Daniel Fast

I've been wanting for the longest time to connect with God in new ways and to learn more about Him and who I am in Him. But the silliest thing that I didn't understand was that in order for new things to happen, I needed to do something I hadn't done before! There's no way anything would change if I kept the same habits and kept living the same way.

A little over three weeks ago, my church challenged it's members to participate in the "Daniel Fast," a 21-day fast modeled after the way Daniel fasted in the bible. After being stubborn and selfish for a little bit, I accepted the fact that fasting was the next step I needed to take in my relationship with God and I am SO glad I did.  The only reason I even want to share with you guys about it is not because I am proud of myself for doing the fast or want you to be proud of me; it was by His power and goodness alone that I was able to do it! There is just no way I could not share with y'all the things God did for me and through me during this time. The most important thing that this experience showed me was how awesome life is when I simply depend on God rather than myself. It's still hard and the problems I have don't just magically go away, but it's so much better to know I can trust Him with everything and that He will take care of me. Learning to depend on Him was the main thing I learned, but each day He taught me something new either through scripture, someone else's words, or a personal experience. I wrote down the main thing I learned each day in my journal and thought I would share! (p.s. I am aware that some of them are very similar...God knows how forgetful I can be but thankfully He makes sure to remind me of things He once taught me when my actions don't show that I remember it)

1. A fast (or any spiritual discipline) isn't meant to make Him fall more in love with you, but to make you fall more in love with Him. Don't be in this to try to make up for recent or past sins.

2. Spending time with the ones God gave you is one of the most fulfilling things; don't take that time for granted (or spend it on your phone).

3. Self-control is vital to living a fulfilling life. What we want in the moment isn't always best for us in the long run.

4. Don't be discouraged by weakness. Let your weakness highlight God's mighty power within you!

5. Complaining or having a negative attitude does no good for you or the people around you. Joyfully submit to the Lord and express that joy to others.

6. Don't spend so much time dwelling on the days ahead of you. You are not promised another day so put all your energy and effort into making the most of the present.

7. Don't turn to worldly things when you feel weak. Christ is the only thing that will give you the strength you need.

8. It isn't silly to say that Jesus Christ is your best friend. He isn't just some larger than life, all-knowing judge. He's someone who can make you smile after long day, someone you can count on, someone who would do anything for you, and someone who accepts you exactly how you are...what more could you want in a best friend?

9. When you want something to change in your life, you have to be willing to do something you have never done before.

10. Forgiving yourself is just as important as forgiving others. God doesn't want you to live in guilt and self-pity.

11. Don't take the opportunity God has giving you to have an intimate relationship with Him for grants. It is the most beautiful gift you could ever receive.

12. Being honest with the Godly people in your life about what you're dealing with is vital. We need those people to encourage us and hold us accountable. but we will never get that if we try hide our struggles and our feelings.

13. Don't act based on your ever-changing emotions, act based on the un-changing, solid Truth you know about Jesus.

14. Loving people is the single most important thing we must do on this earth. Simple as that.

!5. Don't start to love the things God can give you more than you love Him. He alone is worthy of all of our praise and He is the only thing that remains the same.

16. Any day has the power to be extraordinary and waking up giving praise to the Lord and surrendering your day to Him is the best way to ensure that it is.

17. The more you read and discover about Jesus, the more you're going to want to live like Him.

18. One of the best ways to be a light is simply to be positive. When people are used to being surrounded by negativity, they'll want to know what it is that makes you so joyful.

19. Most of the time what the world tells us and what God's word tells us are total opposites. Following the patterns of the world does nothing to further His kingdom, which is the only reason we are even here.

20. Always ask yourself the question, "Who am I living for and what am I chasing after?" If the answer is anyone but Jesus and anything but being His servant, you have lost sight of your purpose.

21. God's got your back. You're silly for thinking He'd call you to do something and not provide for you.

Thanks for reading y'all! I hope some of the things God taught me made an impact on you. Have a great weekend!

 

 



a bird's eye view

Hellllooo blog readers! What do ya know? 2013 is coming to an end. Already? It feels like just yesterday I was telling you guys what my New Year's resolutions were and expressing my excitement for the new year to come. Well, here I am to do it again!

I just love New Year's Eve. Not because of the parties and TV extravaganzas...in fact, I'm spending my night eating hot cheetos and writing this post. I love it because it is a time to reflect on all the good and bad times that made up the past year and to set goals and get excited for the year to come. I have always been a fan of making resolutions, but I've also learned that it's foolish to make an ideal plan for how you want your year to turn out. You never know what life could throw at you, in fact you don't even know if you are promised another day! A resolution shouldn't have to do with what events you want to happen in the coming year but instead the kind of person you want to be and the way you want to react to the things that might happen throughout the year. I've already thought of tons of little resolutions for myself but I wanted something solid, something I could ooze into every little crack and corner of all the different aspects of my life. Earlier today while I was looking out an airplane window, it hit me. I decided that my general, most important resolution that I want to remember every single day of 2014 is to look at life from a bird's eye view.

