Yes we go to church and read our Bibles but that doesn’t hurt at all. If something better comes along, like the lake, golf, a picnic, whatever it may be that draws us away from our church and Bible reading time, we easily brush it off.

What are we doing that costs us anything when it comes to seeking God?

Ronnie

Video gone Viral

This video has gone viral over the past 10 days. It is worth 4 minutes.

Ronnie

Day 12 of 40 Day Fast 2012

If you ever wondered if your pastor wanted to quit something, I have wanted to quit the fast today. Not because I am hungry, not because I haven’t already witnessed God at work, simply because of my desire to eat. I went out to dinner with the family tonight and that wasn’t a struggle really, it is just the lust for food in general.

I walked 3 miles today and felt great doing so.

I’m not quitting, at least not yet. I just told Satan, “Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of our God.” I have no intention of allowing him to win this battle. I am learning lessons that are life changing. I am hearing from God in ways that are rare. It is sweet fellowship.

It has been a difficult day in the temptation but for today, I won.

Ronnie

Day 11 of 40 Day Fast 2012

Today was a good day but after 2 really long work days I was very tired and slow. I still managed without much problem to get my work done and to lead the youth meeting tonight. I must have been moving so slow all day that I gained 6 ounces. (lol)

Scripture is so much clearer now, its amazes me. Part of it is just the fact that my mind is not cluttered with so many other things. I have been reading a lot about health and the body and cultures through the ages have warned that when a person is given to eating too much or they are undisciplined in their eating then they are undisciplined in other important areas as well. Wow

If a person can tame the appetite for food they should be able to stand strong against any temptation. I believe this is a proving ground, not to God but to me. (Remember)

I am sleeping pretty good, much better with an electric blanket in the early mornings. I never sleep past 5 to 6am but lately I have slept a couple of times until 7. I am doing well.

More and more people are letting me know they are fasting and that is encouraging to know there are others who know how you feel and what your struggle is. I am thankful for all of the ones who heard the sermon on Sunday and have commented that God spoke to them through that. I really do believe that we as Christians have missed it, we have put the discipline of fasting to the side because it is too painful, too hard. We have made excuses that God never told us that we had to do it and He didn’t, but it is obvious in scripture that Jesus assumed that we would practice fasting.

Do you really want God more than you want food?

Stop making excuses.

Ronnie

There’s An App For That – Fasting

Here is the first App for “Living The Spirit Filled Life”

Listen to the sermon here 119793368

“We run to food to hide our pain, but, we are going to have to discipline ourselves if we are ever going to be who God wants us to be.”

Pastor Ronnie Collins

Day 10 of 40 Day Fast 2012

I was  really tired on day 9 and 10 so I didn’t take the time to update on the 9th. It has been a busy week with Church Council on Monday and then an all day meeting of the District Committee on Ordained Ministry of which I am a part for the Wytheville District.

Both days 9 and 10 have been really good days with no problems and no great longings for food. I weighed in this morning at 196.4 which makes 20 pounds gone in 10 days. The weight loss is becoming less dramatic, matter of fact I was at 199 for more than 2 days. At this time in a lengthy fast the body starts to slow down in its processes and weight loss will be less dramatic from here forward, I don’t expect to lose 20 in the next 10 days.

I read a quote yesterday, “Learning to live in hunger will strengthen our spiritual muscles of patience.” I am learning anew how much control our appetites have over us, it is alarming, if you will simply take just a couple of days and fast, you will see what I mean.

If we neglect the small or seemingly small things like our appetites, what else will we neglect? If we are unwilling to control what we put into our bodies, what else are we unwilling to control? If we are unwilling to admit that our eating habits are more important to us than God, what hope do we have of living a Spirit Filled Life?

Ronnie

Day 8 of 40 Day Fast 2012

I slept great through the night but no dreams. Up early to preach at OOTBWC at 9am and 1030am, we had two great services and the message was one on the Spiritual Discipline of Fasting.

I am 16.4 pounds lighter today at 199.6 and I feel great. I actually feel good enough to go out and run but I know better. I did walk 1 mile and it was easy to do.

