Fasting
Generally, as a rule, when I fast, I don’t say anything to anyone, but I’m going to break my rule this year because I want to talk about something I think is important.
How bad do we want it?
When I felt the Lord call me to this 21 day fast at the beginning of this year, I sat down and made a prayer list. It kept growing and growing and the next thing I knew, it was pages long. But one of the things I wanted to take before the Lord was the daughter of a friend of mine that has an incredible calling on her life, but has drifted away from God and turned her back on her parents. So, I started the fast and the first thing I mentioned every day in prayer was this young woman. Late last night, I got word from her parents that there had been a breakthrough and the young woman is reaching out.
It was a powerful reminder to me that the Lord honors those things we lift to Him when we fast and pray. Sometimes—and heaven knows I’ve been guilty of this—we can get so caught up in the “doing” for the Lord—like our writing, that we forget WHO we’re writing for. We can think we’re writing for our fans. Or for our bank accounts. Or our creditors. But, actually…our writing is worship unto Him.
Psalm 26:7 – That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving and tell of all thy wonderous works.
He called us before the foundation of the world to write for Him. He breathed into us the desire and the creativity to write. And then we get so bogged down in the effort to come up with fresh new ideas, sparkling characters, and unusual plot twists; to make that deadline, to edit those drafts, to answer those emails, to schedule that book signing….and before you know it, our writing is work. Not worship.
I was talking to a close friend of mine the other night and while I was talking to her, I was reminded that I hadn’t fasted for nearly 8 years. That’s a long time for someone that used to have a regular fasting schedule. I wrote that book I mentioned in my last post during one of those fasting times. And look at the power that was in it. Maybe we need to schedule a little fast before we start writing our next book so that He can reach down and pour into us so that we can pour into our writing. If He can break though the hard shell of an angry young woman and soften her heart in a matter of days through a fast, how much do you think He can do with us and our writing in a matter of days?
Wanda Dyson
How bad do we want it?
When I felt the Lord call me to this 21 day fast at the beginning of this year, I sat down and made a prayer list. It kept growing and growing and the next thing I knew, it was pages long. But one of the things I wanted to take before the Lord was the daughter of a friend of mine that has an incredible calling on her life, but has drifted away from God and turned her back on her parents. So, I started the fast and the first thing I mentioned every day in prayer was this young woman. Late last night, I got word from her parents that there had been a breakthrough and the young woman is reaching out.
It was a powerful reminder to me that the Lord honors those things we lift to Him when we fast and pray. Sometimes—and heaven knows I’ve been guilty of this—we can get so caught up in the “doing” for the Lord—like our writing, that we forget WHO we’re writing for. We can think we’re writing for our fans. Or for our bank accounts. Or our creditors. But, actually…our writing is worship unto Him.
Psalm 26:7 – That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving and tell of all thy wonderous works.
He called us before the foundation of the world to write for Him. He breathed into us the desire and the creativity to write. And then we get so bogged down in the effort to come up with fresh new ideas, sparkling characters, and unusual plot twists; to make that deadline, to edit those drafts, to answer those emails, to schedule that book signing….and before you know it, our writing is work. Not worship.
I was talking to a close friend of mine the other night and while I was talking to her, I was reminded that I hadn’t fasted for nearly 8 years. That’s a long time for someone that used to have a regular fasting schedule. I wrote that book I mentioned in my last post during one of those fasting times. And look at the power that was in it. Maybe we need to schedule a little fast before we start writing our next book so that He can reach down and pour into us so that we can pour into our writing. If He can break though the hard shell of an angry young woman and soften her heart in a matter of days through a fast, how much do you think He can do with us and our writing in a matter of days?
Wanda Dyson
posted by What is Keep Me In Suspense? at 10:24 PM
4 Comments:
Wanda, this is very encouraging. Could you e-mail me privately, please and share some details of that last fast? I'm very interested to hear it.
Thanks and God bless,
Karri
Wanda, I just "happened" to find this blog through Beth's website ... and I have tears in my eyes from this line: "How bad do we want it?" I've been seriously frustrated over where I am right now in my writing, and I think God may be calling me to a fast, as well ...
Thank you so much for sharing your heart in this. Blessings!!
KARRI... I don't have an email address for you. Email me @
Wanda@WandaDyson.com
Be glad to share whatever I can with you....
Dear Wanda, I, too, was touched by your post and would love to have any info you could share with me about fasting. email me at crmcc@setel.com thanks, rose
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