What exactly does that mean? I haven't quite figured out yet. Honestly I just liked the sound of it! I was leaving California after an incredible week-long trip and I decided instead of reading or sleeping, I would enjoy the view and reflect on my year. I'm glad I did because I love looking at the world from that perspective. It makes life seem more manageable. Then I got to thinkin'...what if we could look at life from a bird's eye view? I mean obviously we can't actually ever do that, it's God's job to see the map of our entire life. And I don't want to literally see what my entire life will look like, I just want to look at things from the view that there is a bigger picture. Whether I have 5 more minutes to live or 80 more years to live, my life is not just some random series of events that make me feel all different kinds of emotions. Each thing that happens has the potential to further my relationship with God and essentially the potential to further His Kingdom. But only if I let it. A friend told me the other day that it's crazy how God is dependent on us and that all we have to do is run to Him, let Him know that He can have control over a situation and He will do wonders with it. It doesn't mean that He will make it all better and make life easy again, but He will weave the situation into His master plan for your life. He'll teach you from it, help you grow stronger and wiser, reveal to you something new about Himself, or simply just comfort you. So back to the bird's eye thing. Instead of looking at failures as, well, failures and instead of living in a cloud of self-pity when something bad happens look at it from a different perspective. Life is so much more than a rough day or a breakup or a rejection letter from a school. The things we think are a big deal when they happen are really just like a little pond or hill in the big map of life. They're important and add excitement to what would be an otherwise flat, easy life...but they aren't worth obsessing over.

So that's what I've decided I want to do in 2014...look at life from a vertical perspective rather than horizontal. Instead of worry and stress over little things, I want to surrender every situation up to God and just enjoy living life with Him. He's crazy about me (and you) and wants us to have fun in our life! He doesn't want us to feel guilty or hurt or disappointed or anything. But in our time here on earth, all of that is going to happen. So the best thing to do is just hand it over to Him, let Him take care of you because that's what He does best! He takes care of the whole earth, every little person in every city...just look out an airplane window and try to wrap you brain around that. It's mind blowing how powerful and incredible He is. So why not take advantage of the fact that a God that awesome would wanna walk through life with you? I promise you that nothing is better...I just need to remember that myself when I'm worrying about the silliest little things.

Just for fun and because I love making resolutions, I'll share some more of my little ones...
1. Take more risks! Again with the idea that I want to simply treasure and enjoy life more, I think taking more risks will be an important part of that. I can get scared and shy and worry about every possible thing that could go wrong but I don't want to let that hold me back from experiencing some awesome things that this world has to offer!
2. Respect Myself. I get so caught up in pleasing other people sometimes or finding a quick fix to a problem that I lose sight of what is best for me. I don't want to become more selfish by any means..in fact I could definitely shed some selfishness in 2014. But I also don't want to live for other people or for anything other than God. He took precious time and effort to create me and I should respect & love myself enough to do only what pleases Him and if it lines up with what He wants, what pleases me, even if it isn't always what the people around me want me to do.
3. Less technology, more living. I've said this in my posts many times before, but I'll say it again. I love technology and social media and all that as much as anyone in this generation, heck I'm spending New Years Eve typing a blog post! But it has had some very negative effects on me before and in 2014 I want to be able to limit how attached I am to all my gadgets. Too much social networking has caused me to compare, to obsess, to envy, and simply get distracted or detached from the beautiful things around me. I have a love/hate relationship with it but in 2014 I would like to limit it enough so that it's only a love relationship and I don't let it negatively affect me!
4. Embrace my dorkiness. Yes, that's really one of my resolutions...a friend helped me think of it after a dorky conversation we had about how much we love vocabulary and words and stuff. :) But seriously, it's so easy for a shy girl like me to get embarrassed about things and to hide parts of my personality...especially in high school where there is so much pressure to be cool. Not that I'd get bullied for expressing my love for English or something but I still do feel the need to suppress my quirkier personality traits. But where's the fun in that? In 2014 as I finish high school and enter college, I want to show my true self to everyone I meet, because the people that want to be around me when I'm actually being me are the people who make life the best anyway!

Well I hope you all had a fabulous NYE and more importantly, an incredible 2014! Thank you for reading and again, thanks for you support. This blog has been one of my favorite parts of 2013!

Happy New Years!

"No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us." Philippians 3:13, 14

"In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps." Proverbs 16:9

“But forget all that— it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland." Isaiah 43:18, 19

Beautiful view from the airplane. I love how you can see the mountains, beach, and city all in one shot. 

 

My sister and me in Cali

 

My cute parents ringing in the New Year!