We spent the afternoon at a friends home for our Christmas get together.

I preached the Sunday Night Connect Service at 1st Hillsville UMC at 630pm.

I am tired.

Each day the longing to eat is less and the desire to continue the fast is strong. However the truth is, this is hard, maybe the hardest thing I have ever undertaken. I am a firm believer, more than ever that our greatest sin and our biggest idol is FOOD. I have not had a hunger pain, I don’t feel the least bit hungry. We eat because we like to eat and this is detrimental to our health.goog

God gave us souls — and bodies to go with them. To be fully alive, fully human, fully the people God created us to be, we have to care for our bodies, discipline them, and make them our servants in our service to God.

“Dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God” (2 Corinthians 7:1, emphasis added). Paul teaches, “Each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable” (1 Thessalonians 4:4).

In fact, Paul’s definitive statement comes to the Corinthians: “Honor God with your bodies” (1 Corinthians 6:20).

Ronnie

 

Day 7 of 40 Day Fast 2012

Day 7 was a great day, weather in the mid 60s on January 7th is a miracle in itself so we were able to be outside much of the day. I have had some crazy dreams but none that were real meaningful yet, except the ones that demonstrate my addiction to food. I walked a mile and prayed today and felt really strong. I weighed in at 202.3 pounds.

It was my Sabbath Day of Rest, hung out with the kids and grand kids, read a little and sat by the fire pit for a couple of hours. (nothing like an open fire)

The desire to eat today was much less (until Misty made Muffins for church on Sunday) That was difficult.

Went out to dinner with Misty, the kids, Mom and dad and I had water. Even though the smells were great, I didn’t have strong urges to eat. God is teaching me a lot about waiting and not having to have what it is that I think I need. If a person can tame the food appetite I believe any appetite is in the realm of defeat. I guess this takes away my excuses for not being able to withstand those other worldly desires that so easily entangle us.

God is good and He is keeping me strong. I have noticed that I wake up very alert and have no need for coffee. I wonder if I am resting that much more fully or if it is the absence of caffeine or a combination of no caffeine and no food?

Ronnie

Day 6 of 40 Day Fast 2012

Today has probably been one of the most difficult but good days. I have wanted to eat more today than any one so far. During the night I had 2 dreams and both of the involved food. The first was one where I gave in and ate and it was food that I would never choose in an ordinary situation. The second dream was where I was running a restaurant and the food we were preparing was seafood, the deep fryers we used were as big as swimming pools and the fish was big as humans. I can’t help but believe these relate to the power that food has over us, at least here in America today.

So many people across this world are starving and we have more than enough to feed them yet they go unfed. I wonder if they had adequate food if they too would have the trend of obesity that we have in America. I am guessing they would because we tend to abuse everything. We always want more of a good thing or what appears to be good to us.

I have asked myself today, “Is the price too much to pay?” “Have I bit off more than I can chew?” “Am I crazy for doing this?”

Of course the answers are No, No, and No.

I desire more than anything in this world a closer walk with my Creator, my Savior, and my Lord. I desire more than anything in this world, that God will show Himself strong, in a wave of people coming to know Jesus Christ but, not ont only coming to know Him, to pick up their crosses and follow Him. I don’t know too many people today who are more involved and devoted to following Him than they are to other things in this world.

It is my prayer during this time that God will break the hearts of the people around me and people who I come in contact with, to make changes in they way they live. This starts in my own immediate family and spreads all around.

Is it too high a price, I sure hope not. I have given my life to follow God. I have sacrificed my income, my time, my energy, and my talent to serving Him and I believe it is worth every sacrifice. What is 40 days, when I know that all through the Bible people fasted and prayed and God responded. What is 40 days if we believe the Bible is true and I certainly believe that it is, Jesus said when the bridegroom was no longer on earth the people would fast. What is 40 days in a year of 365?

It may just be 40 days that change the rest of my life here on earth and for eternity in Heaven!

