Double Take
I love free food, the student in me still is alive and well when it comes to freebies especially food! and recently I had the chance not only to eat but to eat my favourite food for free! There was one slight problem with my plan for nourishment, the Father had called me to fast the next day.
I went to bed asking God for a sign that I was meant to fast the next day (like I said I really didn’t want to!) I woke up in the middle of the night and took a look at my clock 6:16, I couldn’t help but feel the time was significant so I took a note of it on my phone and promptly fell back asleep. Morning came and I remembered my noting of the time, I grabbed my bible and looked in Matthew 6v16
16 “And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and dishevelled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get” NLT
I literally laughed out loud and thanked God was making the sign I prayed for so obvious and began my fast.
I had a great morning keeping busy and then when the afternoon came out of nowhere I felt down, grumpy, frustrated… I genuinely tried to lift my spirits and mood but couldn’t keep it up for any length of time. It wasn’t being hungry that affected me but more a sudden change in mood, a change that I simply couldn’t shake.
That evening as I was chatting with some friends and as I began retelling the story I felt the Father speak to me and as he did I heard him say that I simply hadn’t got it. I was confused, hat hadn’t I got ?!? I asked for a sign too fast, I got it and I fasted, what had I missed?
That’s when the Father explained gently to me that the verse wasn’t simply a confirmation to fast, it was a warning, it was a warning that I would feel dishevelled and I would I feel down and that this was a spiritual attack on me. I honestly couldn’t believe I hadn’t connected the dots, the low mood out of nowhere and the verse.
It struck me that we can do this a lot, we look at things in our lives and see God in them (and sometimes wonder where God is in them) and we are happy to take the initial thought, the initial ‘ah’ moment and run with that, when in truth it’s when we spend time with the Father and ask him to reveal his complete purpose that we get the fullness of life out of every moment and season.
The Father hides treasures for each of us so that we hunger after him and desire to spend time with him, he wants us to live the fullest, happy and adventurous life we possibly could and he knows that we will do this by spending time with him.
So spend time with the Father, spend time getting to know his heart and listening to his voice, don’t take God moments at first glance anymore, ask the Father to fully explain what he wants you & him to step into fully together!