I believe that God is God. I believe that God used Moses to lead his people out of slavery and through the desert for 40 years and then into the promised land. I believe that God spoke to Moses and gave him the 10 commandments while Moses was fasting for 40 days on the mountain. I believe that God parted the sea, I believe that God caused the walls of Jericho to fall down, I believe that God can do anything. And this is why I do not believe the 40 days is a waste of time, energy and effort. I am asking God to do miracles and I am expecting them to happen. I want to be ready when the windows of heaven open and the move of God happens.

I believe after all is said and done, this wasn’t the hardest day but maybe the most fruitful.

Ronnie

Weight 203.6 Pounds

I walked 5 Miles Today

Book Review: Fast Your Way To Health by J. Harold Smith

J. Harold Smith president of Radio Bible Hour once did an absolute fast of 40 days (water only) while reading the Bible 1.5 times, preached 82 times, and traveled 10 thousand miles. (Whoa amazing)

This book is out of print but you can purchase used copies from amazon starting at 1 penny and it is well worth reading even if you had to pay $20.

J. Harold Smith was saved just a few days after graduating college, he had planned to go to Medical school and instead surrendered to the call of God on his life to preach. I never had the chance to hear him preach in person but several years ago he was preaching at Woodstock Baptist Church in Woodstock Georgia where I went to a conference and I just missed him. His sermon that night was the talk of the conference and it was there that I picked up this copy of his book. It was published in the 70s and still completely relevant in 2011. I read a lot about fasting and none are better than this one. You can purchase this book starting at a penny on amazon and it is out of print so the copies are used.

In this book Smith looks at the triple benefits of fasting, Physical, mental, and spiritual.

He was a person who started fasting at 40 years of age and from that time to his death at 91 years of age, he lived a fasted life and a healthy life. I would have to go further and say that he lived a blessed life, one that was blessed with leading many people to a relationship with Jesus Christ.

It is a short book, only 119 pages, you owe it to yourself to get this book and discover a discipline that God ave to us that has been all but forgotten in the church of today. Many people don’t even know what the word fasting means and that is sad.

J. Harold Smith stated that it was easy to see that men and women in the Bible fasted and prayed it gained Gods attention and response. How can we afford to miss this in a day when there seems to be so little power in the church.

I want to see a move of God like the modern world has never seen and I believe it will be done when His people humble ourselves and seek His face and stop just seeking His hand and the blessings that He gives. This book and rediscovering the spiritual discipline of fasting will help you to do just that.

Ronnie

‎”A lust for food has sent many an individual to an early grave: a grave dug with a fork.” J. Harold Smith

‎”Beginning almost at birth & the 3 times a day stuffing program that is common in our so called modern civilization, average individuals in average communities never experience genuine hunger.” J. Harold Smith

‎”Are you a “Foodaholic”? Do you eat when you’re not hungry? (J. Harold Smith is beating me to death)

‎” We sacrifice the favor of God when we make food ( or anything else) more important than giving heed to the solemn warnings of the biblical writers.” J. Harold Smith

“Fasting is not nearly so deadly as feasting.” J. Harold Smith

 

Book Review: Embraced by the Spirit, by Chuck Swindoll

If you are truly and completely fulfilled in your spiritual life, seldom frustrated, and rarely dissatisfied, this book is not for you. No need to read this book. However if you are like most Christians and knowing there has to be more to the Christian life than what you are experiencing, then you can benefit from reading this book. I picked this one up because of an article by Swindoll in a recent issue of Preaching Magazine.

I have not listened to Swindoll much in the past 10 years but I cut my Christian teeth on his teaching and his books were some of the first ones I fell in love with. His writing style is not my favorite at this point in my life but this is a great book. It is solid and it dispels a lot of what people claim in the name of Holy Spirit these days.

“Aha! Jesus promised them that His replacement would be “another Helper.” Namely, the Holy Spirit. And when that other Helper came, He would become an integral part of their lives. He would reside within them. Unlike Jesus, who had only been with them, He (the Spirit) would be in them. Huge difference! Not too many days hence, when the Spirit arrived, He would slip inside them and live within them forever. No more temporary companionship; the Spirit’s presence would be (and still is) a permanent presence. It had never been like that before. Not even in the lives of those Old Testament greats. But from now on … yes!”

In the book Chuck addresses all aspects of Holy Spirit and His work in and through the Christian. He is God with us, at all times and in all places. He also addresses healing as taught in the scriptures and some misnomer’s people have today about what James meant when he said confess your sin, be anointed and you will be healed. Really great teaching.

Ronnie

 

Book Review: Didache

(Explination from Wikipedia)

The Didache or The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles (Didachē means “Teaching”) is a brief early Christian treatise, dated by most scholars to the late first or early 2nd century. The first line of this treatise is “Teaching of the Lord to the Gentiles (or Nations) by the Twelve Apostles” (Διδαχὴ κυρίου διὰ τῶν δώδεκα ἀποστόλων τοῖς ἔθνεσιν).

The text, parts of which constitute the oldest surviving written catechism, has three main sections dealing with Christian ethics, rituals such as baptism and Eucharist, and Church organization. It is considered the first example of the genre of the Church Orders.

The work was considered by some of the Church Fathers as part of the New Testament but rejected as spurious or non-canonical by others, eventually not accepted into the New Testament canon. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church “broader canon” includes the Didascalia, a work which draws on the Didache.

Lost for centuries, the Didache was rediscovered in 1873 by Philotheos Bryennios, Metropolitan of Nicomedia in the Codex Hierosolymitanus. An English translation was first published in 1883. It has since been considered part of the category of second-generation Christian writings known as the Apostolic Fathers.

I have wanted to read this for a long time and just never purchased. There is a lot of wisdom and most of the writing mimics the New Testament writings. There were a couple of things that really caught my attention and they are as follows.

#1. Fasting was practiced by all those being baptized.

#2. You are to “fast” for those who persecute you.

This is a very short but helpful read. I picked it up for only 99 cents on amazon.

Ronnie

Day 5 of 40 Day Fast 2012

I slept great through the night and woke up this morning at a weight of 204.2, this is a 12 pound weight loss already. (and it feels good) I am not doing this fast for weight loss but it is sure a great side benefit and a good way to restore my health to a better running weight. My best running weight was when I was between 173 and 185. It is amazing how much easier it is to run 40 pounds lighter.

I got up early to travel to White Pine Tennessee for a Ministry Team Meeting and was there most of the day. During lunch I took my mile walk and prayed for the Hispanic ministries of Holston Conference. Several years ago something happened where I could smell anointing oil and it represented to me The Holy Spirit. It is a long story that I will share sometime. Through the past several years there have been times when I will out of nowhere smell the oil and I smelled it today while I was sitting in the meeting. It is amazing.

There is no denying when people in the Bible fasted and prayed that God responded and I believe this is still true today. If I didn’t believe this I would not be on a 40 day fast. I said after my first 40 day fast in 2009 I said I would never do it again unless I felt called. I’m not going to kid you, this is difficult. I’m also wise enough to know that it is most difficult because of the habits we have been raised in. We are taught to eat 3 times a day with snacks, we plan meetings around food, and we constantly have something to munch on just to stave off boredom.

I feel absolutely great, my body tells me this is good for me. The weight loss feels great and the overall feeling of health is awesome. I am more easily tired, I feel a great need to take a nap in the afternoon but that hasn’t happened yet. I have read a lot on the topic of fasting through the years and I learn something new every time. I have read several times on this fast that it is good to walk and I never knew that, even-though I did a little of that on the last 40 day fast. (but no running)

God is speaking through scripture, today I read the Didache, which is something I have wanted to read for a long time and it is very short. It is called the teaching of the Twelve Apostles. In their teaching it was said to “Fast for those who persecute you.” I also finished reading “Embraced by the Spirit” by Chuck Swindoll and wow, what a great read. I believe that fasting is a step in the right direction of living Spirit Filled.

There is a thick coating on my tongue which is normal at this point, there are lots of toxins that are working their way out of the body. Other than this and the exhaustion I am feeling from the long drive today, everything is normal.

Ronnie